- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
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MojoThe Watsons' approach is softer, and more affecting, than wry, tack-sharp Lewis. [Aug 2008, p.114]
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Fire Songs proves the Watson Twins are a strong songwriting team, and one that has earned its time in the spotlight.
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Their wispy, diaphanous reworking of The Cure’s 'Just Like Heaven' suggests the Watson formula could travel far.
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The songs hold sorrow and longing, keeping self-pity in check with serene grace.
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The Path of Slow has led countless down-tempo electronica acts into the dead-end of dinner music. But when slow works, it can be voluptuously pleasurable, as the Watson Twins show on their lovely full-length debut.
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Their vocals can occasionally become a bit limiting--as on the anemic 'Waves'--and there's not much in the way of hooks to catch the ears of those who aren't already listening carefully, but those paying attention should find plenty to latch on to.
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FilterFor those who grew acquainted to the sounds of the Twins when they helped turn Jenny Lewis' more-or-less first solo effort into an artistic coup de grace, you will rejoice with the mix of sunshine and crunch on Fire Songs. [Spring 2008, p.105]
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Watson Twins' first proper album, but Fire Songs at once confirms the promise of their earlier EP and their work with Jenny Lewis while staking out a stronger and more complex identity of their own, and hopefully it's the first of several personal and compelling albums from the siblings.
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Under The RadarFire Songs is subtle with its innovations, but it proves The Watson Twins are a creative force far greater than their alt-country notoriety suggests. [Summer 2008]
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Without shattering any paradigms, they’ve assembled a very listenable collection of songs that’d be a welcome addition to a Starbucks summer playlist.
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Q MagazineTheir slow, brooding, impeccably delivered songs exude menace and promise drunken but regrettable sex, while the symphonic closer 'Waves' suggests they have the wherewithal and inclination to evolve. [Aug 2008, p.145]
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Their Fire Songs can seem a little thin-boned--the twins’ intertwined voices are lovely but ethereal, the steel guitars melting into the horizon like a mirage.
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The Watson Twins' songwriting isn't quite as memorable as their singing; too many of the tunes fade into open-mic background fare.
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The Twins aren’t so compelling as songwriters, and too many of these fire songs sound merely serviceable, with mellow hooks and humdrum sentiments.
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Fire Songs isn't a masterpiece, but it's in the right ZIP code.
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Alternative PressWhen the twins harmonize, the results are sweeter than sugar-dipped honeysuckle. What they really need, though, is some fire in their bellies. [July 2008, p.151]
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That the Watson Twins blend seamlessly into these backdrops, however, is far from a compliment. Of course it's lovely to an extent when the girls harmonize, but neither owns a voice strong enough to convey much besides a languid aridity.
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Two heads aren’t necessarily better than on! Fire Songs isn’t a terrible album, it’s just a little too sweet and safe for this writer’s ears.