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The Waiting Room
by
The Waiting Room Image
Metascore
82

Universal acclaim - based on 20 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 23 Ratings

  • Summary: The 10th full-length studio release for the British indie rock band features guest appearances from Jehnny Beth of Savages and Lhasa De Sel.
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. Exclaim
    Jan 20, 2016
    90
    The combination of rich layered instrumentation, carefully orchestrated strings and Stuart Staples' evocative vocals give feelings of loss and loneliness a cinematic grandeur, yet their consistently strong recordings never lapse into sentimental excess. That is a balancing act few can manage, and the group pull it off yet again here.
  2. The A.V. Club
    Jan 22, 2016
    83
    Though Tindersticks is no longer angling for the pure dramatic sweep of its ambitious ’90s records, it remains a unique band, maintaining a sense of creativity (and making beautiful music) while working within limited themes.
  3. The 405
    Jan 14, 2016
    80
    The Waiting Room is Tindersticks on ravishing form. For die-hards and newcomers alike, it's hard not to be drawn in by the lush facade it creates.
  4. Uncut
    Jan 11, 2016
    80
    A set of songs that inscribe their intensities and their romantic visions directly on the listener's heart. [Feb 2016, p.76]
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  5. The Line of Best Fit
    Jan 20, 2016
    80
    Now in their third decade the song remains the same, but on The Waiting Room Tindersticks still sound so out of time that ironically their music feels neither dated nor futuristic, it just is.
  6. Dusted Magazine
    Feb 10, 2016
    80
    In some ways The Waiting Room is remarkable for hitting a number of classic Tindersticks checkmarks without ever feeling like it’s, well, going down a list checking them off.
  7. DIY Magazine
    Jan 22, 2016
    60
    The Waiting Room is reserved and considered, yet you still come out of the other end feeling like you’ve run the emotional gamut; in that respect, at least, you have to recognise it as Staples’ strongest set of songs for a good long while.

See all 20 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. Custom_Concerns
    Feb 1, 2016
    6
    I must admit - what Tindersticks aims to do, they do quite well. This record is a very, very pleasant listen from start to finish with lushI must admit - what Tindersticks aims to do, they do quite well. This record is a very, very pleasant listen from start to finish with lush strings, reverberating keyboard chords, and Stuart Staples' vocals are deep and entrancing as ever. In this way, however, The Waiting Room serves best as background listening. There aren't a lot of dynamics here; no song here eclipses a 6 in terms of intensity, and this wears down the replayability of the record. Songs that switch it up a bit, like the duet Hey Lucinda and the trancelike spoken word How He Entered, are track picks. Fans of Tindersticks surely will not be disappointed by this record, for it has some very positive qualities. Personally, it isn't one I will want to revisit very often, but I can see how others would not be as bothered as I am by my criticisms.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

85
#85 Best Album of 2016

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