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8.5
58996
8.5 |
Bowlegs
Defend Yourself is not only a return to romantic neurosis, but a slight return to form with a more mature and patient guitar attack
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8.0
58997
8.0 |
All Music
When Defend Yourself hits its stride, it's amazing how timeless and unique the classic Sebadoh sound really is
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8.0
59019
8.0 |
Mojo
A red-blooded, powerful live feel full of adrenalin and excitement. Print edition only
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8.0
59023
8.0 |
Q
A return with soul and fire. Print edition only
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8.0
59029
8.0 |
PopMatters
Defend Yourself might just be Sebadoh’s most consistent and coherent effort yet
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8.0
59036
8.0 |
Paste Magazine
Full of heartache, fear and uncertainty, the album has a particularly somber sense
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8.0
58994
8.0 |
The Skinny
A good reminder of why the furious, distorted guitars of Sebadoh are still revered
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8.0
59301
8.0 |
FasterLouder
There are great songs here, but part of what makes them great is that they teeter so close to ruin
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8.0
59339
8.0 |
The 405
This reunion album is no mere retread of past glories: as tracks like the bruising 'Inquires' and the beautiful penultimate track 'Listen' attest to
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7.0
59383
7.0 |
Under The Radar
Defend Yourself is a conscious throwback to the undefeated years, leapfrogging the sound of 1999's major label flop, The Sebadoh, and holding closer to the band's early- and mid-'90s triumphs
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7.0
59242
7.0 |
Rolling Stone
The album bristles with post-divorce bummers both electric and gracefully acoustic
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7.0
58989
7.0 |
musicOMH
It’s well crafted and well paced, and features more than enough discordantly catchy riffs (at least two corkers in Beat alone) to sustain the listener’s interest. But for all that, it’s an album dusted only lightly with genuine greatness
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6.0
58990
6.0 |
Consequence Of Sound
When it falls, it’s awkward, but when it gets there, it gets there. The blunders are pure Barlow, but so are the gems
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6.0
58992
6.0 |
Spin
Musical achievements that once came easily (if not accidentally) to Sebadoh must now be persistently willed; processes that once pointed toward self-discovery now only offer a familiar balm
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6.0
58993
6.0 |
NME
The answer to a question nobody was asking
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6.0
59024
6.0 |
Uncut
This isn't quite vintage Sebadoh. Print edition only
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6.0
58988
6.0 |
Drowned In Sound
Undeniably, unmistakably and enjoyably a Sebadoh record, and that’s surely enough for anyone?
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6.0
58995
6.0 |
Slant Magazine
While reuniting with that band has been good for Barlow's bank statement, it's been a bit of a drag on the gnarled genius that made us miss Sebadoh in the first place
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6.0
59106
6.0 |
Pitchfork
The best that can be said of Defend Yourself is that it isn't embarrassing; they didn't lose the plot like the Pixies, and it's better than The Sebadoh simply because they got out of that L.A. studio and back to their roots
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6.0
59188
6.0 |
The Line Of Best Fit
While dialing down the distortion has frequently been a good move for Barlow in the past, here it just sounds more like he’s out of gas
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5.0
58991
5.0 |
A.V. Club
A largely murky affair punctuated by a few bright spots of that old-time Barlow sadness. The sound remains the same, but the songs aren’t always there
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