Virtue
by The Voidz
  • Record Label: RCA
  • Release Date: Mar 30, 2018
User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 99 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 87 out of 99
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 99
  3. Negative: 9 out of 99
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  1. HDelattre
    Mar 30, 2018
    10
    Julian just saved rock music again (with due credit to the rest of the Voidz who are all brilliant musicians in their own right). Virtue is an instant classic bursting with diverse, new ideas that display all the creativity Julian's been trying record since First Impressions of Earth perfectly blended with the gorgeous melodies and brilliant solos that characterize his more popular work.Julian just saved rock music again (with due credit to the rest of the Voidz who are all brilliant musicians in their own right). Virtue is an instant classic bursting with diverse, new ideas that display all the creativity Julian's been trying record since First Impressions of Earth perfectly blended with the gorgeous melodies and brilliant solos that characterize his more popular work. Every song seems to exist in several genres at once or outside traditional genre entirely (other than the fact that of course they're using rock instruments). 15 songs with no filler! Though I have a few least favorites like One of the Ones you'll find others who consider it their favorite, and there are no obvious throwaways. The album gets better with every listen and each song is so different you can just listen on repeat without it ever feeling stale. I feel sorry for the idiotic critics who gave this mediocre reviews, they'll be kicking themselves for discarding music this important (reminds me of when Pitchfork gave Discovery a 6.4).… Expand
  2. awedcgyjm
    Mar 30, 2018
    10
    this album is truly amazing! very diverse through the different sounds and 'genres' included so theres definitely a song for everybody's music tastes
  3. Oriolebird
    Mar 30, 2018
    10
    The Voidz cover all the bases on Virtue. To be able to master so many different sounds in one able and to hit the nail on the head for most of them is a true sign of a great album. It doesn't need to be consistent in its sound when all the songs are consistently good.
  4. Enmebaragesi
    Mar 30, 2018
    10
    Fantastic album, pushing the whole genre of alternative and indie rock forward. It may seem too experimental at some points, but I’m confident that in few years, put into perspective we will find it perfectly fitting into vaporwave-influenced aesthetics of the decade. Vivid instrumentation, wild guitar effects and distortions, synths, various electronic applications and techniques – all ofFantastic album, pushing the whole genre of alternative and indie rock forward. It may seem too experimental at some points, but I’m confident that in few years, put into perspective we will find it perfectly fitting into vaporwave-influenced aesthetics of the decade. Vivid instrumentation, wild guitar effects and distortions, synths, various electronic applications and techniques – all of it gives us individual, inimitable style that may shape the whole new genre of future rock. This LP doesn’t let you get bored – each song is a different, eclectic, weird experience, from indie-poppy Go-Teamesque “All Words Are Made Up”, through lo-fi/symphonic “Pointlessness”, space rock “Qyurryus” up to (and I would never believe such mixture is possible!) post-punk/rave “Black Hole”, with no filler-songs and no stops. It’s a confusing wild ride that I recommend to everyone.… Expand
  5. gabrielvoidz
    Apr 2, 2018
    10
    Vou escrever em português porque é a língua que falo. Traduzam quem quiser ler.
    Bom, esse álbum é simplesmente espetacular. A banda, ao contrário do CD anterior, conseguiu criar sons, batidas e um vocal bem adaptável ao público mainstream, de modo que não perdeu a essência e a identidade underground que veste a banda. É um disco simplesmente magnifíco e único que trouxe não somente coisas    Vou escrever em português porque é a língua que falo. Traduzam quem quiser ler.
    Bom, esse álbum é simplesmente espetacular. A banda, ao contrário do CD anterior, conseguiu criar sons, batidas e um vocal bem adaptável ao público mainstream, de modo que não perdeu a essência e a identidade underground que veste a banda. É um disco simplesmente magnifíco e único que trouxe não somente coisas novas, mas uma grande dose de identidade aos sentimentos humanos. Assim como o Tirany, essa obra também está de parabéns.    … Expand
