Former Lives - Benjamin Gibbard
Former Lives Image
Metascore
66 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 15 Critics What's this?

User Score
tbd

No user score yet- Awaiting 2 more ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
Rate this:
  • Summary: The debut solo release for the Death Cab For Cutie singer under his name (he released a solo album under the name All-Time Quarterback! in 1999) features a duet with Aimee Mann.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. Absolute Punk (Staff reviews)
    Oct 18, 2012
    89
    Comprised of many songs he has tucked away for years, the album is everything one might expect from a Gibbard solo album: daring, delicate, verbose and indelible.
  2. Entertainment Weekly
    Oct 12, 2012
    83
    His earnest songwriting still skews saccharine, but more often than not, Former Lives is lovely.
  3. PopMatters
    Oct 17, 2012
    60
    Former Lives also falls prey to typical solo album problems, like stylistic explorations that a band might correctly veto as ill-fitting throwaways... and songs too slight to appear on a major release.. Yet [other] songs hint at how good Former Lives could have been had Gibbard simply indulged his pop storyteller side.

See all 15 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 1 out of 1
  1. Duke_Challenger
    3
    Pretty much every single song is mediocre on this album. They just are copies of other Death Cab For Cutie songs. Though, "Duncan, Where Have You Gone?" copies of John Lennon. Good tracks: 4. Bigger Than Love *****/***** 8. Oh Woe ***/***** 9. A Hard One to Know ****/***** 10. Lady Adelaide ***/*****… Expand

Current Music Releases

Full List »
  1. Graceland [25th Anniversary Edition] - Paul Simon
    Metascore: 98
  2. Copper Blue [Deluxe Edition] - Sugar
    Metascore: 95
  3. Woody at 100: The Woody Guthrie Centennial - Woody Guthrie
    Metascore: 95
  4. Dopesmoker [Reissue] - Sleep
    Metascore: 94
  5. Liquid Swords [The Chess Box] - Genius / GZA
    Metascore: 94
  6. Loveless [Reissue] - My Bloody Valentine
    Metascore: 93
  7. The Complete Studio Recordings - Bryan Ferry
    Metascore: 93
  8. Blur 21 - Blur
    Metascore: 92
  9. Channel Orange - Frank Ocean
    Metascore: 92
  10. The Complete Beat - The English Beat
    Metascore: 90
  11. The Idler Wheel Is Wiser than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More than Ropes Will Ever Do - Fiona Apple
    Metascore: 89
  12. Motion Sickness of Time Travel - Motion Sickness of Time Travel
    Metascore: 88
  13. Isn't Anything [Reissue] - My Bloody Valentine
    Metascore: 88
  14. Fetch - Moritz von Oswald Trio
    Metascore: 87
  15. All We Love We Leave Behind - Converge
    Metascore: 87
  16. The Seer - Swans
    Metascore: 87
  17. Reform Club - Claro Intelecto
    Metascore: 87
  18. Bouger le Monde! - Staff Benda Bilili
    Metascore: 87
  19. Kaleidoscope Dream - Miguel
    Metascore: 86
  20. What Is the Meaning of What - Turing Machine
    Metascore: 86
All Current Music »