Songs of Praise

shame - Songs of Praise
Critic Score
Based on 25 reviews
2018 Ratings: #50 / 890
Year End Rank: #31
User Score
Based on 965 ratings
2018 Rank: #188
Liked by 81 people
January 12, 2018 / Release Date
LP / Format
Dead Oceans / Label
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
musicOMH

Songs Of Praise distils the best features of classic British alternative music into a vital band passionate to enervate, communicate and entertain.

100
NME
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
Dork

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.

100
DIY

Shame shout louder than anyone else at the moment, and make a claim to become Britain’s best new band.

90
Louder Than War

Shame are a snapshot of the now. It’s abrasive, it’s not compromising and yet it still manages to be a kind of pop music. This is the reflection of grating modern life.

90
The Line of Best Fit

Whip smart, furious and, most importantly, fun, Songs of Praise is the first essential album of 2018. And what an album it is.

90
Clash
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.
84
Paste
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
Loud and Quiet
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
Northern Transmissions
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.
80
GIGsoup

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
Mojo
No Brit-band is better equipped to set 2018 alight.
80
The Guardian
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
Under the Radar

Songs of Praise is a modern, sneering punk explosion that adds up to more than a sum of its parts.

80
AllMusic

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.

75
Pitchfork

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
The 405

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
FLOOD Magazine

What makes this all powerful is just how musically accomplished Shame are, despite the high-anxiety relentlessness of their sonic gospel.

70
PopMatters
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.
50
Tiny Mix Tapes

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.

50
Drowned in Sound
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.
JacksonLerner
85

on their first LP, ‘songs of praise’, shame show themselves as a smart band, wise beyond their years. their debut is rather spectacular.

“dust on trial” feels dark, like one’s inside a deep well and cannot escape. its rhythmic advances are synchronized with the song’s structure to craft great energy. the minor key vibes create some discomfort within the music. this discomfort is comforting, as the band completes a mission of setting up some unsettling vibes. ... read more

Host
83

that closing track is just... wow... genuinely no words.

SnowyFighter
87

Edit: (79 —> 87) Since I’m a huge shame fan now, these songs are hitting so much harder

Yes. I will be praising these songs

After absolutely loving shame’s new record this year, I was excited to check out their first record. While I think that I prefer Drunk Tank Pink, this record BANGS. It has that really great Post Punk energy that you look for in bands like this, and I think that this also showcases a little bit more diversity. Specifically, I think it shows most in a ... read more

Rui1872
75

wasn't blown away by it but left me intrigued about future records from shame

55

This album seems equally reviewed to their other albums but it is SO MUCH WORSE. Other than a few tracks, the songwriting is shit and the instrumentation uninspiring. One Rizla slaps tho.

TomasKayas
80

Dust on Trial: 85/100
Concrete: 80/100
One Rizla: 85/100
The Lick: 75/100
Tasteless: 90/100
Donk: 70/100
Gold Hole: 75/100
Friction: 80/100
Lampoon: 80/100
Angie: 90/100

Total Score: 8.1

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Track List

1Dust on Trial
3:34
91
2Concrete
3:34
91
3One Rizla
3:34
91
4The Lick
4:11
88
5Tasteless
3:05
85
6Donk
1:41
76
7Gold Hole
4:46
85
8Friction
4:31
86
9Lampoon
2:34
81
10Angie
6:55
90
Total Length: 38 minutes
Comments (1)
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4mo


Added on: November 26, 2017