Albums to watch

We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors Of Peace And Magic

Foxygen

We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors Of Peace And Magic

Second full-length album of 60s & 70s-indebted experimental pop from the two-piece from Westlake Village, California

ADM rating[?]

7.3

Label
Jagjaguwar
UK Release date
21/01/2013
US Release date
22/01/2013
  1. 9.0 |   All Music

    It's a gorgeous and non-stop convergence of ideas, some borrowed, some original, some refurbished, and some outright stolen
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  2. 8.5 |   Beats Per Minute

    Delivers on the promise of Foxygen’s previous material in almost every way possible, offering up full and complete songs filled with bright instrumentation and enough surprising songwriting turns to get lost in
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  3. 8.4 |   Pitchfork

    Having a great record collection and having some idea what to do with it are two different things, and on We Are The Ambassadors Foxygen have internalized enough of the music they love to start toying with it
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  4. 8.3 |   Pretty Much Amazing

    Foxygen is a breath of fresh air, reviving a vintage style of songwriting in a new and creative fashion
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  5. 8.2 |   Paste Magazine

    At the end of the day the songs are either good or they’re not. What’s most impressive about 21st Century is that there’s nary a dud in the bunch
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  6. 8.0 |   The Fly

    A rewarding mixture of romance, wit and fantasy
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  7. 8.0 |   Tone Deaf

    A wildly creative romp through the Californian pop landscape
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  8. 8.0 |   NME

    A record that bursts with lovable eccentricities, but never tries too hard. Print edition only

  9. 8.0 |   Bowlegs

    Super songs from the offset and real melodic and experimental growers when given a second, third etc listens
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  10. 8.0 |   DIY

    There is a classicism to Foxygen’s sound that brings to mind any number of late 60s acts
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  11. 8.0 |   Under The Radar

    Stubbornly refuses to be pigeonholed into any single genre; but in this release's case, they're at least sticking to the music of one era
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  12. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    Perhaps a bit too wayward for some this is, nonetheless, bravura pop that makes a resounding ping right at the top of your head
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  13. 8.0 |   BBC

    They’re enjoying themselves, and the enthusiasm on this messy collection of songs is infectious
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  14. 8.0 |   Mojo

    Serious fun. Print edition only

  15. 7.9 |   The AU Review

    Their odd quirkiness really shines through, and they seem to have found their voice and sound as a band
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  16. 7.5 |   The 405

    Derivative yes, but when it's this fun who cares?
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  17. 7.0 |   musicOMH

    They may at first appear to be a band rooted in the past, but they are very much one for the future
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  18. 7.0 |   PopMatters

    An entertaining riot of gleeful joy and youthful energy
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  19. 7.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    Foxygen owe a lot to their sonic influences, but everything else — the lyrics, the artwork, the humor — is their own
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  20. 7.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    Though the songs are a bit scatterbrained, France and Rado leapfrog traditional genres with youthful confidence, none of which sounds contrived
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  21. 6.5 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    Just because you have material, doesn’t mean you should release it – it should always be quality over quantity
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  22. 6.0 |   The Observer

    As this bold magpie of an album flies past, its swagger falters occasionally as genre pastiches gain the upper hand
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  23. 5.0 |   No Ripcord

    21st Century Ambassadors relies mostly on its charm; the album feels more like a game of “guess the influence” than a determined musical statement, and the irony-laden lyrics rarely unearth a gem
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  24. 0.0 |   The Quietus

    Bizarrely garnering positive notices on both sides of the Atlantic despite sounding like a demo tape for a band who'd have been considered too risible to make it past the auditions for Austin Powers' Ming Tea
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