The Boston Phoenix's Scores
- Music
For 1,091 reviews, this publication has graded:
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63% higher than the average critic
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3% same as the average critic
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34% lower than the average critic
On average, this publication grades 1.2 points higher than other critics.
(0-100 point scale)
Average Music review score: 74
Highest review score: | Pink | |
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Lowest review score: | Last of a Dyin' Breed |
Score distribution:
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Positive: 956 out of 1091
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Mixed: 88 out of 1091
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Negative: 47 out of 1091
1091
music
reviews
- By Date
- By Critic Score
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- Critic Score
On Angles, the band tossed a few tunes out that sounded like carbon-copies of their first album, but on Machine they eschew that kind of market compromise in favor of following their strange muse, even if in the end most listeners will have trouble pegging down who it sounds like.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Mar 18, 2013
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- Critic Score
These on-record musings never reveal the off-record Marnie, which is a shame, but the sprawling, chimerical Marnia brings you close enough to be captivating anyhow.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Mar 14, 2013
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Welcome Oblivion tracks like techno-folk haunter "Ice Age" and the doom-pop jaunt "How Long?" make uncredited cameo appearances in your nightmares until you go insane and eat your own hands.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Mar 14, 2013
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Hit the Waves is so heartfelt as a pastiche of '80s alternative music that it almost muscles its way into being brilliant.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Mar 14, 2013
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Four records deep, Pissed Jeans may have trimmed some heaviness, but they open space for discovery.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Mar 6, 2013
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- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Mar 6, 2013
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It's easy to imagine her getting very famous, because Torres doesn't wash the songs out with its prettiness.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Feb 26, 2013
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AMOK is as heady and immersive as any great Radiohead album, but those comparisons eventually wilt: Yorke's new band has discovered a symmetry all its own.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Feb 26, 2013
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While lukewarm as a whole, The Messenger doesn't suck nearly enough to bruise Marr's status as a guitar deity on wheels.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Feb 25, 2013
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It ain't exactly Bill Shakespeare (or Trojans), but it gets the job done.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Feb 25, 2013
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The beauty of Beach Fossils has always been in the tension between Payseur's disaffected deadpan and the band's super-visceral live shows (before Beach Fossils, he spent years playing in hardcore bands) and on Clash much of that post-punk energy translates seamlessly.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Feb 20, 2013
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Push the Sky Away feels heavy on breath-taking and woodshedding, an album of waiting for sparks to ignite.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Feb 20, 2013
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The lyrics resonate hard, though, felt most strongly when Rønnenfelt sings with broad expressive shouts.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Feb 12, 2013
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Calculated yet impulsive, Young Fathers prove Scottish hip-hop's viability.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Feb 12, 2013
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The Scottish outfit have delivered again with jangly pop full of skittering guitars, self-flagellating lyricism, and whimsy under a pall of darkness that no amount of the big spotlight can dispel.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Feb 12, 2013
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- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Feb 12, 2013
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- Critic Score
Somebody needs to boot Nielson off his why-fi connection: beneath the murk is the work of a riveting craftsman.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Feb 1, 2013
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Bleeding Rainbow provide tunes to which one could satisfactorily gaze at his or her shoes during any point of the year.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Jan 29, 2013
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The History of Apple Pie aren't exactly breaking new ground in the world of indie rock, but they are the sort of band who win you over in seconds.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Jan 29, 2013
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It's not as challenging as previous Ducktails recordings, but a pleasant pop record nonetheless, and the band's most universally accessible yet.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Jan 23, 2013
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Beta Love is the best of both worlds: surprisingly slick and danceable, while subtly amplifying their art-school charm.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Jan 23, 2013
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- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Jan 17, 2013
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- Critic Score
Tortoise's John McEntire steps in for long-time producer Roger Moutenot, but any of these songs would fit perfectly on the band's last half-dozen albums.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Jan 17, 2013
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If there's a knock to be had against the Harlem rapper, it's that he lacks an original presence. So it's curious that for his major-label debut he's opted to further venture down the rabbit hole of references, loading Long.Live.A$AP with a bevy of guests with personalities far more distinctive than his own.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Jan 16, 2013
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- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Jan 11, 2013
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- Critic Score
Lysandre inevitably feels a bit skimpy. It's still an unnervingly tuneful warm-up: freed from his hipster shackles, Owens is harnessing the power of the incredibly uncool--and he's all the cooler for it.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Jan 8, 2013
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Fascinating speed-bumps aside, it's a mission still very much accomplished.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Dec 10, 2012
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The disc's six tracks clock in at less than 40 minutes, so there isn't really time to screw things up on a royal scale, making Grace/Confusion a fine listen.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Dec 4, 2012
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Special note to the freakazoids who think "Starships" killed hip-hop: the rapper who rhymes "fri-vo-lous" with "po-ly-ga-mist" is X-Acto sharp as ever.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Nov 27, 2012
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Their third record proves that even the most militant punk songs are often best served by a stripped-down aesthetic.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Nov 19, 2012
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- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Nov 16, 2012
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Lonerism is a life raft for the abyss of song-induced self-reflection it inspires.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Nov 14, 2012
