Glow
by Tensnake
Metascore
65

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
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  1. Mixmag
    Mar 18, 2014
    80
    Glow is an epic achievement, an album that bolsters its disco-flecked gems with 80s funk, Euro synth-pop and chunky 90s house tropes.
  2. The Line of Best Fit
    Mar 14, 2014
    80
    Content wise, Glow is everything you could want from a dance artist’s debut album. It’s produced well, it’s cheeky in parts, dark and suggestive in others and varied enough in regards to genre.
  3. AllMusic
    Mar 11, 2014
    80
    Glow is all inspired aces and a can't-miss release for funkateers or nu-disco fans.
  5. Under The Radar
    May 27, 2014
    70
    Pulling from classic influential moments in electronic dance music to bring together the best of filtered house and electro-disco, Glow handily transports the past to the present.
  6. Spin
    Mar 11, 2014
    70
    Glow tries so hard to keep the mood pneumatic that it starts to feel over-stuffed, even at just 55 minutes long.
  7. The 405
    Mar 11, 2014
    70
    Apart from a few slip-ups earlier on, this is, for the most part, a wonderful listen.
  8. Clash Music
    Mar 11, 2014
    70
    This is an enjoyable blend of ballads (‘58 BPM’), funked-out euphoria and even a satire of dance music pretension (‘Ten Minutes’)
  9. Drowned In Sound
    Mar 11, 2014
    70
    This is yet another dance album that avoids the pitfalls of stringing together separately conceived singles.
  10. Mojo
    Mar 21, 2014
    60
    Glow's most enduring memory might just be the grand '80s synth-pop---think Pet Shop Boys or Alphaville--of things To Say. [Apr 2014, p.93]
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  11. Q Magazine
    Mar 14, 2014
    60
    The slower numbers, built around pneumatic electro basslines and memories of Giorgio Moroder soundtracks, aren't as slick, though 58BPM's is a stylish, slow-motion homage to the neon-lit world of '80s synth-pop. [Apr 2014, p.120]
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  12. NOW Magazine
    Mar 13, 2014
    60
    Tensnake mostly favours brisk tempos, though the sultry ballad 58bpm makes you wish he slowed the pace more often.
  13. Rolling Stone
    Mar 11, 2014
    60
    A collection that flows, at times, a little too smoothly.
  14. XLR8r
    Mar 11, 2014
    60
    While there very well could be a single or two from this record that eventually does break through to join the current wave of club crossover hits, Glow, as an album, does not live up to its promise, regardless of whether it's evaluated in "mainstream" or "underground" terms.
  15. Pitchfork
    Mar 11, 2014
    57
    Many of Glow's songs are just-there, but a few manage to be engaging.
  16. The Quietus
    Mar 27, 2014
    50
    Much of Glow is tasteful to the point of bland inoffensiveness, the sort of thing that'd suit a branch of All Bar One at half nine on a Friday night.
  17. Resident Advisor
    Mar 26, 2014
    50
    Glow dumbs down Niemerski's music into mass market-ready chunks.
  18. New Musical Express (NME)
    Mar 11, 2014
    40
    Ultimately, Glow will live or die on the strength of its singles. On this evidence, Tensnake seems to be missing that key part of his blueprint.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 7 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. RedOwlReviews
    Mar 12, 2014
    8
    Tensnake’s debut album Glow is a diamond in the rough of electronic dance music. Although his technique and thought process mature andTensnake’s debut album Glow is a diamond in the rough of electronic dance music. Although his technique and thought process mature and transforms as the album progresses, Glow consistently delivers; it’s music both your body and spirit can shake to. Some of the sounds and beats have a hard time sticking their landings, and some tracks may have unclear directions, but the ultimate result is quietly exhilarating. The album feels greater than its individual tracks, an exceptionally difficult feat to achieve in the electronic dance genre. By the time you hit “Last Song,” you feel like a changed man, as if the album imparted some ancient dance floor wisdom on you. Like a home cooked meal, Glow doesn’t add flourishes or pretend to be high art; it simply provides with its entertainment factor set on high and its heart on its sleeve. Simply put, Glow is a humble beauty. Tracks like “See Right Through,” “58Bpm,” and “Pressure” are worth a listen even if you aren’t an EDM or nu-disco aficionado.

    FINAL SCORE: 77.5 (pretty good ---------------o----- great)    … Full Review »
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