Portamento
by The Drums
Metascore
64

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
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  1. Under The Radar
    Nov 3, 2011
    80
    A disarmingly personal record on which frontman Jonny Pierce dissects his past and present with equal parts brazen candor and tender pathos, never pandering to cheap nostalgia. [Oct 2011, p.104]
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  2. cokemachineglow
    Oct 11, 2011
    80
    Somehow Portamento is snuggled amidst St. Vincent and Braids and Tim Hecker and Colin Stetson on my year-end list.
  3. musicOMH.com
    Sep 12, 2011
    80
    With their second album The Drums are more absorbing than ever, and have created a record that will last far longer than their first.
  5. Uncut
    Sep 9, 2011
    80
    They only really have one kin do f song and tempo, rollicking yet melancholy, but they write them very, very well. [Oct 2011, p.84]
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  6. Slant Magazine
    Aug 30, 2011
    80
    The Drums are far too clever a band to suffer a sophomore slump, but Portamento does one better, dispelling any notion that they're merely the flavor of the month.
  7. Pitchfork
    Sep 20, 2011
    74
    In the place of anthems, though, are carefully constructed gems making up a sequencing run so solid it takes a few listens to pick out the exact drop-off point.
  8. PopMatters
    Sep 20, 2011
    70
    Portamento will charm you, hug you, haunt you and yes, sometimes baffle you whilst offering further proof that they are a more fascinating proposition than many give them credit for.
  9. Spin
    Sep 13, 2011
    70
    Guitarist Adam Kessler's exit makes room for a more overtly expansive approach on the Drums' just as solid sophomore outing.
  10. Alternative Press
    Sep 12, 2011
    70
    Portamento is a dramatic, bitchy and playful collection that can channel the aforementioned grief through the Drums' lively fingers, and come out effervescent on the other side.
  11. The Quietus
    Sep 12, 2011
    70
    Where debut EP Summertime! and the über-hyped eponymous first album's songs had an oddly melancholic joyfulness that captured a number of imaginations back in early 2010, here there's a quiet switch to an oddly uplifting melancholy. On the best songs, that is – too many just sound gloomy and dull.
  12. New Musical Express (NME)
    Sep 6, 2011
    70
    As it is, and considering the upheaval following Adam Kessler's departure, it's best to look at Portamento as a marker of the potential brilliance that album three could bring.
  13. Beats Per Minute
    Sep 21, 2011
    69
    So while it displays a more mature and focused sound for The Drums, the album eventually crumbles beneath the weight of its influential stilts.
  14. The Boston Phoenix
    Sep 8, 2011
    63
    On its own, Pierce's clever lyrical ache resonates; but in extended play, his yearning and preening against twee surf-pop and minimal electro-pop can grow tiresome.
  15. Q Magazine
    Sep 21, 2011
    60
    Their second album...doesn't quite venture out into shark-infested experimental waters but it does prove that there's more to The Drums than fishy pastiche. [Oct 2011, p.113]
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  16. AllMusic
    Sep 14, 2011
    60
    Indeed, many of Portamento's songs are kind of miserable -- or at least they would be, if these knowing, glum lyrics weren't paired with naïve melodies and tempos that are too brisk to be mopey.
  17. NOW Magazine
    Sep 8, 2011
    60
    As the title suggests, the band is evolving gradually rather than in dramatic swells.
  18. Drowned In Sound
    Sep 6, 2011
    60
    Contrary to popular belief, there is a great album waiting to be unleashed from the Brooklyn trio in the not-too-distant future. They just haven't given themselves time to make it yet.
  19. BBC Music
    Aug 30, 2011
    60
    Portamento is simplicity redux, to the point of composing songs that sound too alike, and too like the last album.
  20. Clash Music
    Aug 30, 2011
    60
    Everyone loves to reminisce, and we're suckers for well-crafted songs, but we also need to be challenged a little more than this boys.
