Albums to watch

The Big Roar

The Joy Formidable

The Big Roar

Debut album from the Welsh indie rock band, formed in 2007

ADM rating[?]

7.6

Label
Black Bell
UK Release date
24/01/2011
US Release date
01/02/2011
  1. 9.0 |   God Is In The TV

    It’s a shame it’s January because this being ‘the album of 2011’ has little meaning so early on, but I am confident this will still be the case in 12 months time
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  2. 9.0 |   The Quietus

    The entire album is executed with such aplomb, such energy and emotion, it's almost impossible not to love
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  3. 9.0 |   BBC

    A powerful signal of intent and a fantastic debut
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  4. 9.0 |   musicOMH

    The Big Roar has been some time in coming, but it has been well worth the wait. This could finally be The Joy Formidable's year
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  5. 9.0 |   No Ripcord

    A mature, clever and exceptionally listenable record from start to finish
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  6. 8.5 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    A histrionic, anthemic, accomplished rock debut
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  7. 8.1 |   Beats Per Minute

    The Joy Formidable’s music inhabits that middle ground of pop-rock that is louder than pop-punk but not so loud as to alienate listeners
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  8. 8.0 |   The Skinny

    The assured, life-affirming sound of a band not just reaching for greater things, but moulding them as their own
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  9. 8.0 |   Spin

    Glorious noise
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  10. 8.0 |   Clash

    The rebirth of indie may just have found its leading protagonists
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  11. 8.0 |   Q

    Ambitious, forceful and joyous. Print edition only

  12. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    A record that’s both steadily paced and pinging with irresistible energy and groove.
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  13. 8.0 |   The Fly

    The Joy Formidable certainly have a musical formula, but it’s all adding up to something pretty special at the moment
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  14. 8.0 |   NME

    It's big but it's certainly clever
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  15. 8.0 |   AU Review

    Expect their future to be enormously charming, and downright epic
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  16. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    For an album that felt to many like a long time coming, The Big Roar proves more than worthy of the wait
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  17. 7.0 |   The AU Review

    A solid record that holds many a fantastic rock moment, but the power of The Joy Formidable lies in their amazing live presence and this hasn’t translated into their studio work
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  18. 7.0 |   Rolling Stone

    The riffs are more memorable than the songs, you say? Does it really matter?
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  19. 7.0 |   Slant Magazine

    It's the rare story of a group for whom major-label backing has resulted in a creative bloom rather than corrosion.
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  20. 7.0 |   Slant Magazine

    The rare story of a group for whom major-label backing has resulted in a creative bloom rather than corrosion
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  21. 7.0 |   Rave Magazine

    Sweet ‘n sour pop music
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  22. 7.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    For the most part, these tracks burn with anthemic vivacity
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  23. 7.0 |   The Digital Fix

    The Joy Formidable are an investment, an undertaking borne of love. For those of us who really, properly care, the long haul never looked so bright and The Big Roar is a bracing start
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  24. 6.8 |   Pitchfork

    There's no denying the Joy Formidable's passion, vigor, and pop smarts; it would just be easier to appreciate those qualities if The Big Roar didn't so often sound like a big blur
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  25. 6.5 |   Prefix

    Sometimes thrilling, sometimes disappointing, but always formidable
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  26. 6.0 |   State

    Crowd-pleasing anthemic guitar music
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  27. 6.0 |   Uncut

    Print edition only

  28. 6.0 |   The Guardian

    Sounds as if it was recorded as some kind of sonic weapon
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The Joy Formidable: The Big Roar

  • Download full album for just £5.49
  • 1. The Everchanging Spectrum Of A Lie £0.99
  • 2. The Magnifying Glass £0.99
  • 3. I Don't Want To See You Like This £0.99
  • 4. Austere £0.99
  • 5. A Heavy Abacus £0.99
  • 6. Whirring £0.99
  • 7. Buoy £0.99
  • 8. Maruyama £0.99
  • 9. Cradle £0.99
  • 10. Llaw = Wall £0.99
  • 11. Chapter 2 £0.99
  • 12. The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade £0.99
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