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The Violet Hour
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The Violet Hour Image
Metascore
84

Universal acclaim - based on 19 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.5

Universal acclaim- based on 11 Ratings

  • Summary: The London-based band follow their singles collection ('Suburban Light') with this, their first true studio LP, which continues their hazy, 60s-influenced sound developed in those earlier songs.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. Nude As The News
    100
    As impressive as the early singles were, the material on The Violet Hour is often commensurate, sometimes superior.
  2. Flak Magazine
    90
    The understated instrumental, tempo and mood variations are what make The Violet Hour so great -- by the time you reach the closing track, you have not once been jarred out of the reverie induced by the opening title track.
  3. Dusted Magazine
    90
    There probably won't be many albums in 2003 that will combine images, sounds and deepfelt emotions as well as The Violet Hour.
  4. Delusions of Adequacy
    80
    The Clientele’s debut album offers consistently strong melodies, excellent playing, occasional surprise, and a taste for more.
  5. New Musical Express (NME)
    80
    Every so often a record pops up that seems to exist in some alien world, unscathed by hipster fads and driven forward only by its own gorgeous mindset. With 'The Violet Hour', The Clientele have made a beautifully haunting album of music to take drugs to make music to take drugs to.
  6. Village Voice
    70
    The more involved the songs get, the more ethereal they end up, and not always to the good.
  7. Alternative Press
    60
    They're so busy crafting the perfect pop song... that they've made a uniformly dull album. [Sep 2003, p.102]
    All this publication's reviews

See all 19 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 1 out of 7
  1. otoniel
    May 16, 2005
    10
    This is the perfect dream pop album to make love to.
  2. marcusl
    Jan 4, 2004
    10
    Simply an excellent work... These guys have produced a beautiful album - evocative, melodic, powerful... Wish there were more bands with such talent.
  4. DarrylD
    May 5, 2005
    10
    The lusty gloom is not even alieviated by the elegance of diction.
  5. Ryan
    Sep 24, 2003
    9
    The record is brilliant - What's not to like about an easy listening record with edge? I say it's been too long since mellow indie The record is brilliant - What's not to like about an easy listening record with edge? I say it's been too long since mellow indie has had a break from Nick Drake covers… Collapse
  6. spezmcd
    Mar 4, 2004
    9
    Great, summer music
  7. JacquesDerrida
    Jun 1, 2005
    8
    A virtually perfect mood album. The hazy vocals and languid guitar combine for a sound that, while not overly inventive, is distinct in its A virtually perfect mood album. The hazy vocals and languid guitar combine for a sound that, while not overly inventive, is distinct in its own right. Think Belle and Sebastian with more distortion. Can't wait for their next offering.… Expand
  8. samuelr
    Aug 23, 2005
    3
    Too caught up in creating a general sound than decent sounding songs

Awards & Rankings

48
#48 Best Album of 2003