-
10.0
10969
10.0 |
Q
Hectic, unhinged, angry and supremely confident. Print edition only
-
10.0
11284
10.0 |
The Independent
Weller has jettisoned the more folkie elements that gave 22 Dreams its reflective tone, reinforcing instead the rock and soul core of his music
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10.0
11288
10.0 |
The Guardian
The sheer conviction with which it's performed carries you along despite yourself, wearing the astonished expression almost all of Wake Up the Nation provokes
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10.0
11301
10.0 |
Daily Telegraph
Weller strikes gold all over again with lyrical acuteness and tunes – the sweepingly beautiful No Tears to Cry, in particular – as good as any he has written. Bravo!
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10.0
11316
10.0 |
The Sunday Times
An album at once baffling, unpredictable, urgent, passionate and, in terms of the Weller canon, uncategorisable
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10.0
12437
10.0 |
State
It is a hard task to make a 16 track album that doesn’t have any faults, but Weller has done it this time
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9.0
11331
9.0 |
Independent on Sunday
Waking Up the Nation is an unchained, liberated album, the sound of a young dog chasing cars rather than an old one eating its own tail
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9.0
11964
9.0 |
PopMatters
Once again illustrates not only his perennial songwriting prowess, but also his incredible staying power amidst artists for whom influence is sporadic and brief at best
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8.5
11663
8.5 |
The Quietus
If a middle aged rock star who's never had a real job makes a better, more engaged record this decade I'll be amazed
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8.3
19594
8.3 |
A.V. Club
Either a standout album from a brilliant career, or utter wankery. One thing’s certain: It ain’t dull
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8.0
19593
8.0 |
Slant Magazine
A record that would feel like a standout for any artist, let alone one whose most groundbreaking work supposedly lies nearly 30 years in the past
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8.0
11375
8.0 |
The Scotsman
Weller throws down the creative gauntlet to a generation of cocky young poseurs who may have copied the haircut but are still left trailing in his bracing wake
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8.0
11053
8.0 |
The Observer
The purple patch continues
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8.0
11092
8.0 |
The Digital Fix
A record that maintains the earthy, irresistible tones of Weller rock but this time with added amounts of oh-so-good break-it-down beats that even makes your Grandma want to do the funky chicken.
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8.0
11150
8.0 |
musicOMH
An impressive achievement which sees Weller's brand of psychedelic soul-rock revitalized. Retro has rarely sounded this fresh
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8.0
10965
8.0 |
Clash
The quintessential Britishness of his music is still there as is the drive and passion, but it is with the gleaming and virtuosic musicianship that this album holds its own
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8.0
10966
8.0 |
Uncut
He is now officially on a hot streak
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8.0
10968
8.0 |
Mojo
Print edition only
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8.0
11192
8.0 |
NME
After three decades, he's still at the top of his game - still reinventing, still chasing melodic perfection. Print edition only
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8.0
11262
8.0 |
The Times
This is quite simply the sound of a man making some of the most daringly magnificent music of his life
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7.7
12082
7.7 |
Pitchfork
Wake Up the Nation totals a mere 40 minutes. That's just about a half-hour shorter than 22 Dreams, but the disc in turn is twice the fun
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7.0
19595
7.0 |
BBC
What the album lacks in depth, it more than makes up for in the length and breadth of Weller’s imagination
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7.0
13100
7.0 |
FasterLouder
Heavy with urban menace, a sense of crumbling concrete and exposed steel, with Weller in the middle drawing attention to the decay
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7.0
12620
7.0 |
Spin
With its hurtling tempos and noisy textures (some courtesy of My Bloody Valentine mastermind Kevin Shields), the aptly titled Wake Up the Nation hardly feels like a nostalgia trip
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6.0
12960
6.0 |
Blurt
More of a bewildering brew than a straight set of songs
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6.0
11305
6.0 |
Evening Standard
The perennial problem with Weller: for all his bracing qualities, you would never mistake him for Mr Melody
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6.0
11157
6.0 |
Drowned In Sound
Had the quality control officers had the guts to stand up to its creator in chief, this could have been an endearing re-affirmation
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5.0
11174
5.0 |
The Line Of Best Fit
What it will do is keep existing fans more than happy and keep existing haters hating. Will it renew the faith of an disillusioned Weller fan of old? Although it’s admittedly a step in the right direction I’m far from excited
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4.0
20095
4.0 |
No Ripcord
Lyrically Wake Up The Nation is largely inscrutable, while sonically it remains a shambling and ungainly listen
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