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The Best of Gloucester County
by
The Best of Gloucester County Image
Metascore
73

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews What's this?

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  • Summary: The latest album for the group led by Daniel Smith was produced by the frontman.
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  • Record Label: Secretly Canadian
  • Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
  1. PopMatters
    Feb 25, 2011
    90
    Best of Gloucester County announces itself as superlative--a high standard to meet for an artist that has already achieved such a distinct identity across so many compelling albums.
  2. Dusted Magazine
    Apr 7, 2011
    80
    In the end, it's the restraint, control, and unlikely expansiveness that make The Best of Gloucester County a strong and surreal step forward for Smith and his band.
  3. Pitchfork
    Feb 28, 2011
    79
    As wild as a Danielson record can get, his compositions are always meticulously recorded and arranged, and his work ethic is palpable on every track--it's not that these songs feel over-labored, exactly (although they certainly don't seem spontaneous), it's that it's easy to hear all the ways in which Smith is consumed by his work.
  4. Beats Per Minute
    Feb 25, 2011
    70
    Knocking out fun little songs at home with old friends is all well and good, but it isn't hard to imagine a little more effort and sincerity resulting in something a bit more enduring.
  5. Mojo
    Apr 6, 2011
    60
    A band featuring such like-minded oddballs as Sufjan Stevens lend nice textures to the psychedelic swirls of Olympic Portions and Hovering Above That Hill, but simpler fare is more memorable. [Apr 2011, p.101]
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  6. No Ripcord
    Mar 9, 2011
    60
    I'm going to give this bonus points for the admirable trait of messing with our heads and not apologizing for it. But in the end, the quirky ideas are found lacking and sheer bizarreness only gets you so far.
  7. The A.V. Club
    Feb 25, 2011
    58
    So while chants of "I love my Lord!" were deemed acceptable by listeners not used to listening to such things, Smith has finally offered something that might be a bit too unsettling: straightforward pop songs.

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. JoeChristmas
    Apr 29, 2011
    9
    Once again, Danielson serves as the house band for wedding feast of Matthew 22:2-14. I think that this album is more consistently enjoyableOnce again, Danielson serves as the house band for wedding feast of Matthew 22:2-14. I think that this album is more consistently enjoyable than Ships.… Expand