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American Gong Image
Metascore
71

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews What's this?

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  • Summary: The indie band formed in Portland, Oregon, releases its first album with new official member, bassist Joanna Bolme.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 21
  2. Negative: 1 out of 21
  1. Sam Coomes is still disgruntled: with whoever he's sleeping with, with running away, with dystopia itself. But he's catchier about it, and rockier. Maturity comes in many forms.
  2. Under The Radar
    80
    American Gong is more thematically and musically diverse than any of their recent records. [Winter 2010, p.65]
  3. Alternative Press
    80
    They may not be reinventing the wheel, but when a band play with this much riotous excitement, who needs reinvention? [Mar 2010, p.98]
  4. Quasi's reappearance with their most consistent album in a decade feels appropriate.
  5. The result is a frustrating listening experience that makes you wish that the change in their sound didn't prove to be so fleeting. That being said, if you've stood beside the band for this long, there's nothing here to make you sorry that you did.
  6. Uncut
    60
    Now bolstered by Joanna Bolme of The Jicks on bass, American Gong feels like a calculated attempt to juice up thier smart, literate rock. [Apr 2010, p.97]
  7. The problem is that too much which follows repeats the same formula with sadly little variation.

See all 21 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. Mar 23, 2012
    7
    This is a good enough alt American rock record but there are plenty of better albums of that genre out there. No doubt it's got some goodThis is a good enough alt American rock record but there are plenty of better albums of that genre out there. No doubt it's got some good stuff on it but there is something about this bands style that stops me from really loving this record. At times their sounds reminds me of the Pixies but without the classic tunes or energy of Black Francis and co. On the plus side - the version I got had a bonus disc with a bit of a Quasi retrospective. Expand