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10.0
74116
10.0 |
NOW
An indisputable triumph and a staggering opening statement from pop music's newest Piano Man
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9.1
73982
9.1 |
Consequence Of Sound
Vocalizes a timelessness through the mouth of a man playing simply to start over, earnest as he’ll ever be
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9.0
74077
9.0 |
Paste Magazine
While the comparisons to Harry Nilsson and John Lennon hold up over the course of the debut, what may be the most surprising is the range that Jesso shows throughout
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8.5
74014
8.5 |
Pitchfork
With its clear debt to a specific era, Goon has a meta quality, an album of music that illustrates the power of music
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8.3
74063
8.3 |
A.V. Club
Jesso’s music has the potential to do something rather radical without feeling craven or compromised
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8.2
74061
8.2 |
Earbuddy
You won’t have to dig deep to understand Goon, but with such a strong collection of pop tunes, is that really such a bad thing?
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8.0
73981
8.0 |
The Line Of Best Fit
There lies something of a tension of Jesso Jr.'s hymns of failure, softly articulated emotional deserts, and his burgeoning success as a pop artist
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8.0
74250
8.0 |
Beardfood
An album full of classic sounding piano pop, perfect for a Sunday morning
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8.0
74070
8.0 |
The Music
A fearless collection of piano-driven ballads that evoke the big-hitters of yore
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8.0
74019
8.0 |
Under The Radar
There aren't any tricky metaphors or stream-of-consciousness poetry—it's just a guy on his piano with his heart on his sleeve
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8.0
74021
8.0 |
DIY
‘Goon’ is gluttonously full of rich sounds, but it’s the running thread that counts: That voice, and its ability to sing about experiences like they’re universal stories, not a means of self-indulgence
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8.0
74025
8.0 |
Exclaim
A pretty extraordinary album, but what makes Goon really special is the future it hints at
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8.0
73983
8.0 |
The 405
His debut album experiments with intense sincerity and captivating subtleties in the lyrics and melodies respectively
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8.0
73984
8.0 |
NME
The Canadian singer's debut is a mix of Lennon-style melodies and sumptuous orchestration
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8.0
73985
8.0 |
The Irish Times
An album of soul-baring romance and quiet triumph from a significant new talent who knows all about the power of sad songs
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8.0
74005
8.0 |
The Observer
Ultimately, Goon is a very good album, one further elevated by its terrific tale of redemption. Here, victory is belatedly extracted from the digestive tract of defeat
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8.0
74009
8.0 |
Mojo
Classic balladry dressed with baroque arrangements, it’s lovely stuff throughout. Print edition only
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8.0
74010
8.0 |
Q
Winsome melodies and gorgeous chords never fail to hit the spot. Print edition only
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8.0
74011
8.0 |
Uncut
It takes some skill to make these sentimental songs sound this effortless. Print edition only
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7.5
74039
7.5 |
Crack
A collection of work that both sounds and feels outside of time, melodically and emotionally, and one that heralds the emergence of an exciting new songwriter
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7.5
74052
7.5 |
Pretty Much Amazing
Goon is adept enough to say what it wants to, and flawed enough to appear derived from reality
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7.4
74023
7.4 |
Sputnik Music (staff)
While the LP’s latter half doesn’t quite live up to it’s opening half-dozen tracks, sufficient variety is instilled in all the right places
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7.0
74053
7.0 |
Loud And Quiet
Soak in the genuinely engaging strength of the songwriting and its skilful, less-is-more delivery
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7.0
74038
7.0 |
Clash
'Goon' is not perfect, but it's the imperfections and the straight honesty that bleeds through it that make it so appealing
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7.0
74066
7.0 |
Rolling Stone
His debut LP gathers 12 beautifully lean ballads sung in a vulnerable tenor, with vintage studio touches
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6.0
74087
6.0 |
The Guardian
He sounds like an artist with a future more interesting than his obsession with the past
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6.0
74149
6.0 |
Spin
The tension between his fully-formed toplines and his placid playing is something to enliven the record's backstory. But it may not be enough for a follow-up album
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6.0
74320
6.0 |
PopMatters
Goon isn’t great, at least in terms of its ambitions, but it is a fine example of what might evolve from pure pop purpose
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