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CRITIC REVIEWS
100
Fucked Up's grand ambition may one day be their downfall, but right now it has produced an intricate, rewarding beast of an album, their magnum opus.
100
David Comes To Life is Fucked Up’s most musically accessible album wrapped up in its most fearlessly pretentious and flat-out incomprehensible concept.
12y
92
David Comes To Life is a liberating album that represents a giant step forward in every genre that it tackles and incorporates.
12y
90
More musically varied and conceptually ambitious than anything that’s been classified under either the punk or hardcore banners since those terms became commonplace, David Comes To Life has all the markings of a landmark indie album.
90
The greatest testament to David Comes to Life is how it feels like there’s more and more to it, even when you’re already on sensory overload as it is.
12y
90
It's one of the most overly complicated hard-rock records of the past ten years. It's also one of the best.
12y
86
David Comes to Life is absolutely worth the commitment, a convincing demonstration of what can happen when a band works without limitations.
12y
82
The narrative of David is not quite as cohesive as Fucked Up think it is, the lyrics too cliché, but if writing a rock opera was the impetus required to push them to produce an album as gloriously overblown as David Comes to Life, then it's worth a thousand dead Veronicas and even more mopey dorks to mourn them.
12y
80
Fucked Up's pop sensibilities remain impressively omnipresent, validating the hype.
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6mo
80
There's no doubting the commitment in delivery ... with solid musical cohesion and a thrusting triple-guitar assault that has an astounding clarity and is expertly choreographed.
80
The lyric sheet is essential to get any measure of the undoubtedly high-concept narrative, but the music is some of their most approachable and enjoyable yet, with extra depths to be plumbed if you so desire.
80
Two albums on and they're still assembling a uniquely imaginative mythology.
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1y
80
Toronto punk sextet's third LP is an epic soundtrack.
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1y
80
The plot rarely makes sense but that hardly matters; as the riffs pile on top of each other, there's little choice but to submit.
80
Guitars buzz and chime, melodies uproot from the dirt and stand tall; the sum total being tan indefinable yet fascinating modern day rock opera that is as rewarding as it is unique.
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10mo
80
Toronto six-piece deliver a killer concept album.
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1y
80
David Comes to Life contains plenty of evidence that Fucked Up is still one of the strangest and most inventive guitar rock bands on the planet.
80
With equal parts adherence to and abandonment of tradition, DCTL succeeds despite its dubious concept and daunting runtime, and though it may be hard to digest, it leaves a pleasant aftertaste.
80
But more than any theoretical narrative or concept, this is a rock album at heart, and it certainly does rock
12y
80
Behold their evolution: while 2008's 'The Chemistry Of Common Life' album was drenched in religious connotations and spiritual euphemisms, this time, their rock opera about romance and death at an English lightbulb factory (seriously) is theatrics personified, taking listeners on a quest while still abiding by their precious DIY ethic.
12y
80
The 18 songs on the album are all in the heavily layered, chamber-hardcore style established on Chemistry of Common Life, but Fucked Up is taking the idea to the furthest reaches, and somehow pulling it off.
12y
80
The hooky riffs and unforgiving pace make it a fantastic rock album in itself.
12y
80
Musically speaking, it's a perfectly logical progression from Fucked Up's second album, 2008's The Chemistry Of Common Life, which itself strode recognisably onwards from their 2006 studio debut Hidden World.
12y
75
Sonically, this is Fucked Up's cleanest album to date.
12y
75
It is an album based very clearly on a concept, an overall construct. Within that, Fucked Up once again morph themselves, moving further away from anything you could call hardcore (save Damian Abraham's voice).
70
Fucked Up's real appeal is simple: guitars, three of 'em, though it can seem like thirty.
70
Even if you can't quite make out all the words to David's story, it still plays like a thriller.
11y
50
These songs make use of punk's trademark aggression and speed, but draws all the intensity out to a point where it no longer feels energetic, thrilling, cathartic, or any of the other things I look to this style of music for.
40
Between the overlong, overstuffed songs and arrangements, ridiculous album concept and lyrical conceit, there's no room left for the vicious, hurtling energy that first impressed me on Hidden World's best songs.
12y
(THE BUCKET LIST PART 1NE)
Hardcore Punk Musical Time I Guess?
This is my first dance with Fucked Up (which seems fitting since this is the first review of my recommendation/must hears/classic series The Bucket List), and before I even start the review...what a fucking BAND NAME! Fucked Up may be my new favorite band name of all time, aside from maybe King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. Band name aside, this is the first album i'm listening by these guys/gals from Toronto...and honestly I ... read more
Another of my first music snob albums, this time recommended by Pitchfork; that site governed my music taste for a while, until I really got into Fantano and AOTY.
A bit of a one-note album but I still find it very jubilant and nostalgic.
I've been listening to a tonne of astounding music the last few weeks.
Although a 90/100 is nothing to scoff at I honestly feel like this deserves more and will likely be elevated the more I listen, despite having it on repeat the last several days.
The Other Shoe is one of my all-time favourite songs, it is THAT good.
Damian Abraham has an absurdly massive musical IQ, I have found a lot of good music because of him and he puts it on display quite heavily throughout the rewarding 77+ minute ... read more
This is the defintion of everything to not do on a punk rock album for me - have clean af production, super long songs and runtime overall (for the genre anyway) and vocals that have next to no range whatsoever.
Sure, there are some cool riffs and chord progressions here and there, and the vocals being as gruff as they are make for an interesting experience paired with these indie rock instrumentals, however just a few songs in I was incredibly bored, not to mention how little I was paying ... read more
Really bloated. Simply too long (still haven't fully listened to this), but undeniably refreshing in its straightforward attempt to create a cinematic hardcore punk experience. A great listen after any pretentiousness in your life. Scream your lungs out. Also sometimes really catchy. I quite love this one, even if I can't recommend the whole experience
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Track List
| 1 | Let Her Rest 3:22 | |
| 2 | Queen of Hearts 4:36 | 100 |
| 3 | Under My Nose 3:28 | |
| 4 | The Other Shoe 4:56 | 100 |
| 5 | Turn the Season 4:01 | |
| 6 | Running on Nothing 4:46 | |
| 7 | Remember My Name 5:09 | |
| 8 | A Slanted Tone 3:39 | |
| 9 | Serve Me Right 3:48 | |
| 10 | Truth I Know 4:33 | |
| 11 | Life in Paper 4:38 | |
| 12 | Ship of Fools 4:02 | |
| 13 | A Little Death 4:35 | 100 |
| 14 | I Was There 3:18 | |
| 15 | Inside a Frame 4:17 | |
| 16 | The Recursive Girl 3:34 | |
| 17 | One More Night 5:36 | |
| 18 | Lights Go Up 5:29 |
Total Length: 1 hour, 17 minutes
Year End Lists
| #1 | / | SPIN |
| #2 | / | A.V. Club |
| #3 | / | PopMatters |
| #3 | / | Spinner |
| #4 | / | Bigger Than The Sound |
| #4 | / | Prefix |
| #4 | / | Stereogum |
| #6 | / | Billboard |
| #11 | / | MAGNET |
| #11 | / | Pazz and Jop |
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