Songs of Praise
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LP / Format
Dead Oceans / Label
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CRITIC REVIEWS
100
Well, the London five-piece is audibly indebted to Smith’s revered Manchester post-punk group The Fall – louche vocal delivery, abrasive and atonal guitar and barbed lyrics all present and correct – but debut album ‘Songs Of Praise’ courses with venom and a lithe vigour that is all their own.
100
Shame shout louder than anyone else at the moment, and make a claim to become Britain’s best new band.
100
Songs Of Praise distils the best features of classic British alternative music into a vital band passionate to enervate, communicate and entertain.
100
It’s an album to click play on again and again, every time struck by its sheer strength. ’Songs Of Praise’ shouldn’t just be an essential listen for 2018, but one that’ll be looked back on as a moment where things changed.
90
In context and execution, ‘Songs Of Praise’ is one of the most daring, scorching, seethingly intelligent, and at times downright funny British guitar albums to come our way in years.
90
Whip smart, furious and, most importantly, fun, Songs of Praise is the first essential album of 2018. And what an album it is.
84
What sets these lads apart is their beyond-their-years songwriting, riotous live shows (they were once fined for ripping a chandelier from the ceiling) and frontman Charlie Steen’s arresting vocals.
80
For all their exuberant diving into the furrows of British rock history, Shame feel like a band searching rather than one that’s lost. They’re a young bunch, but a politically engaged, angry, wise lot, smart enough to not overthink something as instinctive and fun as your first album. It works because they’re so convincing in each of their furious explorations.
80
There’s ... seething post-punk that recalls early Fugazi, and the lyrics – full of blood, spunk and dirt – are far too jaded and contradictory to make for easy indie-disco fodder.
80
Whether they're sophisticated or visceral, Shame's energy and confidence makes Songs of Praise an exciting debut from one of the most vital-sounding British rock bands of the late 2010s.
80
No Brit-band is better equipped to set 2018 alight.
80
Songs of Praise is a treat from start to finish, each song is intricately stitched together providing the perfect narrative to your Saturday night stumbling. Or any time of the week for that matter.
80
Songs of Praise is a modern, sneering punk explosion that adds up to more than a sum of its parts.
80
Both sonically and lyrically, the quintet’s primary outing encapsulates a fresh vigour but one that’s not naïve, despite the band’s tender age (the five members are either 20 or 21), Shame attack each song with a triumphant stance but one that’s not rose tinted.
75
If Shame belong to a generation of mobilizing British refuseniks teetering on an uprising, Songs of Praise is its soundtrack, whistling like a kettle coming to the boil.
75
They’re certainly lads, and they certainly rock, but Songs Of Praise is much more about self-expression and determination, and doesn’t look for any kind of gratification – it just sounds like a bunch of young men looking to blow off steam, and that is what makes it such an enjoyable romp.
70
The sound of this album can fairly be described as manic, frustrated, or even thrashing but throughout there is an ease and listenability which speaks to the confidence and talent that the band has as songwriters.
70
What makes this all powerful is just how musically accomplished Shame are, despite the high-anxiety relentlessness of their sonic gospel.
50
It is, ultimately, an unimaginative album from a promising band. Better records may lie ahead for them, but for now they will struggle to reach far beyond their existing fanbase.
50
Despite Shame’s lyrical foibles, they evince a prodigious adeptness for musicianship, and though Songs of Praise isn’t the most arresting debut by a garage band, there are far worse places to start.
Since its release at the beginning of 2018 all that Shame has done is grow on me more and more. There's something raw about their presentation and energy (seriously, go watch their performance on KEXP and tell me they don't bring the energy). However, the sound of their post-punk inspired aesthetic is so well refined that it's hard to believe this is a debut record.
At times the group can have an abrasive tone to their presentation, but at other times these just feel like hooky and easy to ... read more
At times the group can have an abrasive tone to their presentation, but at other times these just feel like hooky and easy to ... read more
This is the most middle of the road bandcamp rock album I have ever heard. Dope pigs on the cover though.
The opening thirty seconds will suggest it's an edge-fest post-punk record with little accessibility. Yet that's only half right, as this album ends up being a fun, yet difficult record to categorize. At times a brutal punk rock album reminiscent of the genre's golden era, while at other times an anthemic and friendly-sounding group of singles, Songs of Praise ends up a mostly-fun/fine mixed bag of typical yet fresh techniques. It's dead solid.
Favorite Tracks: Angie, Tasteless, Friction ... read more
Favorite Tracks: Angie, Tasteless, Friction ... read more
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Year End Lists
| #1 | / | Rough Trade |
| #2 | / | Gigwise |
| #2 | / | Northern Transmissions |
| #4 | / | Far Out Magazine |
| #6 | / | Dummy |
| #6 | / | NME |
| #10 | / | The Independent |
| #11 | / | The Line of Best Fit |
| #12 | / | MondoSonoro |
| #12 | / | Paste |
More Lists
MISC LISTS
| #1 | / | NME (First Half) |
| #6 | / | Paste (First Half) |
| #15 | / | Exclaim! (First Half) |
| #20 | / | Exclaim! (Pop & Rock) |
| / | The Guardian (First Half) |
Track List
- Dust on Trial
- Concrete
- One Rizla
- The Lick
- Tasteless
- Donk
- Gold Hole
- Friction
- Lampoon
- Angie
Added on: November 26, 2017