Stir The Blood
by The Bravery
  • Record Label: Island
  • Release Date: Dec 1, 2009
Metascore
57

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 11
  3. Negative: 2 out of 11
  1. Boston Globe
    80
    The Bravery’s adrenaline-rush, retro-new-wave/punk rock is back with a flourish. The album is a sonic high, but a mixed bag of lyrical ups and downs.
  2. Entertainment Weekly
    75
    Singer Sam Endicott's far more empathetic now that there's a reason behind all that rage.
  3. AllMusic
    70
    Even on its mellower moments, the Bravery sound more excited about making music on this album than they have since their debut, making Stir the Blood a fine return to form.
  5. PopMatters
    70
    While admittedly failing to match up to their self-titled debut, it makes a convincing case for not writing them off just yet.
  6. New Musical Express (NME)
    60
    They’re out of step, out of time, out of place, and have completely gone off on one in their own strange little world; as such, there’s much to admire about The Bravery. Just never go down to Endicott’s basement.
  7. Alternative Press
    60
    With its techno beats, yowling vocals and laughably cliched lyrics, "I Am Your Skin" fumbles at being a love song, while "She's So Bendable" (the band's vision of Lou Reed fronting the Jesus And Mary Chain) is beyond generic. [Jan 2010, p. 92]
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  8. Rolling Stone
    50
    Fine as hacks, they're somewhat less fine as humans.
  9. The A.V. Club
    50
    Peppered with aimless, pointless prog-rock, Stir The Blood wants to be fun and affecting, and the band’s failures in the latter regard destroy its ability to manage the former.
  10. Spin
    40
    Their petulantly plagiaristic third album--mired in singer Sam Endicott's uncharismatic Robert Smith–in-a-wind-tunnel moan (imagine that hair)--continues to stuff downtown Gotham streets into predictable, rhyming-dictionary couplets.
  11. Los Angeles Times
    37
    Endicott had a hand in penning the excellent title track from Shakira's new album "She Wolf." Perhaps he can preserve some of that creative spark for his own band's next endeavor.
  12. Pitchfork
    23
    Someone clinically extracts whatever trace of messy humanity made it through the first time the Bravery worked the nu-wave shtick, on their debut; Stir the Blood is a parodoxically bloodless listen.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 12 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 12
  3. Negative: 1 out of 12
  1. genghistron
    Mar 31, 2014
    8
    Great album. I do skip a few tracks, they're a little too slow for me but all in all I really like this album. This one is a bit more fuzzed.Great album. I do skip a few tracks, they're a little too slow for me but all in all I really like this album. This one is a bit more fuzzed. Not as raw and clean as the previous two. If you like the previous ones you'll like this one too.… Full Review »
  2. OriginalMe
    May 30, 2012
    10
    Leave your nostalgia goggles at the door, and you will have a good time with this album. People always seem to compare The Bravery to otherLeave your nostalgia goggles at the door, and you will have a good time with this album. People always seem to compare The Bravery to other bands in lower scoring reviews, and I say this: Who cares? This album sounds much more refined than their previous work, and retains the catchy arrangements from their first album. The only difference here, is that it's harder to dance to, because that's what happens when your sources of inspiration for an album are the Joy Division and Depeche Mode. It's darker music, especially Hatef--k and Jack O' Lantern Man, however, overall the songs are not too much darker, but the style of this album is not the same kind of dance music their first album was so successful at being.

    Another fun fact is that among the circles of fans for The Bravery, is that Stir The Blood is generally considered to be their best work. Something to think about if this kind of music really gets you.

    The bottom line is that while I absolutely love this album, if you aren't into this kind of music, Stir the Blood is not going to help you appreciate it more. That being said, if you like this style of music, you would be missing out if you didn't get this album.    … Full Review »
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