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Jan 13, 2011Simply put, this album suffers from Beyonce syndrome--it does nothing to further the group's catalogue. Last time around, the Black Eyed Peas were exploring new territory, and the results were contagious. Now, it seems as though the group, particularly will.i.am, is stuck on auto-pilot.
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Jan 10, 2011Although the overall plot of the album is sparse, it's hard to deny the enjoyment it can bring to you. If you know what to expect when you hear it, you can take The Beginning for what it is: a feel good album.
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Dec 16, 2010It's an odd sort of talent, making joyless slogs out of music that is supposed to be fun and exuberant, but The Beginning is at its core a shrine to forced joviality, and that's no fun at all.
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Dec 14, 2010Like the Double Down monstrosity, the first bite is an odd mix of tasty and disgusting, but by the end of it you just feel ill and ashamed.
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Dec 7, 2010The Beginning is a depressing listen, not because the music's that bad, but because it implies that even the most successful pop producer on the planet can't afford to indulge in anything that might be construed as intelligent or interesting, lest the masses run away screaming in terror.
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Dec 7, 2010This much serotonin in four humans can only mean they'll get carried away all over the place, and Beginning bubbles with the kind of slobbering excess that drives Peas haters bonkers.
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Dec 7, 2010It's modish to disparage the Peas, but consistently coming up with stuff that's this infectious is harder than it looks.
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Dec 7, 2010As on their last two LPs, it's heavily reliant on nightclub anthems and will.i.am's throwback rapping, alongside Auto-Tune harmonies and waves of synth
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Dec 7, 2010The Beginning, the Black Eyed Peas's sixth and least original album yet, is the sound of the pigs' blood dumped on Carrie White's head congealing into a sticky, hardened scab of forced good times.
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Dec 7, 2010It's a much lesser record than "The E.N.D.," and yet it isn't boring, even when the echoes of old songs are more than echoes.
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Dec 7, 2010You can probably imagine what it sounds like: minimalist drum machine beats, techno-lifted synth pulses, plinky keyboard hooks, retro-fitted hip-hop callbacks, pitch-shifted vocals, and songs that chain your brain to the furnace and beat you over the head with their cursed affability.
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Dec 7, 2010Consider it a musical Snuggie for tottering Valley party girls--it will feel marvelous in the cold, drunken and lonely hours of the night.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 39 out of 109
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Mixed: 31 out of 109
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Negative: 39 out of 109
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Dec 1, 2010
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Dec 2, 2010
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Dec 8, 2010