The Lion's Roar
by First Aid Kit
  • Record Label: Wichita
  • Release Date: Jan 24, 2012
Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 27 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 27
  3. Negative: 0 out of 27
  1. The Independent on Sunday (UK)
    Jan 23, 2012
    90
    First Aid Kit sing harmonies so close you couldn't run a Band Aid between them.
  2. Austin Chronicle
    Oct 9, 2012
    89
    The Lion's Roar lacks gravitas, but that will come with time and heartbreak. The soul, candor, and the way they sing "darling," that's the hard stuff, and it's scarcely sounded more gorgeous.
  3. Paste Magazine
    Jan 24, 2012
    84
    The Lion's Roar is a gorgeous record and a spectacular follow-up to their 2010 debut.
  5. NOW Magazine
    Mar 29, 2012
    80
    They save overt prettiness for the music.
  6. The Fly (UK)
    Feb 10, 2012
    80
    The resulting collection of campfire singalongs proving nothing short of magical.
  7. Mojo
    Jan 31, 2012
    80
    The lyrics' heavy-hearted take on relationships is more evidence of an astonishing maturity at play. [Feb 2012, p.97]
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  8. Boston Globe
    Jan 25, 2012
    80
    First Aid Kit's lustrous new album revels in its passion.
  9. New Musical Express (NME)
    Jan 24, 2012
    80
    Who'd have thought the best Americana record of the year would come from two Swedish siblings?
  10. CMJ
    Jan 23, 2012
    80
    Some of the best parts of The Lion's Roar are when the Söderbergs harmonize together.
  11. Uncut
    Jan 20, 2012
    80
    Klara and Johanna Soderberg have crafted a remarkably mature work. [Feb 2012, p.84]
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  12. musicOMH.com
    Jan 20, 2012
    80
    A beautiful album that proves that sometimes more is more.
  13. The Independent (UK)
    Jan 19, 2012
    80
    Blessed with clear, characterful voices, employed in beautifully modulated, bell-like harmonies, the Söderbergs find beauty in the bleakness of mortality and the cyclical nature of things.
  14. The Guardian
    Jan 19, 2012
    80
    The Lion's Roar works because, like their country inspirations, there's a steely toughness to the despair, and their extraordinary harmonies make even the glummest sentiments soar.
  15. Under The Radar
    Jan 19, 2012
    80
    Announces First Aid Kit as a fully-fledged musical experience. [#39, p.69]
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  16. Q Magazine
    Jan 19, 2012
    80
    The sisters harmonise like sisters should, the tunes soar as both country and Bright Eyes should and First Aid Kit is contending like contenders should. [Feb 2012, p. 104]
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  17. BBC Music
    Jan 19, 2012
    80
    The full band which appears on The Lion's Roar enjoys the rare achievement of being saccharine-free, and serves to highlight the sisters' brilliant captured-on-tape chemistry.
  18. Clash Music
    Jan 19, 2012
    80
    The Lion's Roar is full of rich textures that unfurl around Klara and Johanna's bittersweet harmonies.
  19. Beats Per Minute
    Jan 27, 2012
    78
    As it is, The Lion's Roar is a quality release, but due to the stand out tracks being placed at the front and the end, the middle section feels weaker than it is, making the overall impression of the album suffer.
  20. Pitchfork
    Jan 24, 2012
    76
    For the sisters' part, their voices are steadier now, and richer.
  21. DIY Magazine
    Feb 10, 2012
    70
    Vocals, sparse acoustic backings, gentle snare brushing, the occasional stab of a mellotron all create a very pristine listening experience.
  22. Spin
    Feb 1, 2012
    70
    Mogis never allows the arrangements to pull focus from the Söderbergs' vocals.
  23. Consequence
    Jan 25, 2012
    70
    It weaves a pleasingly expanded set of instruments and styles, all under the watchful eye of producer Mike Mogis.
  24. PopMatters
    Jan 25, 2012
    70
    All in all, the long player establishes that even though the Söderbergs are definitely young, they are wise and mature for their years.
  25. AllMusic
    Jan 24, 2012
    70
    For the most part, The Lion's Roar is a mesmerizing listen that--alongside recent releases from the likes of the Tallest Man on Earth and Anna Ternheim--suggests the Swedish folk scene is currently hitting something of a purple patch.
  26. Rolling Stone
    Jan 24, 2012
    70
    The songs shuffle styles, but the voices transcend genre distinctions--you may not hear a more beautifully sung record this year.
  27. Drowned In Sound
    Jan 20, 2012
    70
    A gorgeous, gripping study of English and north American folk music that covers as many of the genre's quirks as it can, without crawling from cliché to catastrophe.
  28. The Telegraph (UK)
    Jan 19, 2012
    60
    There's a nourishing warmth in their bittersweet laments.

