Fragrant World
by Yeasayer
Metascore
71

Generally favorable reviews - based on 44 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 44
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 44
  3. Negative: 0 out of 44
  1. PopMatters
    Aug 22, 2012
    60
    Fragrant World is an uglier, darker affair [than Odd Blood], full of tangled synth lines and hyper-compressed rhythm tracks. It's sometimes brilliant, too, with at least two hooky standouts ("Henrietta", "Reagan's Skeleton") – but it's also the first Yeasayer album that threatens to collapse under its own teeming weight.
  2. No Ripcord
    Aug 21, 2012
    60
    Fragrant World is by no means a bad album - it may start slowly, and end rather mutedly, but there's a fairly satisfying core to it - it's only really a disappointment as Yeasayer themselves have already raised the bar incredibly high.
  3. New Musical Express (NME)
    Aug 21, 2012
    60
    Instead of an album hurtling 100mph in one of those directions, Fragrant World feels like the work of a band with stabilisers on.
  5. Prefix Magazine
    Aug 21, 2012
    60
    Yeasayer's only triumph here is perfecting a niche they've already seemed to master.
  6. Tiny Mix Tapes
    Aug 20, 2012
    60
    Yeasayer soar with sublime choruses that are everything that pop has been trying to realize: high-art dionysian bliss contained in three- to four-minute bursts.
  7. The Observer (UK)
    Aug 20, 2012
    60
    They're at their best when they do a little less, as on the surprisingly melancholy and lovely Henrietta.
  8. The Independent (UK)
    Aug 17, 2012
    60
    A frustrating experience overall.
  9. Consequence
    Aug 17, 2012
    60
    The grooves and the sonic wizardry work, but Fragrant World doesn't have half of the intensity, innovation, or memorable hooks of the group's two prior LPs.
  10. The Guardian
    Aug 16, 2012
    60
    The first half of Fragrant World plods around self-indulgently, and No Bones veers all over the place... But the halfway point marks a clear shift in quality, as if they finally rediscovered their pop sensibility.
  11. NOW Magazine
    Aug 16, 2012
    60
    The fractured sounds give us little to hold on to; the songwriting's hidden behind so much distraction.
  12. BBC Music
    Aug 14, 2012
    60
    Appreciating this album does admittedly require time and effort, which occasionally isn't repaid... But once you've settled into it, Yeasayer's Fragrant World is a wonderful place to explore.
  13. Dusted Magazine
    Aug 13, 2012
    60
    Just as Yeasayer appears to have planted its two feet firmly on the dance floor, it seems to have lost much of its capacity for eccentric pop magic.
  14. Mojo
    Aug 9, 2012
    60
    It's sex music for oddballs. [Sep 2012, p.89]
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  15. Pitchfork
    Aug 16, 2012
    54
    Fragrant World is curiously thin.
  16. The Quietus
    Aug 29, 2012
    50
    This is their pointed after-hours comedown LP, it's not enough of a disclaimer to save what amounts to an occasionally flourishing, but largely frustrating and tedious record.
  17. Fact Magazine (UK)
    Aug 28, 2012
    50
    Coupled with a diminished knack for melody and slower (r'n'b-aping) tempos, conveying a vaguely subdued mood, the difficult Fragrant World just isn't what most people would consider fun.
  18. Slant Magazine
    Aug 20, 2012
    50
    The band's tendency to overreach may be muted on Fragrant World, but Yeasayer is still as earnestly silly as ever.
  19. Spin
    Aug 21, 2012
    40
    Its sound is bright, slick, and micromanaged.
  20. Uncut
    Aug 9, 2012
    40
    Despite the contemporary sheen too much here is reminiscent of a certain kind of overwrought mid-80s synthpop. [Sep 2012, p.87]
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User Reviews

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User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 25 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 25
  3. Negative: 1 out of 25
  1. Billyliar87
    Aug 21, 2012
    9
    Loving this album! It's an excellent closer to this summer. The "hooks" in this album are not as accessible as their previous endeavors.Loving this album! It's an excellent closer to this summer. The "hooks" in this album are not as accessible as their previous endeavors. Nonetheless, this album has a few solid layers to it. The first 5 tracks twist and turn from mid-tempo, synth-filled ease, to fun electro-pop beats in Devil & the Deed. This album isn't getting as much love from the critics, but I feel that it deserves much more. I'd honestly give it a solid 8, but the critic hate is making me bump it up a notch.… Full Review »
  2. ascribble16
    Sep 7, 2012
    9
    This is such a fun album. Spotify tells me I've played it all the way through seventeen times, and that's really saying something. Each songThis is such a fun album. Spotify tells me I've played it all the way through seventeen times, and that's really saying something. Each song brings something special to the album, but I'm a huge fan of Reagan's Skeleton, Glass of the Microscope, and No Bones. Every song is great, even the singles that have been released. If you've ever liked Yeasayer, you'll like this too.… Full Review »
  3. jmcpIII
    Aug 23, 2012
    8
    Solid album. Yeasayer made a pretty concise batch of songs compared to Odd Blood and All Hour Cymbals which were sort of all over the place.Solid album. Yeasayer made a pretty concise batch of songs compared to Odd Blood and All Hour Cymbals which were sort of all over the place. The most notable difference between this album and the previous two is the massive amount of bass, everything sounds so thick. The band's sense of adventure and discontent is still in tact and that's where they lose a lot of listener interest. Sometimes they try too hard to make certain sounds and rhythms work, but it mostly pays off on Fragrant World. I think this is a step in the right direction for the band. They shamelessly latched onto this futuristic dance funk sound and are determined to make it work, no matter how divisive the results.… Full Review »
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