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CRITIC REVIEWS
100
Julian has been leading us here since First Impressions of Earth, he has finally made his no-fi, bonkers masterpiece.
96
Give it a chance and you’ll end up having a day-long conversation about ‘Virtue’, with your like-minded experimental rock fan buddies. There’s so much on offer, so much to sink your teeth into.
80
The Voidz and Julian might not be the most predictable band to pin down, but there are at least some things that we’ve come to expect from them: whatever they do will be interesting, unusual and thought-provoking. On ‘Virtue’, they’ve hit the jackpot with a bonus ball – fun.
80
For all the ferocious deviation and chastening of order going on here, what’s attracted and repelled, sliced open and infected us with Casablancas has been his louche, drunk vocal delivery, bag full of father issues, neat way with arpeggios and a sentimental fondness for parallel minor 6ths. Throughout its XtraLarge-n-sprawlin 15 tracks, these remain a satisfying core on ‘Virtue’.
80
Perhaps, you think, they’ve ditched the abrasiveness of 2014 debut ‘Tyranny’? Perhaps, you wonder, our ol’ buddy Jules is keeping it simpler this time around? WRONG.
80
In all of its shabby glory, Virtue is Casablancas strongest album in a decade.
80
The Voidz's everything-and-the-kitchen-sink approach to rock music results in a vibrant sophomore album.
80
Virtue is as fun as it is challenging and is both catchy and complex.
75
At 15 tracks long and pushing almost an hour in length, ‘Virtue’ is an indulgent effort by The Voidz but when
you’ve got as many ideas as JC and the gang – you can’t blame them for having their cake and eating it.
you’ve got as many ideas as JC and the gang – you can’t blame them for having their cake and eating it.
75
Virtue delivers a bracing set of experiments and amounts to the most interesting record of Casablancas’ career. The band is allowed more room compared to Tyranny and the quality of the material is benefited from this, sprouting into hoary, genre-bending but ultimately tuneful psychedelic pop and rock music.
70
Even with its moving melodies and lyrics, avant-garde production elements, and exhilarating instrumental performances from the rest of the band, Virtue will probably see the same general fate as every other Casablancas effort of the past decade—adored by those who listen, and ignored by those who don’t.
70
With its sweeping scope and rippling tension, Virtue captures the anxieties of our current post-truth age.
70
Virtue is the sound of honest confusion – messy, complicated and intriguing.
69
The second album from Julian Casablancas and his motley New York band is sludgy, psychedelic sesh that occasionally coheres into surprising moments of clarity and radiance.
65
This is Casablancas unwinding and having fun and there's a lot to enjoy here. He's never sounded better (or as versatile) as a vocalist and a lot of this album ("All Wordz Are Made Up," "Lazy Boy") is genuinely great. He may be trying too hard, but at least he's trying to do something different.
60
Like Tyranny, Virtue is a reminder of just how fine the line between experimental and scattered can be. It's a breezier listen than its predecessor, but the Voidz's willingness to try anything -- whether it works or not -- still might be too much for all but their most die-hard fans.
60
There’s enough about Virtue to keep it interesting. There’s not enough to make it genuinely good.
43
Some of these weirder tracks, like “Qyurryus,” achieve the ugly chic for which Casablancas strives, but more often than not, Virtue is just ugly.
20
Casablancas had promised an “eclectic record”, and he has certainly delivered on that score. But there can be a fine line between “eclectic” and “utterly incoherent”, and this falls a long way inside the wrong court.
The musical equivalent of a box of crayons. It is so colorful and exciting. Some of the best songs of 2018 have to be here for sure. Exciting and so many great songs and ideas around every corner. Only issue is that a few of these ideas don't go over as well as they would have wished.
Punk isn’t dead, it’s just hiding in plain sight. Take, for example, Virtue.
To say I was anticipating this listen was an understatement. After two albums of pure, unadulterated filler with ‘Summer Moon’ and ‘Francis Trouble’, I was on the edge of my seat wondering what direction Julian Casablanca (now just calling his solo gig The Voidz after 'initiating him') would take for this album. I absolutely ADORED ‘Tyranny’ (as you may know) and from ... read more
1. Leave It In My Dreams: 8.6
2. QYURRYUS: 8.5 (I fucking love autotune, every time I hear it without expecting it I get goosebumps.)
3. Pyramid of Bones: 7.5
4. Permanent Hight School: 8
5. ALienNNatioN: 7.8
6. One of the Ones: 7.5
7. All Wordz Are Made Up: 7.5
8. Think Before You Drink: 7.8
9. Wink: 7.6
10. My Friend The Walls: 7.7 (spooky vibes yayyyy)
11. Pink Ocean: 8
12. Black Hole: 7.3
13. Lazy Boy: 7.7
14. We're Where We Were: 7.6
15. Pointlessness: 8 (great ending)
RATING: ... read more
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Track List
| 1 | Leave It In My Dreams 3:59 | 93 |
| 2 | QYURRYUS 2:52 | 89 |
| 3 | Pyramid of Bones 4:28 | 91 |
| 4 | Permanent High School 4:13 | 91 |
| 5 | ALieNNatioN 4:39 | 91 |
| 6 | One of the Ones 2:38 | 84 |
| 7 | All Wordz Are Made Up 3:19 | 84 |
| 8 | Think Before You Drink 2:46 | 76 |
| 9 | Wink 4:00 | 81 |
| 10 | My Friend the Walls 4:02 | 83 |
| 11 | Pink Ocean 5:26 | 93 |
| 12 | Black Hole 3:15 | 75 |
| 13 | Lazy Boy 3:31 | 88 |
| 14 | We're Where We Were 3:46 | 82 |
| 15 | Pointlessness 5:15 | 90 |
Total Length: 58 minutes
Year End Lists
| #6 | / | Flavorwire |
| #19 | / | Pretty Much Amazing |
| #29 | / | The Needle Drop |
| #34 | / | Far Out Magazine |
| #37 | / | Loud and Quiet |
By Dalton
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Added on: January 23, 2018