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Oct 14, 2011[It] transcends sonic genres with a mature exploration of a global village too distracted to notice it's shorting itself.
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MojoDec 22, 2011This 17-track colossus is eclectic, ambitious ad expertly executed. [Nov 2011, p.103]
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Oct 4, 2011Except for the occasionally bumpy ride, though, The Less You Know, The Better is one of the most entertaining albums of the year, with countless moments of brilliance.
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Sep 26, 2011A guest spot for Little Dragon's Yukimi Nagano adds spice to this unexpected feast.
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Oct 5, 2011Shadow's densest and longest work at first sounds like an overstylized, underwritten retread with lots of superfluous cuts sporting names like "Tedium." But it eventually rewards hard listening.
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Under The RadarNov 3, 2011The Less You Know isn't as consistently stunning as Shadow's first two discs, but it'll be comforting proof that he's no mere shadow of his former self. [Oct 2011, p.112]
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Oct 17, 2011While this album may lack his debut's soul-jazz seamlessness, it compensates with bipolar freakiness.
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Sep 26, 2011The Less You Know, the Better isn't a bad album at all, and will likely grow into something far more impressive, something that isn't quite evident on first play.
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Oct 4, 2011The Less You Know also feels inconsequential, sounding like the work of a man who has run out of ideas and is coasting along on craft. Which might be fine, except that so little of it actually sticks.
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Oct 3, 2011Shadow also flirts with more conventional songs, putting vocalists at the forefront of "I've Been Trying" and "Sad and Lonely" with acceptable if hardly transcendent results. But when he focuses on dark, shape-shifting mood pieces ("Tedium," "Circular Logic," "Enemy Lines") he remains unmatched.
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UncutNov 23, 2011The Less you know is a rather ponderous return to form. [Dec 2011, p.81]
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Q MagazineNov 8, 2011While Josh Davis has valiantly refused to photocopy his pioneering 1996 debut Endtroducing, this fourth album could use its mystery and cohesion. [Nov. 2011, p. 139]
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Sep 30, 2011It's a hit-and-miss affair.
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Sep 27, 2011What's sometimes impossible to put into words is how, despite all an album's shortcomings and stacked odds, it's still a perfectly enjoyable listen.
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Sep 26, 2011Overall, this is a highly schizophrenic collection.
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Sep 26, 2011The Less You Know, the Better is equal parts frustrating and admirable.
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Sep 26, 2011There's a pronounced shortfall of his usual joyous eclecticism here, with many pieces settling for basic repetitive sequences; some sound like little more than extended intros.
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Oct 6, 2011Things jump back and forth from there, and never seem to build to very much. Shadow may want to cross back.
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Oct 3, 2011For an artist who lets as much time pass between albums as DJ Shadow does, his ideas shouldn't feel as undercooked as they do here.
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Oct 3, 2011Overall it sounds like the work of a man struggling to recall his motivations for making music in the first place.
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MagnetNov 15, 2011DJ Shadow first made his name by delving deep into the world's bottomless pile of debris to redeem the wannbe hits and half-formed artistic statements of our musical past. Now, he contributes to it. s[#82, p. 54]
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Oct 6, 2011Its only commitment is to a subtle antagonism, and it ignores pretty much any worthwhile development in pop, rock, electronic, or hip-hop music since the turn of the century.
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The WireDec 6, 2011Given the sprawling length, naturally it's not devoid of a few stray gems and curiosities. [Oct 2011, p.60]
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Oct 31, 2011Shadow's production is wantonly flashy, but it can't mask his lack of flair.
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Oct 20, 2011His newest album, on the other hand, is all technique and no emotion.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 11 out of 13
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Mixed: 1 out of 13
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Negative: 1 out of 13
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Jun 1, 2012
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Dec 3, 2011
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Oct 9, 2011