I've always felt that a big reason these guys don't get the universal acclaim of other more popular but still arguably redundant bands get is cause these guys are a bit too obscure. The people who listen to this band are the same kinds of people who are gonna jump onto the opportunity to dismiss them by name-checking some of their own older, more obscure tastes.

I love these guys. I never understood the This Heat references beyond maybe the atmosphere, because these guys are CLEARLY more poppy and I'd argue more infectious than This Heat, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Chameleons, Glenn Branca, the Pop Group, etc. I'm not trying to tell anyone that they should like this album for any reason if they already don't, or that their criticisms aren't valid. I'm just saying that, for me at least, an album sounding like something else isn't inherently negative and that even if it were, there will always be small deviations that make the work unique. The Chameleons didn't write this, and if it sounds like they did then why is it a problem if you purportedly like The Chameleons? Obviously there's a lot more than just music that goes into the experience of listening so idk.

anyway havent listened to this yet but AOTY so far