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Orchestral Variations Image
Metascore
73

Generally favorable reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews What's this?

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  • Summary: The group that includes Slowdive's Rachel Goswell, Mogwai's Stuart Braithwaite, Editors' Justin Lockey and his brother, James give a new re-worked instrumental version of its 2015 self-titled release.
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  • Record Label: Fat Possum
  • Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Indie Rock, Dream Pop, Post-Rock, Noise-Rock, Shoegaze
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Top Track

Scattered Ashes (Song for Richard)
Drunk in the morning sun I could be talking to you dear or anyone This is my hiding place I'd found a focus You were a light on the shadow of a... See the rest of the song lyrics
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 7
  2. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. Mojo
    Jan 26, 2017
    80
    Lush and emotive. [Feb 2017, p.99]
  2. Jan 26, 2017
    80
    There is a classic aesthetic that underpins every facet of these recordings. Everything is calculated and nothing has been left to chance. So sit back, and fully immerse yourself in a sonic experience unlike anything else released this year.
  3. Feb 2, 2017
    80
    Minor Victories have torn apart their debut to uncover something more considered underneath. But apart from that, it’s a brilliant listen.
  4. Under The Radar
    Jan 26, 2017
    75
    These orchestral meditations speak in hidden essences of their native compositions and surprise in their elaboration, becoming something all their own. [Jan - Mar 2017, p.66]
  5. Q Magazine
    Jan 26, 2017
    60
    It feels like an exercise in stretching the spirit of the first album as far as it will go, its urgency and menace dissolving into static down a long-distance line. [Mar 2017, p.111]
  6. Feb 3, 2017
    60
    While it seems silly to complain about the lack of a singer on an instrumental album, she did lend many of the songs an emotional weight which, while not lacking here, doesn’t quite have the same impact.
  7. Feb 7, 2017
    60
    There’s nothing that lifts it from being middle of the road Einaudi. Then again, standing on a cliff listening to middle of the road Einaudi is never a bad place to be.
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of
  2. Mixed: 0 out of
  3. Negative: 0 out of