Grey Tickles, Black Pressure

John Grant - Grey Tickles, Black Pressure
Critic Score
Based on 30 reviews
2015 Ratings: #65 / 1021
User Score
Based on 81 ratings
2015 Rank: #416
Liked by 1 person
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CRITIC REVIEWS

90
Clash
Black humour, sharp observation and a playful but meticulous knack with words, surely aided by his capacity as a multi-linguist, make ‘Grey Tickles, Black Pressure’ a record which satisfies on every level.
85
The 405

Grey Tickles, Black Pressure is not only a collection of emotionally affecting, even heart-breaking songs, but also comes loaded with lines filled with dry humour and a witty turn of phrase.

80
musicOMH

The Grant of 2015 has grown, and found happiness in love ... This version is older, happier maybe – while still possessing the same mordant wit, rich baritone and disarming, even angry honesty – and ready to face the hidden surprises of middle age.

80
Uncut
Sometimes the soul-baring is almost painful, and you might wince at Grant’s verbose open letters to old lovers. But part of Grant’s appeal is his ability to unashamedly go places where others dare not. His finest album yet.
80
Loud and Quiet
Just as on his last two records, the sheer force of his personality finds a way to shine through even when he’s aggressively pursuing different sonic approaches, and it’s that, in turn, that sets him a class apart from so many of his peers.
80
Time Out London
The sharp-witted, silken-voiced singer-songwriter has created a raggle-taggle bunch of marvellous songs for ‘Grey Tickles, Black Pressure’ that barely leave a genre unturned and yet are all unmistakably his own.
80
The Skinny
John Grant’s third impressive effort in a row sees the Iceland-based musician reach a new level of maturity, even as his stylistic choices shoot for something wilder.
80
DIY
Despite the success that’s accompanied virtually every move he’s made since releasing his critically acclaimed debut solo album ‘Queen of Denmark’ in 2010, not a trace of complacency registers in this third offering.
80
AllMusic

At nearly an hour long, Grey Tickles, Black Pressure is a dense, rewarding listen from an artist who's becoming more complex, and more direct, with each album.

80
PopMatters
John Grant is making some of the best art of the new millennium as he struggles with his many demons, both those internal and those external.
80
Drowned in Sound

Grey Tickles, Black Pressure is a rich, dense and rewarding album. Dig deep into it and watch it envelop you - decay and chaos has rarely sounded so seductive.

70
Rolling Stone

A masterfully sincere yet acerbic balladeer stretches himself a little thin on an otherwise strong album.

60
The Line of Best Fit

While Grey Tickles, Black Pressure should be a career-definiting opus, it just seems unfocussed and uncertain; Grant's barbs aren't as sharp, which means too few of the songs stick like they should.

Doofy
71

The third Grant solo album unfortunately ended up a minor disappointment, though the title 'Grey Tickles, Black Pressure' (alluding to a midlife crisis) is well chosen - this album isn't born from youthful struggle but instead marks the middle aged malaise of catching yourself worrying about what exactly you should be worrying about; rather than sobbing into a pillow here we capture our hero lost in the supermarket, slack jawed watching haemorrhoid ointment commercials or musing that all he has ... read more

QueenOfDenmark
61

Intro ~ ★☆☆☆☆
Grey Tickles, Black Pressure ~ ★★★★☆
Snug Slacks ~ ★★☆☆☆
Guess How I Know ~ ★★★☆☆
You & Him ~ ★★☆☆☆
Down Here ~ ★★★★☆
Voodoo Doll ~ ★★☆☆☆
Global Warming ~ ★★★★☆
Magma Arrives ~ ★★★☆☆
Black Blizzard ~ ★★★☆☆
Disappointing ~ ★★★☆☆
No More Tangles ~ ★★★☆☆
Geraldine ~ ★★★☆☆
Outro ~ ★☆☆☆☆

⏳ new & improved: time-weighted score ⏳

usedtobe
79

The third album from New York singer/songwriter still captures that playful grandeur and lyrical complexity he has known for with the addition of varied musical flairs (balladry, funk to noise rock to avant electro-pop) that hinges on wide range of strings, horns and keyboards/synthesizers sounding more organic and tangible. Also, that evil grin on the cover art is a mood all day.

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Added on: June 23, 2015