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- Record Label: Matador
- Genre(s): Indie, Rock, Alternative
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
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Positive: 14 out of 17
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Mixed: 3 out of 17
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Negative: 0 out of 17
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Arab Strap mix the stoic, set-permanently-at-dawn folk whispers of last year's Elephant Shoe with the beat-friendly sense of their best early singles: "The First Big Weekend," "(Afternoon) Soaps," "Cherubs." The music sheds its amateur charm for the sound of a band in control of its art and its drum machines.
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Entertainment WeeklyAidan Moffat's bitter tales of messy love and messier sex are wrapped in windy textures and gurgling undertones that obscure his misanthropic tendencies. [3/9/2001, p.83]
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Arab Strap's gradual refinements have hit a peak, but don't expect anything new. Slithery programmed beats, tingly guitars, plodding rhythms, and whispered/warbled sing-speak lead the way yet again, with occasional piano licks and strings thrown in for very good atmospheric measure.
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Probably now their most accessible album, as they change things up a lot more than they have with past releases, implementing different sounds in nearly every track.
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But though the music is as good as anything they've ever done, rarely resorting to that downbeat, drunk-in-pub-tells-his-life-story tendency they've too often made their trademark, the lyrics are way below [Aidan] Moffat's usual standard.
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SpinThey're still tilling the same murky patch, but they're pulling up prettier weeds each time out. [5/2001, p.147]
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Alternative PressFive years later, it's easy to be blasé about [Aidan] Moffat's disgruntled first-person narratives. [#154, p.68]
Score distribution:
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Positive: 1 out of 1
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Mixed: 0 out of 1
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Negative: 0 out of 1
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PoPeRSep 3, 2001Incredible musical landscapes, great!
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