Albums to watch

Mumps, Etc.

Why?

Mumps, Etc.

Fourth album from Jonathan ""Yoni"" Wolf's Californian hip hop and indie rock collective

ADM rating[?]

6.8

Label
City Slang
UK Release date
08/10/2012
US Release date
02/10/2012
  1. 9.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    It encapsulates what makes them so unique while subtly expanding and pushing forward their sound, and as such must be viewed a real triumph
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  2. 9.0 |   Bowlegs

    Truly special. It’s a depiction of hope out of sickness
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  3. 9.0 |   All Music

    Wolf is as honest and, in a greater sense, as generous a songwriter as we have, and Mumps, Etc. may be his finest gift yet
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  4. 8.0 |   The Skinny

    Brilliantly produced and sequenced; instrumentation is rich and ornate (heavenly harps and ethereal bells abound) and the pace of proceedings, with a rapped number often followed by a sung one, helps it gel fantastically
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  5. 8.0 |   DIY

    Anyone with a shred of interest in Yoni Wolf’s idiosyncratic talents will find much to savour on a very impressive return
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  6. 7.8 |   Beats Per Minute

    It has a great deal more rapping, and at the best moments Yoni sounds top of his game, but at the same time, he’s still singing away, and he’s incorporating more and more live instrumentation
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  7. 7.4 |   Paste Magazine

    Home to some of the frontman’s most compelling rhymes, and there’s a narrative flow here that gives even the most skippable tracks momentum
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  8. 7.0 |   The Quietus

    While we often expect clarity of thought from our favourite lyricists, Wolf's admission that he doesn't hold all the answers makes these songs all the more relatable and poignant
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  9. 7.0 |   No Ripcord

    The band are a shade or two less engaging than we’re used to
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  10. 7.0 |   NME

    Worrying about oversharing has never been Californian rapper and Anticon co-founder Yoni Wolf’s bag
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  11. 7.0 |   Slant Magazine

    An assured, thematically united set
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  12. 6.7 |   A.V. Club

    Mumps finds Wolf at his most crisp and confident—and it’s uncomfortable
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  13. 6.5 |   Under The Radar

    There's enough here to more than make up for their last few years of radio silence
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  14. 6.0 |   musicOMH

    There's enough humour in the words and inventiveness in the production to keep coming back to these songs
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  15. 6.0 |   Prefix

    Where on previous efforts even Wolf’s grimmest death wishes had a certain joie de vivre, here he just sounds bored -- or worse, like a wet blanket
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  16. 6.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    Though it sounds messy, Mumps holds itself together with Wolf’s world-weary musings on wellness
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  17. 5.5 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    The problem isn’t that there’s too much moaning, it’s just that it’s not done with the wit or insight we’ve come to expect from Wolf, nor is it backed up by beats or melodies that are consistently up to standard
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  18. 4.0 |   Q

    A message that life is, you know, a bit shit and stuff isn't good enough any more. Print edition only

  19. 2.8 |   Pitchfork

    At the very least, Mumps, etc. creates a new wrinkle in discussing what "career suicide" can really mean
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Why?: Mumps, Etc.

  • Download full album for just £7.49
  • 1. Jonathan's Hope £0.89
  • 2. Strawberries £0.89
  • 3. Waterlines £0.89
  • 4. Thirteen on High £0.89
  • 5. White English £0.89
  • 6. Danny £0.89
  • 7. Sod in the Seed £0.89
  • 8. Distance £0.89
  • 9. Thirst £0.89
  • 10. Kevin's Cancer £0.89
  • 11. Bitter Thoughts £0.89
  • 12. Paper Hearts £0.89
  • 13. As a Card £0.89
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