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8.0
3030
8.0 |
Mojo
Print edition only
-
8.0
3031
8.0 |
Q
Print edition only
-
8.0
3036
8.0 |
The Guardian
His fans will be glad to know that he's back to what he does best: pithily observed, sharply constructed power-pop.
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8.0
3039
8.0 |
PopMatters
The title of the record becomes immediately all the more appropriate. His songs are heavy and light all at once. “I want to get it off my chest, but nobody’s listening,” Benson claims on My Old Familiar Friend. You couldn’t be more wrong. We are listening, Brendan. We’re listening loud and clear, and we like what we hear
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8.0
6611
8.0 |
Rave Magazine
The big choruses are multi-tracked to an almost absurd degree, but the pomp and circumstance justifies it
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7.0
3042
7.0 |
NME
Print edition only
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7.0
3034
7.0 |
Rolling Stone
A near-perfect doppelgänger for the early-Eighties Moody Blues sound
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7.0
3032
7.0 |
Pitchfork
Benson's shelled out for top-notch production from Gil Norton that greatly benefits his otherwise mostly pro forma power-pop. It's a smart move, since unlike so many in that long line of similarly minded peers, Benson doesn't skimp on the power
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6.0
3033
6.0 |
musicOMH
An album with modest aspirations which, for the most part, it achieves.
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6.0
3035
6.0 |
Spin
A sensible tune isn’t always a brokenhearted Beatles acolyte’s best revenge -- a little audacity could’ve personalized the point.
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6.0
3044
6.0 |
The Quietus
My Old Familiar Friend doesn't scale the heights of 2002's almost perfect Lapalco, then, but there are just about enough sunny patches for us to be thankful to Jack for getting his protégé back in one piece
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6.0
3040
6.0 |
Independent on Sunday
MOFF is the sound of Matthew Sweet circa Girlfriend. Not as fresh as it sounds, then, but there's pleasure for the listener, too
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6.0
3041
6.0 |
The Observer
Every available space is crammed with hooks and often it feels as if Benson is trying too hard to wow us in his famous friend's absence. Accordingly, the most successful moments, such as the infectious ""Poised and Ready"", are the most straightforward
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6.0
3029
6.0 |
Uncut
Print edition only
-
6.0
3038
6.0 |
The List
More ragged edges might suit his talents better.
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5.0
3045
5.0 |
No Ripcord
Not only does the music feel like filler and lacking in substance but the album itself feels like it’s only purpose is to merely keep music ticking over until something worthwhile comes along.
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5.0
3043
5.0 |
Drowned In Sound
Benson is furiously working away at his chalkboard, desperate to reach that moment when the maths add up and he uncovers Ric Ocasek’s secret hit formula. Sadly, that eureka moment remains out of reach on My Old, Familiar Friend
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4.0
3037
4.0 |
The Independent
… crossover pop-rock whose pop elements are not quite catchy enough to satisfy pop fans, and whose rock elements are nowhere near bruising enough for hardcore rock fans.
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