Albums to watch

Return To The Ugly Side

Malachai

Return To The Ugly Side

Second album from the experimental Bristol duo (formerly known as Malakai)

ADM rating[?]

6.9

Label
Double Six
UK Release date
28/02/2011
  1. 9.1 |   A.V. Club

    It’s as if The Beta Band was reborn with straight faces and a love for Portishead
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  2. 8.0 |   Spin

    Incorporate psychedelic electronica, sleepy funk, and clattering garage rock, crafting a surprisingly unified piece
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  3. 8.0 |   Uncut

    Lurching from inspired to confounding, it's ragged erratic, but never boring. Print edition only

  4. 8.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    A success on many levels, as the Bristol duo manages to piece together a simultaneously inventive and evocative record that builds on their very quality debut
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  5. 8.0 |   Q

    Grabs its chemically enhanced influences from five decades of pop. Print edition only

  6. 7.6 |   Pitchfork

    If they keep at the evolutionary pace set by Return to the Ugly Side, they'll soon be blowing many more minds than their own
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  7. 7.0 |   musicOMH

    The curious originality on display will at least keep critical attention for the foreseeable future. Maybe someday Malachai's cultish, iconoclastic tendencies will make perfect sense
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  8. 7.0 |   Bowlegs

    Jazzy trip hop, dubbed out haze and unadulterated funk – all knitted together in a continuous mix up of style and restless energy
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  9. 7.0 |   PopMatters

    The melodies are strong and compelling and the mixture of genres works really well
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  10. 7.0 |   DIY

    There's a marked sharpening of focus, some discernible songs standing out in the creaky chaos, and even a touch of polish
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  11. 6.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    Whilst Return to the Ugly Side undoubtedly sustains an affective mood of unease and intrigue, it ultimately falters in its structural underdevelopment
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  12. 6.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    It’s an album that doesn’t just wear its eclecticism on its sleeve; it shouts it at you a little too loudly
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  13. 6.0 |   Tiny Mix Tapes

    There’s definitely something a little dead-eyed about these excursions that renders the whole album ‘transitional’
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  14. 6.0 |   The Digital Fix

    Instrumental tracks like 'Snake Eyes' are less intriguing, but overall, worthy of a preview and a few downloads
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  15. 6.0 |   Mojo

    An album with the gristle trimmed away and none the worse for it. Print edition only

  16. 6.0 |   The Skinny

    At its best, on tunes like Monster (without an s this time) and The Don’t Just, there’s an alluring dark cinematic quality
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Malachai: Return To The Ugly Side

  • Download full album for just £5.00
  • 1. Monsters £0.99
  • 2. Anne £0.99
  • 3. Mid Antarctica (Wearin' Sandals) £0.99
  • 4. Rainbows £0.99
  • 5. In The Hole £0.99
  • 6. (My) Ambulance £0.99
  • 7. Distance £0.99
  • 8. Monster £0.99
  • 9. The Don't Just £0.99
  • 10. How You Write £0.99
  • 11. Let 'Em Fall £0.99
  • 12. No More Rain No Maureen £0.99
  • 13. Snake Eyes £0.99
  • 14. HyberNation £0.99
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