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Crack-Up Image
Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 31 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 148 Ratings

  • Summary: The third full-length release for the indie folk quintet from Seattle was co-produced by the band's Robin Pecknold and Skyler Skjelset.
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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 31
  2. Negative: 0 out of 31
  1. 100
    Their third record is their best, a meandering, wild, untamable masterpiece from a front man who refuses to stop studying and refuses to be predictable.
  2. Jun 14, 2017
    90
    With Crack-Up's earnest explorations of the human condition and evocative, progressive composition, Fleet Foxes maintain their status as one of the best folk rock bands of the 21st century.
  3. Jun 16, 2017
    90
    Fleet Foxes return with a grand, theatrical approach to music as a whole, and although they reminisce on their grand, prog-folk glory days, Crack-Up as a musical statement is genre-less.
  4. Q Magazine
    Jun 6, 2017
    80
    It confirms that rarest of achievements: a group somehow hanging on to the essence who they are, while pushing their art into thrillingly unforeseen places. [Aug 2017, p.99]
  5. Jun 15, 2017
    80
    Orchestral, experimental, and more challenging than either of the band's previous releases, it's a natural fit for the Nonesuch label, whose heritage was built on such attributes. For Fleet Foxes, it represents a shift away from their more idyllic early days into a period of artistic growth and sophistication.
  6. Jul 19, 2017
    70
    While it’s not short of irritating periods of pretension, it’s par for the course when beauty, indulgence and complexity are key ingredients in the melting pot.
  7. Jun 16, 2017
    58
    The band has always prided itself on ornateness, and in that sense, Crack-Up is its richest release to date. But more often than not, all that fussiness robs it of any impact.

See all 31 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 21
  2. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. Jun 16, 2017
    10
    Takes everything that was great about self-titled and Helplessness Blues and elevates it to the next level. This is Fleet Foxes' magnum opusTakes everything that was great about self-titled and Helplessness Blues and elevates it to the next level. This is Fleet Foxes' magnum opus and in my humble opinion, the front-runner for AOTY at the moment. Some of the most beautiful, melodic, and ambitious music you'll hear this year (or any year for that matter). Expand
  2. Oct 24, 2019
    10
    This is the only band that i know that grows more confidently with every album they release. Every song Robin writes was meticulously thoughtThis is the only band that i know that grows more confidently with every album they release. Every song Robin writes was meticulously thought out to the point of perfection. The first two albums were folk classics. This is Folk-God level... **** art-rock that matures like fine wine on each listen. They raised the bar pretty high for themselves and for all their copycat bands. Expand
  3. Apr 8, 2021
    10
    A grand, untamable masterpiece that, if treated with patience and care, reveals an experience that only the music can give to you. A trueA grand, untamable masterpiece that, if treated with patience and care, reveals an experience that only the music can give to you. A true piece of art that seems to be elevated past a level Fleet Foxes has reached before.

    10/10
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  4. Jul 3, 2017
    9
    If you liked the direction the Fleet Foxes were going on Helplessness Blues with "The Plains/Bitter Dancer" and "The Shrine/An Argument"If you liked the direction the Fleet Foxes were going on Helplessness Blues with "The Plains/Bitter Dancer" and "The Shrine/An Argument" (minus the latter's annoying saxophone solo), then check out Crack-Up. It has lots of song suites and meandering song structures, but the beauty is more punctuated. That is, there are lots of quiet moments that sound almost like an old radio playing in the other room, and then the music explodes into something catchy and beautiful. The effect reminds me of Chicago's track "Wishing You Were Here" in a lot of ways. Also, for a treat, check out Pecknold going over the making of "Mearcstapa" on the Song Exploder podcast! It's not my favorite song on the album, but it's fascinating to hear about . Expand
  5. Apr 20, 2020
    9
    Fleet Foxes continue not so much trying to write The Great American Novel, but music to simply exist as a kind of literature for itself.Fleet Foxes continue not so much trying to write The Great American Novel, but music to simply exist as a kind of literature for itself. Ghosts of writers from the 1930s: Steinbeck, Hemingway, Faulkner and F.Scott Fitzgerald are summoned on the bands latest offering, Crack-Up. The publication The Onion complained that Crack-Up lacked “lyrical tentpoles”. Without offering an explanation of what is meant by "tentpoles", To expect insist songwriter Robin Pecknold sacrifice the enigmatic poetic feel here is to miss the point of all that is strived for and achieved on Crack-Up. Expand
  6. Nov 20, 2021
    8
    My favourite fleet foxes record. I can't really explain why this record hits me the way it does. It's so cinematic and grand i love "i seeMy favourite fleet foxes record. I can't really explain why this record hits me the way it does. It's so cinematic and grand i love "i see Memphis " & "if you need time,take time on me" . The title track is spellbinding! Expand
  7. Feb 28, 2020
    5
    Was hoping for more. Looking forward to this new album and after months of trying to get into it, it just doesn’t hook me.

See all 21 User Reviews