The Waiting Room
by Tindersticks
User Score
7.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 23 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 23
  3. Negative: 2 out of 23
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  1. Custom_Concerns
    Feb 1, 2016
    6
    I must admit - what Tindersticks aims to do, they do quite well. This record is a very, very pleasant listen from start to finish with lush strings, reverberating keyboard chords, and Stuart Staples' vocals are deep and entrancing as ever. In this way, however, The Waiting Room serves best as background listening. There aren't a lot of dynamics here; no song here eclipses a 6 in terms ofI must admit - what Tindersticks aims to do, they do quite well. This record is a very, very pleasant listen from start to finish with lush strings, reverberating keyboard chords, and Stuart Staples' vocals are deep and entrancing as ever. In this way, however, The Waiting Room serves best as background listening. There aren't a lot of dynamics here; no song here eclipses a 6 in terms of intensity, and this wears down the replayability of the record. Songs that switch it up a bit, like the duet Hey Lucinda and the trancelike spoken word How He Entered, are track picks. Fans of Tindersticks surely will not be disappointed by this record, for it has some very positive qualities. Personally, it isn't one I will want to revisit very often, but I can see how others would not be as bothered as I am by my criticisms.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

85
#85 Best Album of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
82

Universal acclaim - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. Drowned In Sound
    Feb 29, 2016
    80
    Imperfections define personality and The Waiting Room wears its flaws well. Don’t let them put you off. This is a rich, warm, comfort blanket of a record, marbled with veins of darkness and light.
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  2. Dusted Magazine
    Feb 10, 2016
    80
    In some ways The Waiting Room is remarkable for hitting a number of classic Tindersticks checkmarks without ever feeling like it’s, well, going down a list checking them off.
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  3. PopMatters
    Feb 10, 2016
    80
    This is a band freed from the need to look back. Which is not to say that The Waiting Room does not contain familiar and beloved elements of the band’s sonic history.
    Read full review
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