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8.1
22021
8.1 |
A.V. Club
While the hooks on 12 Desperate Straight Lines sink in easily, they’re far from painless
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8.0
22040
8.0 |
Under The Radar
Pop tunes that are well-constructed and incredibly taut
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8.0
21729
8.0 |
Drowned In Sound
Everything 12DSL sets out to achieve is a fist-pumping success
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8.0
21730
8.0 |
Spin
Darker, more propulsive, and flexing weightier production than his ruddy-cheeked 2009 debut
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8.0
21731
8.0 |
Clash
Lerner’s not breaking any rules, but he knows how to write good pop music, so who cares?
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8.0
22164
8.0 |
Blurt
This is straight-up power pop projected through a vulnerably personal filter of life and love, but the songs never feel contrived
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8.0
22603
8.0 |
Prefix
Arguably contains some of the best hooks on a rock record of the last several years
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8.0
33100
8.0 |
Rave Magazine
Lerner showcases a talent for balancing layered pop arrangements with pared-back rock undertones, bouncy beats, and a thoughtful dissection of life’s ups and downs for depth
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7.2
23563
7.2 |
Beats Per Minute
Michael Benjamin Lerner is really good at making dark times sound so enjoyable. Maybe a little too much
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7.0
22054
7.0 |
No Ripcord
A surprisingly versatile record
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6.6
22025
6.6 |
Pitchfork
His most consistent record
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6.0
21803
6.0 |
Q
Presses the right sort of power-pop buttons. Print edition only
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6.0
22812
6.0 |
Eye Weekly
Though the string of four-on-the-floor rockers doesn’t allow for much in the way of dynamics, that relentless spirit will be your guide while you’re bearing down on the accelerator
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6.0
23039
6.0 |
The Line Of Best Fit
Like all sugar-coated things 12 Desperate Straight Lines needs to be taken in small doses
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6.0
23490
6.0 |
Tiny Mix Tapes
Takes tried-and-true radio rock tropes and imbues them with enough life to make them feel fresh
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6.0
52821
6.0 |
Consequence Of Sound
His most mature album yet, and proves Lerner to be one of the more talented young indie pop acts out there today
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5.0
22062
5.0 |
PopMatters
Sounds like a series of well-executed demos, waiting to be taken up by a crack band and a singer who can make them breathe
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5.0
22307
5.0 |
AU Review
The kindest thing that can be said about this album is that the musicianship is competent
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5.0
21868
5.0 |
The Fly
The songs themselves are plainly catchy, grunge-inflected stomps, but are also curiously forgettable
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5.0
22052
5.0 |
musicOMH
Sprightly pseudo-indie
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