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9.0
103003
9.0 |
God Is In The TV
Where its predecessor was merely a collection of great songs thrown together, arguably, this one is the most coherent release the band has unleashed yet
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8.0
103021
8.0 |
Drowned In Sound
A genuine and welcome joy
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8.0
102994
8.0 |
Mojo
Rather more traditional than they’re letting on. Print edition only
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8.0
102995
8.0 |
Q
Colin Meloy’s cerebral indie-folk troupe get bullish. Print edition only
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8.0
103243
8.0 |
No Ripcord
I’ll Be Your Girl is the start of this new chapter, and it’s a wonderful place for them to begin again
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7.8
103125
7.8 |
Paste Magazine
The results are mostly successful; occasionally a strange sound seems shoehorned into a perfectly good Decemberists song
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7.5
103025
7.5 |
Under The Radar
It's nice to see The Decemberists have stepped outside their comfort zone and reached back a bit to reconnect with their daring and adventurous ways without losing their distinctive charm
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7.4
103054
7.4 |
Earbuddy
Their most memorable album since The Crane Wife
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7.0
103072
7.0 |
All Music
While Meloy's lyrics are sharply honed and evocative, it's this cavalcade of sounds that not only makes I'll Be Your Girl compelling, but distinctive among Decemberists albums
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7.0
102996
7.0 |
Uncut
Despite also cooking up a glam stomp with "We All Die Young," it sometimes feels overly contrived. The epic "Rusalka, Rusalka/The Wild Rushes" is a notable exception. Print edition only
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6.7
103026
6.7 |
Consequence Of Sound
Colin Meloy and the gang deliver an occasionally thrilling eighth record
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6.7
103075
6.7 |
A.V. Club
A welcome sign of a veteran band eager to experiment, but it’s also the first Decemberists album where the sounds are more interesting than the songs
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6.1
103104
6.1 |
Pitchfork
Buoyed by a fresh coat of synths and a streamlined energy, the Decemberists’ latest is a curious middle-of-the-road album, teasing a number of directions without committing to any of them
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6.0
103110
6.0 |
Rolling Stone
Colin Meloy swaps britches for leather jeans, stylistic fusions and confusions ensue
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6.0
103024
6.0 |
PopMatters
I'll Be Your Girl would stand as a fine but forgettable work on its own, yet when compared to the pedigree of its predecessors, it's quite disappointing.
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6.0
103034
6.0 |
The Independent
Finds the folk-rockers employing electropop riffs influenced by Roxy Music and New Order
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6.0
103052
6.0 |
The 405
They arguably fostered both a fandom and derision through their quirks, but this album seems like a compromise. There’s not much to hate about it but not much to love either
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6.0
102992
6.0 |
The Skinny
The Portland band replace their lutes with synths on an album with some great moments; however, the hodgepodge of styles ultimately results in an unbalanced and disjointed record
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5.5
103140
5.5 |
Spectrum Culture
Much of the album struggles to find itself
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5.5
103248
5.5 |
The Line Of Best Fit
It’s almost unsettling to watch a band that used to plan every single detail of their albums down to the letter suddenly begin to frantically hurl a load of disparate ideas at the wall and hope a few stick
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5.0
103093
5.0 |
musicOMH
They would do well to learn that sticking some synthesiser parts behind a guitar band doesn’t automatically make them New Order
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4.0
103064
4.0 |
The Irish Times
The hazards of exploring new realms
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4.0
102993
4.0 |
Slant Magazine
Aiming for playful rebirth, the Decemberists instead land on cloying kitsch with I'll Be Your Girl
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