The Only She Chapters
by Prefuse 73
  • Record Label: Warp
  • Release Date: Apr 26, 2011
Metascore
68

Generally favorable reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 16
  3. Negative: 0 out of 16
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  1. Mojo
    May 18, 2011
    80
    More symphonic in structure than Herren's previous work and richer in melody and theme, it eschews loops in favor of fuzzy interference and acoustic vibrations. [Jun 2011, p.97]
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  2. Uncut
    May 13, 2011
    80
    An immersive blend of the symphonic and electronic, this absorbing album taps into a noble lineage stretching from AR Kane's lysergic avant-pop to sci-fi jazz alchemist Flying Lotus. [Jun 2011, p.94]
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  3. Delusions of Adequacy
    Apr 28, 2011
    80
    The Only She Chapters is yet another confident addition to Scott-Herren's collection as Prefuse 73.
  5. CMJ
    Apr 26, 2011
    80
    You aren't likely to find a single track that you'd want to put on repeat for the drive home from work, but the experience of listening from track to track, beginning to end, is a moving experience worth lending your ears.
  6. Dusted Magazine
    Apr 22, 2011
    80
    Slowed down, the only thing revealed is how seamless his stitching his, how clever his adjunctions are and how much musicianship it takes to create a good sample-based record.
  7. Spin
    Apr 22, 2011
    80
    While occasionally meandering or drifting into tempests of digital noise, Herren focuses on a path of rapturous melancholy.
  8. The A.V. Club
    Apr 26, 2011
    75
    The instrumentation-whether played, programmed, or sampled; a little of each typically goes into Prefuse 73's recordings-is given room to stretch its limbs. Sonically, a lot of wind seems to sweep.
  9. Filter
    May 19, 2011
    70
    The songs are somber and meditative, clearly crafted by a master, but the boundaries Prefuse 73 normally annihilates remain mostly in place here.
  10. Pitchfork
    Apr 29, 2011
    64
    It's dense and impressive production work, but not as listenable as Herren at his best.
  11. AllMusic
    Jan 13, 2012
    60
    As always, it's a treat to enter Herren's soundworld, but he could've made much more of an impact with the tools on display.
  12. Under The Radar
    Jun 8, 2011
    60
    These compositions don't even necessarily leave the listener anything to grab onto, instead leaving him/her adrift in dense and twisted musical landscapes. [May 2011, p.89]
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  13. Q Magazine
    May 31, 2011
    60
    Its 18 tracks somewhere between the ghostly dancefloor sway of Fever Ray and modern classical composition. [Jun 2011, p.120]
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  14. cokemachineglow
    May 13, 2011
    59
    As with that last Aphex Twin full-length, The Only She Chapters plays to no one's expectations; gutted and reassembled, it will still unfurl like a disassociated string of insular oddities.
  15. The Wire
    May 3, 2011
    50
    Guillermo Scott Heren's eight record as Prefuse 73 is oddly colourless (or should I just say boring) suite of compositional drifts. [Apr 2011, p.70]
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  16. Clash Music
    Apr 25, 2011
    50
    Alas, a good third of the album meanders and there's a drab formlessness to his sonic fog. Fascinating but flawed.
  17. PopMatters
    May 5, 2011
    40
    The Only She Chapters is strictly for those who are already die-hard fans of Prefuse 73 and not really anybody else.

User Reviews

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User Score
5.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 5 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 5
  3. Negative: 2 out of 5
  1. thanaton
    May 13, 2014
    0
    I've been listening to Prefuse 73 for many years now, I've always really like every album he's come out with but The Only She Chapters is veryI've been listening to Prefuse 73 for many years now, I've always really like every album he's come out with but The Only She Chapters is very disappointing. This album doesn't have an identity all it is is noise, it doesn't even sound like music. What made Prefuse 73's past albums so good is because each song had an identity but all The Only She Chapters is is just random noise and never sticking to anything.

    I miss his triphop style work.    … Full Review »
  2. hydrawithears
    Oct 3, 2011
    4
    Prefuse 73 is a moniker for Guillermo Scott Herren, an electronic music producer from Barcelona. While his latest album The Only She ChaptersPrefuse 73 is a moniker for Guillermo Scott Herren, an electronic music producer from Barcelona. While his latest album The Only She Chapters seems like a great idea (musical landscapes with multi-layered vocals contributed by female singers, bringing to mind a church choir), the execution of it is mostly disappointing. Notable guests do fine (including Zola Jesus or Faidherbe) but the tracks lack focus. The only exception is the powerful and moving The Only Trial of 9000 Suns, a collaboration between Prefuse 73 and the late Trish Keenan of Broadcast. As the record was released after Keenanâ… Full Review »
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