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It's Never Been Like That has the necessary edge of real art, but it's approachable right down to the final song, "Second To None," with its deep echo and thin lines.
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Like That gives new meaning to the word "alive."
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This is the sort of record you’re gonna put on when the sun’s shining and you just need some good old pop-rock.
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This is the kind of record the Strokes and countless other newfangled pop/rock groups have been trying to make over the first half of the decade. But nobody's done it with such effortless flair as Phoenix.
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Its charms sink their teeth in fast and deep.
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It's Never Been Like That reunites the quartet with the kind of jubilant, foot-pumping power-pop that, at best, is informed by the brevity of new wave and the breeziness particular to pre-punk West Coast rock.
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A concise killer of an album.
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The interplay between lazy strumming and everything-in-its-right-place arrangements effectively rewrites the history of the garage-rock revival, drawing a line between "Last Nite" and Tom Petty and erasing the denial that "Maps" was the biggest song that scene's brief heyday produced.
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Their performances sound more confident than ever.
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This too-brief set of 10 songs is both a break with the past and a fervent glance toward the future.
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UrbLike a walk through an alternative music encyclopedia. [Jun 2006, p.113]
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Though you might have pangs for United's enjoyable weirdness, It's Never Been Like That is serious fun.
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Entertainment WeeklyOne wonders if the qualities that make Phoenix appealing--breeziness, insouciance--will ultimately translate into enduring music. [26 May 2006, p.105]
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The excessive genre-bending of their debut has been exchanged for a dilettantism honed to a much sharper point.
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If there were ever an album that fulfilled the requirements for a “summer album,” this is it; Phoenix offers songs that offer little in the way of innovation or substance but a wealth of top-notch musicianship, catchy melodies, and transcendent choruses.
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Paste MagazineA lively album with a strong melodic sense. [Aug 2006, p.90]
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Under The RadarPhoenix still hasn’t overcome the faults of their previous efforts. [#14]
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Q MagazineIf It's Never Been Like That sees them rocking out by their own standards, they're still a sweat-free prospect by most others. [Jun 2006, p.118]
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All that's standing in the way of a major breakthrough is a certain facelessness, exacerbated by Mars's reticent style.
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UncutThe overwhelming sense is of a group needlessly hobbling themselves. [Jun 2006, p.110]
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New Musical Express (NME)If 'It's Never Been Like That' is a failure, at least it's not a boring one. [20 May 2006, p.31]
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If you enjoy the genre and can stand the glare bouncing off the album’s shiny surface, you’ll likely find plenty to like in It’s Never Been Like That.
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MojoFor all the frenetic energy, lush orchestration and earnest vocals, however, It's Never Been Like That has the feel of the work of a hollow band. [Jun 2006, p.110]
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A change in demeanor accompanies this change in style, however, and it's a turn for the worse: Phoenix now gesture at being a Serious Group with Something to Say.
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A puny, ill-conceived record in comparison to both Alphabetical and its predecessor United.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 43 out of 47
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Mixed: 3 out of 47
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Negative: 1 out of 47
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Jul 18, 2013
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ShaneLOct 20, 2006
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SeamusSSep 20, 2006