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10.0
29770
10.0 |
Daily Telegraph
Though consistently ground-breaking and lyrically challenging, Ritual Union never feels like hard work
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8.9
29800
8.9 |
Beats Per Minute
Little Dragon may be on the verge of a more mainstream stardom, but with Ritual Union, the band forges their own path and does not take the easy way out
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8.5
29288
8.5 |
Prefix
Ritual Union smartly looks to build upon Machine Dreams' formula of layered ambiance, writhing melodies, and a deceptively relentless momentum
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8.5
29430
8.5 |
BBC
Much like Little Dragon’s slow-burning career, Ritual Union is so wonderfully unassuming
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8.0
29459
8.0 |
The Guardian
They can sound aloof, as on the title track, with its keyboards that sound like glittering icicles. Or they can sound combative
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8.0
28890
8.0 |
musicOMH
Far more than instantly-forgotten ad fodder
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8.0
28933
8.0 |
Uncut
A lush tapestry of warmly surreal art-pop. Print edition only
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8.0
29774
8.0 |
Evening Standard
The quality dips towards the end, but you'll be too smitten by that point to notice
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8.0
29775
8.0 |
Independent on Sunday
Hakan Wirenstrand's analogue synth sounds rub up against Yukimi Nagano's soulful vocals like cool plastic against warm flesh
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8.0
28968
8.0 |
Mojo
Feels like the point which Little Dragon's lyrical style finally gets in step with their musical ambition. Print edition only
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8.0
29721
8.0 |
The Independent
Toytown electropop with a sultry, secretive air, courtesy of Yukimi Nagano's bewitching vocal
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8.0
29808
8.0 |
Clash
Minimal funk, dreamy pop and electro soul
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8.0
29828
8.0 |
DIY
At its heart, ‘Ritual Union’ is a pop record and a very good one at that
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8.0
29766
8.0 |
Slant Magazine
Paired with Nagano's warm, engrossing voice, Ritual Union's songs become much more than just capable synth-pop fare
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8.0
29854
8.0 |
Rolling Stone
Hits a sweet spot between the futuristic soul of their debut and the synth pop of 2009's Machine Dreams
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8.0
29936
8.0 |
The Irish Times
Sleek, more outgoing and less coy pop than was previously the case
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8.0
29977
8.0 |
State
This is not a fusion, there is no ‘weakening’ of one idea over the other. It’s a band
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8.0
31760
8.0 |
FasterLouder
A brave, diverse concoction with numerous ear-worms in the mix. It’s a grower; make sure you give it a chance
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7.0
30196
7.0 |
The AU Review
With an equal amount of digital and conventional instruments driving the already unique vocals, Little Dragon have got the goods to make a serious impression in both genres they seem to be dabbling in
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7.0
29856
7.0 |
Spin
Deepens the group's down-tempo mix of icy techno and smoldering R&B
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7.0
29846
7.0 |
Rave Magazine
Little Dragon’s music isn’t as dramatic as The Knife’s or as immediately catchy and gratifying as Robyn’s, but they’ve still managed to carve out a meaningful place in the Swedish pop landscape
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7.0
29765
7.0 |
The Fly
Languid in parts, brilliantly danceable in others
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7.0
29679
7.0 |
NME
On this lovely little patchwork pop record, there’s enough going on to make you actually quite scared of what they’d come up with if they had a budget
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7.0
29551
7.0 |
The Line Of Best Fit
Pretty damn good
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6.7
29837
6.7 |
Pitchfork
Little Dragon have clearly mastered their style on this album; hopefully next time around they will deliver more songs worthy of their sound
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6.7
29845
6.7 |
A.V. Club
Ritual Union is almost there, content to split the difference between genre pieces and potential pop hits
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6.5
29322
6.5 |
Paste Magazine
Emotionally taut lyrics, beautiful vocals, the metronome of drum machines and abstract electronics that create a sound that’s at once unique and strangely familia
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6.5
29622
6.5 |
Bowlegs
This band can make hushed, electronic soul and dancing machinery better than most
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6.0
29624
6.0 |
Drowned In Sound
An assured, polished and skilful album, but you're left restless for other far less coy contemporaries, namely Hot Chip who know how to dapple their dainty sophistication with immediate thrills
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6.0
28951
6.0 |
Q
The songs are hamstrung by their own restraint. Print edition only
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6.0
29588
6.0 |
Scotland on Sunday
If you are fed up being spoon fed all the hits by radio formats, this change will prove as good as a rest
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6.0
29509
6.0 |
The Observer
No matter how exquisite Little Dragon's production skills, how sophisticated Nagano's tones, Ritual Union remains a frustrating record as well as a good one
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6.0
35111
6.0 |
No Ripcord
Ritual Union is catchy and well-produced, but it certainly doesn’t demand any more than a handful of listens
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5.0
29802
5.0 |
Under The Radar
Ritual Union is a mixed bag, its feet uncomfortably divided between the dance floor and the couch
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5.0
29797
5.0 |
Pretty Much Amazing
A boon for a very specific subset of the population: the curators of semi-hip retail chains who provide shoppers with quirky and unobtrusive soundtracks
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4.0
29880
4.0 |
Consequence Of Sound
A return to form. For the worse
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