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8.5
74410
8.5 |
The Line Of Best Fit
What’s next for the band is difficult to forecast, but Kintsugi, ambitious and assured throughout, bookends the Walla era with real elegance
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8.3
74527
8.3 |
A.V. Club
Almost all the tracks feel like unearthed cassette singles from that Reagan-era pop landscape
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8.0
74484
8.0 |
DIY
Eight albums in – Death Cab For Cutie are born again; a little cracked, but all the more golden for it
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8.0
74414
8.0 |
The Music
It’s lovely to hear him swaddled once more in Dntel like radiowaves but Gibbard seems too eager to shuffle back to the comforting surrounds of downtempo
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8.0
74416
8.0 |
Evening Standard
Death Cab have emerged from their tribulations stronger than ever — and The Ghosts of Beverly Drive is one of the best songs of their career
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7.0
74493
7.0 |
The 405
While many of the tracks fall flat, the vestiges of their prior form - confession and melody and, ultimately, charm - will likely still be evident enough to keep fans enamored
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7.0
74494
7.0 |
Earbuddy
Death Cab have always written songs about heartbreak and isolation, and Kintsugi is no exception
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7.0
74559
7.0 |
Rolling Stone
Death Cab have coped with their losses collectively, and emerged with a heart-wrenchingly honest record
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7.0
74571
7.0 |
All Music
Gibbard has a gentle touch so having cushy, sugary melodies mirrored by a production equally as supple feels like a marriage of intent and sound
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7.0
74574
7.0 |
Paste Magazine
Maybe Kintsugi isn’t a perfect effort. But like the ceramic art itself, Death Cab’s attempt at repatching was thoughtful, deliberate and, at times, really beautiful
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7.0
74672
7.0 |
Exclaim
Put simply, Kintsugi is 2003 enough to satiate long-time fans, but 2015 enough to appeal to the next generation of potential listeners
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7.0
74793
7.0 |
Clash
There's a comfort in their formula, in the envelop of Gibbard's narratives and the bruised drama of their music
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6.0
74770
6.0 |
Spin
Gibbard’s downcast verses keep Kintsugi all too safely anchored and docked
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6.0
74522
6.0 |
Sputnik Music (staff)
Death Cab will always be capable of producing classic songs, but that elusive return to form in the shape of an album will be as fleeting as one of the romances in Gibbard’s writing
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6.0
74646
6.0 |
No Ripcord
Kintsugi is unfortunately as bland as they come, and no good amount of mourning, sonorous guitars can excuse the fact it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find a relatable common ground in Gibbard’s repressed impulses
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6.0
74417
6.0 |
The Guardian
It doesn’t always work: sometimes it’s too overwrought and wanders into cliched territory
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6.0
74473
6.0 |
Slant Magazine
Where Kintsugi falters is in its sacrifice of momentum for structure
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6.0
74415
6.0 |
NOW
Pop tunes like The Ghosts of Beverly Drive and Good Help (Is So Hard To Find) could go down as classics in due time
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6.0
74411
6.0 |
FasterLouder
Gilding emotional fissures with smooth musical motifs doesn’t offer a new spin on Death Cab. Instead, it feels like an overly safe transition between two distinct eras of the band
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6.0
74412
6.0 |
The Skinny
It comes as a welcome surprise that Kintsugi’s strongest moments see the band swap the melancholy and understatement for forays into more uptempo territory
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5.8
74565
5.8 |
Pretty Much Amazing
At this point in their career, Death Cab for Cutie are churning out entire albums for the sole purpose of generating singles to populate their inevitable greatest hits album
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5.5
74517
5.5 |
Under The Radar
The album is surprisingly underwhelming and far from the group's strongest
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5.5
74585
5.5 |
Pitchfork
Gibbard promises reinvention and continues to play against his strengths without developing new ones
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4.5
74913
4.5 |
Beardfood
It's bland
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4.2
74413
4.2 |
Consequence Of Sound
Even here with what is likely the worst album of their career, Death Cab’s mistakes seem like easy fixes: The band just needs to keep things simple, to stop overthinking
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3.0
74530
3.0 |
PopMatters
This isn’t “indie rock” anymore, nor is it “dad rock”, as some notable naysayers may want to peg it. No, this is “obligation rock”: a forced brand of music that exists just because it has to
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