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Critic Reviews
90
Anna Meredith’s self-described ‘collection of musical pests’ should welcomely plague many a listener for a long time to come. It’s a marvellously un-sobering boisterous beast of a record, and a sparkling début.
10y
84
She wears her obvious theoretical grounding lightly and never lets it obstruct her ecstatic quest for new ideas and deranged stimuli. And Varmints is a knockout, the kind that makes you see cartoon stars.
10y
83
Varmints displays both extremely well crafted instrumentation, and an overwhelming creative freedom.
10y
80
Varmints is a playfully delirious listen that constantly rewards with new ideas at every corner, one that sketches an idealized pop landscape without recognizing that it actually touches all of its requisite pleasure points.
10y
80
Meredith consistently does a phenomenal job of blending her concert hall ambition with a more mainstream musical sensibility.
10y
80
Half of ‘Varmints’ eschews vocals but with odd exception Meredith manages to cloak high-minded experimentalism in playful pop sensibility.
10y
SCOTTISH ALBUM OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS DEEP DIVE: 2016
South Queensferry composer and electronic musician Anna Meredith makes for one of the more sonically ambitious records I've covered so far on this dive, proving to be an intriguing mix of ornate orchestration, fizzling electronics and chirpy avant-pop worthy of Björk or Dirty Projectors. Ranging from chill, ambient and reflective to upbeat, percussive and frantic, this 45 minute collection of electronically enhanced classical ... read more
Thematically tight while sonically adventurous, Anna Meredith creates one of the most exceptional pop albums of the decade. The way she thinks about music is incredible; these songs do sound like little pests running around in your mind. The songs range from pure pop songs like 'Something Great' to unbelievably complex 'The Vapours.' There is a self-destructive quality to the music where it sounds as if the album could rip apart at the seams. It is one of the most fun albums I have ever heard; ... read more
2016 retrospective, #28 (follow me on TikTok for more)
Scotland's 2016 AOTY, produced by Anna Meredith, Varmints is Prog Electronica finding its strength in instrumentation: It's boisterous, bright and ecstatic. You're captivated from the very first seconds into this sonically ambitious, yet sensible knockout.
The fact that this manages to be so weirdly experimental and so beautifully orchestral at the same time baffles me. It genuinely at times sounds like a gorgeous film score, but it's got so many weird elements that are still incredibly pleasing to listen to. The vocal performances on every song work masterfully, adding to the incredibly grandiose vibe.
But most impressively are the wide array of instruments and sounds used. It's just generally such and wonderfully constructed piece
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Track List
| 1 | Nautilus 5:30 | 76 |
| 2 | Taken 4:50 | 92 |
| 3 | Scrimshaw 4:43 | 77 |
| 4 | Something Helpful 3:13 | 78 |
| 5 | R-Type 4:42 | 72 |
| 6 | Dowager 5:22 | 78 |
| 7 | The Vapours 6:33 | 71 |
| 8 | Honeyed Words 3:17 | 61 |
| 9 | Last Rose 3:31 | 74 |
| 10 | Shill 2:47 | 74 |
| 11 | Blackfriars 2:58 | 77 |
| 12 | [untitled] 3:42 |
Total Length: 51 minutes
Year End Lists
| #1 | / | Loud and Quiet |
| #3 | / | The Line of Best Fit |
| #5 | / | musicOMH |
| #6 | / | God Is In The TV |
| #17 | / | The Skinny |
| #17 | / | The Wire |
| #28 | / | Q Magazine |
| #30 | / | Treble |
| #34 | / | Earbuddy |
| #35 | / | The Vinyl Factory |
| #41 | / | Uncut |
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