  6. NeutralMilkH
    Apr 3, 2018
    9
    The critics are absolute morons, and a group of old historical farts. Don't trust most of their opinions, because this album is a great **** rock album and definitely worth a listen. Final: 9/10
    Consensus: Julian Casablancas and a band... but this time around is definitely one of the **** better ones.
  7. imthenoob
    Apr 2, 2018
    10
    As a fan of the band, I love the album. Plenty of catchy songs that just stick in your head after a while. It's a worthy follow up to their first album, which is among my personal all-time favourites.
  8. Mccusky
    Aug 18, 2018
    10
    Wow I can't believe this album hasn't been rated more highly, this is true art! Its a crazy album, packed with many different styles, a beautiful mess but aware enough to be melodic. Julians voice sounds great and the bands sound is mesmerising. QYRRUYUS intro is whimsical, POB blasts a wall of sound, majority of tracks hide something pretty special. Only criticism is the lyrical contentWow I can't believe this album hasn't been rated more highly, this is true art! Its a crazy album, packed with many different styles, a beautiful mess but aware enough to be melodic. Julians voice sounds great and the bands sound is mesmerising. QYRRUYUS intro is whimsical, POB blasts a wall of sound, majority of tracks hide something pretty special. Only criticism is the lyrical content is pretty lacking compared to The Strokes or Julians solo album.… Expand
  9. erolsabadosh
    Jun 7, 2020
    10
    If you thought the first Voidz album was too experimental and noisy then you should fare better with this, I personally love both but I'm truly impressed with how focused this LP is in comparison. 15 tracks, 58 minutes, not one moment of filler. Julian seems to have taken some of the best elements of The Strokes, his solo albums and the Voidz debut and crafted a lean concoction that hitsIf you thought the first Voidz album was too experimental and noisy then you should fare better with this, I personally love both but I'm truly impressed with how focused this LP is in comparison. 15 tracks, 58 minutes, not one moment of filler. Julian seems to have taken some of the best elements of The Strokes, his solo albums and the Voidz debut and crafted a lean concoction that hits every mark. In terms of quality and quantity I think it's his most cohesive effort since Room On Fire. It has the variety of First Impressions but it's more consistent and more stylistically interesting. I don't know what's happened but the man has hit his stride once again in full force and I'm one hundred percent here for it.… Expand
  10. c4rbs
    Feb 15, 2019
    9
    [PT-BR]
    Álbum extremamente gostoso de se ouvir, Julian conseguiu acertar junto com o resto dos integrantes da banda. Foi surpreendentemente um dos melhores álbuns do ano passado (2018) e espero mais da banda (não mais que dos Strokes) ! A mistura de New Wave com Psicodelia ficou muito bem feita, ainda mais com esse vocal maravilhoso! Recomendo!
  11. Gvdd
    Apr 4, 2018
    8
    There is a lot in this album to keep you qyurryus till the end. In an interview in Revista Playlist, Casablancas stated that he wanted this album to be cool and mainstream at the same time. Quite an ambitious goal if you ask me. With over 10 songs that are pretty cool on this album, the Voidz certainly hit the mark on one of their goals. Doubt they will become mainstream though. AndThere is a lot in this album to keep you qyurryus till the end. In an interview in Revista Playlist, Casablancas stated that he wanted this album to be cool and mainstream at the same time. Quite an ambitious goal if you ask me. With over 10 songs that are pretty cool on this album, the Voidz certainly hit the mark on one of their goals. Doubt they will become mainstream though. And is it just me or is the middle section a bit weaker then the strong opening and closing sections. In particular, with 'Think before you Drink' i felt that the coolometer was temporarily defective.… Expand
  12. switch_cat_mac
    Jul 2, 2018
    7
    This a really solid experimental rock record, anchored by peak-form tunewriting from Julian Casablancas.

