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Monomania

Deerhunter

Monomania

Bradford Cox and Co up the garage rock quotient on the 6th full-length release from the Atlanta indie rock / ambient punk band

ADM rating[?]

7.7

Label
4AD
UK Release date
06/05/2013
US Release date
07/05/2013
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  1. 10.0 |   The Observer

    There is a form of mania at work here, but the results are propulsive and ecstatic
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  2. 9.5 |   Bowlegs

    One of the greatest American Rock and Roll albums in recent memory
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  3. 9.3 |   Paste Magazine

    No mere mid-career album, Monomania registers as an absolute impact event, a massive dirty blast marking the moment Deerhunter’s steady trajectory spins out of control
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  4. 9.1 |   Pretty Much Amazing

    It is not a return to form, because how could we expect or want it to be? It is a return to the contextually avant-garde, and for Deerhunter in 2013 that means rock n’ roll
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  5. 9.0 |   No Ripcord

    Taken as a whole, Monomania is arguably their most imposing, and by far their most courageous
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  6. 9.0 |   Spin

    Their most accessible record yet, but no one does "accessible" quite like Bradford Cox
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  7. 8.5 |   Under The Radar

    Deerhunter can still ache with the best of them
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  8. 8.5 |   The 405

    If nothing else, Monomania makes a solid case for defining Deerhunter as an essential group; one of the great modern American rock bands
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  9. 8.3 |   Pitchfork

    They’ve pulled off something admirable in making an illogical left turn feel like the logical next step where one didn’t exist
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  10. 8.3 |   A.V. Club

    There are just a handful of tracks on Monomania that could be aptly described as “sounding nothing like Deerhunter,” and that’s part of its charm
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  11. 8.2 |   Sputnik Music (staff)

    Monomania demands an undivided attention and continuous play to truly see the beauty within its surrealism
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  12. 8.0 |   DIY

    The best way to enjoy this album is to put it on as loudly as neighbours and speakers permit, and fall dangerously in love with it
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  13. 8.0 |   FasterLouder

    Monomania is pretty damn good for a band playing against their strengths
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  14. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    Another example of what can happen when a brilliant songwriter retreats into his own head and comes out with visions of monsters
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  15. 8.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    Though packed with trademark lyrical curiosities, it’s the sound of Monomania that’s its biggest departure. It might be a step towards something more conventional structurally, but it’s anything but a step back
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  16. 8.0 |   State

    Deerhunter can never be unlistenable or as gleefully obscure as they assume they are, as Cox can’t help himself. However much he tries, he can’t escape his undeniable knack for weaving impossibly addictive melodies
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  17. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    In Cox’s vision exists this album of much rock rather than weird rock. It’s half as strange as anything Deerhunter or Atlas Sound has made before, but twice as reflective of, well, music
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  18. 8.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    It’ll find its calling this summer as the band’s most fun album
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  19. 8.0 |   Mojo

    Thoroughly fresh and weirdly magnetic from start to finish. Print edition only

  20. 8.0 |   Q

    A delicious vision of pop. Print edition only

  21. 8.0 |   NME

    The range of Cox's musical scope is laid bare
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  22. 7.5 |   Beats Per Minute

    It may not reach the same creative highs or artistic wholeness of their previous releases, but in its own right, it can be just as enjoyable
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  23. 7.0 |   The Digital Fix

    The adeptness and imagination which has grounded so much of the band’s output is a rewarding feature throughout
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  24. 7.0 |   Uncut

    Even his palette cleansers are Michelin-starred. Print edition only

  25. 7.0 |   Rolling Stone

    There is clearly no quietude in Cox's frantic mind, but his obsession yields beauty
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  26. 7.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    Monomania achieves what it set out to be: an avant punk record
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  27. 7.0 |   All Music

    By turns raw and reflective, Monomania is about shaking things up; it's not as grand or cohesive as Microcastle or Halcyon Digest, but with repeated listens, its quick shifts in sound and mood feel more like different sides of the same coin than a split personality
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  28. 7.0 |   Loud And Quiet

    'Monomania’ is an ersatz concept album that needs its context of one record among many to make sense
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  29. 6.0 |   The Fly

    Treading water’s still treading water, no matter how much of a racket you make in the process
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  30. 6.0 |   The Guardian

    Cox's voice is distorted and roughened throughout: it's paisley pop played through a garage rock-filter
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  31. 6.0 |   The Skinny

    It’s no clean kill shot for sure, but Deerhunter still possess the power to stun
    Read Review

  32. 6.0 |   The Quietus

    Deerhunter never achieve cohesion of style or energy on Monomania
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  33. 6.0 |   Clash

    A confident and competent continuation of established qualities
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  34. 5.0 |   Slant Magazine

    Whereas both Deerhunter and Atlas Sound albums typically reflect the obsessive brilliance and meticulous pathos of Cox's personality, there's few signs of either on Monomania, which is in dire need of a little less impulse and a bit more OCD
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