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“The instrumentation is gorgeous throughout. Really well produced.”
“The emotional weight of this album is remarkable. Very moving stuff.”
“The ideas are there but the execution falls flat too often.”
“I've given this album a fair shot — probably seven or eight full listens — and I just can't connect with it the way so many people seem to. The opening track drew me in with its promise of something special, but the album never delivers on that promise. It keeps gesturing toward profundity without actually achieving it. The production is admittedly impressive from a technical standpoint, and there are flashes of genuine songwriting talent. But too much of this feels like an artist trying to be Important with a capital I rather than just making good music. I wanted to love it, I really did.”
“I genuinely don't understand the hype. This was a slog to get through.”
“I can hear why this was praised at the time — the production was clearly ahead of the curve, and there are a few genuinely innovative moments. But stripped of its historical context, this is a pretty uneven listening experience. The first third is strong, the middle is forgettable, and the back end is a slog. I don't think this is bad by any means, but I do think its reputation has outpaced its actual quality. There are better albums in this genre that get a fraction of the attention. Worth hearing once for context, but I won't be coming back to it.”
“Ambitious and mostly successful. A couple of missteps keep it from true perfection.”
“Returned to this after a few years away and it hit even harder than I remembered. Some albums age poorly but this one has only gotten better with time. The themes feel more relevant now than ever and the sonics still sound fresh.”
“The production is interesting but the songs themselves are lacking.”
“There are about six really good songs here buried in an album that's twelve tracks too long. The edit would be excellent but as presented, it's a patience-testing listen that rewards skipping around.”
“There are about six really good songs here buried in an album that's twelve tracks too long. The edit would be excellent but as presented, it's a patience-testing listen that rewards skipping around.”
“A rich, layered album that reveals more with each listen.”
“There's a before and after with this album. It changed everything.”
“I wanted this to be better than it is. The ingredients are all there — the talent, the ambition, the production budget — but it never quite gels into something greater than the sum of its parts. Still a pleasant enough listen though.”
“Fine album from a good band. Nothing offensive, nothing transcendent. It sits comfortably in the middle of their discography and that's okay. Not everything needs to be a masterpiece to be worth your time.”
“Really impressive album that showcases an artist at a creative peak. The range of sounds and moods they explore here is remarkable, and what's more impressive is that it all feels cohesive rather than scattered. The transitions between tracks are so smooth you barely notice them. There are a handful of moments where the ambition slightly exceeds the execution — a lyric that doesn't quite land, a sonic idea that needed a bit more development — but these are minor blemishes on an otherwise excellent record. The standout tracks here are among the best songs released in the last decade.”
“Strong songwriting throughout. The production choices are bold and mostly pay off.”
“Every generation has a handful of perfect albums. This is one of them.”
“Overrated in my opinion. There's some good stuff here but not enough.”
“There are flashes of brilliance but also some tracks that feel underdeveloped.”