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May 5, 2014Luminous proves the Horrors still have a sense of adventure; they sound comfortable, but not too comfortable to try new things.
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Alternative PressMay 6, 2014Luminous certainly wears its influences proudly; however, the record boasts undeniable energy and urgency. [Jun 2014, p.107]
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May 6, 2014Luminous is a shot across the bow, letting the world know the punks have grown up.
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May 5, 2014The Horrors go several steps further. Fragments of the group's past link together and the future illuminates in unison. Luminous is the album they've been destined to make.
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May 1, 2014Luminous marks another fitting addition to The Horrors' increasingly untouchable catalogue.
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May 2, 2014Luminous is a tremendously dense record, but one that manages to find ample breathing space for each of its studio takes.
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May 9, 2014Possibly, some will leave Luminous disappointed that The Horrors haven’t pulled off another quantum leap, but by slowing down and bedding into their sound, they’ve made a record that feels both studied and instinctual, elevated and elemental, and that’s no mean feat.
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MagnetMay 19, 2014The Horrors seem to have found themselves yet another niche writing the sorts of delectable psychedelic pop jams that are destined to see them crowd festival stages for decades to come. [No. 109, p.57]
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May 2, 2014Luminous, all told, is a sure-fire summer soundtrack from a band who are far more cerebral than they’d have you believe.
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May 5, 2014Almost every part of it sounds sublime.
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May 1, 2014After a while the tripped-out builds can feel formulaic, but the mind-altering textures and melodic flourishes are so gorgeously realized that Luminous’s feel-good charms become hard to resist.
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May 6, 2014As with Skying, it’s a high compliment to say Luminous is a giant bowl of assorted, premium ear candy, and it’s about as nourishing, which maybe is the point.
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May 7, 2014As close as Luminous comes to being an excellent release, there remains something about it that is unembraceable.
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May 6, 2014For the most part, though, it’s a bloody great collection of songs. The Horrors do have a masterpiece inside them, and with each release it’s bubbling closer to the surface.
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Q MagazineMay 20, 2014It's genuinely exciting to think where The Horrors might go from here. [Jun 2014, p.105]
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May 1, 2014Throughout, they’ve remained a surprising and, more importantly, single-minded unit.
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May 1, 2014The Horrors may need to shake up their sound more radically next time, but Luminous still sounds light years ahead of the current guitar-band pack.
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May 9, 2014Whereas the sound of Skying suffered at times due to a muggy recording, Luminous is given a full pop sheen, an approach that’s resulted in a much wider sound.
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May 8, 2014Luminous is a great record, but it's an awkward bugger at times, and I suspect that in the long run the album will prove all the more rewarding for just that reason.
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UncutMay 1, 2014The album's highlight comes when "I See You" wiggles free of its '90s indie-disco mooring and shoots at the moon; Luminous could have done with a few more of those moments. [Jun 2014, p.78]
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May 2, 2014While these forays into uncharted territory are wonderful, it's when they stay closer to the "Still Life" template that Luminous really shines.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 32 out of 45
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Mixed: 8 out of 45
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Negative: 5 out of 45
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May 6, 2014
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May 6, 2014
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May 6, 2014