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. AllMusic
    May 28, 2019
    80
    As bleak a listen as it is, Enderness is an affecting piece of art reflective of its time, and the fact that Bondy's house burned down the day after he finished recording it almost feels like some inevitable if unfortunate occurrence.
  2. The 405
    May 22, 2019
    80
    Many will ding this record for being too subdued, but the matter of fact is Bondy has grown as an artist since his days as Verbena. He’s evolved, more experimental, more in-touch with what drives him, with the decaying America around him and of course, what pulls at his (and our) heartstrings. Enderness is a profound testament to his maturation.
  3. PopMatters
    May 10, 2019
    80
    The economy of expression deployed here is impressive, at the same time that it feels as if the album has no beginning or end, but rather that it exists on a continuous dystopian loop. If you only listen to one album while the world burns, you could do worse than listen to this one.
  5. The Line of Best Fit
    May 9, 2019
    80
    Enderness is a record you're guaranteed to want to return to again and again.
  6. Mojo
    May 7, 2019
    80
    It's Bondy's most disturbing record, but equally his most memorable. [Jun 2019, p.88]
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  7. Pitchfork
    May 7, 2019
    71
    On Enderness he gathers and subverts modern tools to construct his indictment of the modern world.
  8. DIY Magazine
    May 17, 2019
    70
    While ‘I Love You Like A Brother’ was littered with memorable choruses that would be lodged in your brain after one listen, it takes a good while of digging into ‘The Best Of Luck Club’ to find something that sticks.
  9. Uncut
    May 7, 2019
    70
    Enderness is more of a brooding country-soul set, with the emphasis on soul. It's also more abstract. [Jun 2019, p.24]
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User Reviews

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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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