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Bleed Out
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Bleed Out Image
Metascore
74

Generally favorable reviews - based on 8 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 8 Ratings

  • Summary: The latest full-length release from John Darnielle's indie rock quartet The Mountain Goats was inspired by the movies he watched during the pandemic.
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. Dusted Magazine
    Aug 24, 2022
    80
    Even the soccer dads and middle-management types might find themselves nodding along to lyrics like, “It’s losers all the way down, stay undefeated.” That’s from the album’s flat-out banger, “Wage Wars, Get Rich, Die Handsome,” a sing-along celebration of nihilism that pounds and punches and exults in itself.
  2. AllMusic
    Aug 19, 2022
    80
    With the Mountain Goats, John Darnielle has created a vehicle where he finds ways to surprise the listener in fine ways each time out, and Bleed Out is more proof that he's one of the best storytellers indie rock has ever produced.
  3. Pitchfork
    Aug 23, 2022
    76
    Bleed Out deconstructs the tropes of action movies just as it lovingly recreates them, letting us have our cake and bludgeon our enemies to death with it too.
  4. PopMatters
    Aug 19, 2022
    70
    It requires effort and attention on the part of the listener. Bleed Out may not be for everyone. But everyone should wrestle with it for a while. In a time where easy answers seem a cruel joke, deconstructing the myth of the conquering hero may be just the step we need to forge a new path.
  5. Uncut
    Aug 19, 2022
    70
    Whatever meanings are to be gleaned here, Bleed Out still rates as one of the band’s hardest-rocking outings. [Sep 2022, p.28]
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  6. The Guardian
    Aug 19, 2022
    60
    For the power of revenge as a notion, it’s a limited emotional palette for a writer as gifted as Darnielle to work with. It feels more like a brilliantly conceived and executed exercise than something to return to.
  7. Mojo
    Aug 19, 2022
    60
    Though the ingenuity of the project occasionally outguns the quality of the songwriting, Darnielle's spadework has resulted in a zesty, spontaneous-sounding record. [Sep 2022, p.95]
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See all 8 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. ReneBelloq
    Aug 30, 2022
    10
    I'm surprised the critical reviews aren't skewing a little higher. This is my favorite Mountain Goats record since the Sunset Tree. I payI'm surprised the critical reviews aren't skewing a little higher. This is my favorite Mountain Goats record since the Sunset Tree. I pay attention to all their releases, and they've done a lot of great stuff since then. But this albums is a propulsive, endlessly catchy listen from first track until the last. With its cheerfully gritty crime noir setting, it's like the Mountain Goats equivalent of an Elmore Leonard novel, and I can't think of much higher praise than that.… Expand
  2. Fractalcathedra
    Aug 20, 2022
    10
    This is an all timer- an absolutely fantastic Mountain Goats album. Kicks ass from start to finish, literally: Training Montage and Bleed OutThis is an all timer- an absolutely fantastic Mountain Goats album. Kicks ass from start to finish, literally: Training Montage and Bleed Out are CLASSICS, not a bad or dull song on the batch. Just listen to that saxophone solo on Guys on Every Corner and try not to grin. Some of the smartest and funniest songwriting John Darnielle has ever done, Bleed Out seems to me like an homage to the end of Breaking Bad. Makes you want to laugh and cry at the same time, such funny and beautiful catharsis. I've been listening to this band for 20 years and after an album like this, it just makes me feel so fortunate to have them still around making awesome music. BUY THIS and support this amazing group of musicians and people.… Expand
  4. Jungstir
    Aug 22, 2022
    9
    Bleed Out definitely a must listen album from The Mountain Goats guaranteed you will be part of the Bleed Out singalong. Now I have to seeBleed Out definitely a must listen album from The Mountain Goats guaranteed you will be part of the Bleed Out singalong. Now I have to see them live.
    Great vocals, dark humor, lyrics, guitar work on point. Indie Band gone gold. Need music for a road trip don't overlook this one! Recorded during the pandemic. I am a fan now.    … Expand
  5. MsDeandra
    Aug 30, 2022
    7
    I have been waiting on this album. Well deserved praise. Can't wait to hear more!

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