Enderness
by A.A. Bondy
Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
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  1. Q Magazine
    May 14, 2019
    60
    These songs might waver and stumble, but they still feel like a successful step forward. [Jul 2019, p.106]
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  2. American Songwriter
    May 7, 2019
    60
    Even if there isn’t much meat here and the concepts are obtuse at best, the oddly titled Enderness (the beginning “T” is conspicuously, and intentionally, missing), taps into an enticing, low-key vibe that’s just as satisfying and far more personal.

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User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 8 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. Dizzyd2323
    Apr 7, 2020
    9
    Bondy shows off a more experimental approach on Enderness. The album is broken into three separate parts, but can be played on a continuousBondy shows off a more experimental approach on Enderness. The album is broken into three separate parts, but can be played on a continuous loop. There is a ton of energy here with feelings of sadness but also humorous and clever lyrics.… Full Review »
  2. Bmccormick40
    May 18, 2019
    9
    Really, in its own restrained way, quite an astonishing album, and the first truly great A.A. Bondy album. I've always liked Mr. Bondy'sReally, in its own restrained way, quite an astonishing album, and the first truly great A.A. Bondy album. I've always liked Mr. Bondy's music, stretching back to even his Verbena days, and while his previous work was undoubtedly good, it also had a tinge of inconsequentiality to it. The songs were easy enough to like, and sometimes even stirring and beautiful, but would my life be very different without A.A. Bondy in it? Probably not. Enderness changes that, and makes A.A. Bondy essential listening. The production here is superb, dialed down a bit from previous outings, and possessing an intimacy that's occasionally discomfiting. Despite the spareness, it feels like his songs finally have some meat on them. Lyrically, Bondy previously came across as a wistful yet sharp-eyed observer of human folly. On Enderness, he's a man transformed; a wild-eyed but contained poet laureate crazed by despondency. The words and delivery hint at a man bereft of his own humanity, at times almost clinical, like witnessing a forensic investigator at work, their professionalism in the face of such lurid brutality alarming in its own way. Those moments are punctuated by the blackest-of-black humor sold without a hint of pleasure. This is unrelentingly bleak stuff, and it couldn't feel more of the now. In delivering a portrait of a man embattled by the histrionics of his day, A.A. Bondy has delivered a masterpiece as unexpected as it is satisfying.… Full Review »
  3. ryeca
    May 10, 2019
    8
    Really nice, mesmerizing album. Worth the eight year wait. Catchy, sad, kind of lovely.
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