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9.1
105359
9.1 |
Pretty Much Amazing
This is his best work in years
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9.0
104594
9.0 |
The Music
There's a real depth to the painstaking and wonderfully unpredictable arrangements
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9.0
104636
9.0 |
Exclaim
The most dynamic and entertaining Jicks record thus far
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9.0
104642
9.0 |
All Music
The craft and cleverness of Sparkle Hard can't disguise the simple fact that he means this music, man
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8.7
104715
8.7 |
Paste Magazine
The best Jicks album in several years
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8.5
104590
8.5 |
The Line Of Best Fit
This album is just another jewel in his jauntily-angled crown
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8.3
104592
8.3 |
Consequence Of Sound
A collection of well-crafted rockers that blend a wry voice with our insane modern moment
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8.3
104697
8.3 |
A.V. Club
Sparkle Hard is Malkmus at his most compelling: balancing his experimental whims while revealing pieces of his arcane heart
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8.0
104702
8.0 |
Drowned In Sound
When this album is good it’s superb – probably the Jicks’ finest yet; and when it’s less so – less focused, more haphazard and wilfully out-there – it’s still pretty damn great as well
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8.0
104711
8.0 |
The Skinny
Pavement frontman Stephen Malkmus returns with an album overflowing with hooks, and a hint of grace and gravitas
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8.0
104836
8.0 |
The FT
Loose and discursive things appear to discard trains of thought while actually observing some sly inner logic
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8.0
104883
8.0 |
Clash
An assuredly sparkly album
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8.0
104593
8.0 |
DIY
A seemingly never-ending well of ideas
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8.0
104586
8.0 |
Uncut
Bristles with an energy that proves he's got a place in the present, and a new accessibility that compromises none of his eccentricities
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8.0
104587
8.0 |
Q
There's a richness here that's been absent from previous Jicks records. Print edition only
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8.0
104588
8.0 |
Mojo
As well as blending linguistic elegance and musical levity, Sparkle Hard affirms Stephen Malkmus's increasingly contemplative approach. Print edition only
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8.0
104645
8.0 |
The Guardian
His musical gifts are as bountiful as ever
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8.0
104691
8.0 |
The Observer
The former Pavement frontman still possesses the qualities that distinguished his years with the 90s band – an off-kilter sensibility and a love of language – but there is a newfound readiness to confront the iniquities of the real world
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8.0
104623
8.0 |
American Songwriter
Sparkle Hard comfortably fits in alongside any of the other entries in his oeuvre, but it also feels like a more mature release
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8.0
104627
8.0 |
Pitchfork
The witty and digressive songwriting of Stephen Malkmus becomes newly and delightfully grounded in the present day
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8.0
104628
8.0 |
PopMatters
Malkmus has honed his casual sleight of hand techniques to the point that on Sparkle Hard you can often see the result but miss the steps
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7.8
104783
7.8 |
Earbuddy
Sparkle Hard is a sparkling reflection of Stephen Malkmus. His weird lyrics are on full display. There are some great guitar jams
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7.6
104720
7.6 |
Sputnik Music (staff)
An intriguing niche-record that occasionally meanders into greatness
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7.0
104793
7.0 |
Spectrum Culture
It feels far more assured of himself in a way we haven’t seen from him in quite some time
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7.0
104630
7.0 |
Rolling Stone
Not quite as good as his Beck-produced 2011 album Mirror Traffic but it's a more immediate than his last LP, 2014's Wig Out at Jagbags
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7.0
104591
7.0 |
Slant Magazine
For Stephen Malkmus, being a mature artist and an irreverent goofball aren't mutually exclusive
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7.0
104615
7.0 |
Loud And Quiet
A perfectly pleasant album that will elegantly sate a particular hunger
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5.0
104912
5.0 |
musicOMH
For fans, the minor evolution and heavier sonic palette may whet their appetite, but for anyone in search of a new revolutionary energy in the realm of indie rock, steer clear
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