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CRITIC REVIEWS
100
Sleaford Mods' 11th studio album runs a glorious gamut from righteous anger to poignant introspection in a masterpiece of incisive cultural commentary and fully realized artistic vision.
100
The Nottingham duo put COVID Britain bang to rights with stunning production, great guests, scabrous lyrics – and a steadfast refusal to offer easy answers.
100
This album is - dare we say it - fucking faultless. Sleaford Mods are out to save 2021 with their boisterous lyricism and hard-hitting production.
90
Sleaford Mods’ Jason Williamson’s observations are so pin sharp, albeit wrapped up in his own unique lyricism, that it’s almost a civic responsibility to listen to him.
90
Not a return to form as they’ve never lost it. A return to hard hitting lyrics which are backed with some comedy madness, grime, dupstep and old school punk bass that excites.
85
On one level, Spare Ribs displays a remarkable musical effrontery, having a go at assuaging humankind’s vulnerability; on another level, it provides commentary on the world’s present predicament, investing the mess with a frisson of urgency magnified by the presence of others in the same boat.
80
It’s their most musical record yet, with more adventurous instrumentation, as well as the vocal features of Amyl and the Sniffers’ Amy Taylor and up-and-comer Billy Nomates, adding further excitement to what is a brilliantly by-the-book Sleaford Mods album.
80
Never before has there been a greater need for the full Sleaford Mods treatment than there is now, and the goods are delivered with crisp urgency and precision.
80
The Sleaford Mods we hear on Spare Ribs sound more comfortable in their own skin, relaxed enough to explore their eccentricities.
80
While the band’s fury at corruption, incompetence and duplicity remains fierce, Spare Ribs is a strikingly layered response to harder times.
80
Andrew Fearn's minimalistic, catchy-as-hell beats are still propping up the antics, while Jason Williamson continues to deliver his run-down, guttural ramblings like the drunken, working-class hero we all presume him to be.
80
Inspired guest turns add a twist, but the duo’s blazing invention and lacerating lyrics remain the main draw.
80
What they also bring with them this time ... is a freshness, and a revitalized sound that offers them new sonic avenues to explore down the road. Spare Ribs is not only a great album, it’s an essential album to kick off 2021.
80
We’re here ... mostly for the sardonic, sweary, sweaty, swaggering belligerence of a man who writes his verse while sat in the car outside his home.
80
Spare Ribs is one of the first substantial musical reactions to the pandemic, which is hardly an alluring subject for any songwriter, but one that Sleaford Mods confront in their own inimitable way.
80
Societal incisions that cut sharp as ever.
80
While Spare Ribs follows a disjointed train of thought, it’s a train of thought that accurately mirrors what life has been for many of us over the last year, as the apocalyptic and the mundane compete for our attention.
80
Not even a global pandemic and repeated lockdowns can crush their spirit, and Spare Ribs feels like a hearty, timely, and well-deserved two fingers up to the powers that be.
70
Spare Ribs, the Mods’ 11th LP since they formed in 2007, is a veritable a la carte menu of outrages.
60
Spare Ribs certainly reflects the personal and political overload of 2021, but half an hour in you’d be forgiven for scanning the horizon for your stop.
40
The Mods' penchant for getting so much out of so little hasn't carried over to Spare Ribs.
40
Not one for anyone who’s not already won over by the pair’s particular charms.
"Uncle boomer tries to be a zoomer and insults everyone at family dinner".
I guess i'm a fucking wanker now, but this album is fucking trash and there's no way this made critics get it to a MUST LISTEN score. "Boisterous lyrics", "hard-hitting" beats. The fact that one critic misspelled "dubstep" in their review perfectly describes this album lmao. I can understand experimentation, but babies also experiment with shit.
Hip Hop, grime and Post Punk is a ... read more
This album is ever so british it made me switch up my racial identity 4 the third time this week. ye hae some decent chord progressions and y'r local british grandpa yelling over em. This is rap music? This is what sir Martin Luther King Jr. wanted?
Oh lord, blimey, this is bobbins. Bottom of the queue cack that's poorly mixed and boring as feck, Yes the whole elderly man voice was hilarious to begin with but as time passed it got more taxing and not even the peng ting singing the hooks could ... read more
Sleaford Mods spend the duration of Spare Ribs flashing their teeth but never doing much to actually bite down. Jason Williamson and Andrew Fearn seem to view themselves as the old guard, even though they have been around for around a decade and a half and their first proper debut came out in 2013, given the beef that they started with England contemporaries IDLES. Although the two frequent political commentary and a sound adjacent to post-punk, their words come with the same hollowness as the ... read more
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Track List
| 1 | The New Brick 0:43 | 37 |
| 2 | Shortcummings 3:34 | 44 |
| 3 | Nudge It 3:43 feat. Amy Taylor | 53 |
| 4 | Elocution 2:58 | 43 |
| 5 | Out There 3:56 | 44 |
| 6 | Glimpses 2:42 | 44 |
| 7 | Top Room 3:50 | 36 |
| 8 | Mork N Mindy 3:24 feat. Billy Nomates | 51 |
| 9 | Spare Ribs 3:52 | 36 |
| 10 | All Day Ticket 3:44 | 41 |
| 11 | Thick Ear 3:04 | 42 |
| 12 | I Don't Rate You 4:04 | 42 |
| 13 | Fishcakes 3:08 | 49 |
Total Length: 42 minutes
Year End Lists
| #2 | / | Gigwise |
| #6 | / | PopMatters |
| #7 | / | Louder Than War |
| #9 | / | The Observer: Kitty Empire |
| #9 | / | The Quietus |
| #11 | / | Loud and Quiet |
| #13 | / | MOJO |
| #16 | / | musicOMH |
| #16 | / | NME |
| #16 | / | Uncut |
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Added on: October 30, 2020