- Record Label: Sunday Best / Recall
- Release Date: Mar 14, 2006
- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
Entertainment WeeklyThis is reggae-inflected rock filtered through Gorillaz-style genre restlessness. [31 Mar 2006, p.65]
-
UncutTouches of ska... and ethereal dream-rock... betray a penchant for late-'70s guitar experimentation, alchemised here by a brilliant pop sheen. [Jul 2004, p.101]
-
Grand National's main skill lies in their ability to twin their fine songs to tight electronic productions, striking the perfect midpoint between live organics and cool digital sequencing.
-
Q MagazineOne of the year's most inventive debuts. [Jul 2004, p.114]
-
MojoA stripped-back stroll through the summer of the '80s. [Jun 2004, p.106]
-
The first seven tracks are nearly flawless, and the occasional wobble thereafter doesn't mar one of the year's most scintillating debuts.
-
UrbThis is AM pop perfection that doesn't need a stamp of retro-cool to be timeless. [Mar 2005, p.111]
-
Believe the hype: The 10-track set is a real treat, rewarding repeated listens with fun, groove-driven tunes.
-
BlenderThere's a lot of passion and red corpuscles surging just outside the music's clean, primary-colored lines. [Apr 2006, p.112]
-
Although the uniformly sweet pop songs on Kicking the National Habit sound influenced by the likes of the Police, Men at Work, Duran Duran, and the rest of the more commercial side of the early MTV era, the arrangements are more electronic in nature.
User score distribution:
-
Positive: 11 out of 12
-
Mixed: 0 out of 12
-
Negative: 1 out of 12
-
TomDJan 17, 2007One of those albums you can just keep on listening too.
-
DCCNov 25, 2006Very solid. Pop without the pop guilt. Recommended.
-
LaLaJun 23, 2006Simply Astouding. If you like samrt pop, look no further.