Paste magazine gives Who's Feeling Young Now? a "phenomenal" 9 out of 10, with reviewer Ryan Reed explaining that on this, their "unquestionably finest" album yet, "the multi-talented quintet wisely continue doing what they do best: crafting off-kilter, classically-tinged pop songs that sound like absolutely no other band on the planet."
One could imagine that bringing five such virtuosic musicians together might pose a challenge to cohesion, but not so here. "Though every individual member clearly has the ability to rip into a tasty, long-winded solo at any given moment, Punch Brothers consistently choose the higher path," says Reed. "That these guys are so easily able to marry such progressive-minded touches into pop contexts is a feat worthy of reverence."
On Who's Feeling Young Now?, "every track is a small wonder of some sort," Reed concludes. "They may have just crafted a masterpiece of their own."
Read the complete review at pastemagazine.com.
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In a review of Who's Feeling Young Now? from The Wrap published by Reuters, Chris Willman calls it "terrific," finding that "the band continues to rock in a big way" on the new album, starting with “'Movement and Location,' a driving opener you'd swear was a cover of a long-lost Arcade Fire obscurity if the credits didn’t tell you better."
Rock though they do, Punch Brothers, of course, move beyond the confines of any genre. "Most of the time," Willman notes, "they’re arriving at a hybrid that’s altogether inexplicable, abandoning neither their bluegrass nor singer/songwriter origins, but embedding rootsy-pop hooks in roller-coaster arrangements so original and complicated that there’s nothing to do but scratch your scrambled head and buy a ticket to ride again."
After lauding the rare combination of songwriting skill and "master-class fingerpicking" as nothing short of a "godsend," Willman concludes: "The most remarkable thing about Who’s Feeling Young Now? is how this drumless combo seem to be using their vintage gear to create a fresh genre, not piece together borrowed retro idioms."
Read the complete review at reuters.com.
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“The acoustic framework dazzles," says Rolling Stone's Will Hermes, "wild virtuosity used for more than just virtuosity.” Read that review at rollingstone.com.
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
Press Round Up – May 8, 2012
Punch Brothers are in London, where they played at Scala last night and will perform on Later Live .... read more »
Press Round Up – April 26, 2012
Punch Brothers have brought their US headlining tour to New York City for a sold-out show at The T... read more »
Press Round Up – April 18, 2012
Punch Brothers have launched the second leg of their North American tour featuring music from their ... read more »
Press Round Up - March 9, 2012
As was noted earlier this week, Punch Brothers are featured in a "Talk of the Town" piece in this we... read more »
Press Round Up – March 5, 2012
Prior to heading out on tour, the band spent some time with The New Yorker’s Alec Wilkinson for a... read more »
Punch Brothers are in London, where they played at Scala last night and will perform on Later Live .... read more »
Press Round Up – April 26, 2012
Punch Brothers have brought their US headlining tour to New York City for a sold-out show at The T... read more »
Press Round Up – April 18, 2012
Punch Brothers have launched the second leg of their North American tour featuring music from their ... read more »
Press Round Up - March 9, 2012
As was noted earlier this week, Punch Brothers are featured in a "Talk of the Town" piece in this we... read more »
Press Round Up – March 5, 2012
Prior to heading out on tour, the band spent some time with The New Yorker’s Alec Wilkinson for a... read more »