I Can Spin a Rainbow
by Amanda Palmer
Metascore
60

Mixed or average reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
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  1. Drowned In Sound
    May 9, 2017
    90
    Each song tells its own story so intensely and so completely, like 11 musical horror novellas, that listening to any of them individually produces an experience more like that of listening to a shortish, intense, masterpiece-like album, especially as the songs often have a few different musical sections and ideas.
  2. Q Magazine
    May 9, 2017
    80
    The pair mesh with ease. [Jul 2017, p.112]
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  3. Boston Globe
    May 4, 2017
    70
    I Can Spin a Rainbow finds her bouncing ideas off of the Legendary Pink Dots’ Edward Ka-Spel, whose aggressively experimental approach to what a song can entail is so specific and unyielding that the album forces her into new modes.
  5. Under The Radar
    May 5, 2017
    60
    While definitely an acquired taste, ultimately it's an auditory adventure worth taking that neither wow the listener nor will it disappoint. [Apr - Jun 2017, p.84]
  6. Mojo
    May 5, 2017
    60
    Gloomy, seductive avant folk-blues. [Jun 2017, p.95]
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  7. The Skinny
    May 4, 2017
    60
    It’s a bold, considered whole; it's rich in theatrical texture and ambient psychedelia, but it’s not an easy listen. Often deliberately discordant, it won’t be to everyone’s tastes, certainly not to fans of Palmer’s poppier work.
  8. AllMusic
    Jun 29, 2017
    50
    At best, I Can Spin a Rainbow feels like the work of two talented artists savoring a long weekend of boundless creativity together, but from an outsider's perspective, the results are a bit too impenetrable to contextualize without having been in the room to witness its genesis.
  9. The A.V. Club
    May 5, 2017
    42
    “The Sun Still Shines,” suggests that Palmer and Ka-Spel should have really focused their energies on composing interstitial music for a stage production.
  10. PopMatters
    May 9, 2017
    40
    The album is convincing as a collaboration between friends, the obvious downside being that it also sounds like an inside joke, an indulgence on a whim that few others share or can access. The record is a slow parade of gothic vaudeville, like a less-convincing Emilie Autumn album without the thrill of the accompanying subculture.

User Reviews

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User Score
6.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 9 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 9
  3. Negative: 2 out of 9
  1. glamor
    May 8, 2017
    1
    I have always loved Amanda Palmer's music and art. Until now. For me, this album is dull, boring and a complete miss. We have been waiting forI have always loved Amanda Palmer's music and art. Until now. For me, this album is dull, boring and a complete miss. We have been waiting for a new album since her ceiling smashing record with the Grand Theft Orchestra. We will have to keep waiting. Cause this wasn't it.… Full Review »
  2. davidpirtle
    Oct 18, 2017
    6
    This unapologetically avant-garde collaboration between two generations of already unconventional musical artists seems to revel in its ownThis unapologetically avant-garde collaboration between two generations of already unconventional musical artists seems to revel in its own inaccessibility. Fans of the experimental Edward Ka-Spel will definitely be more at home here than Amanda Palmer's crowd. That being said, both camps should give it at least one spin, though I doubt it will ever be either's favorite work.… Full Review »
  3. armitageshanks
    May 10, 2017
    1
    Unfortunately I don't have many good things to say about the album. I'm a big fan of Amanda Palmer and like most of the things she has done,Unfortunately I don't have many good things to say about the album. I'm a big fan of Amanda Palmer and like most of the things she has done, but none of the songs on this album sat well with me at all. Either they were actively annoying songs or very boring.… Full Review »
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