Dignity And Shame
by Crooked Fingers
  • Record Label: Merge
  • Release Date: Feb 22, 2005
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. No Ripcord
    90
    Dignity and Shame is just another day in the world-weary lovelorn characters that Bachmann has so vividly brought to life for the past five years with his Crooked Fingers entourage.
  2. Lost At Sea
    85
    As with other Crooked Fingers albums, Bachmann’s stories really command most of our attention here, and they serve to elevate his songs beyond just being clever pastiches of pop music.
  3. Spin
    83
    These songs are both sturdier and more complex. [Mar 2005, p.92]
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  5. ShakingThrough.net
    82
    Rather than leaning on his appealingly gruff Neil Diamond pipes to articulate personal stories of drunkenness and hardscrabble redemption, Bachmann takes a more imaginative approach here.
  6. Alternative Press
    80
    An engaging disc. [Mar 2005, p.122]
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  7. Junkmedia
    80
    It's easily the artist's most cohesive, polished work.
  8. The A.V. Club
    80
    An album to stand with his Archers best.
  9. PopMatters
    80
    If Bachmann officially solidified his place in modern song with Red Devil Dawn, then Dignity and Shame lodges that place in cement for posterity.
  10. Billboard
    80
    His voice has thankfully improved from record to record; like grain alcohol, it's gruff and eye-opening, well-suited for Crooked Fingers' pop-folk tangents.
  11. Dusted Magazine
    80
    A dramatic, often fascinating work, it inspires repeated and careful listening, and stands alongside the best of Bachmann’s work.
  12. Stylus Magazine
    75
    His pieces match open, lovely music with lyrics depicting people in struggle.... Individual songs take on various moods, but the album never dips fully to the bleak.
  13. Splendid
    70
    Dignity and Shame is sparse and vulnerable, showcasing nothing but Bachmann's bittersweet musings and his deep growl of a voice. It is by no means a unique album, but it's an effective one.
  14. Urb
    70
    Finds [Bachmann] in a maudlin mood. [Apr 2005, p.108]
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  15. Under The Radar
    70
    Another solid release to add to Bachmann's catalogue. [#9]
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  16. Austin Chronicle
    67
    While the concept fails to stand up over the album's narrative arc, the songwriting is solid as ever, and Bachmann and [Lara] Meyerratken's combined voices will soothe even the angriest beast.
  17. Pitchfork
    65
    Regrettably, no other song here has a lyric nearly as compelling as "Andalucia"-- a major flaw for what is essentially a pedal steel-enhanced singer/songwriter album.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.1

Universal acclaim- based on 11 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 11
  3. Negative: 1 out of 11
  1. zack
    Apr 26, 2005
    10
    i love this album. the best of the crooked fingers. this is a definate buy especially if you like indie rock with a little twist to it. i i love this album. the best of the crooked fingers. this is a definate buy especially if you like indie rock with a little twist to it. i also recogmend neutral milk hotel, the mountain goats, and the shins if you like this kind of music.… Full Review »
  2. BP
    Mar 7, 2005
    10
    Took a chance from the used bin, and now I feel like I've discovered gold! I can't stop listening to this great disc!
  3. [Anonymous]
    Feb 23, 2005
    9
    A beautifully crafted album of bitersweet love stories.
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