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FilterThere's a chunk of empathy lodged between the many splurges of drool-dripping, volume-blasting guitar wankery. [#5, p.88]
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The hour-long Love & Distortion never loses steam; it delivers on its title, and is unique enough to avoid lyrical banality.
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No matter how good your new favorite band is, the Stratford 4 are better.
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MagnetThe S4 seems very confident in getting away from itself and making music not burdened by influence, but propelled by it. [#58, p.106]
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Summons enough winning moments to make comparisons a secondary concern.
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It is the kind of album that becomes more endearing with each listen, with each song evincing a gorgeousness missed the first time around.
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Love & Distortion still finds the Stratford 4 operating as a band with more taste in music than original ideas.
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Q MagazineAt their worst The Stratford 4... are as far out as a Chapterhouse B-side. When they hit their freaked-out stride, however... they shake off the enervation and kick up some genuine rock'n'rool aggro. [Oct 2003, p.114]
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BlenderWailing, distorted guitars and jumpy backbeats deliver messages of escape, refuge and, ultimately, sweet hope. [May 2003, p.124]
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Throughout Love and Distortion, the Stratford 4 convey through their music that sounding like other good bands that came before them isn't a bad thing.
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UncutDraws heavily on such masters of six-string cinematics as The Church, The Jesus & Mary Chain and Spacemen 3. [Apr 2003, p.121]
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By the time Love & Distortion arrives at "The Simple Things Are Taking Over" and "Kleptophilia," the band finally has an identity of its own: smart without being pedantic, coy, but not pretentious, the British affectation in the vocals sounding more natural, the melodies spelled out with greater precision.
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That's not to say that Love & Distortion is a bad album, just that it's thoroughly average.
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It seems sloppy, it has some disappointingly one-dimensional album production, and even worse, it lacks the pop sense that The Revolt Against Tired Noises had in spades.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 2 out of 2
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Mixed: 0 out of 2
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Negative: 0 out of 2
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RobbinLMar 21, 2005
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CelesteTApr 15, 2003