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The album is absurd, confusing (the random sequencing can be a bitch if you're trying to follow individual plots), hilarious (only Merritt could pen a libretto titled What A Fucking Lovely Day!) and bloody brilliant.
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Los Angeles TimesThis suggests that a full focus on inventive musical theater may be where his talents will flourish. [19 Mar 2006]
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Each of these tracks - the duelling-banjo Train Song; the elegiac And He Would Say - is really perfectly formed, beautifully satisfying in structure alone.
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Some will be left wondering just what the hell Merritt is up to -- those poor sad kids who hung on every post-rock word of the Magnetic Fields records as if Merritt's abandoned them. And then, of course, there are the rest of you who will be delighted, puzzled, and intrigued by the sheer originality of this recording.
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Entertainment WeeklyDVD visuals would help, but it still beats Andrew Lloyd Webber. [17 Mar 2006, p.114]
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I'm not entirely convinced that this is the best way to present these songs; the live-sounding recordings don't always bring out the full force of the material, and create a sense of continuity that is only undercut by the album's sequencing.
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UncutThe overall tone is bracingly sour but surprisingly accessible. [Apr 2006, p.98]
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There can be too much of a good thing, and making your way through all 26 tracks of Showtunes will definitely leave you with a tummy ache.
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MojoLike Weimar cabaret Gilbert & Sullivan. [Apr 2006, p.104]
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Under The RadarAs a concept, this is an excellent work, filled with flashes of greatness. But as an album, Showtunes is often dragging and uneven. [#13, p.93]
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Merritt is a witty writer but, particularly after the frequently magnificent 69 Love Songs, that wit is becoming over-familiar.
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Q MagazineHighly theatrical, camp and not a little shrill. [Apr 2006, p.116]
User score distribution:
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Positive: 6 out of 9
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Mixed: 1 out of 9
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Negative: 2 out of 9
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jeffbApr 1, 2006
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joshnMar 23, 2006
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ChazMMar 19, 2006