Albums to watch

Degeneration Street

The Dears

Degeneration Street

The fifth album from the Canadians led by Murray Lightburn sees them return to the big eighties indie sound they were famous for

ADM rating[?]

6.6

Label
Dangerbird
UK Release date
15/02/2011
US Release date
15/02/2011
  1. 10.0 |   The Scotsman

    Their fifth album is an especially commanding and compelling one
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  2. 9.0 |   musicOMH

    This is a staggering record, displaying not only a golden streak of songwriting but also a band newly energised to their cause - making it a return to form of near biblical proportions. Highly recommended
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  3. 9.0 |   Clash

    An album that will shadow most others
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  4. 8.0 |   FasterLouder

    Typically coloured by an overwrought outlook throughout, but it’s in this that The Dears have again succeeded in crafting an absorbing release
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  5. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    Not only have the Dears fallen back in love with making music, they’ve expanded their palate in exciting and unexpected ways
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  6. 8.0 |   Eye Weekly

    A comeback album of epic proportions
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  7. 8.0 |   Mojo

    The Dears are still well in the hunt for "the best indie rock act". Print edition only

  8. 8.0 |   Q

    As comebacks go, it's Lazarus-like. Print edition only

  9. 8.0 |   The Digital Fix

    Make no mistake, The Dears are fighting fit and they still sound like contenders
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  10. 7.5 |   A.V. Club

    A credit to Lightburn’s songwriting acumen and stubbornly heightened emotions
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  11. 7.0 |   Spin

    Lightburn still shoots for Smiths-like profundity and emotional resonance...but this time he's got the hooks to back it up
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  12. 7.0 |   Under The Radar

    The album begins with no hesitation, bearing down on the listener like a runaway train of fury, marking some of the heaviest tracks of the band’s history
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  13. 6.0 |   BBC

    Though not without merit, the overriding sensation is one of empty melodrama
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  14. 6.0 |   A.V. Club

    All in all it’s not a bad album, just not a patch on the group’s moment of undoubted genius, No Cities Left
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  15. 6.0 |   Uncut

    At 14 tracks, what begins as a demonstration of impressive ambition ends up dragging. Print edition only

  16. 6.0 |   Rave Magazine

    It appears the moody tunesmith has lost the momentum he maintained on 2006’s Gang Of Losers
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  17. 6.0 |   Blurt

    As extravagant as always, boasting the usual mix of swelling arrangements, subtle synths, over-the-top vocals and percolating rhythm
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  18. 6.0 |   NME

    It's [Lightburn's] heart-on-sleeve approach that might once again turn people off, despite the record containing some of The Dears' most radio-aiming choruses yet
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  19. 4.0 |   The Independent

    A glaring lack of distinguishing characteristics, compounded by a lack of decent materia
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  20. 4.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    An unlovable album
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  21. 4.0 |   DIY

    If you had very little knowledge of alternative indie from 1990 - 2005, I dare say you would love this album
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  22. 3.5 |   Bowlegs

    Where their last album succeeded through forced melancholy (the band was in state of disrepair), this sounds a little too cosy to create any vital moments
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  23. 2.4 |   Pitchfork

    Inchoate, banal lyrics and blustering tunes that go for it all, all the time,
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The Dears: Degeneration Street

  • Download full album for just £7.49
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  • 3. Blood £0.99
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