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- Summary: The first full-length studio release from Damon McMahon's musical project Amen Dunes since 2018's Freedom features contributions from Kwake Bass, Christoffer Berg, Money Mark, Panoram, and Sam Wilkes.
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- Record Label: Sub Pop
- Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock
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Score distribution:
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Positive: 11 out of 11
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Mixed: 0 out of 11
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Negative: 0 out of 11
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May 8, 2024Death Jokes is a complex chasm of fractured, intertwining ideas, songs that grasp for purpose, songs with drops of sorts.
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May 15, 2024Some tracks accordingly veer toward the solipsistic—”Exodus” pushes the newfound Arthur Russell-meets-Tim Buckley vibe a little past the point of viability. But even at his most bleakly compressed, McMahon can still produce a striking melody.
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May 8, 2024It’s at times a frustrating listen – just as a flow appears, dark, ominous vignettes (Joyrider, Predator) shatter the illusion. Eventually, reward arrives. Carrying you through the epic collage of Round the World is McMahon’s anchor of a voice, proving there’s beauty to be found in the disquiet.
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May 20, 2024Much like its climactic track, Death Jokes is enigmatic, overwhelming, and even indulgent, but it is also a singular and stirring effort, one which rewards those who choose to untangle its knots.
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May 13, 2024The ideas on Death Jokes, his self-produced sixth album, are clearer. He is blunter and more forceful with specific meaning on this album than ever.
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May 10, 2024The album, true to its title, seems like a long and tortured joke with plenty of narrative that only the teller can fully grasp – at times the delivery is bravura and spellbinding, but too often it falls flat and loses momentum. There’s undeniably a great work of art in here among the clutter of scraps that McMahon has collected over the last few years.
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UncutMay 8, 2024At its best, like the gorgeous, nine-minute “Round The World”, his bittersweet sound feels like the work of an art-music auteur. [May 2024, p.30]