The Moon Rang Like a Bell
by Hundred Waters
  • Record Label: OWSLA
  • Release Date: May 27, 2014
Metascore
79

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
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  1. The Line of Best Fit
    May 23, 2014
    85
    It’s the product of a band that’s clearly thinking on their feet, engaging with the conflicting styles of those around them and assimilating new behaviors without sacrificing their own, changing with the world around them to create something refreshingly distinct and beautifully engaging.
  2. Pitchfork
    May 29, 2014
    83
    Hundred Waters are always set to simmer. That mostly works in their favor on The Moon Rang Like a Bell, as the album’s strength comes from its gradually accruing moments.
  3. Pretty Much Amazing
    May 27, 2014
    83
    On The Moon Rang Like a Bell, Hundred Waters offers an album of quiet moments of subtlety juxtaposed with crashing waves of desperation.
  5. cokemachineglow
    Nov 7, 2014
    80
    Even at its most seemingly ascetic, The Moon Rang Like a Bell is among the most generous, tender, radiant albums you’ll hear all year. It just wants your ears.
  6. New Musical Express (NME)
    Jul 8, 2014
    80
    With shades of Julia Holter and Poliça, the 12 electro-R&B nocturnes here unfold in shimmers of keyboard, indistinct vocals (most disarmingly on piano jam ‘Broken Blue’) and torrents of existential anguish.
  7. DIY Magazine
    Jul 3, 2014
    80
    Hundred Waters lay out all their cards on this album and use every single tiny part for all its worth.
  8. AllMusic
    May 27, 2014
    80
    The album is endlessly engaging, offering a look inside the band's collective head as a carefree playground of sounds where dour string sections melt into watery piano loops, driving electronic drum samples, and spirals of angelic vocals without missing a beat.
  9. musicOMH.com
    May 23, 2014
    80
    The Moon Rang Like A Bell is a triple-jump forwards for Hundred Waters.
  10. Filter
    Jun 27, 2014
    76
    The electronic wizardry is impressive, but it’s the entrancing vocals of this record that will keep you coming back.
  11. Under The Radar
    Jun 12, 2014
    75
    What remains is a hushed, beautiful collection of cavernous downtempo pop songs.
  12. Rolling Stone
    Jun 16, 2014
    70
    Getting a bead on frontwoman Nicole Miglis can be like trying to find a friend in a hall of mirrors. But the pleasure, and no doubt point, is letting yourself just get lost in the dazzlement.
  13. No Ripcord
    May 27, 2014
    70
    Despite the uncontrollable urge Hundred Waters have to cram in too much of their creative energy, they surely have the prowess to write an ornate pop record that puzzles out through well-crafted scrutiny.
  14. PopMatters
    May 27, 2014
    70
    This group actually released something that felt a whole lot more like a bona fide, start to finish, album. As it stands, The Moon Rang Like a Bell feels remarkably piecemeal.
  15. CMJ
    May 23, 2014
    70
    The Moon Rang Like A Bell is both subtly understated and completely overstated.
  16. The 405
    May 23, 2014
    60
    The Moon Rang Like A Bell starts off with captivating momentum, a potential to take you on a whimsical, emotional journey. But along the way it seems to have sacrificed that sense of purity first apparent in its experimentation.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.3

Universal acclaim- based on 23 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 23
  3. Negative: 1 out of 23
  1. cybersoupkitche
    Aug 7, 2014
    9
    This albums is an excellent blend of folk elements expressed with electronic means. There are murmuring vocals and synths that becomeThis albums is an excellent blend of folk elements expressed with electronic means. There are murmuring vocals and synths that become indistinguishable, some pulses but not EDM-like beats either, and songwriting that is perplexing but enchanting. I think those who value production over lyrics will especially enjoy this album.

    Another audience that this album caters to includes those who like choirs or ensembles of music. The use of alternating harmonies and arrangements would appeal to the choir singer population I'd imagine.

    Best tracks 'innocents' and 'broken blue.'    … Full Review »
  2. mynoseknows
    Sep 12, 2014
    8
    his is the definition of harmony. The elements of synths, vocals and a flawless production together form a unity which from time to time touchhis is the definition of harmony. The elements of synths, vocals and a flawless production together form a unity which from time to time touch the soul in such a beautiful way. That said, production and instrumentals/vocals are much more important than lyrics, which may be the only weakness of this record, together with the fact that this record could/should be one or two tracks shorter. Sometimes the record fails to keep the momentum. Apart from that: one of the most beautiful and charismatic records of the year so far.… Full Review »
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