• Record Label: V2
  • Release Date: May 9, 2006
Metascore
74

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 25
  2. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. Filter
    92
    This is the best Grandaddy record thus far. [#19, p.92]
  2. In a time when so many bands don't know why they exist but keep on vanning anyway, his honest tale is touching and instructive.
  3. So to those bored to tears by Sumday, take notice: though it fails to break any new ground, Just Like the Fambly Cat is as good a parting shot from these guys as we could have expected.
  4. If this is Lytle’s last musical missive, he’s left us with a complete, if unfocused, dossier of his genius.
  5. Entertainment Weekly
    83
    Just Like the Fambly Cat shows Lytle at the top of his game. [12 May 2006, p.80]
  6. Alternative Press
    80
    Cat finds the band still evoking the Flaming Lips and Neil Young during a journey filled with dashed hopes and the desire to get away. [Jun 2006, p.188]
  7. A sad record, then, but an inspiring one too, offering the hope that the end of Grandaddy means a fresh start for Lytle.
  8. This time, the gorgeous harmonies and lo-fi ELO homages remain, but the lyrics are more personal.
  9. There is a depth of emotion and seriousness here that had been missing on Sumday, Lytle's vocals have a gravity they lacked before, and the bandmembers seem to mean every note they play this time.
  10. An album that rivals the brilliant 'The Sophtware Slump'... as their absolute masterpiece.
  11. What could have been a boring, belligerent, and bellicose introspective slide into the music industry dustbin has in fact turned out to be one of Grandaddy’s most listenable and likeable releases.
  12. Uncut
    80
    Everything now seems as worn out and used up as Lytle's subjects, along with the imagery that brings them to life. [Jun 2006, p.108]
  13. Just Like the Fambly Cat, even more than Grandaddy's past works, carries the weight of death.
  14. It's a likeable little niche that Lyttle has carved out for himself in the indie-pop landscape, and, as he bids adieu to Grandaddy, one hopes that he continues to explore this style in ways that are more challenging than parts of Cat.
  15. New Musical Express (NME)
    70
    This is Americana of the highest order. [20 May 2006, p.33]
  16. Q Magazine
    70
    While there are hints of tiredness, Grandaddy are not leaving us with heads bowed. [Jun 2006, p.116]
  17. It's all vaguely familiar, but Lytle's fine-grained production pops a freshmaker or two into the mix.
  18. Just Like the Fambly Cat is appreciably better than its predecessor, but a far cry from the bliss we've all come to expect.
  19. Just Like the Fambly Cat sounds like a Grandaddy album, but only in that it rehashes everything the band has already done.
  20. Just Like… is no classic, but it’s enough to make for a teary goodbye.
  21. Spin
    60
    Equal parts bang and whimper. [Jun 2006, p.81]
  22. Mojo
    60
    Fambly Cat's highpoints... stand with their very best. [Jun 2006, p.102]
  23. Fambly's flabbiest moments sag pretty low, to the point that the album's midsection is almost entirely skippable.
  24. Fambly Cat just serves to underscore how good Grandaddy has been by rehashing without improving or building.
  25. Blender
    50
    Song after song is undermined by too-precious gestures, and the occasional bursts of speed and volume can't mask Grandaddy's exhaustion. [Jun 2006, p.137]
User Score
8.5

Universal acclaim- based on 22 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 22
  3. Negative: 1 out of 22
  1. steve
    Aug 2, 2006
    8
    fantastico . can't stop playing this kitty .
  2. michellem
    Jul 12, 2006
    7
    i like grandaddy, but goddamn are they depressing.
  3. Brendan
    Jun 8, 2006
    10
    I don't know if it's the BEST Grandaddy record, but this is a pretty boss record in and of itself. From the creepy "What Happened?" I don't know if it's the BEST Grandaddy record, but this is a pretty boss record in and of itself. From the creepy "What Happened?" to the stunning "Shangri-La," the record is again perfect from start to finish, the third time in a row Grandaddy's managed to do that. It's a pity they won't be putting out any more music; we've lost one of the greatest bands of the last decade this year. Full Review »