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The songs are what we've come to expect--approachable slacker jams mixed in with cursory love songs, and the occasional guitar solo that proves reverb and washed-out colors don't have the monopoly on nostalgia--but production is cleaner and energy levels are lower.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Nov 13, 2012
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- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Nov 12, 2012
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- Critic Score
Koi No Yokan is not only the year's best metal-rock-space-pop album--it's also the finest Deftones album, front to back, to date.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Nov 12, 2012
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The Inner Mansions is much more interesting than your typical bedroom pop album.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Nov 8, 2012
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On the whole, King Animal is a welcome return, and though it doesn't reinvent the wheel, it reminds us why these guys were considered the architects of the Seattle scene.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Nov 8, 2012
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The Ohio trio took their time with Feel Anything, arriving at this more focused, albeit less celestial, effort.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Nov 8, 2012
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The music is what matters, and Prince Rama, with this highfalutin' silliness, have delivered big.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Nov 6, 2012
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It's a minimalist approach that started on the Soft Moon's outstanding 2010 self-titled debut full-length, and continues here with each composition taking on an overall instrumental feel despite the occasional presence of lyrical accompaniment.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Oct 30, 2012
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Ironically, this patchwork of 12-inch singles is Kieran Hebden's most delectable album-as-album.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Oct 24, 2012
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Even though the album's zany unpredictability can be thrilling, it often feels like Banks is adorning vacant tunes ("Arise Awake," the plodding instrumental "Another Chance") with bells and whistles.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Oct 24, 2012
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Everything about Free Dimensional is cheesy--from the mousey bedroom beats to the predictable synth lines to O'Regan's (hard) Soft Cell vocal delivery to the awkward, bumbling raps. Regardless, several songs are stunning.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Oct 23, 2012
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Patrick Stickles finally overworks his music to match his trying-too-hard fables.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Oct 22, 2012
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Khan might be getting bolder, bigger, and more experimental, but pushing past what everyone expects or wants from you as an artist sometimes works - even the third time around.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Oct 18, 2012
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In sacrificing weirdness for conformity, Cobra Juicy shows growth, but somewhat mugs the band of what made them so singular.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Oct 15, 2012
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Gibbard's carving out new musical territory on Former Lives, while amplifying the broken heart of what makes his sound so wonderful.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Oct 12, 2012
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- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Oct 9, 2012
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Ellison excels everywhere else, keeping the beats brisk and the instrumentation organic and lively.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Oct 3, 2012
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Art-pop triumph "Tell Me" puts it all over the top as the zenith of Triple D's young career. That's something to be optimistic about.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Oct 2, 2012
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- Critic Score
The album's listlessness - when compared to the blisteringly restless heartbreak/firecracker of Dreams - is kind of a bummer.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Sep 25, 2012
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On Shields, they achieve a fluid synthesis: Rossen and Droste still share vocal duties, but they often tag-team the same track, trading off lines and writing melodies for one another's voices. Their styles coalesce so smoothly, it's often difficult to tell where one singer-songwriter starts and the other ends.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Sep 19, 2012
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If a breathy, acoustic aquarium is up your alley, then take the dive and swim alongside Porterfield's magical lyricism.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Sep 19, 2012
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whereas Krell's keening, pleading falsetto dominated Love Remains, Total Loss finds him granting the rest of his sonic palette more prominence.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Sep 18, 2012
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Her [Andrea Lukic] presence makes Sundowning cathartic--if not downright life-affirming.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Sep 13, 2012
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Mirage Rock might as well be the name of a new airy-rock subgenre, with luscious, echoey story-tunes rolling in like a soft mirage-inducing mountain fog.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Sep 12, 2012
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- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Sep 12, 2012
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Hansard gave himself a hard act to follow, but he pulls it off with Repose. He doesn't shun the sound that made the Once soundtrack a hit, but he does expand his palette and show off the breadth of his songwriting prowess.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Sep 12, 2012
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The lack of innovation is frustrating, since these guys nailed this formula long ago, but they mostly make up for the lack of newness by expending insane amounts of energy.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Sep 11, 2012
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Little Big Town make implicit the debt they owe to the California rock of Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles in a way that makes Little Big Town seem fresh and thrilling compared to most other Music Row acts.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Sep 11, 2012
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- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Sep 7, 2012
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At a certain point, the xx need to turn off that reverb pedal and learn to sing above a whisper - but I'll be damned if they haven't worked their magic again.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Sep 5, 2012
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- Critic Score
A no-frills, consistently engaging album with heart - and hooks - to spare.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Sep 4, 2012
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This may be the most uncharacteristic of his albums, but by venturing outside his comfort zone, Hawley has in turn made his best.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Sep 4, 2012
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- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Sep 4, 2012
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- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Sep 4, 2012
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Stripped down to a bare, live-band essence, and with the old-school touch of Roth/Daptone, Antibalas go places by simply playing it safe.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Aug 31, 2012
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- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Aug 31, 2012
