Albums to watch

The Mountain Will Fall

DJ Shadow

The Mountain Will Fall

Fifth studio album from the hip hop producer, featuring guest appearances from the likes of Run the Jewels, Nils Frahm, and Ernie Fresh

ADM rating[?]

6.2

Label
Mass Appeal
UK Release date
24/06/2016
US Release date
24/06/2016
  1. 8.3 |   A.V. Club

    Overall, this is DJ Shadow’s best work since his early-aughts heyday
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  2. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    Once the onslaught of ideas becomes less disorienting, however, it just feels impressive in its inventiveness
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  3. 8.0 |   The Skinny

    The methods have changed but Shadow's unorthodox sense of rhythm remains reassuringly familiar
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  4. 8.0 |   Q

    At last Davis has rediscovered the hidden door to that entrancing night-time world. Print edition only

  5. 8.0 |   Evening Standard

    DJ Shadow fuses original songwriting and samples on his intriguing new album
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  6. 7.5 |   Under The Radar

    There's a slow burn to many of the tracks, movements building like waves, and when they crash, it's glorious
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  7. 7.0 |   Clash

    Stands tonally a much stronger package than his last two releases and is filled with far more highs than lows
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  8. 7.0 |   Spectrum Culture

    Mountain won’t bowl you over, but it’s quality work from a quality artist who will forever live in his own shadow
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  9. 7.0 |   Exclaim

    Pretend this is someone's debut, and you'll hear an excellent new album by an ambitious talent
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  10. 7.0 |   All Music

    The whole thing sounds like it was created in a state of fevered inspiration
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  11. 7.0 |   Spin

    Only somewhat transcendent in its quiet moments, and the highs are too few and ephemeral. It’s quaint — a step away from the zeitgeist, but not quite future enough
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  12. 7.0 |   The Music

    The unsettlingly dark pace rarely lets up
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  13. 6.7 |   Consequence Of Sound

    Sonically intriguing and full of depth, the unmistakably morose content suggest a soul-searching adventure, one which Shadow is all too eager to share with the rest of the world
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  14. 6.6 |   Pitchfork

    A freewheeling, low-stakes journey through the contemporary sounds that inspire his practice
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  15. 6.5 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    Though The Mountain Will Fall cannot be considered a failure by any means, it does continue the trend of his recent work being left firmly in the shadow of his past
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  16. 6.0 |   The Arts Desk

    Embraces the new with mixed results
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  17. 6.0 |   The Observer

    His fifth album emphasises live instrumentation and innovative production software, rather than the sampling on which he built his reputation
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  18. 6.0 |   Mojo

    With more hits than misses, Shadow is back in the frame. Print edition only

  19. 6.0 |   Gig Soup

    ‘The Mountain Will Fall’ marks an optimistic return for DJ Shadow, but said optimism is often overshadowed by a lack of execution – the kind of execution we’re come to expect
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  20. 6.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    DJ Shadow remains a remarkable artist, and there is plenty on The Mountain Will Fall to prove that
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  21. 6.0 |   The Irish Times

    There’s no denying that he sounds like he’s having a whale of a time throughout
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  22. 5.0 |   Mixmag

    If only Shadow would just ease off on the tinkering and fidgeting
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  23. 4.4 |   Resident Advisor

    His music sounds bland, as if it was designed for chillout compilations or cocktail lounges
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  24. 4.0 |   PopMatters

    The Mountain Will Fall, despite being released nearly 20 years after Shadow's debut masterpiece Endtroducing....., is still less innovative at release than the original is decades after coming out
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  25. 4.0 |   The Independent

    There’s a dispiriting aridity about The Mountain Will Fall, which lacks the joyous eclecticism of DJ Shadow’s earlier albums
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  26. 4.0 |   The FT

    Shadow allows the tempo to subside into dull instrumentals, produced with impeccable attention to detail but scant sense of drama
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  27. 4.0 |   NME

    Sounds, at best, like a decent mixtape made by someone with pretty good taste. Thing is, you can probably make one of those yourself
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  28. 4.0 |   DIY

    DJ Shadow delivers one incendiary cracker - a great collaboration with Run the Jewels - in a sea of beige.
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  29. 4.0 |   Slant Magazine

    Devoid of elevation
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