20 December 2011
Here's how it works: The Recent Releases chart brings together critical reaction to new albums from more than 50 publications. It's updated daily. Albums qualify with 5 reviews, and drop out after 6 weeks into the longer timespan charts.
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Tracks the critics are loving: read then listen
" The Lion's Roar is an epic tune ... an inspiring blend of marching drums, swirling woodwinds and heavy-handed piano chords, all reined in by the sisters’ gorgeous harmonies" Paste
Listen on SpotifyListen on grooveshark
" The Lights cannot fail to put a smile on your face" Fake DIY
" Church is still arguably the best thing they’ve done ... it would thaw the edges of even the coldest of hearts" music OMH
" Standout track Logos is a deeply nostalgic elegy in which Gabriela’s percussive wizardry really shines through" AU Magazine
" Waveforms flows with typical electro flourishes and polyrhythmic beats before climaxing with a stunning multi-harmony coda" music OMH
" The memorable point of Something is standout track Ghost Tonight. Polachek's vocal abilities are really something to marvel at" BPM
" The emotional centerpiece of the record is Backwords, a gorgeous, melancholy number. It’s a stunning, poignant track" The Line Of Best Fit
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Compilation from recently reformed and influential Californian indie rock band
8.3
Unlike other cross-generational legacy bands like the Pixies, Sonic Youth, and Talking Heads, Pavement's songs fit together comfortably as a jukebox-friendly hit parade Read Review
Packaged and streamlined in all their chaotic glory. It’s hard to express how important it is for those unacquainted to hear this album. Please get stuck in Read Review
It’s exactly what a Pavement retrospective should be - a heavily slanted, palpably enchanted slab of richly flawed anarcho-pop Read Review
Quarantine The Past is one of the finest examples of a Best Of album, although it’s only a toe in the water. To experience Pavement properly picking up each of their incredible albums is still the only way to do it. Read Review
The only suitable reaction to their latest release is to grin inanely and shout ‘REUNION REUNION REUNION’ over and over until May comes round Read Review
For a canon so flagrant in its faults, ‘Quarantine…’ is all-but faultless Read Review
A collection that's more than your average best of – it's a shoebox under the bed full of fading photos and treasured mementos, a time capsule of treats that trusts us to appreciate more than just the obvious hits Read Review
A stellar 23 track joyride through Pavement's decade in action Read Review
A flab free collection that manages to capture the essence of what makes Pavement such an important part of modern music history Read Review
They capture the struggles and successes of getting older, providing a soundtrack to your life as if they knew you personally Read Review
Print edition only
A step away from the spotlight, Pavement served as the conscience of a generation of US indie Read Review
Ultimately, as a stand alone album Quarantine the Past is near faultless, and a must have for the newly inaugurated Read Review
For the unitiated, this fat-free best-of offers a perfect introduction to the oeuvre of the quintet Read Review
Pavement's influence will continue to be felt for years to come, and this compilation admirably explains why Read Review
From their lo-fi beginnings to the warmer layers of Nigel Godrich’s production there is the palpable sense of a band that found its own paths, sometimes taking the overgrown trails and other times just as happy to travel the freeway Read Review
If this were a stand-alone record, I would rate it more highly. As an overview of or introduction to Pavement, it is terribly flawed Read Review
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Sleigh Bells Reign Of Terror
Compromised by sanitised production. But these Bells still rock. Print edition only Uncut
Over-exposure might result in feelings of disorientation and a headache, but that's likely just the way Miller and Krauss want it. Print edition only Mojo
Shearwater Animal Joy
A set of Anglophile songs, bookish and gently melancholic. Print edition only Mojo
The sound of Americana meshing its cogs with the machinery of the world outside its grimed window. Print edition only Uncut
Meiburg’s voice is a thing of rare range and beauty, but it seems the band have yet to settle on the best way to maximise its formidable gifts music OMH
The Ting Tings Sounds From Nowheresville
One-hit wonders no more, White and de Martino now sound prepared for a big pop future. Print edition only Uncut
An insipid assault of dribbly, sub-Billie Piper pop sludge The Fly
Lambchop Mr M
It delivers softly and simply his often complex lyrics. Print edition only Mojo
Death is all around - but this is Lambchop, so the rough stuff comes wrapped in cinnamon. Print edition only Uncut
While Mr. M never comes close to a hoedown, it contains some of the most direct songs to have flown the Lambchop banner The Skinny
Speech Debelle Freedom Of Speech
The odd gauche moments remain, but her plaudits are not undeserved. Print edition only Uncut
From the get-go Freedom Of Speech takes on prisoners. Print edition only Mojo
Absorbing, epic, heartfelt and delicately nuanced – a marvellous album The Skinny
Anyone who wasn’t convinced by her debut is going to find far more to take issue with on Freedom of Speech BBC
Lana Del Rey Born to Die
Overall, this is a beautifully crafted, if limited, album AU Magazine
What's finding favour with bloggers & other review sites
The Roots undun
Drake Take Care
First Aid Kit The Lion's Roar
The Black Keys El Camino
Guided By Voices Let's Go Eat The Factory
Los Campesinos! Hello Sadness
Howler America Give Up
Craig Finn Clear Heart Full Eyes
The much anticipated debut from the NY singer-songwriter has divided the critics, with ratings ranging from a 10 from the Independent on Sunday to a 0 from Tiny Mix Tapes
Since we've been around, that is. So, the highest-rated albums from the past three years or so