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The Sophtware Slump
by
  • Record Label:
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The Sophtware Slump Image
Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 11 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 47 Ratings

  • Summary: The Modesto, CA band returns with a concept album reminiscent of Radiohead's 'OK Computer.'

Top Track

Hewlett's Daughter
Hewlett's daughter Loved her father And I think she loved me too For a little while Hewlett's daughter I forgot her Now I'm treating water And waste... See the rest of the song lyrics
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. AllMusic
    90
    An album that shares a spacy sadness with Sparklehorse's Good Morning Spider and Radiohead's OK Computer. Though it's a little more self-conscious and not quite as accomplished as either of those albums, it is Grandaddy's most impressive work yet and one of 2000's first worthwhile releases.
  2. Wall of Sound
    88
    The perfect soundtrack for workers clearing out their cubicles and trudging away after their short-lived high-tech careers abruptly ended. The 11 songs capture a bittersweet tone perfectly -- sadly witnessing cultural wreckage and detritus but finding glimmers of beauty.
  3. Pitchfork
    85
    The Sophtware Slump manages to sound reasonably fresh, yields its share of unshakable melodies, and excels in production. This is quite possibly the last great entry in the atmospheric pop canon.
  4. HOB.com
    80
    What is most striking about The Sophtware Slump, besides the band's resonating compositions, is its subtle approach towards invoking a strong cathartic response. It's at times a sleepy record with songs that only work as an afterthought, or only make sense when you can focus enough attention on what the band is actually saying. But it has just enough on the surface to strike an initial interest that unfolds, sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly, into the many brilliant aspects of this album and band.
  5. Mojo
    80
    The use of computers and electronic SFX here emphasises their dark, distorting, disturbing qualities...
  6. Nude As The News
    80
    The Sophtware Slump more than makes up for its repetitiveness with sheer atmosphere and brilliance.
  7. Ink Blot Magazine
    40
    Almost every song here seems unfinished, and while the The Sophtware Slump sounds great -- misfiring machines duel elegant pianos, guitars chug and grind, ancient synthesizers burst through the top end - it never goes much of anywhere.

See all 11 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. LizS.
    Oct 16, 2001
    10
    I'm a huge Grandaddy fan and this album is totally awesome! Everyone should get it!
  2. Tel-X
    Jul 14, 2021
    10
    The soundtrack to accompany the end of Humanity...

    I admit, I fell in love with this masterpiece the moment I heard it - nailing the    The soundtrack to accompany the end of Humanity...

    I admit, I fell in love with this masterpiece the moment I heard it - nailing the technological fears of the new millennium - but twenty-one years on from its initial release, accompanying these wretched two decades of war, mendacity, greed, violence and hate, its relevance seems to be gathering momentum as we hurtle toward Kurzweil's 'singularity'. Maybe machines will tell their offspring one day of how the now-defeated humans used to just 'throw us away'?

    Sonically, it's a match for any of its contemporaries, be it OK Computer or The Soft Bulletin, and for those who love a dose of melancholy, it drips with it throughout. It could be argued that Grandaddy made better tracks on future releases, but none had the overall focus of 'The Sophtware Slump'.    … Expand
  4. JessicaB
    Sep 16, 2003
    10
    dudes, this cd rocks! i skateboard to school, and i crank The Sophtware Slump up and up and it never gets old. All the special effects are dudes, this cd rocks! i skateboard to school, and i crank The Sophtware Slump up and up and it never gets old. All the special effects are what i love about it. This cd is so awesome...im going to buy the other two. Plus, the drumming makes you want to walk to the same beat...or skate.… Expand
  5. MOSHEK
    May 1, 2005
    10
    masterpiece!
  6. MOSHEK
    Jul 28, 2006
    10
    masterpiece!
  7. RayW.
    May 27, 2007
    9
    wondrous stuff, warm, fuzzy pop masterpiece, it has dated much better than the radiohead or flaming lips albums it's often compared to.
  8. AndrewT.
    Dec 21, 2001
    7
    only a seven because i enjoy under the western freeway more. sophtware slump has crystal lake and hewletts daughter, granted, but the other only a seven because i enjoy under the western freeway more. sophtware slump has crystal lake and hewletts daughter, granted, but the other songs are a little melancholy. i love the cd, but only when im in the mood or hung over. keep producing, i love you guys. … Expand

See all 18 User Reviews

Awards & Rankings

26
#26 Best Album of 2000
30
#30 Most Discussed Album of 2000
40
#40 Most Shared Album of 2000

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