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- Critic score
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The WireFeb 18, 2016A conceptually intriguing and emotionally powerful masterpiece based around the antihero of the title. [Feb 2016, p.59]
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Feb 1, 2016It pulls from rock, punk, noise, industrial, hip-hop, and even African tribal music. Lyrically the album is among the first to take this kind of look at hacker culture as well as how the definition of the artist and art have changed in the digital age. Regardless of genre, this may well end up being one of the best and conceptually most important albums released this year.
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Jan 29, 2016MartyrLoserKing may not just be one of Saul Williams' best, but it could also find itself among the most important albums of this year.
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Apr 1, 2016This smart, jagged, contemplative work makes you wonder if Williams could wring amazing stuff out of Bennington too.
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Q MagazineFeb 4, 2016Williams has offered much to admire, and even more to contemplate. [Mar 2016, p.119]
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Jan 29, 2016Williams remains the data-age Gil Scott-Heron plus a collaborator who elevates, as Reznor, and now Warfield, have both upped their game in the presence of such a radiant creative force.
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Jan 29, 2016Williams isn’t here for you to simply digest his art and move on. He wants it to stick to you, to stay in your heart, mind and soul, the same way it does with him as the artist. And MartyrLoserKing accomplishes just that without question.
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Jan 28, 2016The often elliptical lyrics are both penetrating and hypnotic--the sounds of words are as vital as their meaning.
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Jan 27, 2016It's heady stuff to dive into, and Williams isn't particularly concerned whether listeners sink or swim, so long as they get wet.
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Jan 27, 2016Williams doesn’t rely on heavy-handed sloganeering, and is more than capable of a light touch, administering impressionistic yet prescient lyrics that are indicative of his beginnings as a spoken word poet.
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Feb 1, 2016MartyrLoserKing doesn’t necessarily rise or fall on Williams’ ability to clarify his thoughts into a clear, memorable hook.
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UncutJan 27, 2016A darkly impassioned mix of hip hop, art rock and electronics that connects to indigenous street music as well as to Gil Scott-Heron, The Ruts and TV On The Radio. [Feb 2016, p.84]
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Jan 27, 2016It’s sci-fi, afro, poetry delivered with a snarl. This may not be for everyone, hell, it may only be for the brave, but if you take the ride you’ll be vastly rewarded.
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MojoApr 27, 2016The album works better as [a] vehicle for Williams' fiery, lucid spiels and inventive productions than straight-up narrative. [Jun 2016, p.97]
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Feb 2, 2016All the same, nothing hits with the same succinct and simple impact as early wins like ‘List of Demands’ or ‘Black Stacey’.
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Jan 27, 2016The more overtly rock moments give the album a bit too much of a 90s alternative feel, but that’s got to be expected from someone who came out of the slam poetry scene and previously worked with Trent Reznor.
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Jan 27, 2016Williams’ songwriting approach, while accomplished and still urgent, occasionally loses some of its ferocity and connection to the theme by playing to his game a bit too much; relying on that trademark electro-rock production instead of mutating contemporary trap and noise feels like a slight misstep.