Coastal Grooves
by Blood Orange
  • Record Label: Domino
  • Release Date: Aug 30, 2011
Metascore
72

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
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  1. The Telegraph (UK)
    Aug 10, 2011
    100
    Hynes's voice is refined into an emotive croon. Inventive pop from a bright indie talent.
  2. Drowned In Sound
    Aug 10, 2011
    90
    With a humble ten songs, Hynes banishes our woes and turns a shoulder to the glut of all too mundane music released this year, reminding us that someone can still make a perfectly influenced yet original collection of songs. This is how a record should be made.
  3. AllMusic
    Aug 30, 2011
    80
    An album that is fashionably slick, altogether tragic, and deceptively beautiful.
  5. NOW Magazine
    Aug 25, 2011
    80
    Most impressive is the lightness of touch Hynes brings to his arrangements.
  6. Uncut
    Aug 19, 2011
    80
    A collection of balmy disco that call to mind some tropical union between Arthur Russell and Prince. [Sep 2011, p.81]
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  7. Q Magazine
    Aug 16, 2011
    80
    Hynes, it seems, can get away with more than most. [Sept. 2011, p. 103]
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  8. BBC Music
    Aug 12, 2011
    80
    It's really that entertaining. He's found his voice now and he's coasting. A winner.
  9. The Observer (UK)
    Aug 10, 2011
    80
    On paper, its influences--surf punk, Prince, oriental pop, minimalist dance--smack of hipster posturing, but on record, they blend beautifully.
  10. Tiny Mix Tapes
    Sep 7, 2011
    70
    As a retro endeavor, this atmosphere may be lauded for its chronicity, but it keeps Coastal Grooves from scaling the memorable heights of synthed-up crooners straddling the art/pop divide (the likes of Bryan Ferry or Donald Fagen).
  11. CMJ
    Aug 31, 2011
    70
    By not exerting himself, Hynes manages to craft an easy-to-listen, easy-to-enjoy album that will be spun as a change of pace.
  12. Dusted Magazine
    Aug 18, 2011
    70
    Whether a frolic or a detour, the latest stop on Hynes's winding musical road is worth a listen. But take his own early words as this listener does: out of context, as an invocation of caveat emptor.
  13. New Musical Express (NME)
    Aug 10, 2011
    70
    The record leans at times too heavily on its basic formula of pizzicato electric guitar and seedy, somnambulant basslines. Still, as a slice of squalid glamour with a beating heart under its rusted exterior, Coastal Grooves deserves your attention.
  14. The Guardian
    Aug 10, 2011
    60
    The result is a low-end-heavy collection that lends an air of mystery and menace to Hynes's tales of love and loneliness.
  15. musicOMH.com
    Aug 10, 2011
    60
    It's a shame that Hynes' songwriting chops haven't developed as quickly as his musical skills. But this shouldn't put the brakes on Hynes' progress: Coastal Grooves might be a forgettable, minor work, but Hynes' career to date proves that he shouldn't be written off easily.
  16. Pitchfork
    Aug 26, 2011
    59
    The sounds he pursues here as Blood Orange might be more hip than his work as Lightspeed Champion, but the end results are less satisfying.
  17. Consequence
    Aug 18, 2011
    50
    Blood Orange is a unique new identity for Hynes, but it doesn't feel finished. Coastal Grooves is a splash of ideas and potential that never really comes together.
  18. Under The Radar
    Aug 16, 2011
    50
    Coastal Grooves is easy enough on the ears, but the bulk of it doesn't really connect, and it lacks the melodic gifts and pop sensibilities Hynes so magnificently displayed on "Dinner." [Oct. 2011, p. 79]
  19. The Independent on Sunday (UK)
    Aug 10, 2011
    50
    It's pleasant enough, but on the whole feels like Hynes' sketches towards an album, rather than the finished item.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.1

Universal acclaim- based on 18 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. hydrawithears
    Oct 11, 2011
    4
    That image on the cover might be confusing but this is not an album by Antony and the Johnsons. Blood Orange is Dev Hynes, a Texas-bornThat image on the cover might be confusing but this is not an album by Antony and the Johnsons. Blood Orange is Dev Hynes, a Texas-born British singer-songwriter. Coastal Grooves is mostly funk and while the opening three songs are totally joyous and, well, funky (especially Sutphin Boulevard and Iâ… Full Review »
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