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8.0
47804
8.0 |
Uncut
Offers selections from his musical diary. Print edition only
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8.0
48040
8.0 |
Q
Now storytelling itself appears to be his great escape. Print edition only
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8.0
49398
8.0 |
Blurt
Gibbard's first solo effort entices with fare that's wonderfully dissimilar from beginning to end
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7.5
47536
7.5 |
Paste Magazine
A true solo album, with Gibbard showcasing a memorable and rewarding set of odds and ends from the last eight years of his songwriting career
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7.5
47516
7.5 |
The Line Of Best Fit
iIt’s full of ideas, and bodes well for any future solo output from the Death Cab frontman, but lacks the singular destination which would lift it from “very good” to “great”
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7.0
47517
7.0 |
Under The Radar
Simply a charming patchwork collection of songs from just shy of the last decade
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7.0
47512
7.0 |
Rolling Stone
A solo set of Beatles-nuzzling ballads so pretty they'd make any actress jealous
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7.0
48587
7.0 |
The Digital Fix
Cleverly-crafted guitar pop with an emotional core that never over-eggs its inherent smarts
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7.0
49272
7.0 |
Sputnik Music (staff)
Things noticeably pick up in the album’s second half, as any traditional indie rock sensibilities that Gibbard may have initially had start to recede and are replaced by a grittier, slightly more abstract edge
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6.0
47514
6.0 |
Consequence Of Sound
It’s fun to see the songwriter try his hand at new things, even if for the most part they only constitute subtle tweaks in the formula
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6.0
47518
6.0 |
Pitchfork
Whereas Gibbard uses gloopy metaphor and cloying rhyme within Death Cab to open up new possibilities for emotional expression, Former Lives employs the same methods to ultimately insulate songs that don't have much of a core
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6.0
47542
6.0 |
Spin
For all his three relationships spanned and catchy tunes composed, Gibbard is too nice to dish it out, and too bland to reveal any meaningful lessons learne
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6.0
47553
6.0 |
PopMatters
Falls prey to typical solo album problems, like stylistic explorations that a band might correctly veto as ill-fitting throwaways
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6.0
48361
6.0 |
The Independent
Bears few scars of his recent divorce from Zooey Deschanel, suggesting there's nothing like melodic pop for cauterising emotional trauma
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5.8
47513
5.8 |
A.V. Club
The album is all over the place both thematically and musically
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5.0
47515
5.0 |
All Music
With all its clean-cut melodies and smirky introspection, even Death Cab fans might have a hard time finding Former Lives more than a collection of melancholy, whimsical tunes
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5.0
47519
5.0 |
Slant Magazine
It's all very pretty, but none of it means much in context because Gibbard refuses to get as personal as he's been in the past
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5.0
48389
5.0 |
Drowned In Sound
Though Former Lives is certainly flawed, there’s many a moment when you’re simply unable to forget his talents
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4.0
48190
4.0 |
The Skinny
Jettisoning the light experimentalism that’s characterised recent Death Cab for Cutie releases, Gibbard offers in its place a comparatively bland collection cobbled together over an eight-year period
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3.8
48318
3.8 |
Bowlegs
Won’t offend you in any way, but neither will it excite, or capture your attention for more than the occasional fleeting moment
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