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Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Tentacles
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 21 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
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Album Info
Label: Touch And Go
Release Date: 07 April 2009
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Rock, Indie, Experimental
Summary
The debut full-length for the indie-rock band from Long Beach, California.
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...
Filter
Just enjoy the ride and don't ask any questions. [Spring 2009, p.97]
Uncut
Crucially, it always feels as if Crystal Antlers are having a blast, continually cold-shouldering the obvious and pushing each other to the limits of their musicianship and beyond. [May 2009, p.87]
All Music Guide
A debut that largely lives up to all the surrounding hype championing the group as one of the hottest new indie up-and-comers.
Read Full Review >Delusions of Adequacy
This is the kind of album that will only reward as time passes; through more listens you will find that the startling music, sincere vocals and impeccable musicianship are all at a very high quality.
Read Full Review >The Guardian
The white-knuckle ride of Tentacles, Andrew's fried blues and the rainbow of styles in Your Spears see Crystal Antlers bucking the trend--not just rioting but inspiring, living up to their impressive promise.
Read Full Review >No Ripcord
The Crystal Antlers’ debut is a flesh-fattened cloud prowler emanating a strange, jilted tenderness, a record whose devastating expressive weight is amplified, not obscured, by its deranged, frayed-edge make-up.
Read Full Review >Dot Music
A check-your-pants rollercoaster, Tentacles isn't a critique of the times by any stretch of the imagination but it captures the feeling, the mood and the sheer abject terror.
Read Full Review >Rolling Stone
It's unclear what frontman Jonny Bell is caterwauling about, but it scarcely matters. The vocals are just another sound bubbling up through the thick sonic stew.
Read Full Review >PopMatters
It’s safe to say Crystal Antlers have struck the iron while it’s hot, and while there’s no one else out there who sounds even remotely like them.
Read Full Review >New Musical Express
Crystal Antlers may be treading the same ethical path that bands such as Fugazi did, but it’s their ability to amalgamate and transcend genres with apocalyptic effect that makes them truly revolutionary.
Read Full Review >Under The Radar
After their initial shock, fans will appreciate developments. [Spring 2009, p.65]
Pitchfork
Crystal Antlers' proper debut is, more than their EP, the sound of a band still with more potential than goods.
Read Full Review >cokemachineglow
For their first lengthy introduction, they seem to have lost some verve. It’s a frustrating representation of what a tightrope their sort of exorcism music is.
Read Full Review >Mojo
Their debut full-length more than makes good on the attention they've been receiving. [May 2009, p.103]
Drowned In Sound
Does Tentacles live up to those high standards? Nah, but it doesn’t embarrass itself, and that’s praise enough.
Read Full Review >musicOMH.com
Apart from the nice flourishes and an undoubtedly authentic-sounding replication of mid- to late-'60s underground psychedelia, this album seems to have been something of a misfire, lacking a convincing emotional undertow, or sufficient clarity in its musical presentation to engage or entrance the listener.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle
Crystal Antlers need to allow the sounds of their instruments to serve a compositional goal in this way more often, rather than simply using them to bash through their songs.
Read Full Review >Tiny Mix Tapes
These tracks are lifeless, and the multitude of sounds turns to mud, eventually eating itself.
Read Full Review >NOW Magazine
Tentacles’ more focused psych punk feels formulaic, underdeveloped and disappointing.
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.
