Metascore
70

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 22
  2. Negative: 0 out of 22
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  1. Jan 24, 2011
    59
    It's to British Sea Power's credit that Valhalla Dancehall seems far less concerned with mainstream sermonizing than their last full length, opting to indulge in the off-kilter charm that drew us to them in the first place
  2. Jan 10, 2011
    60
    Valhalla Dancehall is more of the same from British Sea Power, which is not necessarily a bad thing, but the band has done most of it before in a more memorable fashion. Nevertheless, fans of British Sea Power will likely find their visit to Valhalla Dancehall an enjoyable one.
  3. Mojo
    Apr 12, 2011
    60
    Pugnacious indie squares up to all-comers. [Feb. 2011, p. 106]
  4. Jan 27, 2011
    60
    The biggest flaw: the band attempts to cram too many ideas into a song (Cleaning Out The Rooms), particularly in the album's second half.
  5. Jan 12, 2011
    55
    As long as British Sea Power continue to exist on their singular plane, it's easy to admire and probably overrate them for their ambition.
  6. Jan 14, 2011
    60
    After the irresistible, overblown and quite possibly inadvertent brilliance of Do You Like Rock Music?, Valhalla Dancehall feels like a predictable and not entirely satisfying return to form. British Sea Power may be getting too smart for their own good.
  7. Jan 12, 2011
    50
    For the consummate BSP fan, Valhalla Dancehall will likely be met as a sufficient new entry in the band's growing discography, but for a fella like me on the periphery, I'll need a lot more of the standout experimentation of Living Is So Easy to convince me.
  8. Uncut
    Jan 24, 2011
    60
    The tunes remain no more exotic than a British cottage pie, and all the meat and potatoes that entails. [Feb 2011, p.79]
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 18 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 18
  2. Negative: 1 out of 18
  1. Jan 16, 2011
    9
    "Valhalla Dancehall" should finally give them the recognition they really deserve. They are in the same league with Arcade Fire but"Valhalla Dancehall" should finally give them the recognition they really deserve. They are in the same league with Arcade Fire but unfortunately BSP remain one of the most underrated bands of the last 10 years!Everyone should go to their party and enjoy the magic "Valhalla Dancehall" brings.Loving them is so easy... Full Review »
  2. Jan 19, 2011
    10
    In a nutshell, this album is their finest to date. Better than their Mercury-nominated 'Do You Like Rock Music'. Better than 'The Decline ofIn a nutshell, this album is their finest to date. Better than their Mercury-nominated 'Do You Like Rock Music'. Better than 'The Decline of British Sea Power.' Yes, it really is that good. If you have ever enjoyed a BSP gig, or a BSP song, you simply must own this album. It is their meisterwerk. Full Review »
  3. Jan 21, 2011
    10
    Fantastic album from a wonderful band. Several reviews are not represented by Metacritic so I've listed some extra ones below. This album is aFantastic album from a wonderful band. Several reviews are not represented by Metacritic so I've listed some extra ones below. This album is a stonker! "Divine... Time to laud British Sea Power for attaining greatness strictly
    on their own terms." **** Q magazine. "Devastatingly beautiful... a thickening and diversification of the band's
    sound." **** The Sunday Times. "Big and clever... Their well of tuneful passion appears bottomless." The
    Word. "Heart-hammering exuberance, mighty waves of sound and crashing
    crescendos." **** The Daily Mirror. "An idiosyncratic state-of-nation address... incandescent." **** The
    Financial Times. "BSP look to the past not to in weak nostalgia, but to spur a dispirited
    present. Brawling... brainy... invigorating." The Independent. "Glorious unpredictability taken to new stratosphere-spanning extremes... A
    triumph." **** The Fly. "Captivating contrasts between the dreamy, the raucous and the vividly
    weird." **** The Metro of London town. "The album's strongest moments are the sound of a band reaching a creative
    zenith, a decade's worth of internal and external exploration writ large.
    Valhalla Dancefloor confirms British Sea Power's status as cast-iron
    national treasures." The Quietus website.
    Full Review »