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Visiter's experimental pop is so joyous and liberated-sounding that it's difficult not to get swept along in its wake.
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Sounding somewhat like a lot of groups but not exactly like anyone, this is an album you shouldn't miss.
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Visiter has a hidden treasure aspect implying future generations may be more willing to appreciate this album.
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Entertainment WeeklyThis is cerebral twisted folk that's as wistful as it is strident. [04 Apr 2008, p.63]
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Sometimes abruptly but always skilfully, these rhythms drag and push the record to its limit on the existential moaning of the album’s closer, God?
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Magnetic Fields-like numbers 'Winter' and 'Undeclared' seem vanilla by comparison to some, but by making room for both, Visiter ends up being one of the most welcoming (and welcome) records of 2008 so far.
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One is left feeling that the Dodos are selling themselves short, hanging onto prettyboy singer-songwriterdom when they should be letting their freak flag fly.
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And speaking of nervous systems, if Visiter doesn't make you tap, nod, shake, or just plain move, then you don't have one.
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SpinThe seven minute thriller 'Joe's Waltz' demonstrates their flair for balancing craftmanship and raw emotion. [Apr 2008, p.96]
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Under The RadarA lyrical and musical knockout, spearheaded by the miraculous 'Fools,' Visiter could be one of the best albums of the year. [Spring 2008, p.82]
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With Visiter, the Dodos have made one of the year's best albums, one that mixes folk traditions with impressive sonics and texture. It only hints at what they may be capable of.
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Long and Kroeber deserve sizable praise for avoiding the pitfalls of such practices, even with some inevitable shortcomings that are to be expected from a relatively young band with big aspirations.
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The Dodos have shaped and formed a superb blend of intricate drumming, remarkable acoustic guitar and touching vocals--this is truly something exceptional.
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This is one of the few releases of 2008 that shook me out of my complacency and forced me to accept it on its own terms.
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It's a winning formula The Dodos repeat throughout Visiter, and yet never run into the ground.
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Alternative PressPretty awesome, seriously. [Apr 2008, p.153]
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Q MagazineThe Dodos are too uptight to freak-out totally and the clash between slacker lyricism and unpredictable acoustic outbursts lends an intriguingly split personality. [July 2008, p.101]
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Though it’s not entirely without precedent, there’s still more than enough innovation here to mark Visiter out as one of the summer’s must-have releases.
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At 14 tracks long, The Dodos do push the point a little, but it's really a case of once you've lit the touch-paper you live with the explosions till the last spark.
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This is an album that definitely deserves your interest, one of the best that New Weird America has thrown across the Atlantic in a long, long time.
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At 59 minutes, it feels long, but that's the price you pay for experiments such as 'The Season' and charming oddities such as 'God?,' a bit of laid-back Americana employing sleigh bells. It's easy to see why they were a bit of a sensation at SXSW.
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Visiter is an impressive sophomore album, a wonderful growth for the Dodos, and one of the year’s subtlest surprises, even if it took thirty listens to get there.
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UncutVisiter suggesting both a rhythm-centric Shins and a more hard-bitten Feelies. [Aug 2008, p.90]
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MojoInfectious, propulsive, unselfconscious, The Dodos are good enough to keep such company [as Brian Eno or David Byrne]. [Aug 2008, p.106]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 33 out of 36
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Mixed: 2 out of 36
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Negative: 1 out of 36
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Dec 20, 2021
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AntonS.Sep 15, 2008Great, honest, metaphysics.
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KurtDJun 4, 2008It's awesome when an album can be amazing without making you work for it. Like, for instance, this one.