Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. Happy New Year is fresh and adventurous and, most important, it is consistently so.
  2. Entertainment Weekly
    83
    Oneida still imprint each song with their own warped sensibility. [14 Jul 2006, p.81]
  3. Under The Radar
    80
    A lean and brawny collection of experimental pop songs with the brains to match. [#14]
  4. Happy New Year is unpretentiously unique, challenging and eclectic.
  5. This is a great band at or near the top of its game.
  6. The album is a perfect introduction for latecomers to this essential New York band.
  7. Filter
    80
    Oneida have blossomed into a welcoming landscape all their own. [#21, p.102]
  8. What "Happy New Year" really represents is Oneida's finest, most complete record to date, and as such it's the perfect starting point for anyone who's as yet unfamiliar with their rather daunting back catalog.
  9. It's a poetic work of circling guitars and melodic phrases and vocal lines repeating and layered like monastic chants.
  10. Uncut
    80
    Mov[es] through electronica, folk, folktronica, big beat, psychedelia and Krautrock, all guided by Kid Millions' astounding drumming. [Sep 2006, p.91]
  11. So far as newcomers are concerned: hop on here, while Oneida are perhaps at their most accessible, and discover one of music’s most inspirationally inventive outfits.
  12. Fans of â??classicâ? psychedelic music will find few greater pleasures this year than Happy New Year.
  13. There's no unifying principal here-- just songs that are kinda psychedelic, kinda groove-oriented, and kinda long. While not exactly a disappointment, Happy New Year is a whole lot of "kinda," a record built around hesitancy that clutches the payoff tight in its arms.
  14. Oneida is traveling further down the path laid out in last year's The Wedding. It's equally pastoral, with luscious production and Bobby's surprisingly beautiful voice taking centerstage.
  15. Happy New Year's only flaw is that the second half drifts a bit.
  16. You could easily call this the sequel to Secret Wars - it has the same mix of baked acoustics, crushing organ and electric guitar lines, staccato vocals, and a meditative finale built around interlocked piano and drums.
  17. Q Magazine
    70
    It's all wilfully haphazard, though the fact that they never sound like they're taking things too seriously happily dispels the whiff of pretension. [Sep 2006, p.110]
  18. Mojo
    70
    The trio's shared vocals are a unifying factor, finessing the outre music into gently hypnotic melodies. [Sep 2006, p.94]

Awards & Rankings

User Score
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No user score yet- Awaiting 1 more rating

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 3
  2. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. mikes.
    Aug 23, 2006
    6
    An odd album, more experimental than their previous album and at the same time less enjoyable. Too Dense and a little to self contrived. They An odd album, more experimental than their previous album and at the same time less enjoyable. Too Dense and a little to self contrived. They seem too concerned with impressing themselves than an acual listener. Full Review »