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The Upward Spiral Image
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews What's this?

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  • Summary: This is the first full-length release on the Mute label for the Berlin-based French-Canadian electronic producer.
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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. Jul 30, 2020
    80
    There's plenty of industrial techno that simply throws a beat on top of a bland melody, repeats the cycle over the course of an hour, and calls it a day. Bougaïeff applies meticulous care and a deft, trained ear to each track, and the results are marvelous.
  2. Jul 29, 2020
    80
    Exhilarating and unpredictable from start to finish, The Upward Spiral is a fresh, fearless perspective on techno.
  3. Jul 29, 2020
    80
    Bougaïeff’s record is toying with the same aesthetics as Nine Inch Nails, but with the dancefloor’s (and hindsight’s perspective) rather than a powerlifting miseryguts’ – and the result carries much more positivity, lifting us up and through the darkness and into the (strobe) light. ... This album is ideal for anyone who likes moving their body and counting at the same time.
  4. Jul 29, 2020
    70
    There is very little melody on The Upward Spiral; the sounds are more like drilling, sawing or machines beeping than traditional instrumentation.
  5. Uncut
    Jul 29, 2020
    70
    Nicolas Bougaïeff departs from this template [repetitive 4/4 pulse, set to an unchanging rhythmic grid], using disconcerting shifts in tempo, odd time signatures and Aphex Twin-like experimentation. [Sep 2020, p.27]