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The Both
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The Both Image
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 8 Ratings

  • Artist(s): Aimee Mann, Ted Leo
  • Summary: The debut release for the collaboration between Aimee Mann and Ted Leo was produced by Paul Bryan.
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Top Track

Milwaukee
We walked over the bridge in Milwaukee Past the statues of Fonz and the duck With the wind kicking in and the sparrows all running amok And that... See the rest of the song lyrics
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. Alternative Press
    Apr 8, 2014
    90
    It's an album without pretense or misstep. [May 2014, p.88]
    All this publication's reviews
  2. Chicago Tribune
    Apr 8, 2014
    88
    It's a unified album, in which sound is every bit as crucial as craft. Despite the formidable solo careers involved, The Both improbably sounds like the work of a band.
  3. The A.V. Club
    Apr 15, 2014
    83
    Even as Mann pushes toward friendly pop-rock and Leo pulls toward spiky punkiness, the lack of struggle in that mild tension makes for a charm offensive that’s hard to resist.
  4. Consequence
    Apr 16, 2014
    75
    It’s [not] the best album from either performer (the low-pressure nature of their collaboration makes for equally low stakes), but it’s definitely the most digestible.
  5. Rolling Stone
    Apr 17, 2014
    70
    New Wave heartthrob and master songcrafter Aimee Mann gets welcome vocal and guitar snarl from Ted Leo, a post-punk heartthrob in his own right whose unfussy attack benefits from Mann's melodic and harmonic touch.
  6. Spin
    Apr 8, 2014
    70
    The tunes barely let up until the Mann-led "Hummingbird" and "Honesty Is No Excuse" more than halfway through, and even then the usual boring singer/songwriter-isms become a nice resting place from the otherwise inescapable hooks.
  7. Pitchfork
    Apr 14, 2014
    54
    At heart, this is an enthusiastic debut that can’t quite live up to its own billing, but at least it shows two veterans who have bravely embraced the neophyte’s challenge of figuring out their sound.

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User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. smw
    May 21, 2014
    10
    The album is outstanding, with Mann and Leo creating a more appealing sound together than either had done separately. "Milwaukee," "BedtimeThe album is outstanding, with Mann and Leo creating a more appealing sound together than either had done separately. "Milwaukee," "Bedtime Stories," and "Hummingbird" stand out as highlights for their catchy hooks and beautiful vocal harmonies. (Even my kids love those songs, to my pleased surprise!) They've called the album a tribute to their mutual musical hero, the late Scott Miller (pop musician, leader of Game Theory; look him up on Wikipedia), and "Bedtime Stories" exemplifies The Both's fidelity to his hook-laden, musically complex, intellectual model of power pop.… Expand
  2. adhamhany
    May 13, 2014
    4
    It's okay. But i can't say i like it. I'm not sure i'll remember any of the tracks by the end of the month. Nothing really stuck with me.It's okay. But i can't say i like it. I'm not sure i'll remember any of the tracks by the end of the month. Nothing really stuck with me.

    Maybe some people like this kind of music, but i don't. Which is strange, 'cause i enjoyed a few of Aimee Mann's earlier work.    … Collapse

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