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Perhaps less transcendent, The Milk of Human Kindness may ultimately prove more enjoyable.
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I bet that The Milk of Human Kindness will appear on my and others’ “best of 2005” lists.
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With this majestic and multifarious new album, he has surely struck sonic gold once again.
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UrbKindness sounds like the work of someone given one month to live, as Snaith lays down dozens of musical ideas into an album that will constantly keep you guessing what's next. [May 2005, p.84]
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MagnetSnaith lets his wanderlust steer, and the album is better for it. [#68, p.91]
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Rather than a credible follow-up, it’s another great album in its own right.
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The range of styles is impressive, which trumps the lack of logical or elegant transitioning. Snaith may be showing off, but at least he’s backing it up with strong and memorable arrangements.
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It’s similar enough to past efforts that one can trace his artistic trajectory with a steady arc, but it’s the point in the arc where the slope takes a radical increase, making the name change seem like an appropriate signifier.
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Another thrilling, excellent record.
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The album ups the ante on everything that made Up in Flames so astounding, and adds more pop structure to the chaotic bliss-outs, resulting in what is probably his biggest achievement to date.
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It displays the kind of emotion and movement that Four Tet, Boom Bip and Stereolab would all appreciate.
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Under The RadarSnaith employs a slightly more muscular variation of the approach that worked so well for him last time around. [#9]
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Although The Milk of Human Kindness sounds more stripped down, its simplicity is deceiving, as Snaith has drawn from a much wider musical palette that he ever has in the past.
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Snaith simply dictates the flow of emotions and events on this record, with the kind of command presence rarely seen.
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Snaith... continues his legacy of making constantly challenging, changing music that never gets beyond itself, that always remains immensely human.
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Snaith rips the rarefied sounds of modern pop from their established context and forms nonlinear compositions constantly in flux.
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Snaith covers a lot of bases on The Milk of Human Kindness and somehow it all works.
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Mojo[Snaith] continues to explore a digital/analogue interface to mind-bending effect, balancing riotous abstraction with day-glo pop. [Jun 2005, p.97]
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New Musical Express (NME)A perfect slice of bedroom psychedelia. [9 Apr 2005, p.58]
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The WireThe only drawback to this semi-collage approach is that many tracks are too brief. [#256, p.51]
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Q MagazineA familiarly kaleidoscopic whirl of retro-futuristic sounds. [May 2005, p.111]
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On first listen, it's not as immediately accessible as Up In Flames... [but it] reveals itself in several listens and contains yet another batch of fearless tracks from an artist who simply refuses to sit still.
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Unfortunately, although Snaith may sound novel expanding upon his indie forebears of ten years ago, when he begins conjuring the ghosts of Krautrock ("A Final Warning," "Bees") or trip-hop ("Lord Leopard"), as he does here, he's entering the company of talented producers who have ploughed the same ground.
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UncutIt's only the Can-meets-Canned-Heat avant-boogie of "Bees" and "Barnowl" that escape a sense of academic contrivance. [May 2005, p.95]
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BlenderToo bad most of his songs come to an end just as they're heating up. [Jun 2005, p.108]
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The Milk Of Human Kindness grabs at elements of its predecessors, but they're often the wrong ones.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 12 out of 15
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Mixed: 3 out of 15
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Negative: 0 out of 15
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mattaJun 20, 2005This album is very much a mixed bag. The songs that work are incredible, but the songs that don't are, well, utter shite.
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zegrMay 17, 2005
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crumbtrailMay 12, 2005