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Beams
by
Beams Image
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 29 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 14 Ratings

  • Summary: This is the fourth full-length solo release for the Texas-born producer/pop artist.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 29
  3. Negative: 0 out of 29
  1. musicOMH.com
    Aug 21, 2012
    100
    Beams is an uncompromising, forceful and darkly beautiful album from a formidable musical talent.
  2. DIY Magazine
    Aug 27, 2012
    90
    Warm and opening yet still dazzlingly inventive.
  3. AllMusic
    Aug 27, 2012
    80
    Dear's vocals are at their most expressive, imposing, and sinister.
  4. Beats Per Minute
    Aug 31, 2012
    78
    It's not that Beams is a lighter listen than Black City, but it's certainly more honest.
  5. The Boston Phoenix
    Aug 28, 2012
    75
    It's the album's more subdued tail end, particularly "Ahead of Myself" and "Temptation," that shows a songwriter rising above his comfort zone to deliver a career-defining transition.
  6. Under The Radar
    Aug 22, 2012
    75
    Even though it's awkward to dance to, it is nevertheless a piece of work to be admired and, given the kaleidoscopic myriad of influences mentioned here, it's clear that this is something that stands on its own merits. [Aug/Sep 2012, p.116]
  7. Magnet
    Aug 23, 2012
    50
    Sadly, Beams doesn't show Dear changing up his game in any meaningful way. [No.90 p.55]
    All this publication's reviews

See all 29 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. jmcpIII
    Sep 2, 2012
    8
    A sort of career synthesis, Beams hammers home all of Matthew Dear's greatest strengths-chunky blocks of rhythm, pounding bass, and a hell ofA sort of career synthesis, Beams hammers home all of Matthew Dear's greatest strengths-chunky blocks of rhythm, pounding bass, and a hell of a lot of sex appeal. And while restating his musical agenda is by no means a bad thing, it comes off as a tiny bit of a disappointment when compared to the giant leap forward that was 2010's Black City. Dear's music sticks to the dark and seedy formula found on that album though here the results sound a little more sincere and heart-felt. Even some of the song titles ("Do The Right Thing", "Fighting is Futile", "Get the Rhyme Right") hint at a possible new-found optimism, but it's still by no means an uplifting album. His robotic vocal's remain the creepiest in dance music and one of the best utilized instruments in all of independent music. Destined for sweaty underground night clubs and strobe-lit orgies, Beams is an unmatched exercise in sonic sleaze and dance-floor debauchery.… Expand

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