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9.0
49782
9.0 |
The Fly
An album of chilly, detached beauty
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8.5
49778
8.5 |
The Line Of Best Fit
An early favourite of 2013 ... and if it can hold its own between winters might just be up there come the end of the year as well
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8.0
49779
8.0 |
Clash
Everything about this album is bigger than what has gone before and reveals an energised band with a real belief in what they’re doing
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8.0
49780
8.0 |
BBC
This new album eschews clichés – any strident shrieking, chanting and cod imagery – for something sleek, fluid and effortlessly modern
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8.0
49798
8.0 |
Mojo
Taken as a whole, it's as arresting step towards the light. Print edition only
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8.0
50110
8.0 |
The Quietus
Ultimately it's the breaking of a cycle that leads to change and, on this record of both progression and recollection, Esben And The Witch suggest that they haven't yet quite achieved that. However, it's their battle in trying to that make that happen that makes this such a fascinating listen
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8.0
50130
8.0 |
All Music
The opposite of a sophomore slump, Wash the Sins Not Only the Face is sleek and spectral, and finds Esben and the Witch casting their spell even more successfully
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8.0
50255
8.0 |
God Is In The TV
Surprisingly good
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8.0
50324
8.0 |
The 405
It feels clearer, more focussed than its predecessor, much more honed
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7.5
49974
7.5 |
Under The Radar
Where Violet Cries lacked a focal point, Wash the Sins is full of purpose
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7.4
49892
7.4 |
AltSounds
Often an aggravating record, its complexities and mysteries are there for your discovery and it leaves you wondering just where Esben and the Witch will go from here
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7.1
50018
7.1 |
Paste Magazine
They are destined to make an awesome sound one day, just not yet
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7.0
49911
7.0 |
The Digital Fix
This second album is a smarter, fuller work
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7.0
49919
7.0 |
DIY
A thrilling, goosebump-raising collection of songs that will be in heavy rotation for the rest of the year (and beyond)
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7.0
49795
7.0 |
NME
Esben are carving hulking tablets of stone boasting that intellect is nothing to be scared of
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6.9
50121
6.9 |
Beats Per Minute
They haven’t quite found it yet, but Esben and the Witch have the potential for an arresting and momentous album in them
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6.0
50636
6.0 |
musicOMH
There are some encouraging if fleeting flickers of light and warmth here that hint there could be more to come in terms of musical development
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6.0
50701
6.0 |
No Ripcord
Wash the Sins is one of those records that’s surprising but simultaneously gives you a pretty good idea of what’s in its creators’ record collections
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6.0
50022
6.0 |
The Skinny
More interested in creating the right atmosphere, at times the band forget to expose a beating heart
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6.0
50106
6.0 |
PopMatters
As supernatural sequels go, the heavenly-titled Wash the Sins Not Only the Face isn’t quite Evil Dead 2, but it’s certainly no Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows either
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6.0
49796
6.0 |
Uncut
Too often tend to wallow in kohl-eyed cliché. Print edition only
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6.0
49983
6.0 |
Consequence Of Sound
Initially appears to be more of the same from Esben and the Witch. The album’s perplexing textures and assured vocals, though, add density to the Brighton trio’s desolate mood and sinister themes
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6.0
49807
6.0 |
The Arts Desk
For all the well-crafted mustering of mood, there’s a distinct lack of memorable songs, riffs or hooks
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6.0
49850
6.0 |
The Guardian
When it occasionally feels as if it's on its way to becoming too wispy and wafty, they always pull it back with a deft hand, and this is a record that creeps into the mind
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5.8
49963
5.8 |
Pitchfork
A competent but ultimately unmemorable reiteration of a message that wasn't particularly strong in the first place
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5.1
49781
5.1 |
Bowlegs
A frustrating record, some genuinely enjoyable moments but with an alienating aftertaste. LLarge chunks feel borrowed, dated and inferior to EATW obvious contemporaries
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5.0
50378
5.0 |
Tone Deaf
Fans of Esben And The Witch will no doubt enjoy this new offering, but for new listeners it may prove difficult to warm to
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4.0
50118
4.0 |
The Irish Times
Simply too stylised, too cold and too pretentious to really get to the heart of
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4.0
49777
4.0 |
Drowned In Sound
Esben and the Witch seem stuck on an autopilot where any levity is out of bounds and an abyss beckons for all the wrong reasons
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4.0
49799
4.0 |
Q
This record passes right through you. Just not in the ghostly way they might wish. Print edition only
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