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Minor Victories
by
Minor Victories Image
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
7.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 17 Ratings

  • Summary: The debut full-length release for the alternative rock group that includes Slowdive's Rachel Goswell, Mogwai's Stuart Braithwaite, Editors' Justin Lockey and his brother, James Lockey of Hand Held Cine Club features guest appearances by The Twilight Sad's James Graham and Mark Kozelek.
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Top Track

Scattered Ashes (Song for Richard)
Drunk in the morning sun I could be talking to you dear or anyone This is my hiding place I'd found a focus You were a light on the shadow of a... See the rest of the song lyrics
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17
  1. The Skinny
    May 27, 2016
    100
    Minor Victories is frequently beautiful, and it’s the subtle application of the abrasive (on tracks such as Out To Sea) where this project really comes into its own; a few listens in, and captivation becomes its own reward.
  2. PopMatters
    Jun 1, 2016
    80
    In both exigency and tranquility it moves naturally; an unforced alchemy simultaneously specific to and outside of time and place.
  3. AllMusic
    Jun 22, 2016
    80
    While Minor Victories builds on its members' legacies, the band sounds more excited about the present and the future than looking back.
  4. Under The Radar
    May 27, 2016
    70
    Overall the experiments that succeed om Minor Victories pull the weight of the ones that don't and the collective product is praiseworthy from the standpoint of its dispersed alchemy alone. [May - Jun 2016, p.95]
  5. No Ripcord
    Jul 6, 2016
    60
    Despite its moments of lucid release, Minor Victories mostly likes to loom in the shadows with hardly any form at all.
  6. Blurt Magazine
    Jun 24, 2016
    60
    If you’ve heard their main/prior bands then the sound of this won’t surprise you, but it’ll still feel like an old friend that you always pick up right where you left off.
  7. Paste Magazine
    Jun 3, 2016
    50
    There’s some beautiful string parts, synth that rolls off sullenly into a distant horizon, and a pretty mean glockenspiel on “For You Always,” but the vocals ruin it. They don’t fit at all. It makes the album hard to swallow in the end, like an amazing deep dish pizza covered in green onions.

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User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. Weezen
    Jun 8, 2016
    8
    I thought I couldn't expect nothing really good from a supergroup like Minor Victories but I was completely wrong. Minor Victories is theI thought I couldn't expect nothing really good from a supergroup like Minor Victories but I was completely wrong. Minor Victories is the perfect example that creativity can be improved in a group of people. Hmm... It sounds to me a little bit like the first album of Yndi Halda but with shorter songs.

    This album is a perfect example of a perfect mix of musical styles, being the best example "The Thief".    … Expand
  2. Noiseblock
    Jun 8, 2016
    8
    I listened to this album extensively in the last couple days without really knowing beforehand what to expect from a collaboration of allI listened to this album extensively in the last couple days without really knowing beforehand what to expect from a collaboration of all these grand names of the indie/alternative/dream-pop-genre. I had even stayed away from the material before the release-day to listen to this album without any bias. The result of it all? Well, I thought it was pretty amazing for the most part. Which is actually rather funny considering the disappointment that is the first song "Give up the ghost", which is not offering very much lyrically to sink one´s teeth into plus it somehow feels strangely displaced in the overall relatively fast-paced, shoegaze-y tone of the album. However, after this initial bump, Minor Victories manage to create an intense atmosphere both gloomy and alluring, especially with the downright phenomenal "A hundred ropes", "Scattered Ashes" and the orchestral "Breaking my light". The other songs, too, while not as amazing as the three aforementioned, blend together beautifully and reveal the talent that all these names had to offer to the project. All in all, I´m more than pleasantly surprised and I do feel like this album could have been even better by omitting "Give up the ghost" and "Folk Arp", which is not a bad song per se, but the ambient tone of it really disrupts the otherwise immense energy of "Minor Victories".

    PS: I don´t know what kind of war is going on in the comments, but appealing to basic human courtesy, could the ones involved please stop it (and remove their comments/ratings to show their fairness towards other users)? It´s very disrespectful to everyone coming here wanting to see untainted ratings and the views of other people. Thank you very much for your understanding.    … Expand

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