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Under The RadarNov 3, 2011A 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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Oct 11, 2011Somehow Portamento is snuggled amidst St. Vincent and Braids and Tim Hecker and Colin Stetson on my year-end list.
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Sep 12, 2011With their second album The Drums are more absorbing than ever, and have created a record that will last far longer than their first.
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UncutSep 9, 2011They 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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Aug 30, 2011The 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.
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Sep 20, 2011In 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.
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Sep 20, 2011Portamento 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.
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Sep 13, 2011Guitarist Adam Kessler's exit makes room for a more overtly expansive approach on the Drums' just as solid sophomore outing.
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Sep 12, 2011Portamento 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.
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Sep 12, 2011Where 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.
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Sep 6, 2011As 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.
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Sep 21, 2011So while it displays a more mature and focused sound for The Drums, the album eventually crumbles beneath the weight of its influential stilts.
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Sep 8, 2011On 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.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 29 out of 36
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Mixed: 7 out of 36
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Negative: 0 out of 36
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Jun 9, 2012
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Sep 22, 2011
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Sep 17, 2011