- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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Alternative PressThey've never sounded so confident and comfortable, if maybe a bit tired. [Jun 2002, p.80]
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BlenderThe subtle, heartfelt results may not help them shed the "emo" tag, but should propel them beyond cult status. [Apr/May 2002, p.116]
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The disc's bountiful electric piano, plaintive acoustic guitars and gentle vocals recall old AM radio fare like Cat Stevens or, more currently, an American version of Travis.
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A glossy, major-label-sounding record that’s dull, atmospheric, frustrating, and beautiful in pretty much equal amounts.
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Feels more like failed market research than soul searching.
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The high point of the band's career.
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Q MagazineIn the main this is a richly rewarding collection of lovingly realised songs. [June 2002, p.121]
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Less blatantly melodic, peppy and cloying than their three albums on scene-making label Jade Tree.
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SpinStraining to prove something to the haters, the Ring flee from their strengths, trading enthusiastic bash-and-pop for slow songs as soggy as deep cuts from a Train album. [May 2002, p.115]
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For all the divergent stylistic ground Wood/Water covers, nothing seems forced, signaling that the changes in the group's sound have come on their own terms and are not simply change for change's sake.
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What may be irritating some of The Promise Ring's former fans is that Wood/Water purposefully leaves aside youthful aggression in favor of probing, thoughtful musicality.
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UncutThe gentle spectres of Sparklehorse and Elliott Smith are always near, but [Davey] Von Bohlen's mix of bleary wonder and self-deprecation is charming, and his grasp of melody sure. [Jun 2002, p.122]
User score distribution:
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Positive: 7 out of 7
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Mixed: 0 out of 7
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Negative: 0 out of 7
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AndyAug 16, 2006
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andrewtJul 17, 2005
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JimmyH.Jul 25, 2002