  21. The A.V. Club
    Sep 13, 2011
    50
    The group's sophomore effort, Portamento, finds the band maturing but not yet mature, as it pumps out two-note New Order guitar riffs and whiny screeds against parents, religion, and its members' empty wallets.
  22. No Ripcord
    Oct 6, 2011
    40
    As an album, it's probably the dullest anticipation of the year.
  23. Mojo
    Sep 8, 2011
    40
    Portamento does not convince. [Oct 2011, p.105]
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  24. The Observer (UK)
    Sep 6, 2011
    40
    They've retained the late-80s-Mancunian-indie-plus-surf-pop formula, and though that produced some sparkling tunes first time round, now things sound somewhat thin: each lovelorn and drear ditty seems to blend into the next.
  25. The Independent (UK)
    Sep 1, 2011
    40
    The cycling, Wendy Carlos-style synth figures of "Searching For Heaven" offer brief respite, but hardly enough to rescue an album promising far more than it delivers.
  26. The Guardian
    Sep 1, 2011
    40
    Like last year's debut, this employs repetition and deliberate naivety, but it's starting to sound disingenuous, perhaps because of a strong sense of joylessness and duty.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 36 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 36
  3. Negative: 0 out of 36
  1. Steech
    Jun 9, 2012
    9
    The Drums's Summertime! EP became legendary immediately. Their major label debut was a little more worrisome, as it lifted some of theThe Drums's Summertime! EP became legendary immediately. Their major label debut was a little more worrisome, as it lifted some of the original songs ("Let's Go Surfing," "Down By The Water") but featured little else that was the equal of the other original songs ("Don't Be A Jerk, Johnny" or "Submarine"). Not having any sort of first-hand information or insider scoop, I'm going to blame that on moving to Brooklyn. I'm also going to make a couple of other assumptions, but don't want to inadvertently be guilty of libel. If I suggest the remaining members of The Drums are influenced by their (totally normal for their age bracket) drug use and crazy youth lifestyle, understand that I do so from a perfectly benign perspective. Listening to Portamento under the influence of... let's say strong cough medicine will reveal something in the nature of these songs. Whether that was put there consciously or accidentally is none of my business. But repeat listens of "If He Likes It Let Him Do It" (which gets incrementally spookier with each repeat listen) is enough to convince me there is a targeted mental state for Portamento. It also speaks to what virtually everyone else has noted is increasing darkness creeping into this once sunkissed band obsessed with smashing things like Joy Division and the Beach Boys together. Portamento is darker, yes, but not completely dark. A Smiths reference isn't a terrible starting point, as long as it's clear The Drums don't use the Britpop tropes of Marr & Co. For every patently dark song, there are two not dark songs providing the necessary buoyancy. The best songs are the not dark ones, frankly. "Days" is better than anything on the first full length. The band has admitted that their interpersonal dynamics are too volatile to give the band much of a future. Regrettable. But if true, fans have to enjoy each gift we receive as if it was the last.… Full Review »
  2. Marcbackman
    Sep 22, 2011
    9
    I'm sorry - but this album deserves much more than a petty 'average' 6.4 score. I personally found it a charming smiths-esque album withI'm sorry - but this album deserves much more than a petty 'average' 6.4 score. I personally found it a charming smiths-esque album with simple but sing-along-worthy vocals and melodies that will stay with you for weeks. Having played it on repeat for the first few days after getting it, and still returning to it weeks after, I can safely say that it is a more than worthwhile album to invest your time into.… Full Review »
  3. mitchellbmitch
    Sep 17, 2011
    9
    The Drums sophomore album, is an incredibly dizzy album that builds upon the melodies and the hooks of the self-titled album. PortamentoThe Drums sophomore album, is an incredibly dizzy album that builds upon the melodies and the hooks of the self-titled album. Portamento starts off with 5 songs that rack up a instant play-list with the sound and resonance with the listeners. Portamento, is about discovering what is to come, while remembering how important the past is...and knowing you will take both with you as you move forward...… Full Review »
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