The Last Romance
by Arab Strap
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. PopMatters
    90
    It is astonishing that after a 10-year long affair Arab Strap can make a record as compelling as this.
  2. Lost At Sea
    90
    Triumphant, bitter, despondent, but never false or insincere, The Last Romance is one of the early great listens of 2006.
  3. Austin Chronicle
    89
    Ten tracks equal one very explicit diary entry of lust – for life, as much as intimacy – nearly every single line worthy of another song cycle.
  5. The A.V. Club
    83
    Arab Strap's dark, funny, miserable, and--gasp--catchy The Last Romance sounds like the album Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton wouldn't let themselves make in the past, but finally relented to.
  6. Filter
    82
    We come to this band expected to be thrown down the Trainspotting toilet, and this is exactly where The Last Romance takes us. [#19, p.90]
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  7. Amazon.com
    80
    Despondent and furious by turns.
  8. Mojo
    80
    Theirs remains a gallows wit. [Nov 2005, p.112]
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  9. New Musical Express (NME)
    80
    In among the usual awkward, bad sex and sharp-yet-jaundiced eye on what others settle for, there's something unusual for this pair: hope. [12 Nov 2005, p.45]
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  10. Playlouder
    80
    With 'The Last Romance', a whole lot of people are at last going to fall in love with Arab Strap for the very first time.
  11. Uncut
    80
    The implausible but winning transformation is complete: Arab Strap have made a genuinely uplifting record. [Dec 2005, p.109]
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  12. Alternative Press
    80
    Those who stick with Arab Strap will discover endearing wit and vulnerability in the duo's songs, as well as tender melodies and graceful acoustic playing. [Apr 2006, p.204]
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  13. Magnet
    80
    Arab Strap's most affecting album yet. [#71, p.86]
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  14. Urb
    80
    [Their] rain-soaked misery [is] now nicely offset by a simmering rage. [May 2006, p.82]
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  15. cokemachineglow
    79
    The Last Romance, for all its disgusted veneer and inner conflict, both reads like a cogent statement and plays like a finely tuned instrument.
  16. Spin
    75
    Romance is zippier and tighter than previous beer cries. [Mar 2006, p.95]
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  17. Drowned In Sound
    70
    It's feverish, unbalanced, disturbing, and for the most part captivating.
  18. AllMusic
    70
    [Moffat] exposes a seething rage that was only occasionally revealed on the earlier albums. In the minds of some Arab Strap fans, this is a breakthrough; others, sadly, hear a betrayal.
  19. Dusted Magazine
    70
    Malcolm Middleton’s electric and bass guitars have never sounded so big, and they’re better that way.
  20. Q Magazine
    60
    Follows a smilar pattern to 2003's Monday At The Hug And Pint, fleshing out their deceptively simple songs with expanded arrangements and quicker tempos. [Dec 2005, p.148]
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  21. Blender
    60
    They've... picked up the tempo, sweetened the tunes and upgraded the rhythm section. [Mar 2006, p.109]
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  22. NOW Magazine
    60
    While his tortured, guttural delivery comes off as the lunatic ramblings of an abusive boyfriend, the actual lyrical meat of The Last Romance rings with the uncomfortable, ugly truth of facing your hungover self in the mirror the morning after a one-night stand.
  23. Prefix Magazine
    50
    Things improve considerably when the pair abandons the preening street-cred game; Moffat and Middleton seem finally to realize that if they're going to make a love record they might as well not half-ass it.

Awards & Rankings

65
#65 Best Album of 2006

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 10 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. dougieM
    Oct 25, 2006
    9
    Shame this is their last original album. Starting with the biting "Stink" and ending with the uplifting "there's no Ending" this is Shame this is their last original album. Starting with the biting "Stink" and ending with the uplifting "there's no Ending" this is classic Strap. Over half of the album is the group at their best. The rest doesn't fall far short of the mark either. A career high!!… Full Review »
  2. DavidM
    Apr 18, 2006
    6
    There's little here that's poor, which is the only way to account for its near 80 metacritic rating, but even less that's There's little here that's poor, which is the only way to account for its near 80 metacritic rating, but even less that's truly exciting...sometimes I feel the whole album is just setup for the excellent brass lines that close the last song.… Full Review »
  3. Simon
    Mar 30, 2006
    7
    Agree with Matt. Arab Strap's best work lies within this album, but there's still some filler on it. I have the feeling Agree with Matt. Arab Strap's best work lies within this album, but there's still some filler on it. I have the feeling they'll get it right one day, though.… Full Review »
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