Pastoral

Gazelle Twin - Pastoral
Critic Score
Based on 10 reviews
2018 Ratings: #27 / 890
User Score
Based on 179 ratings
2018 Rank: #457
Liked by 9 people
September 21, 2018 / Release Date
LP / Format
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
Drowned in Sound

Pastoral is a towering work that truly distils all of its maker's talents into a unified whole. It runs deeper than being merely being just a response to Brexit. Its a braver album than that, one that can face horror in hope for better times, one of innocence and experience.

100
The Skinny
Gazelle Twin has crafted a masterpiece that feels timeless, her most deft blend of punishing and melodic yet as well as a fearless examination of both then and now.
90
musicOMH

There is absolutely no doubting that Pastoral is a phenomenal piece of work. It’s a brilliantly informed artistic statement and a state of the nation address that cuts right through.

90
Loud and Quiet
The darkness of the album is inescapable and in places oppressive ... However, for every burst of noise or gothic wail there’s a hook of equal potency.
80
PopMatters

Pastoral is a bizarre album in the most positive way, and its amalgamation of traditional musical concepts within this futuristic pop structure is what makes it so enticing.

80
The Line of Best Fit

This is high-concept art which shrugs off any accusations of pretension by dint of its integrity and punch. It is impossible to journey far into Pastoral without feeling emotionally affected.

80
Spectrum Culture

Narratively, conceptually and—most importantly—musically, Pastoral is an awe-inspiring record. Surrounded by some of the strangest, most rewarding sound design in recent electronic memory, Bernholz delivers a potent political message that escapes both alienating specificity and ineffective generalities.

77
Pitchfork
The Brighton electronic musician’s third LP belongs to a proud tradition of English satire, plumbing the depths of the nation’s psyche and twisting it to wryly discomforting ends.
60
The Guardian

Often on Pastoral, Elizabeth Bernholz’s attempts to defamiliarise the horrors of contemporary British society – Brexit, poverty, xenophobia – through absurdity land squarely on the nose.

MasterCrackfox
83

If you stumbled upon Gazelle Twin's video for Hobby Horse you might deduct that Elizabeth Bernholz is more of a visual artist than an actual musician, trotting around in the woods on a wooden horse, her face hidden aside from a sinister grin she displays throughout the oddly unnerving video. This visual aspect is something that drives Gazelle Twin, as the recognizable influence of Fever Ray musically also plays into the artistic end of these performances. Bernholz had a similar approach on her ... read more

Melancoholic
40

Unenjoyable.

musicmagpie55
76

I poured this spooky ass milk all over my cereal this morning, and I was not disappointed by it! This album is fun and aggressive while still feeling extremely dense and complex. The energy level never dips, it feels fresh and sassy throughout, and I love the album art! Feeling these oats.

Melancoholic
40

Unenjoyable.

holsgr
20

forgettable (★☆☆☆☆)

merduardo
70

O pop se vai e somos deixados com uma bagunça eletrônica assustadora (no bom sentido).

Fav tracks: Little Lambs, Mongrel, Dance of the Peddlers, Dieu et mon droit e Old Thorn
Least fav: Better In My Day

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Contributions By
patton, thisisabtlgrnd, Glitchy


Added on: September 17, 2018