War Stories - UNKLE
User Score
8.4 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 32 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 32
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 32
  3. Negative: 2 out of 32

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  1. RiannopiF.
    Aug 3, 2007
    6
    A lot of sophisticated songwriting, or empty calories? Hm, I haven't decided yet. It is a third new direction for them though, I'll give them that. But I'm not sure I like the journey anymore. It was fun for the first hour (Psyence Fiction), cold and gray with pelting hair for the second hour (Never, Never Land), and now I don't know what to make of this third hour (War Stories). It's just begun. I'll let you know in sixty minutes or so. But by then I may have gotten off the ride and found a new one by then to get to where I should've and really wanted to go in the first place, and not dragged along to somewhere I wasn't interested in much.… Expand
  2. AdP.
    Oct 6, 2007
    9
    I've read a lot of reviews about this album that give it a warm to tepid rating complaining about Lavelle's departure from synth to being to close to commercial rock. Um, thats the point! His experimenting with this genre works for me, the fact that he has lower ratings means his in front of the curve, as one critic put it. Notice the subtle deep links in the lyrics to the title. Some critics seem to be a bit closed minded, but what do you expect!. Also notice the contrast between the critics and the users rating, speaks for itself.… Expand
  3. Steven
    Jul 15, 2007
    10
    Brilliant Album. Ignore the mediocre reviews.
  4. BenH.
    Jul 21, 2007
    10
    It is a departure from UNKLE's previous albums, but if you like rock this is their best. It's sweet mix of guitars and electronic elements with masterful voice work and the distinctly UNKLE ambiance. Awesome.
  5. SimoH.
    Jul 9, 2007
    10
    Best unkle album yet!
  6. VicenteB.
    Aug 5, 2007
    10
    Album of the year 2007. Excellent!!!
  7. MargieR
    Oct 29, 2007
    10
    Amazing! Just saw them @ the Echoplex in L.A , they were worth the wait, blending dance, electronica, Rock was their best move yet. Unkle rocks my world.
  8. DecepticonPom
    Jul 22, 2007
    7
    Not a PATCH on Psyence Fiction but miles better than the turgid Never Never Land. WARNING: The vaccuum packed two disc version with book is an absolute bugger to get out of the box! And who else thinks Burny My Shadow is a gratuituous slight to Josh Davies (albeit a bloody good choon of one!)?
  9. kastef
    Aug 7, 2007
    10
    Wow! Lavelle, welcome back!
  10. JoeN.
    Aug 9, 2007
    2
    Uncle keep going on a journey I don't want to be on anymore... losing its cool, its luster, its quirkiness, its imagination, its creativity...and becoming standard guitar rock that's not that exciting. just gloom and doom, and coldness. it used to be gloom and doom, and way COOLness.
  11. TracyF.
    Aug 9, 2007
    2
    No thanks. not creative and strange anymore. boring rock music.
  12. JonV.
    Sep 24, 2007
    10
    Somehow this album found its way into my cd player and it just doesn't seem to come out. Strange. Oh wait, maybe it's because I didn't know Unkle beforehand and wasn't surprised by their Rock influences. I just love this Album. Especially the songs with the Clayhill singer, just awesome.
  13. JimmyH.
    Jan 6, 2008
    8
    There really aren't too many weak points on this album, i have no clue why it's getting the critical mauling that it is. Unlike Never, Never, Land, these tracks are actually bearable to some extent, which was the main weakness with UNKLE's second album. The highlight of this album is either Josh Homme's Restless or Persons And Machinery from Autolux, both are some of my favourite songs of 2007. I definitely recommend this album.… Expand
  14. NS
    Dec 17, 2007
    9
    This was the first cd I'd bought in some time. And it was initially dissapointing when I listened to it. I don't know what I was expecting, but I had hoped for something along the lines of "Edit Music for a Film". It's nothing like that, and I was ambivalent about it. Then, over time, the songs began to creep into my head when I was driving or sitting at home rewiring electronics, and other times. I'd suddenly hear a melody in my head and wonder what it was, finally realizing that UNKLE was doing some awesome subliminal stuff. This album plays on emotion and adrenaline, and after 2 months, it's become my favourite cd. It's phenomenal.… Expand
  15. JackB.
    Jul 17, 2007
    8
    Price you pay is a quality track
  16. alic
    Jul 18, 2007
    5
    Their worst album - dullish rock and no hiphop. Why did Lavelle bother?
  17. MatthewM
    Jul 21, 2007
    10
    More rockish than any of their other albums, but probably their best album to date, Excellent!
  18. ManchesterS
    Jul 28, 2007
    10
    Brilliant--recruiting the monster musos from the Desert Rock Scene and adding it to the UNKLE mosaic! Lavelle in top form again. Best album this year, followed by QOTSA. Surprised?
  19. killaH
    Jul 28, 2007
    9
    U.N.K.L.E. spells salvation for music fans. 'Hold My Hand' is tha shit.
  20. PatrickH.
    Mar 6, 2008
    9
    So good it hurts. Great workout music. And you should hear them perform it live.
  21. JohnB.
    Oct 21, 2007
    10
    One word, amazing.
  22. MattC.
    Jul 18, 2007
    10
    One of the best albums I've heard this year.
  23. JasonH.
    Aug 26, 2007
    10
    Great. i just heard th full preview of all tracks from this album on their special site http://unkle-war-stories.com. the last track (when things explode) and hidden track are the best to my opinion.
  24. Amnesiac2389
    Nov 9, 2010
    9
    If you know anything about UNKLE and Lavelle, their music is all about experimenting. To me, all of UNKLE's albums are different, but not in a bad way. In fact it's like the music is evolving. While I love this idea of experimenting with sound and coming closer to the rock (what is wrong with that?) with this album, I realize that some may not like the sound. This is a sound you either love and understand or hate. But listen to the album before taking the word of anyone's review and make your own decision.… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
61 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. Hot Press
    75
    If there’s a central problem with War Stories, it’s that at times it strays too close to rock orthodoxy and loses the offbeat stylistic flourishes that made Unkle such an exciting proposition to begin with.
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  2. musicOMH.com
    60
    There are enough excellent moments on War Stories to judge it a success, but there's another sense of missed opportunity hanging over the album.
    Read full review
  3. The Guardian
    60
    While the results aren't entirely successful, "Twilight," especially, by Massive Attack's 3D, proves that Lavelle can reimagine 'soul' like no one else.
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