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9.0
12213
9.0 |
The Line Of Best Fit
This is understated yet monumentally self-assured material from one of our finest songwriters, which comes highly recommended
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8.0
11701
8.0 |
musicOMH
Mason's best work since his Beta Band days - a rich, dark slice of mournful, glacial electronica with a heart
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8.0
12826
8.0 |
Click Music
Lots of performers crave the easy melody that Mason seems to retain song after song but not many singers also have the invention that is sprinkled on each tune present here
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8.0
13063
8.0 |
State
Haunting and beautifully crafted, ‘Boys Outside’ and single, ‘Lost&Found’ allow Mason to demonstrate his songmanship
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8.0
13648
8.0 |
PopMatters
He was wise to put his own name on the collection, even if that name means consumers have to be absolutely sure they’ve got the right Steve Mason before they fork over their dough
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8.0
13651
8.0 |
Under The Radar
Mason always had an appealing voice, but it's never been as soulfully expressive as it is here. Chalk that up to life experience
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8.0
13850
8.0 |
Tiny Mix Tapes
It’s fitting that Mason reserved his first official solo album for his best work since The Beta Band. The results prove well worth the wait
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8.0
14224
8.0 |
Rave Magazine
A beautifully crafted album, crammed with spectral and often stunning songs
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8.0
11705
8.0 |
The Skinny
An endearingly personal and sporadically enchanting experience
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8.0
11731
8.0 |
NME
An elegant blend of trilling piano, strummed guitar and crisp digital beats. Print edition only
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8.0
11732
8.0 |
Mojo
It's Mason's best post-Beta Band work. Print edition only
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8.0
11734
8.0 |
Uncut
Truly lovely. Mason's finest solo record. Print edition only
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8.0
11736
8.0 |
Q
It's a welcome return to stripped-down songcraft. Print edition only
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8.0
11820
8.0 |
The Times
Am I Just a Man is most reminiscent of his former charges, while the spectral All Come Down is stunning.
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8.0
11846
8.0 |
The Observer
A stripped-back exploration of Mason's depression and romantic disappointment which teems with joy and catchy choruses
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8.0
11851
8.0 |
The Sunday Times
Working with the electro-pop producer Richard X. It proves to be a perfect pairing, the arrangements providing shading, rather than overpowering colour
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8.0
11857
8.0 |
The Digital Fix
Boys Outside captures a talented songwriter operating at the peak of his abilities and shouldn’t be missed
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8.0
11860
8.0 |
The Fly
A hitherto uncommon lyrical loveliness that leaves Mason sounding more satisfyingly free than ever
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8.0
11911
8.0 |
Scotland on Sunday
An intimate, gentle record growing warmer with every play
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7.5
11703
7.5 |
BBC
Turns The Beta Band’s spectral, pastoral jams into electronic soul, sharing both the group’s relish for surprising musical detail and Mason’s unique ability to make despairing love an attractive lifestyle choice
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7.0
12137
7.0 |
Pitchfork
The Steve Mason of 1999 might've been horrified to imagine his future self as a sensitive, soft-pop crooner, but the Steve Mason of today can throw a familiar line right back at him: This is the definition of my life
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7.0
11828
7.0 |
Drowned In Sound
It is easy to believe that Steve Mason probably has an eye for the big picture, rather than obsessing over whether he will forever be defined by the first song on the first EP his first band ever released
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7.0
12682
7.0 |
The Quietus
The sound of a man trapped in limbo between hipster adoration and mainstream stardom, falling short of both. This, however, is a place where many pleasures lie
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6.0
11702
6.0 |
The Guardian
In this stripped-back setting, in which Mason's muted guitar and piano melodies are given a subtle electronic frosting by producer Richard X, his meditations on depression and heartbreak are devastatingly direct
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