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Volume 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails
by The Baseball Project
R.E.M.'s Scott McCaughey and Peter Buck along with ex-Dream Syndicate member Steve Wynn and Miracle 3's Linda Pitmon team up together to create an album of songs about baseball.
LABEL: |
Yep Roc |
RELEASE DATE: |
08 July 2008 |
DISCS: |
1 disc |
GENRE(S): |
Rock, Pop |
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...
80
All Music Guide
Far from being a throwaway side project, this unique album is as refreshing as a gapper to right center, providing, of course, it's your team up at the plate.
80
NOW Magazine
The insightful tunes are cleverly composed, with a sharp sense of wit and a comprehensive knowledge of the game.
80
Uncut
Aside from the roistering music, what makes this ultimately so appealing is they way McCaughey and Wynn universalise their subject.
80
cokemachineglow
The Baseball Project is one of those “why the hell hasn’t anybody thought of this before?” ideas that is carried out exceedingly well.
75
The Phoenix
The smart, funny, fanclub chants herein, each as catchy as Willie Mays in the ’54 Fall Classic, are gemlike tributes to the characters who’ve made that diamond shine, from Satchel Paige to Fernando Valenzuela.
74
Pitchfork
Poring through hardball's rich history with the exhaustiveness of true geeks but the wit and empathy of born songwriters, Wynn and McCaughey repeatedly manage to draw effortless metaphorical lines between baseball and life.
70
PopMatters
If you don’t know what either a frozen rope or dying quail is, this record may not be your cup of tea. Yet again, the retro/heartland rock provided by The Baseball Project is so outstanding and so catchy, it would be possible to catch yourself singing along (thus learning) about poor Harvey Haddix’s fate before you even realize it.
70
Blender
Sometimes they're tossing salad, with predictably sappy songs about sainted all-stars Willie Mays and Jackie Robinson, yet theyre funny throwing chin music at cult figures Fernando Valenzuela and Harvey Haddix. [Sep 2008, p.76]
70
Boston Globe
These guys, backed by R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck, don't flash too much leather; they make the routine plays and put good wood on the ball.
60
Mojo
This sort of works, but clearly their obsession lies with the lyrics. [Sep 2008, p.106]
The average user rating for this album is 8.3 (out of 10) based on 3 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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