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Not only is the group fully integrated into the proceedings, the songs are sturdier, and Reitherman’s sweet-toned, sighing fog of a voice gains character and depth with repetition.
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Scott Reitherman, the multi-instrumentalist behind TMTS, switched to a full band following 2007’s "Moonbeams," and it paid off. Creaturesque stays aloft thanks to its big sound and well-placed handclaps.
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FilterThe practice spent fiddling with slower and more methodical tracks on the excellent "Purpleface" EP shows its effectiveness plainly here. [Summer 2009, p.100]
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With the help of producer Phil Ek, the band captures the odd we're-young-but-wish-we-were-younger nostalgia of the so-called crisis while still creating an album that will appeal to an audience outside the twentysomething set.
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For all the positive aspects of Creaturesque--most importantly, it really is a consistently interesting and fun listen, which is rare for a record like this--there is one real weakness: Reitherman’s lyrics.
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Under The RadarTheir sophomore album builds on the success of "Moonbeams" by adding a little more texture and bringing a fuller band experience to the recording experience. [Summer 2009, p.63]
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Creaturesque's subtler pleasures may require more time to sink in than the impulsive skinny-dip plunge of its predecessor, but fans of classic-styled melodic indie rock will find it every bit as summery and inviting as the backyard swimming pool on the cover, and well worth the wade.
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It’s a little too smooth in places, and also a little lacking in assurance, but just like my friend, it’s worth making the effort to get into this party.
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It makes for some delightfully fetching quirk-rock when it’s all clicking, but there are also moments when the songs never quite develop this alchemy and fizzle into the mist, albeit a fine cool mist on a bright, sunshiny day.
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Creaturesque is an easy enough listen with a few moments that stand at attention, but even the best bits can't compare to Moonbeams', and the lesser stuff's far lesser indeed.
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The eclecticism is refreshing on the jammy, Built to Spill-like 'Hi-Fi Goon,' but enjoying the sum of Creaturesque’s shifting parts can be a taxing proposition.
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While the album shows the band refining their sound, it also carries the threat that their future might be too refined, too polished and neat.
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UncutThe new line up and improved prodution give songs more space, but haven't hindered the jaunty, lo-fi, eclectic iindie that made "Moonbeams" such a treat. [Sep 2009, p.101]
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MojoDrawn to look within, you run into the smart opacity of Reitherman's lyrics. [Sep 2009, p.96]