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Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
There Is No Enemy
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 15 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 17 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Warners Bros.
Release Date: 06 October 2009
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Rock, Indie
Summary
The latest album for the indie rock band features Quasi's Sam Coomes, Treepeople's Scott Schmaljohn, Butthole Surfers' Paul Leary, John McMahon, and Roger Manning as guest musicians.
Also By This Artist: Ancient Melodies Of The Future Keep It Like A Secret You In Reverse
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
The Onion (A.V. Club)
For There Is No Enemy, Martsch and company move beyond that back-to-basics approach, delivering a polished record that favors lilting mid-tempo ballads over ear-blasting ragers.
Read Full Review >Dusted Magazine
Enemy takes the game Built to Spill has been playing for a while now and hits the right emotions in the right way.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
Besides connecting the dots between the chugging side of Neil Young and the slightly warped alterna-pop of the Flaming Lips, Built to Spill continue releasing some of the most affecting, beguiling indie rock of the 2000s.
Read Full Review >Billboard.com
Martsch has hinted that There Is No Enemy could be the band's final album. If that's the case, the set's multifaceted melodies and experimentation would be an inspired sendoff.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
The end result is easily the best Built to Spill album of the decade--an improbable late-career reawakening and heartening evidence that becoming dependable doesn't mean having to settle for being predictable.
Read Full Review >Paste Magazine
It's a measured, thoughtful album befitting a group that has practically become a byword for consistency.
Read Full Review >Prefix Magazine
There Is No Enemy does not offer new horizons for Built to Spill, but it does shine in a consistently good catalog.
Read Full Review >Alternative Press
As ever, Martsch prove capable of anthropomorphizing a bent string and imbuing it with more emotion than many bands' vocals and lyrics. [Dec 2009, p.112]
Rolling Stone
Those seeking the naive concision of earlier records will be disappointed: Most songs sprawl near five minutes or longer. But their components are all about simple melodic beauty, writ large--prog-rock for pop purists.
Read Full Review >The New York Times
He packs every song with parts-- low, midrange and high guitars, vocal la-las and ahs--and all the layers can make the songs overstuffed and woolly, particularly the slow ones. But diligence is one way to fight complacency, and Mr. Martsch’s plaintive cantankerousness keeps breaking through.
Read Full Review >No Ripcord
While we sit here wishing for that next sublime Built To Spill album, There Is No Enemy serves as a good fix to hold us on over.
Read Full Review >Slant Magazine
With the talent on display here, there's every reason to believe that the man will deliver another classic Built to Spill record someday. This isn't one, but in its best moments (and many of it's merely good moments), you'll be surprised at how little you mind.
Read Full Review >PopMatters
There Is No Enemy is not a return to form. It’s a re-imagining of a band’s distinct and timeless sound.
Read Full Review >Under The Radar
Even if the album as a whole isn't as eminently loveable as, say, "Keep It Like A Secret," though, there's still plenty to love here. [Fall 2009, p.57]
Tiny Mix Tapes
Taken as a whole, There Is No Enemy is a solid album on par with the band’s more recent output.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 9.5 (out of 10) based on 17 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
