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10.0
59237
10.0 |
A.V. Club
One of the year’s best albums, which means that buzz won’t be dying down any time soon
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10.0
59332
10.0 |
The List
Blindsides with such hyper-melodic electro-verve it’s almost ludicrous
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9.0
59337
9.0 |
Prefix
Chvrches are that rare pop-band capable of being dark and meditative or fun and philosophical in a matter of minutes, yet still sounding distinctly like themselves
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9.0
59049
9.0 |
DIY
Twelve equally matched moments of varied tone but consistent brilliance
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9.0
59050
9.0 |
Clash
An exceptionally strong debut where every track is a potential single
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9.0
59207
9.0 |
Consequence Of Sound
CHVRCHES have distanced themselves from the flash-in-the-pan acts cluttering the blogosphere. Simply put, they’ve evolved from a hype band to something much more coveted: a great band
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8.5
59178
8.5 |
The 405
Great lyrics? Check. Well-formed songs? Check. Brilliant hooks? That'll be 12 checks. If you're looking for a synth-pop album from this year that does everything it sets out to do, get on this
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8.5
59296
8.5 |
Pitchfork
A seamless fusion of emotive theatrics, hook-loaded songwriting, and some of the more forward-thinking sonics in electronic music right now
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8.5
59503
8.5 |
The Quietus
Captures the sound of pop music working out how to use the recent past to move slowly but surely again into the future
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8.3
59201
8.3 |
Pretty Much Amazing
This is how synthpop was meant to be; the robotic notes of a keyboard rendered human and given a beating heart
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8.0
60034
8.0 |
FasterLouder
A hyperactive dance-off constructed with a laser like precision that fuses the sweet and bitter elements
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8.0
59517
8.0 |
Q
A captivating listen that's proudly individualistic, heart-warmingly intelligent and beautifully intonated. Print edition only
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8.0
59518
8.0 |
Mojo
A rare and beautiful thing for a debut: astute, seductive and sly. Print edition only
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8.0
59302
8.0 |
Spin
It's hard to make pop like this; an album that's so sonically uplifting even when it's rooted in something much darker. Merging these seemingly opposing ideas so flawlessly is what makes TBOWYB such a compelling listen
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8.0
59243
8.0 |
Rolling Stone
Bones is full of incisive, sweeping songs made from last-ditch emotions
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8.0
59352
8.0 |
Entertainment.ie
The key to the album's success is the emphasis on the ideal that the song is all that matters - there is not a single duff track on this record
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8.0
59450
8.0 |
God Is In The TV
They can do anthemic and upbeat, but also dark and brooding
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8.0
59184
8.0 |
All Music
There's a disarming emotional directness to The Bones of What You Believe that makes it a unique, fully realized take on a style that seemed close to being played out
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8.0
59048
8.0 |
The Skinny
They're simply irresistible; Scotland's finest pop band
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8.0
59199
8.0 |
Under The Radar
Instrumentally, The Bones of What You Believe is an ecstatic record, while its lyrical themes are grave and deal in corporal motifs
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8.0
59051
8.0 |
The Line Of Best Fit
Excellent, as we all knew it would be. Many of the tracks available here could be chart-bothering Top Ten flirters, and Chvrches' gutsy, crucial sonic smoothie never ceases to be utterly charming
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8.0
59054
8.0 |
NME
While not every track has the immediacy of Lies or Recover, there's not a weak one among them
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8.0
59055
8.0 |
Drowned In Sound
There’s so much to love on its surface that the record could live in a collection and function solely as a catchy pop nugget for the rest of its existence
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8.0
59056
8.0 |
Time Out
Expect to be hearing about Chvrches for some time to come – and believe the hype
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8.0
59057
8.0 |
The Irish Times
The record is finely manicured, and Lauren Mayberry’s sweet voice makes the songs instantly recognisable
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8.0
59148
8.0 |
Independent on Sunday
This album shimmers. Big 1980s production and ba-da-boom drum pads are updated with bass wobble and precision percussive snap
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7.6
59052
7.6 |
Sputnik Music (staff)
Chvrches have delivered all the promises made with their early material and then some, coalescing in one of this year’s biggest surprises
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7.0
59053
7.0 |
Uncut
Chvrches are blessed with hidden depths. Print edition only
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7.0
59294
7.0 |
Paste Magazine
The songs here are cohesive but never awkwardly uniform. You can guarantee a certain number of elements to be present on every track but each leads to a different concoction than that which came before it
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6.7
59334
6.7 |
Beats Per Minute
As all of their advance singles have proven, the cartoonish maximalism of Chvrches’ production is damn near irresistible in chunks. They write very strong songs, but aural satiation sinks in over Bones‘ 48 minute runtime
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6.0
59922
6.0 |
No Ripcord
The Mother We Share was our sweet Mexican black-tar heroin, and there was no way anything could compare to the first experience
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6.0
59152
6.0 |
The Observer
There's enough crunch to their hooky electropop to dispel accusations of unwarranted hype
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6.0
59175
6.0 |
PopMatters
For fans of the band’s early demos, their Recover EP and one-off singles, there is much familiar territory on the debut album
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6.0
59193
6.0 |
The Scotsman
There is no shortage of synth-pop acts doing the rounds just now but Chvrches approach from a slightly more disarming angle
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5.0
59196
5.0 |
The Fly
It’s hard to be really horrible, because there’s nothing actively bad about CHVRCHES. But it is hard to care too much about something this safe
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5.0
59231
5.0 |
Slant Magazine
While the album has its fair share of sweet spots, the handful of capable melodies never quite balances out its bizarre impulses or the utter lack of thematic unity
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