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10.0
17391
10.0 |
BBC
The Wants makes Checkmate Savage seem like the rough sketchbook for a gallery of masterpieces. It also makes this year’s other British rock contenders look pretty damn silly
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10.0
17870
10.0 |
Scotland on Sunday
Compelling from start to finish
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9.0
17732
9.0 |
Drowned In Sound
Destined to become a classic British record given time, space and the correct exposure
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9.0
17797
9.0 |
The Observer
Though individual tracks enthral, it's best experienced as one long phantasmagoria
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9.0
17964
9.0 |
Culture Deluxe
The best album to probably be sadly ignored this year
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8.5
18437
8.5 |
The Quietus
An album of striking artistic virility
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8.5
17604
8.5 |
The Line Of Best Fit
The Wants is a huge accomplishment
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8.0
17722
8.0 |
The Guardian
It doesn't give up its pleasures easily, or quickly – three of the nine tracks are over eight minutes long – but The Wants is a dense but ultimately exhilarating listen
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8.0
17731
8.0 |
The Irish Times
The Phantom Band marshal their folky notions, Krautronica blurs and thrilling flights of fancy into a clutch of ambitious, thrilling tunes.
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8.0
17596
8.0 |
Subba Cultcha
The Wants is random in the best possible way
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8.0
17296
8.0 |
The Skinny
Pitched somewhere between Leonard Cohen and Looney Tunes, album two is a darker affair
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8.0
17317
8.0 |
Uncut
These nine songs fulfill the promise of a thrillingly inventive band. Print edition only
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8.0
17321
8.0 |
Mojo
Throughout, there are proper weird sounds, but some stadium-levitating tunes. Print edition only
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8.0
17860
8.0 |
musicOMH
Describing their music becomes a challenge in itself - but listening to it is a fully rewarding and eye opening experience
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8.0
17862
8.0 |
Clash
Vocalist Rick Anthony is a commanding presence on this fascinating, cerebral and frankly splendid record
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8.0
17871
8.0 |
The Scotsman
Their strengths remain a keen ear for dynamics and an idiosyncratic, mercurial sound which alchemises gamelan percussion, tribal chanting, pulsing Krautrock
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8.0
17928
8.0 |
Under The Radar
The band retain many of the sonic signatures that made their debut so satisfying, but they tighten up their songwriting screws considerably, crafting a record decidedly more immediate, and better, than Checkmate
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8.0
19817
8.0 |
All Music
A charged-up swagger that freely mixes and matches all over the place
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8.0
17974
8.0 |
The 405
The Phantom Band have managed that most rewarding of feats in music; an album that celebrates all that came before it and brings something completely new to the table
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8.0
18214
8.0 |
Q
As grand as their 2009 debut Checkmate Savage was, it's unlikely even The Phantom Band themselves envisaged something as remarkable as The Wants. Print edition only
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7.0
20633
7.0 |
Rave Magazine
Slow burning album that rewards additional listens
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7.0
17776
7.0 |
The Fly
An album oozing raw talent
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7.0
17659
7.0 |
NME
If it weren't for the album's dank mould-spotted soul, it might even be uplifting. Print edition only
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6.5
20223
6.5 |
Pitchfork
An admirable record that could've used a few more fist pumps and fewer golf claps
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6.0
17971
6.0 |
AU Review
While The Wants is frequently intriguing, the lack of any real killer tracks feels like a lost opportunity
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6.0
17952
6.0 |
State
Whereas the eclecticism on Checkmate Savage marked out the bands refusal to be easily categorised , it seems here to be more like a lack of focus
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