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Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Law Of The Playground
EMAILPRINTby The Boy Least Likely To
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 13 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 0 votes
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Album Info
Label: Red Eye
Release Date: 14 April 2009
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Rock, Indie, Pop
Summary
The second album for the English indie-rock duo.
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
musicOMH.com
Owen and Hobbs could have just rewritten their debut note for note, but instead they have chosen to take us on a journey that many of us know all too well. Here's waiting for the next instalment.
Read Full Review >PopMatters
Good news for those who loved the debut’s melodies: plenty of material on The Law of the Playground gives that luxuriant pleasure.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
As strong and unusual as The Law of the Playground is, especially out of step in 2009, it never quite feels as inspired, as fraught with conflicted beauty, as past songs 'Paper Cuts' or 'Be Gentle With Me' or 'Monsters.'
Read Full Review >Hartford Courant
The English duo's cheeky moniker implies some kind of inferiority complex, and while Owen is certainly not immune to wallowing, he spends the group's sophomore album examining loneliness and isolation through a number of different lenses.
Read Full Review >Under The Radar
Playground is a charming enough sequel, tailor-made for calm Saturday afternoon respites under the maples. [Winter 2009, p.70]
Spin
Boasting enough sugary banjos, glockenspiels, and handclaps to give a Teletubby diabetes, The Boy Least Likely To animate their softly sung indie twang with nonstop hooks, bright production, and gently acknowledged adult anxieties. Beneath lyrics celebrating balloons and whiskers lie bittersweet longings.
Read Full Review >Slant Magazine
While the idea of artistic maturity might seem anathema to the very appeal of the Boy Least Likely To, Playground marks the pair's awkward first steps toward adulthood.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
A little less studio craft would have improved The Law of the Playground quite measurably and possibly put it on the same level as Best Party, since the songcraft and performances are nearly equal.
Read Full Review >Rolling Stone
The Brit indie–pop act is still playing with glockenspiels and xylophones, churning out cute, charming tunes. But this time, the lyrics are a bit darker.
Read Full Review >The Guardian
Anyone who fails to see the appeal of men in their 20s producing nursery-rhyme cuteness will find The Law of the Playground deeply irritating, but connoisseurs of this kind of thing will be in heaven.
Read Full Review >Filter
Their songs do run deeper than they seem, but you have to listen closely and push through fluff. It was cute the first time, but now it's just awkward. [Winter 2009, p.97]
Q Magazine
It's all terribly cute and jaunty, with twee melodies and playground lyrics to the fore. [May 2009, p.107]
No Ripcord
Now, there’s nothing wrong with something throwaway now and again, but it’s difficult to stomach over the course of eleven tracks.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 0.0 (out of 10) based on 0 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
