| Rating |
Summary |
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| n/a by www.ew.com |
Strict modernists may chafe at the band's unapologetically backward-glancing aesthetic, but the rest should happily succumb to the shaggy charm of Fate's easy-like-Sunday-morning ramblings. |
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| n/a by Billboard |
Thoughtfully added complexities and musicality, like the horns and honky-tonk pianos that accent 'Army of Ancients,' bring Dr. Dog's now-familiar style to a new level of maturity and prove it's not just destiny bringing the band its success |
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| n/a by www.adequacy.net |
Ultimately, this is a winner and though it may not offer the new, revelatory sounds and styles that some were hoping, in the end it wins out because of its heart. |
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| n/a by www.courant.com |
The Philadelphia group's fifth full-length release has a musical richness and depth of songwriting that weren't fully present on Dr. Dog's somewhat less-focused earlier music, though there were hints on Easy Beat in 2005 and We All Belong in 2007. |
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| n/a by www.villagevoice.com |
Highlights of Fate coming back 'round one last time give satisfying closure, but also tease what's coming when it's inevitably cued up again. |
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| n/a by www.sputnikmusic.com |
Simply put, Fate is a refreshment of the sound that has been missing for so long. |
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| n/a by www.avclub.com |
'From' is catchy, but it also involves the phrase choo-choo train, which no one above kindergarten age should have to sing. Still, it's adult and musically complex enough to pick up the slack. |
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| n/a by www.spin.com |
Though Fate's sepia sweetness and the band's ever-improving instrumental ingenuity (see 'em live!) can't mask a vaguely troubling lack of original ideas, Dr. Dog wears the vintage look amiably well. |
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| n/a by www.blender.com |
Even as they take on the album title's potentially heavy theme, two vocalists sing with wide-open smiles, and they toss in new-wave beats alongside the saloon pianos and tube-amp guitars. [Aug 2008, p.84] |
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| n/a by Popmatters |
For now, it looks like Dr. Dog will stick to their sunny, over-produced pop songs, finding safe ground, pitching tent, and making camp for the night. |
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| n/a by Rolling Stone |
Fate feels less like a straight tribute to Dr. Dog's elders and more like a finely tuned collage. |
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| n/a by www.prefixmag.com |
Fate exposes the larger problem with Dr. Dogs catalog -- namely, that the band have become so comfortable where they are that they are content to merely play to type. |
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| n/a by Pitchfork Media |
Fate still manages to be a master class in illusory good songwriting. The bulk of it is so fenced into classicist templates-- chamber-y pop meets maximum R&B with the occasional smidge of tasteful gospel/parlour games (Hang On) that, even when merely competent, it can still win over those unimpressed with all that punk and hip-hop riff raff of the past three decades. |
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| n/a by www.slantmagazine.com |
Unfortunately, it's also phenomenally uninteresting. That isn't to say that the album is bad. Put it on at a low-key party and nobody will complain--but they probably won't ask you what it is either. |
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| n/a by www.guardian.co.uk |
With such impeccable raw materials, it's inevitable that several songs here are irresistible, notably Fate and The Old Days, the former a trembling love song, the latter a clattering hoe-down. Even so, a little more idiosyncrasy wouldn't go amiss. |
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