Awards & Rankings

95
#95 Best Album of 2012

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 46 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 43 out of 46
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 46
  3. Negative: 1 out of 46
  1. RafaelSeixas
    Apr 20, 2018
    10
    A primeira coisa que deve ficar claro: as irmãs "First Aid Kit" são maravilhosas! De uma qualidade tocante. The Lion's Roar, para mim, é umA primeira coisa que deve ficar claro: as irmãs "First Aid Kit" são maravilhosas! De uma qualidade tocante. The Lion's Roar, para mim, é um dos álbuns-indie do século. A produção foi muito feliz, especialmente na etapa de concepção da obra. E isto se concretizou na gravação e lançamento. O interessante é que é um álbum de extremos: a alegria do folk contagiante de King Of The World até a obra-prima do álbum, a própria faixa The Lion's Roar, passando pela profunda "In the hearts of men". Tudo, tudo no álbum tem um significado, um detalhe, uma sonoridade impactante e muito pertinente ao sentimento de cada faixa. É um álbum impressionantemente maravilhoso!… Full Review »
  2. louistn2010
    May 28, 2013
    9
    The Lion's Roar, by First Aid Kit otherwise known as Swedish Sisters, Johanna and Klara Söderberg is an album that came out back in JanuaryThe Lion's Roar, by First Aid Kit otherwise known as Swedish Sisters, Johanna and Klara Söderberg is an album that came out back in January 2012. Ashamedly I only really fell in love with them back in October 2012 and have since then, not stopped listening to them (what has happened to my complex sentences?)…

    This Folk/Country/Americana album is bristling with life and energy wistful sighs and cries and an air of nostalgia this is an album that could have come from the sixties, seventies, eighties, nineties or any other decade in the past seventy years. Lyrically their as strong as any others The Lion's Roar, This Old Routine and To a Poet being the strongest in this album but there are no bad songs.

    This, as an album, is hard to review, because much like Laura Marling, they have an instinctive sound one that I like for no other reason than that is resonates within me *spiritual-cretin-smug-look*. I can tell that it is very very good but describing it is hard it sounds like winter grown from autumn. There is a flowing cohesion that rings out especially strongly on Emmylou, a joyful shout-out to folk/country legends Jonny Cash and Emmylou Harris. This album sounds like escaping from Stockholm's winter.

    There are moments of grief and regret in Blue and To a Poet, and Dance to Another Tune has a mournful stillness to it like the first touches of daylight in mid January. This is an album born of winter- but it carries none of the gloom or numbing depression.

    My personal favourite song is To a Poet, which catches me in the throat just a bit though. As they sing "But Frank put it best when he said/"You can't plan on the heart"/ Those words keep me on my feet/ When I think I might just fall apart…" And their voices hit a note that pierces human emotion like an angelic needle, you know you're in for a treat"

    (On 'Cornish Guilt 'n' Stuff' Blogspot)    … Full Review »
  3. JUIKER
    Apr 28, 2012
    9
    This duo actually first got recognition several years ago for doing a startlingly beautiful Youtube cover of Fleet Foxes Tiger MountainThis duo actually first got recognition several years ago for doing a startlingly beautiful Youtube cover of Fleet Foxes Tiger Mountain Peasant Song. This follows in that vein, really very nicely. This will be on my top ten list for the year certainly. It's a beauty from start to finish. As I've said elsewhere: pretty folkin' Swede.… Full Review »
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