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Grey Oceans
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Grey Oceans Image
Metascore
60

Mixed or average reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.6

Generally favorable reviews- based on 22 Ratings

  • Summary: The French-based sister duo releases its first album on Sub Pop records after the previous three were released by Touch and Go Records.

Top Track

Lemonade
It was Cinco de Mayo Pillow case on his head No more breathing time An ambulance sped It sped 'round every corner Calling out his name Shot a rabbit... See the rest of the song lyrics
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 21
  3. Negative: 1 out of 21
  1. musicOMH.com
    80
    Weird it may be, but when CocoRosie get it right, as with the cutesy pop and dark piano melancholy mix of Lemonade, or the beautiful ethereal balladry of the title track for example, they are unstoppable.
  2. Filter
    76
    For this blissfully weirdo fourth outing, the sisters Casady freakishly but joyfully plunder the odder bits of medieval folk, drum and bass, Western saloon and Mitteleuropa gothic elements.
  3. Urb
    70
    The sisters Sierra and Bianca Casady plus a few guests (jazz pianist Gael Rakotondrabe, Argentine drummer Bolsa) improvise another trek through their active imaginations, doing whatever makes sense (or not) to them that day.
  4. Mojo
    60
    Another helping of skew-whiff artiness from teh oddball Casady siblings. [June 2010, p. 99]
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  5. The A.V. Club
    58
    Some will have the patience and tolerance for searching repeatedly through Grey Oceans to uncover moments of thoughtful beauty. But they're a little harder to find than they should be.
  6. BBC Music
    50
    What saves Grey Oceans is the occasional good idea: the Eastern-tinged Smokey Taboo mixes tablas and wilting strings with Bianca's woozy, half-rapped vocal to impressive effect, while the very peculiar Fairy Paradise is, more or less, Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy as remixed by Paul van Dyk.
  7. The Boston Phoenix
    37
    More often, however, CooRosie appear uninterested in the listener's experience--and that can make Grey Oceans a bit of a slog. The cost of their commitment is you.

See all 21 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. jeremy
    May 17, 2010
    10
    People just don't get them.
  2. type77
    Sep 4, 2020
    10
    Grey Oceans is a masterpiece, even down to the widely disliked cover. Every moment of this album is pure bliss. Trinity's Crying is the mostGrey Oceans is a masterpiece, even down to the widely disliked cover. Every moment of this album is pure bliss. Trinity's Crying is the most beautiful song I have ever heard, its synth line is incredible, and I am absolutely obsessed with Bianca's "wear exhausted flames of light". RIP Burn Face is simply stunning. The beats on Hopscotch are magnificent. I will 100% be purchasing a physical copy of this album in the near future.… Expand
  4. BakaNaGaijin
    Oct 15, 2011
    8
    The scattered memories from the childhood, tastes of forgotten dreams, the thoughts that live in the bottom of our minds... All these thingsThe scattered memories from the childhood, tastes of forgotten dreams, the thoughts that live in the bottom of our minds... All these things come to me while I listen to this strange yet beautiful music. You might not like this music, but I am sure it's worth a try.… Expand
  5. DuDD
    Jan 23, 2017
    6
    Despite being born in the United States, the duo that is CocoRosie feels completely out of the world, and at times hauntingly beautiful, withDespite being born in the United States, the duo that is CocoRosie feels completely out of the world, and at times hauntingly beautiful, with their fourth studio album, Grey Oceans. However, while their experimental folk style and rich atmospheres sound immensely enticing, the overall execution of the record has many moments where it falls flat on its face, completely ruining an otherwise ingenious and great album.

    The root of the problem with this release seems to stem from the overuse of one of CocoRosie’s defining elements… their experimentation. While songs like “Trinity’s Crying” lead to enchanting soundscapes of wonder, and equally as beautiful singing, other songs like “Hopscotch” completely take you out of the experience you’re having with the album, and make it a struggle to get back to the immersion. Indeed, this over-experimentation constantly takes good song ideas and removes their beauty, leaving the album a bit bland feeling. When the songs are left alone, with just the right amount of kooky ideas, you get songs like “Grey Oceans,” “R.I.P. Burn Face,” “The Moon Asked The Crow,” and “Lemonade.” When the songs have unneeded and extra concepts added to them, you get songs like “Undertaker,” and “Fairy Paradise” (the latter of the two containing jarringly off time vocals).

    With these problems mixed in with victories, it is not hard to see why CocoRosie has always been such a polarizing artist. Some love them, some hate them, and personally I’m just left with an empty feeling that screams “This could’ve been something amazing… but it wasn’t.”    … Expand

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