- Critic score
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Those the Brokes is a looser, livelier album than its predecessor, significantly less cloying and precious than the debut.
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[Buyers oif the CD will] hear several solid-to-excellent songs that extend the rootsy trajectory of the Magic Numbers' fine first outing, making up in winsome intensity what they lack as far as edginess or sex appeal.
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Rather than producing themselves, they could benefit from a wise head adding a touch of reverb, a sting of echo.
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MojoThis would be a strong set if they culled three tracks, shortened a few others and rearranged the sequencing. As it is, this record suffers from a distinct mid-album crisis. [Dec 2006, p.103]
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Q MagazineThose seeking more of the same will not be disappointed. [Dec 2006, p.128]
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There are four or five genuinely decent songs on here - but ultimately, as a whole it just feels a little too worthy, a little too overwrought, and a little too formulaic to be worth the 64 minutes and 32 seconds of your life.
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There are too many tracks on here that seem unfinished in a way, content to noodle around for far too long without making too much of an impression.
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Under The RadarUnfortunately, the record's winning first half is followed by an intensely dull side two. [#16, p.93]
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Many songs here are too long and similar in tone to the band's ubiquitous debut. But given time, the moments of real magic peek through.
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SpinThe real story of this breathtaking follow-up... is Romeo Stodart's transformation from merely a good songwritier to an outstanding one. [Feb 2007, p.85]
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Redundant, needlessly long, Those The Brokes rarely matches the 60s California-dreamin' good-vibes pop of its successful self-titled predecessor.
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It’s impressive how far this band can push its bright, modest sentimentality in 2007 without fetishizing it, making it hard and unpleasant.
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BlenderThe arrangements and singer-guitarist Romeo Stodart's delivery both veer toward cloying. The band also seems to have forgotten the art of brevity, resulting in too many songs that drag on past the five minute mark. [August 2007, p.115]
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FilterThere are just too many frickin' snoozers. [#24, p.89]
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It’s hard to fault the album for a little flab when the band’s trying new things and mostly doing them well; hopefully they’ll realize that underproduction simply isn’t their style next time around.
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This sophomore set likewise has moments of indelible pop bliss, but too often veers off track with unnecessarily long songs and dull arrangements.
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Lopping off about twenty minutes would have improved things no end, but mostly it needs focus - focus that would probably have come with time.
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UrbMagic Numbers have pushed their abilities while keeping their strong points on performance and substance. [Mar 2007, p.100]
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The group’s second album continues in the same vein as the generally winning debut--only now the arrangements are lusher and more ornate and, in a few unfortunate cases, the songs are longer.
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It might be easy to criticise 'Those The Brokes' as a stab at busting through into the MOR mainstream, but it's fairer to see it as The Magic Numbers developing their expression while staying faithful to their core sound, and quiet charm.
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A frustrating set with glimpses of gorgeousness.
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It's still heavy on the harmonies and hummable choruses, of course, and does meander into happy-clappy, round-the-campfire territory too often for those of us with a low saccharine threshold.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 9 out of 13
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Mixed: 2 out of 13
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Negative: 2 out of 13
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Nov 12, 2015
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JimMJun 13, 2007Trite and sadly lame. What was Romeo thinking when he thought the lyrics, "This is a song/and these are the words"X10 would help them sell records?
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DanfromthebushNov 19, 2006