Albums to watch

Tripper

Fruit Bats

Tripper

Fifth album from Eric D. Johnson's band, not moving too far from their folk pop sound

ADM rating[?]

7.1

Label
Sub Pop
UK Release date
15/08/2011
US Release date
02/08/2011
  1. 8.5 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    Another hugely agreeable and dependably laudable album, while Pernice Brother Thom Monahan’s production leaves the listener with a hazy sense of tunes well-worked
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  2. 8.5 |   The Quietus

    An album that has largely smoothed over most of the rough edges that were such a charming part of Fruit Bats' previous album, The Ruminant Band. Tripper is, however, still spectacular
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  3. 8.2 |   Beats Per Minute

    Featuring generous heaps of falsetto and sparse, jagged guitar licks, Fruit Bats’ Tripper plays as a spectral highway romp that pairs jaunty folk-pop ditties with effervescent pop
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  4. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    Tripper is a side project, but don’t confuse that term with second-rate cast-offs: this is top-drawer stuff
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  5. 8.0 |   Uncut

    Sounds like a lost '70s Americana-meets-art rock classic. Print edition only

  6. 8.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    Lovely stuff
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  7. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    An album that should see Fruit Bats and Eric Johnson finally receive the acclaim they deserve
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  8. 8.0 |   Clash

    ‘You’re Too Weird’ sounds gloriously like The Bee Gees covering Bon Iver and there is whispered beauty in ‘Wild Honey’ ghostly lament
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  9. 8.0 |   BBC

    Doomed perhaps to always sit in the shadow of Fleet Foxes, Fruit Bats have nonetheless crafted a beautifully uncluttered, ethereal album
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  10. 8.0 |   BBC

    A beautifully uncluttered, ethereal fifth album
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  11. 7.5 |   The AU Review

    An excellent addition to an already amazing and solid discography but requires some attention to fully realise its beauty
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  12. 7.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    Essentially, Tripper is not a drastic change for Fruit Bats but an homage to expansion and trying new things–while still knowing where home is
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  13. 7.0 |   Under The Radar

    Songs that are sharp and to the point while avoiding the tweeness that saddles some of today’s folk bands
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  14. 7.0 |   PopMatters

    You’ll hear more about Fleet Foxes in 2011, surely, but that doesn’t mean you’re not missing out if you overlook this album
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  15. 7.0 |   Rave Magazine

    An album about being on the road, for rainy days spent inside
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  16. 7.0 |   FasterLouder

    It’s the quieter numbers that are this record’s strength
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  17. 7.0 |   AU Review

    An enjoyable listen
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  18. 7.0 |   The Quietus

    The journey that Tripper takes, without ever really reaching any destination, is fascinating
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  19. 7.0 |   The Fly

    Tripper suggests a group finally beginning to hit their stride
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  20. 7.0 |   Blurt

    A subtle and captivating release
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  21. 6.9 |   Paste Magazine

    It’s all very familiar and nice, nothing too radical, and the kind of stuff that gets lapped up and lambasted in equal measure, depending on who’s dispensing the feedback
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  22. 6.8 |   Pitchfork

    Johnson's tales aren't all that hooky. At least, not enough to buoy Tripper's soft and moody music
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  23. 6.7 |   A.V. Club

    For all the sweet melodies and bright tapestry Johnson creates in the album’s first half, it loses momentum in the second half
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  24. 6.0 |   Bowlegs

    Where Johnson goes next is probably not a question we need to ask. And if his records continue to maintain such likeable standards then he can stay right where he is for all we care
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  25. 6.0 |   Q

    Captivating. Print edition only

  26. 5.0 |   No Ripcord

    Right smack dab in the middle of nothing and everything
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  27. 4.0 |   Prefix

    There's too many synths, too many hooks, and just too much happening for us to enjoy it. The charm is gone, and we're left with a mess too muddy to understand
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Fruit Bats: Tripper

  • Download full album for just £8.49
  • 1. Tony the Tripper £0.99
  • 2. So Long £0.99
  • 3. Tangie and Ray £0.99
  • 4. Shivering Fawn £0.99
  • 5. You're Too Weird £0.99
  • 6. Heart Like an Orange £0.99
  • 7. Dolly £0.99
  • 8. The Banishment Song £0.99
  • 9. The Fen £0.99
  • 10. Wild Honey £0.99
  • 11. Picture of a Bird £0.99
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