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FUNKED UP

2117¬Montreal's foremost exponenents of Prince-inspired dirty funk are back with their new album. Critics so far are impressed, Rave Magazine seeing the album as an affirmation of the band's unique style.¬False¬

Middle of the Trail

2101¬Rootsy folkster Ray Lamontagne continues his career as a Radio 2 botherer with his new album. Critics see it as competent but hardly revolutionary, scores coming it at around 6 or 7.¬False¬

Towering achievement?

2098¬There's a very rare 10/10 from The Skinny for the rapper, pianist and producer's album, released to accompany a feature film also written and produced by the maverick Canadian. Such enthusiasm is not shared by the BBC or music OMH, who regard it as interesting but only partially successful.¬True¬
Kairos

White Hinterland

Kairos

Second album of minimal indie pop with electronica and jazz overtones from the Oregon-based duo

Critics average rating

6.7

Label
Dead Oceans
Release date
08/03/2010
  1. 8.0 |  The Skinny

    An irresistible 40 minutes of deceivingly minimal textures and rhythms
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  2. 8.0 |  No Ripcord

    Drifts as an aloof spirit: devoid of any clear meaning, but readily inviting one to submerge into its twisted microcosm
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  3. 8.0 |  NME

    It’s the perfect, spring-cleansing album
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  4. 8.0 |  music OMH

    The album's title, Kairos, is a Greek word meaning the right or opportune moment. It's an appropriate name for the album for, on this form, White Hinterland's time is certainly now
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  5. 8.0 |  Mojo

    Print edition only

  6. 8.0 |  Drowned In Sound

    A record with frequent moments of measured and finely balanced beauty but also a restive application of shifting textures
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  7. 7.5 |  Pitchfork

    The myriad of elements, from the dubstep-grade bass hits to looped vocals, beautifully comes together
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  8. 7.5 |  The Quietus

    Kairos is a true curio, seeing its creator abandon the convention she knew to breathe new life into a millennia old concept
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  9. 7.0 |  The Music Fix

    Their expert restraint, or perhaps reluctance to overpower, creates an album of relaxed yet cerebral sounds
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  10. 7.0 |  Blurt

    A fairly bold step forward
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  11. 7.0 |  Bowlegs

    This is a sophisticated and understated album that deserves the time and space in which it revels
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  12. 6.0 |  The Irish Times

    What’s most striking about how these experimental and electronic edges mark out the new Hinterland is that they embellish rather than dillute Dienel’s songs
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  13. 6.0 |  Uncut

    Print edition only

  14. 4.0 |  State

    An album that requires multiple listens to reveal it’s true colours, Kairos doesn’t quite pack a punch but Dienel’s certainly a talent to keep tabs on
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  15. 0.0 |  Pop Matters

    The more genres they probe and styles they combine, the more likely they are to create music that doesn’t sound so familiar—music that is truly surprising
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Track preview & download

White Hinterland: Kairos

  • Download full album for just £7.99
  • 1. Icarus £0.99
  • 2. Moon Jam £0.99
  • 3. No Logic £0.99
  • 4. Begin Again £0.99
  • 5. Bow & Arrow £0.99
  • 6. Amsterdam £0.99
  • 7. Thunderbird £0.99
  • 8. Cataract £0.99
  • 9. Huron £0.99
  • 10. Magnolias £0.99
  • 11. Digital Booklet - Kairos N/A
  • Service provided by 7Digital

Prolific

2120¬These Virginian sludge-rockers find themselves releasing their fifth album in two years, a huge feat by anyone's standards. Critics are unsure whether any degree of quality can be sustained at that rate however, with Tiny Mix Tapes stating that in fleshing out their sound, they have drawn "too much attention to musical aspects [they] never had going for them".¬True¬

Duppy Love

2109¬Critics are falling over themselves to heap praise on this album of dub remixes of classic Roots Manuva tracks. It has managed a very decent showing on our chart, especially given that it is essentially a remix album. It has impressed so much that Culture Deluxe has proclaimed it as "possibly the most perfect reggae album released in the last 30 years". ¬True¬

Back On Top?

2114¬The Manic Street Preachers have had something of a critical rebirth with their last two albums, and that trend looks set to continue with their latest offering. The Line of Best Fit call it a "wonderful album", while The Fly reckon they "are in the form of their life". With only a few reviews in so far, it seems we could have a contender for the higher echelons of our chart.¬True¬

Pain and pleasure

2105¬Can the third of the three Mancunian electro-ish bands which featured in the BBC's Sound of 2010 list emulate the success of their counterparts, Delphic and Everything Everything? The jury's still out so far. NME is a big fan of the duo's 80s-inspired synthpop anthems, but The Guardian is far from convinced, and others find the album stylish but unremarkable. ¬True¬

Compilations & Reissues

They're not in the main chart as they skew things

  1. 8.5

    The Teardrop Explode Kilimanjaro: Deluxe Edition

  2. 8.5

    R.E.M. Fables Of The Reconstruction

  3. See full list