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8.5
43766
8.5 |
BBC
We’ve been gifted an impressive document of a band in full Krautrock-psychedelia-horrorprog flow
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8.0
43538
8.0 |
The Fly
Delightfully creepy
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8.0
43609
8.0 |
Mojo
Seeking a willfully insouciant antidote to slick, Auto-Tuned studio 'perfection'? Look no further. Print edition only
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8.0
43460
8.0 |
The Skinny
There is a deceptively loose, tightly controlled flow to each track, and they never get lost in willfully abstract noise
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8.0
43514
8.0 |
NME
Menacing and paranoid, this second album makes satisfying sense in 2012, and even leaves you grateful to live in a chaotic world
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8.0
43525
8.0 |
Independent on Sunday
Their second album sounds like Kraftwerk's Autobahn driven by tractor.
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8.0
43528
8.0 |
The Observer
Impressive, if disconcerting, as they build on Portishead's noirish textures and – with vocals buried so deep in the mix as to make them unintelligible – take a turn for the darker
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8.0
44441
8.0 |
Spin
For all of the tension in the music, Barrow and his cohorts couldn't sound more relaxed, natural, and at home weird home
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8.0
44631
8.0 |
No Ripcord
Though >> is low on any truly startling surprises, the album masters the art of the buildup in its own unique way, slowly introducing different nuances and elements into tracks to transform seemingly tame moments into terrifying ones
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7.5
43420
7.5 |
The Line Of Best Fit
Beak> are creating music that is for the most part wonderful, wonderfully fucked up
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7.3
43417
7.3 |
Pitchfork
Retains the same eerie, claustrophobic atmosphere as its predecessor ... But the new album also boasts a brisker pace, tauter arrangements, and a more purposeful sequence
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7.0
43418
7.0 |
Consequence Of Sound
While there are certainly missteps, points at which the grooves just aren’t worth celebrating, there are moments on >> that are greater than their assembled pieces
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7.0
43419
7.0 |
musicOMH
Recorded mostly live without overdubs, >> is the humble, unpretentious sound of an artist pursuing a very personal and refreshingly unspectacular vision
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7.0
43421
7.0 |
Bowlegs
Beak> clearly know their music, yet they’re not here to replicate, reproduce or re-enact. This is a band doing it their way, and you can hear that all over this record – hence it’s very good indeed
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7.0
43506
7.0 |
The Quietus
Barrow doesn't go through the motions – and >> is definitely not the sound of a band in decline
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7.0
43416
7.0 |
Drowned In Sound
Easy to like, occasionally even lose yourself in, but difficult to love and commit yourself to
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7.0
43537
7.0 |
DIY
If you’re willing to sit and listen, the only guarantee is that it will be an utterly engrossing experience
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7.0
43872
7.0 |
PopMatters
One of >>‘s greatest assets is its creep appeal. While the first Beak> outing was almost entirely instrumental, >> has upped the ante by bringing some nigh unintelligible vocals into the mix
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6.5
43536
6.5 |
Prefix
Don’t expect any pop songs. As he did in Portishead, Barrow revels in pure atmosphere and mood
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6.0
43622
6.0 |
Q
Pleasing, brain-squeezing racket. Print edition only
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2.0
44559
2.0 |
Uncut
It's breathtaking in its laziness. Print edition only
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