The Imperfect Sea
by Penguin Cafe
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
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  1. musicOMH.com
    May 10, 2017
    90
    This is a beautiful album, a lovely complement to the best of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra and a strong statement on the part of the new generation, reaching greater emotional depths and expanding the structures impressively. The penguin isn’t out of its comfort zone after all.
  2. Mojo
    May 23, 2017
    80
    Richly layered and astutely arranged. [Jul 2017, p.96]
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  3. Uncut
    May 10, 2017
    80
    Jeffes has safeguarded the Orchestra's broad, eccentric range of instruments, and shifts effortlessly from the drones of "Control 1 (Interlude)" to the good-natured, pastoral pleasures of "Ricercar." [Jun 2017, p.37]
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  5. The Skinny
    May 10, 2017
    80
    The Penguins’ music always defied easy definition and Arthur’s determination to keep the band’s trademark sound keep careering its way from traditional folk and pop styles to minimalism and South American music is admirable in the extreme. What’s even better is that the music is now matching the sentiment.
  6. AllMusic
    May 10, 2017
    80
    Penguin Cafe have created a charming world within The Imperfect Sea that gently seduces the listener through the restless and captivating collection of songs within it.
  7. Under The Radar
    May 17, 2017
    75
    Featuring covers of works by Simian Mobile Disco, Kraftwerk, and even Penguin Cafe Orchestra, the tracks are as tranquil and entertaining as they are richly imaginative and gratifying.
  8. The Wire
    Aug 8, 2017
    70
    [Arthur Jeffes] often seems over-cautious. ... Yet when Jeffes reins in a tendency to over-orchestrate, he shares his father’s talent for painting delightful scenes with limited palettes. [May 2017, p.53]
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  9. Mixmag
    May 11, 2017
    70
    Ultimately, the sincerity and craft of the composition and production make it much more emotionally satisfying than the untold PCO knock-offs out there.
  10. Pitchfork
    May 11, 2017
    64
    Three albums in, it’s yet to be determined just where the younger Jeffes aims to take the group, but there’s a rigidity to The Imperfect Sea that approaches ordered desolation.
  11. PopMatters
    May 11, 2017
    60
    It’s a growth record, and it shows Penguin Café coming into their own. It’s a beginning, but it’s imperfect.

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