| | Full Review | Ratings (184) |
Give your Rating |
| 4.0 excellent | Graham Fowler | March 10th 11 |
This album has just dethroned Yuck's self-titled as "number one album of 2011 to make me
feel like roller-skating and playing Nintendo". It's a delightful combination of catchy
indie pop and warm, fuzzy shoegaze that evokes the spirit of the 90's without ever seeming
derivative.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 3.5 great | NavajoJ | September 16th 11 |
A fun and heartwarming (if inconsequential) soundtrack to the teenage life.
Bump |
| 2.0 poor | zillah | August 31st 11 |
I hate to pan this. The Pains do loveable power pop built on propulsive drums-bass-guitar-fuzz essentials, big melodic lines, and the sort of airy emo vocals that evoke yearning while maintaining a certain distance. It's all competently executed, and these are indeed the elements of which the best power pop is composed and for which we all should have a healthy weakness. And yet...I have no idea how anybody relates to this. The songs are warm and fuzzed out; but in the end they are only marginally more textured and less obvious than a set of Snow Patrol ballads. There's also no dynamism to speak of. Every single track builds through an insistent 4/4 riff-and-drums-verse into a big chorus you can sing along to after hearing a few times. They differ mainly by whether the vocal is supported by an electric guitar or a keyboard on organ setting, and by how much they remind you of a younger and less douchey Cure. The lyrics, meanwhile, are a barrage of tame dream pop / New Romantic bromides. "Even in dreams I could not betray you/...There's nobody like you/Is that why they don't like you like I do?" Kip Berman sings on "Even in Dreams". It's delivered with sufficient cool to keep from being ridiculous. But, really, can anybody over the age of 15 be affected by this sentiment? In "The Body", Berman gets earthier, asking his beloved to "Tell me again what the body?s for.../I want to hurt like it did before". As a poignant ode to teenage blue balls and the whinging that frames it, it works. Unfortunately, these guys are in their 20s, and I don't think that was entirely the goal.
Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | Liam Whear | April 20th 11 |
Nowhere near as fun as their debut, it is still pleasant to listen to. Unfortunately, it just passes you by, unlike Yuck, who manage to add individuality to each song. That said, the Siamese Dream-esque title track will end up one of the songs of the year
Bump |
| 3.5 great | Hep Kat | March 11th 11 |
All o' the fun o' the 90s without Vanilla Ice and questionable fashion choices. Or are those the same thing?
Bump |
| 3.0 good | benhxc | January 31st 13 |
| 4.0 excellent | iZac | December 6th 12 |
| 3.0 good | Peluca | October 15th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | Melanin | October 8th 12 |
| 4.0 excellent | samr4563 | September 19th 12 |
| 3.0 good | Rail | May 19th 12 |
| 3.5 great | Thef | March 7th 12 |
| 4.5 superb | nwagner | February 9th 12 |
| 3.0 good | Zephir | January 4th 12 |
| 2.5 average | doqtor | December 28th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | iGuter | December 22nd 11 |
| 3.5 great | feanaro | December 12th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | pcar | December 4th 11 |
| 3.5 great | Beauers | November 30th 11 |
| 3.0 good | Andy | November 16th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | CosmicJ | November 8th 11 |
| 3.0 good | JJwins | September 23rd 11 |
| 3.5 great | Luke | September 3rd 11 |
| 2.0 poor | Rowdy | August 19th 11 |
| 3.5 great | WLuke | August 5th 11 |
| 4.5 superb | Totes | July 20th 11 |
| 3.5 great | Polvo | July 19th 11 |
| 3.0 good | krkat | June 17th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | Ronen | April 29th 11 |
| 2.5 average | lobby | April 23rd 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | ot63 | April 14th 11 |
| 4.5 superb | fev | April 9th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | Yotimi | April 4th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | Guigss | April 3rd 11 |
| 3.5 great | Photon | April 1st 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | PieRye | March 31st 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | RedSky | March 25th 11 |
| 4.0 excellent | Quinn | March 25th 11 |
| 3.5 great | Ali CONTRIBUTOR | March 21st 11 |
| 3.5 great | Kiran EMERITUS | March 12th 11 |
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