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With your headphones strapped, the album's dirty optimism will brighten even the darkest, stalest airport-layover experience (true story).- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Aug 30, 2012
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Light on laughs and riffage, the title/cover entendre makes it hard to tell if it is supposed to be so terrible or a joke about being so terrible... But the long-available cover of Radiohead's "Street Spirit" is inspired, and first single "Nothin's Gonna Stop Us" grafts one candy rope hook after another into one of the year's finest melodies.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Aug 29, 2012
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It's the album's more subdued tail end, particularly "Ahead of Myself" and "Temptation," that shows a songwriter rising above his comfort zone to deliver a career-defining transition.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Aug 28, 2012
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It's perhaps overly long (53 minutes) and hard to penetrate, but Animal Collective's creativity glows brighter than Ric Flair's hair.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Aug 28, 2012
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Gira's career has been one of violations and risks; there are plenty here. However, his trademark brand of post-rock/ambient alienation may finally leave listeners indifferent.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Aug 28, 2012
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- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Aug 24, 2012
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America is a beguiling, remarkable work, a deep, carefully measured, completely idiosyncratic breath released on the dawn of a promising day.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Aug 22, 2012
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Ascent is stuffed with psychedelic guitar virtuosity, moments where Chasny leaves this plane and enters one of those transcendental, mind-freaked, head-tipped-back, eyelid-fluttering states that few are capable of.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Aug 15, 2012
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Cooder, like a Keith Richards/Woody Guthrie hybrid, observes [the current political scene] all as a damn shame, with little condescension and oodles of wit.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Aug 14, 2012
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Crafted with worn elements of the electronic cannon, his third LP as Shed doesn't offer much that's fresh. Rather, it's nostalgia and recontextualization that drive this effort.... [Yet songs, I Come By Night, You Got the Look, and Follow the Leader] are all indicative of mastery.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Aug 14, 2012
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Yeasayer remain the new-millennium kings of studio manipulation, and it's downright jaw-dropping that they're able to experiment so wildly in the context of such catchiness. Fragrant World feels like a victory lap.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Aug 14, 2012
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Embracing those basics of simplistic pop, the kind that doesn't need to be over thought, works nearly all of the time, and though a little bit of depth to the proceedings would have been nice here and there, a robust hook will do just as well.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Aug 7, 2012
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[Their] strange blend of influences can be fascinating... but Instinct - clocking in at a bloated 14 tracks and 56 total minutes - runs out of gas way before reaching the finish line.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Aug 7, 2012
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On Life Is Good, he's lyrically and musically rich as he's been for years now.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Aug 7, 2012
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On C.A.R., Cohn finds a loophole to get one of those rad concepts out of just that: a depressive who longs for suburban utopia.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Aug 2, 2012
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Idea of Happiness never tries to re-imagine the concept of the summer album or, at the very least, the genre of synthpop.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Jul 24, 2012
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Ocean brings substance with style, rather than style demanding to be considered substance.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Jul 24, 2012
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Teeming with B-sides, live tracks, and demos, much of it previously unreleased, 21 is both exhaustive and indispensable.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Jul 24, 2012
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The many-splendored guitar blitz of Major rings in the return of good old-fashioned butt rock, but played to the squarely measured rhythms of '90s emo and Northwest indie stuff like Built To Spill.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Jul 24, 2012
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The writing is as crisp as the playing, ornate but without added contrivance, a credit to producer Joe Henry. A tuneful 10-song novel.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Jul 20, 2012
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The British duo's second full-length in as many years mashes ghostly electro-pop tendencies with live instrumentation, empathetic orchestration, and tape-machine snippets, creating a world that is both compulsively listenable and eerily foreign.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Jul 19, 2012
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- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Jul 19, 2012
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From moment to moment, Never's oddball quality can be a blessing, but it becomes more of a curse when the moment passes and there's little besides disparate pieces to hold onto.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Jul 18, 2012
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Although the band's sonic stew isn't particularly remarkable or consistent (instrumentation oscillates between warm and comforting, and distant and anemic), their lyrics have a peculiar charm that keeps them alluring.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Jul 17, 2012
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MTMTMK is infinitely more fascinating when it's pushing the envelope, mixing weirdness and darkness into the radiant multi-culti stew.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Jul 17, 2012
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With one foot rooted in the past, the band is yet pushing forward, with an album that promises longevity and, maybe, greatness.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Jul 17, 2012
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It's nothing new, sure, but it's proof that mining from the past is a surefire way to keep things sounding familiar yet fresh.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Jul 11, 2012
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Smith seems to struggle with whether he wants to write emotional pop songs or dark experimental soundscapes, but the push and pull between the two sentiments is ultimately gorgeous.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Jul 10, 2012
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1991 is all about the bubble-popping lushness of "Van Vogue" and the hall-of-mirrors shimmer of "Liquorice." It's also about the summer, and showing more of Banks than just her breakout hit.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Jul 10, 2012
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- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Jul 10, 2012
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With their debut full-length, Brooklyn pop quintet Friends have released the best pop album of the summer.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Jul 3, 2012
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When Longstreth uses his newfound focus to shake up his methods... the results are often startling.- The Boston Phoenix
- Posted Jul 3, 2012
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