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Saying that the man knows his way around a hook is an understatement: he throws hooks around like an incandescent bulb does photons.
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A bewitching collection of low-key pop.
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It may be a remarkably summery album, but it has enough charm and depth for year-round listening.
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With its elegant simplicity, Spelled in Bones may not be concerned with being an epic, but it unwittingly becomes one; it is an album capable of stirring something greater within its audience.
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Spelled in Bones digs further into Johnson's fondness for '70s songsmiths and production. Gone are Mouthfuls producer Brian Deck's glassy casements and miles of space, replaced here by a sound more rooted and wood-grained.
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MojoLovely. [Oct 2005, p.114]
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[It has] a woozy Beulah-plays-Beach Boys vibe.
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If you're willing to forgive a little lack of innovation and the subtle feeling that Spelled In Bones might be a little more mellow than it ought to be, there's one hell of a nice listen in this record.
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While Bones isn't as instantly accessible as its predecessor, it certainly provides more to mull over.
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Mellow and breezy, Spelled in Bones has “summer record” written all over it, with its warm, gentle pop melodies that would make Paul McCartney proud.
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UncutTighter and woodier-sounding than 2003's Mouthfuls. [Oct 2005, p.102]
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Entertainment WeeklyWith [Johnson's] infectious melodies set to some seriously nonsensical lyrics, you'll wonder if there's a deeper point you're missing while your toes involuntarily groove in your shoes. [29 Jul 2005, p.68]
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Spelled in Bones, their most polished effort, teeters near soporific. And that's a shame, because it houses some of the band's best songs.
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Lead bat Eric Johnson is a talented songwriter but his '60s lite-psych melodies and scruffy acoustic backdrop are not just tired, they're nearly dead.
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It’s not groundbreaking. It’s not a huge stylistic forward leap or a studio-stunt. It’s simply another of Eric Johnson and his band’s records of simple grandiosity.
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MagnetSongs that actually shoot for happy tend to slide into saccharine. [#69, p.96]
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Alternative PressSecond-rate Shins. [Aug 2005, p.164]
User score distribution:
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Positive: 7 out of 9
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Mixed: 0 out of 9
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Negative: 2 out of 9
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OttoZSep 28, 2006Fun, lively, interesting.
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funkinkApr 16, 2006I don't think its quite as good as previous albums, but after seeing them live I can't not love it.
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DaleSep 27, 2005The perfection of this CD is unvailed the more one listens to it. Saw their live on-stage performance which cemented my rating.