    I'm a longtime Strokes fan, and I admit to feeling baffled by Julian's music post- first two Strokes albums. Julian is so good at doing a specific thing--writing soaring, pathos-inducing, up and mid tempo garage rock ballads--that it seems like a waste not to keep doing that. His    This a really solid experimental rock record, anchored by peak-form tunewriting from Julian Casablancas.

    I'm a longtime Strokes fan, and I admit to feeling baffled by Julian's music post- first two Strokes albums. Julian is so good at doing a specific thing--writing soaring, pathos-inducing, up and mid tempo garage rock ballads--that it seems like a waste not to keep doing that. His songwriting since Room on Fire could be defined on a spectrum, from "experimental Julian" to "throwback Julian," the latter accounting for most of the Strokes later hits, as well as the catchier material on Phrazes for the Young.

    This album sees these two songwriting urges cohabitating pleasantly and without nasty incident, for the most part (Black Hole isn't for me). The essential, base metric of Julian's tunewriting remains the arpegio and the riff, as it has remained ever since the first Strokes album. But within this framework The Voidz add elements of noise and metal, industrial, world music, dance music, and hip hop. ALieNNationN sounds like a Depeche Mode song remixed by J Dilla; the instrumental for All Wordz Are Made Up sounds like it could be a b-side from The College Dropout.

    It's interesting to read the critical reaction to this album. Other user reviews point out the critical hate that Julian's later work has received. I'm not sure if this is necessarily the case for this album; critics seems to be appreciating it. Which is interesting. This is just my opinion, but I think this partly has to do the recent string of releases by indie stars of the 2000s--Jack White, MGMT, specifically--that have veered experimental. Kitchen-sink experimentation seems to be the late-career move of choice for these (formerly) indie-ballad artists, and this year they seem to have perfected the formula. This is more hypothesizing... but is indie making a mini comeback this year? And if so, is this the template that they are utilizing? I hope so. The days of carefree indie balladry are over; that doesn't mean we cant have ballads, it just means they need to be cut with a heavy dose of late 2010s embrace of the weird. Which is perfectly cool with me. This is a rewarding listen and an aesthetic treat, and I look forward to Julian/Voidz next move.    … Expand
  13. huri
    Apr 4, 2018
    9
    Virtue is a very strong follow up to Tyranny. Here, the Voidz refine their sound more and take parts of Tyranny that may have been more inaccessible and they made virtue more accessible. In essence, "weirdness" for a larger audience. What works so well about this album is that it is unpredictable. The Voidz are a band that want to retain their alternative roots buts they also want toVirtue is a very strong follow up to Tyranny. Here, the Voidz refine their sound more and take parts of Tyranny that may have been more inaccessible and they made virtue more accessible. In essence, "weirdness" for a larger audience. What works so well about this album is that it is unpredictable. The Voidz are a band that want to retain their alternative roots buts they also want to change the game, be more experimental, hit you from different directions, and ultimately keep you guessing about their sound. They sound weird, discombobulated at times, but also coherent and very straightforward, almost as if to nod to the listener that they want the music experience to be less defined by one single uniform genre, but more so a melding and mishmash of different genres. They manage to combine alternative rock (Leave it in my Dreams), metal (Pyramid of Bones), R&B (AlieNNation), hip-hop (All Wordz are made up), a little Middle Eastern electronic “thing” (Qyuryus), Radiohead (My Friend the Wallz), Lou Reed (Lazy Boy), and some darkness (Pointlessness). The album cover accurately illustrates the sound they were going for here: distorted and colorful, yet dark, geometrical, yet amorphous. They manage to pull it off, given all of the different genres, and the flow of the album is great, with the exception of “Think Before You Drink”. This is probably the weakest track, because it doesn't serve as an effective interlude in my opinion, and sort of stops the flow of the album, and it doesn't really work with the tracks it's sandwiched in between.

    At times I find Julian's lyrics very good like in the track "Permanent High School" where he says "Lies are simple, but the truth complex", almost expressing that in order to tell the truth one must goes through the complex task of searching within themself and figuring out who they really are. Another good line was on the track "Wink" where he sings "playing it too safe is dangerous" or "people who do not do anything, know exactly where their time has gone", alluding in both cases that he may be reflecting on instances in his life thus far, and the image that he is beholden too. We see themes like this throughout the record that deal with time, personality, and identity, and ultimately determining the type of person you want to be, and how you want to spend your time, not too safe, but with purpose and intention to be "happier maybe" as he says.

