The Evening Descends
by Evangelicals
Metascore
70

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. Lost At Sea
    90
    Few bands have managed to blend so many divergent sounds and styles together to make such an interesting, great-sounding, and cohesive [key word] record as Evangelicals have with The Evening Descends.
  2. Pitchfork
    83
    What really makes this album special is the ways in which the Evangelicals pull off big-stage spectacle on what still sounds like a public-access cable-show budget.
  3. Uncut
    80
    Evangelicals sing of skeletons, snowflakes and things that go bump in the night with witty samples and imaginative arrangements. [Mar 2008, p.87]
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  5. Magnet
    80
    The Evening Descends is a dizzying, carefully crafted ride; it spins, but never out of control. [Winter 2008, p.102]
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  6. AllMusic
    70
    A winsome and not entirely stable treat.
  7. PopMatters
    70
    On their sophomore album, Evangelicals give us a glimpse of a more mature, real band.
  8. Tiny Mix Tapes
    70
    The one knock on this record is that it just isn’t very dynamic, as too many of the tracks fail to strike with the impact of truly great efforts. There are exceptions, of course, and the drumming on the fantastic 'Skeleton Man' propels the track with a driving momentum that’s too often missing on The Evening Descends.
  9. Spin
    60
    When the messy, antic songs go pop (the Of Montreal-esque "Paperback Suicide"), they really pop; when they head into comedown territory ("Party Crashin'"), aimlessness ensues. Thankfully, Evening mostly partakes of the good stuff.
  10. Mojo
    60
    The sudden shifts between smooth/jarring and soft/hard make for an uncomfortable but compelling ride. [Mar 2008, p.113]
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  11. Delusions of Adequacy
    60
    Evangelicals certainly have the potential to push through and make amazing music--it’s just too much hit and miss here.
  12. Under The Radar
    50
    Jones' ruinous voice brings the otherwise ascendant The Evening Descends toward a dark and inhospitable night. [Winter 2008, p.81]
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  13. Austin Chronicle
    50
    Intricate layers and rolling, subtle lifts give way to chaos, but taken in one dose, The Evening Descends is a few hits short of lovely.
  14. Prefix Magazine
    45
    A sprawler is always a dangerous gambit for a band. It can easily trip over the line from cracked genius into failed experiment, as The Evening Descends does.
  15. Drowned In Sound
    40
    The Evening Descends isn’t actually a concept album (at least, I can’t find any hard evidence saying it is), but the mixture of overblown seriousness and misfiring silliness, cut with a bludgeoning lack of subtlety and some well-worn-out running themes, mean it sure as hell sounds like it would’ve been if it’d been given half a chance.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 12 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 12
  3. Negative: 1 out of 12
  1. The_Tortoise
    May 17, 2020
    10
    This is a masterpiece, and easily in my top 10, perhaps top 5 albums.
    It's hard to classify.
    It's a theatrically dreamy and psychedelically    This is a masterpiece, and easily in my top 10, perhaps top 5 albums.
    It's hard to classify.
    It's a theatrically dreamy and psychedelically silly, goth / noise / emo / prog / pop concept album where anything can and will happen.
    The more you listen to it, the more layers of instrumentation, form and meaning you can peel away.
    And although the tracks are a bit complex at their core, they pass for fascinatingly odd pop songs the first few listens, and develop into something much more wondrous.
    If you're into that kind of thing.    … Full Review »
  2. S
    Mar 15, 2008
    10
    Weird-driven sweet psychedelic pop with waves of melodies , harmonies , ideas , sounds n beauty flow around n creatin an addictive and Weird-driven sweet psychedelic pop with waves of melodies , harmonies , ideas , sounds n beauty flow around n creatin an addictive and orgasmic -musically- result.from flaming lips to mercury rev , from spoon to of montreal with even echoes of pink floyd, everythin is here. even if its too early, I can definitely say that "The Evening Descends" is definitely one of the albums of the year.… Full Review »
  3. JCC.
    Mar 14, 2008
    10
    Simply a stunning album. Messy and grandiose at the same time, this is exactly the kind of music that The Flaming Lips should have been Simply a stunning album. Messy and grandiose at the same time, this is exactly the kind of music that The Flaming Lips should have been making for the last 10 years. Some will scream "CONCEPT ALBUM" but that shouldn't put anyone off as this is a beautifully crafted album with no weak moments and a stunning sense of raw emotion throughout. Naturally, the critics have been polarised on this one but personally, I doubt I'll hear a better album all year.… Full Review »
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