Two-Way Mirror
by Crystal Antlers
Metascore
65

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
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  1. musicOMH.com
    Jul 13, 2011
    60
    There may come a time when Crystal Antlers' potential coalesces into a great album, and will be greeted with true accolades, rather than a better-luck-next-time send off--unfortunately for us all, Two-Way Mirror is still pre-natal.
  2. Blurt Magazine
    Aug 3, 2011
    50
    The see-sawing dynamic runs a bit ragged, ultimately.
  3. Tiny Mix Tapes
    Jul 22, 2011
    50
    It maintains the headstock-nodding guitar work, the coherence between players, and the alternating structure, but it winds down the pace and pokes some air holes in the top of their sound.
  5. PopMatters
    Jul 21, 2011
    60
    Considering all the trials and tribulations, Crystal Antlers can definitely look themselves in the, um, mirror with Two-Way Mirror and feel good about where they are and where they're still headed.
  6. Under The Radar
    Jul 21, 2011
    50
    Despite spiraling further into outer space with each release, the pysch-punk band that calls Long Beach, California home keeps the drone thick yet tailored and the raucous guitar-and-drum blitzkriegs-which drive tracks such as "By the Sawkill" and "Seance"-concise.
  7. No Ripcord
    Jul 19, 2011
    60
    Parts of Two-Way Mirror give me hope for the future, but their seeming inability to hammer out a concrete songwriting method makes me doubt they'll figure it out anytime soon.
  8. Consequence
    Jul 15, 2011
    50
    Dripping guitars and distortion follow Crystal Antlers' predictable style, but the messy trajectory of Two-Way Mirror requires serious tolerance for walls of noise to endure from start to finish.
  9. Drowned In Sound
    Jul 14, 2011
    60
    Crystal Antlers have delivered a record that, rather than making good on the promise of their early work, is simply serviceable. But there's evidence here of a band still finding their feet and defining their sound.
  10. The A.V. Club
    Jul 12, 2011
    58
    After a decade of excellence from like-minded groups such as Liars and TV On The Radio, Crystal Antlers can't help but sound like a mildly intriguing afterthought, even if Two-Way Mirror holds the line in hopes of greatness to come.
  11. Spin
    Jul 11, 2011
    60
    Too often on the Antlers' second full-length, their washed-out melodies suggest powerfully memorable hooks that never fully materialize or cohere.
  12. Mojo
    Dec 12, 2011
    60
    The sound's good and getting better - a wig-out of surf rock, Stooges-style punk and hardcore thrash, with the occasional Bambi noise of 1960's folk peeping round a tree. [Aug. 2011, p. 106]
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  13. Q Magazine
    Aug 16, 2011
    60
    West Coast eccentrics' second ambitious offering. [Sept. 2011, p. 104]
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