    At other points in this album I do not like his lyrics. They are pretentious, and forcibly political when they don't need to be. Like on "Pyramid of Bones" where he says, "don't listen to the white man's lies" and "murder in the name of national security", as though the "white man" is the cause of all the problems. How many songs and bands have we heard cover these themes; its been done before, and I don't find it particularly convincing here. Likewise, he repeats, "murder in the name of national security" on the track "AlieNNation" and "I've been bathing in the blood of our success", almost as though he is guilty and he was part of this political injustice and inequality. Although it is viable to talk about these themes in his songs, I don't believe them. It sounds like he is forcing it at times to get his political opinion into the discussion. In my opinion he should leave politics out.

    For this reason, as well the track "Think Before You Drink", I could not give this album a 10/10, but it is well deserving of a 9/10, as they have elevated their sound and introduced a lot of new, complex, and experimental sounds into their repertoire. They found a way to meld all these different sounds into a very enjoyable listening experience that has good flow from one track to the next, and leaves me, the listener, hopeful of how their sound will progress in the future.    … Expand
  14. Cwood16
    Apr 4, 2018
    10
    Favorite tracks:
    Pyramid of Bones, Wink, Permanent High School, My Friend the Walls, ALieNNatioN, All Wordz are Made up
    Least favorite track: Think Before You Drink Some overall thoughts: I’m mostly confident Ill never love the album more than Tyranny, as it will never remove me from our world and transport me to an entirely new place in quite the same way. That said, I love Virtue    Favorite tracks:
    Pyramid of Bones, Wink, Permanent High School, My Friend the Walls, ALieNNatioN, All Wordz are Made up

    Least favorite track: Think Before You Drink

    Some overall thoughts:
    I’m mostly confident Ill never love the album more than Tyranny, as it will never remove me from our world and transport me to an entirely new place in quite the same way. That said, I love Virtue a great deal and think it is full of bangers from start to finish. Every song I heard from Virtue live was incredible and the best, most charismatic, energetic performance from Julian I’ve ever seen. There’s not a single song I don’t like and considering it’s only 4 minutes shorter than Tyranny it certainly feels a lot shorter. I think the Voidz have a great future ahead of them and I only expect their quest to bridge the Void of experimental art rock with the pop music of the strokes to result in increasingly challenging, dense, and brilliant music    … Expand
  15. fwtll636
    May 13, 2018
    9
    Swerving in and out of genres, The Voidz deliver an intense, calculated, and catchy release with 'Virtue'.
  16. Skysp3ctre
    Nov 9, 2018
    10
    I'm The Strokes fan and I love Virtue more than Tyranny.
    This album is a masterpiece since Room on fire !
    and Yes, It's clearly Julian is one of the best rock and roll stars
  17. Spoonyon
    Feb 9, 2020
    9
    This album is so much fun. Very psychedelic and unconventional yet still remaining accessible. A minor lull near the end but the extraordinary highlights in the first half more than make up for it. The band hits so many different styles and genres there's bound to be a different favorite track for everyone
  18. EmilianoxMQ
    Jul 27, 2020
    10
    This stuff is dope!!!!
    The best thing that ever happened apart of the strokes, with a new sound but the same great feeling.

Awards & Rankings

74
#74 Most Discussed Album of 2018
80
#80 Most Shared Album of 2018

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
68

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 14
  3. Negative: 1 out of 14
  1. Uncut
    Apr 19, 2018
    70
    This 15-track album is daft, sprawling, naive and full of contradictions--but rarely less than entertaining. [Jun 2018, p.37]
  2. Pitchfork
    Apr 5, 2018
    69
    This is a record where inspired ideas are constantly battling for oxygen with dubious ones.
    Read full review
  3. Consequence
    Apr 3, 2018
    75
    Virtue delivers a bracing set of experiments and amounts to the most interesting record of Casablancas’ career.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »