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Wabi Sabi Image
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews What's this?

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  • Summary: The second full-length release for the duo of Emily Cross and her husband Dan Duszynski was recorded in their ranch in Texas.
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  • Record Label: Ba Da Bing Records
  • Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Experimental Rock, Alternative Singer/Songwriter
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Top Track

Steady Waves
what is the word an unhuman search memories touching heavy fog masking i am a vessel are you a vessel oh beautiful comfortable body i let myself... See the rest of the song lyrics
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 10
  2. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. Mojo
    Jan 28, 2016
    80
    Wabi-Sabi is as becalmed and warm as it's wracked and haunted. [Feb 2016, p.94]
  2. Jan 29, 2016
    80
    It’s difficult to imagine the results being this good if Cross had limited studio time, or if she tried to record vocal takes with strangers listening in.
  3. 80
    Menace and rapture are beautifully balanced in Cross’s minimalist alt rock.
  4. Feb 5, 2016
    78
    Throughout Wabi-Sabi, Cross Record thread their way between graceful and sinister, unfiltered beauty with heavier and uglier sounds, and tap into a dark well of energy that has potential to grow more powerful the further they explore it.
  5. Jan 29, 2016
    76
    It’s sparse and lush all at once, and each listen reveals a different star in the night sky. There’s still room for them to move forward, but it’s a debut which ensures the listener there’s no way that won’t happen.
  6. Uncut
    Jan 28, 2016
    70
    A strikingly confident record. [Feb 2016, p.74]
  7. Mar 2, 2016
    60
    Repetition and simplicity balance the sadly beautiful sounds on Wabi-Sabi; an eccentric album that will find its home with those who seek something creatively different in their music on a mellow, rainy day.

See all 10 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 1
  2. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. Feb 5, 2016
    6
    I began listening to this record. I was struck very quickly by the dense production, the dream-pop vocals, the distorted, jangly guitars, theI began listening to this record. I was struck very quickly by the dense production, the dream-pop vocals, the distorted, jangly guitars, the creative use of a lo-fi sound. Then Wabi-Sabi passed its halfway mark. Tracks 5-9 are still good songs, don't get me wrong, but it feels Cross Record placed all of their best, most memorable tracks on the front side of the album. Each track on the back half is slow and contemplative, lacking in the bright instrumentation that made songs like Two Rings and High Rise stunning. Cross Record does the moody acoustic sound well, but not well enough to keep my attention fully. I would like these songs better if they simply switched the track listing to sustain a good mix of upbeat and downtrodden tracks throughout. Though Wabi-Sabi begins with a bang and contains a fair few of my favorite tracks of the year so far, it loses steam quickly in its back half.

    66/100
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