Boys and Diamonds

Last updated
Boys and Diamonds
Boys and Diamonds.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 28, 2011 (2011-02-28) (Europe), March 1, 2011 (2011-03-01) (North America)
Genre Electronic music, electropop
Length41:37
Label Kompakt
Producer Danny Preston
Rainbow Arabia chronology
Boys and Diamonds
(2011)
FM Sushi
(2013)

Boys and Diamonds is the debut studio album by husband-and-wife electronica duo Rainbow Arabia. It was released on German electronic record label Kompakt on February 28, 2011, and on March 1, 2011 in the United States.

Contents

Critical reception

Boys and Diamonds received widely varying reviews from critics, ranging from an F from Consequence of Sound [1] to an A− from Robert Christgau. [2] Critics who gave the album negative reviews often criticized it for being derivative of world music, or for not living up to the potential of mixing it with electronic pop, as had been Rainbow Arabia's intention. [3] Other critics, though, like Chris Power, praised the album in spite of its derivativeness, [4] because of its memorable hooks, while Allmusic's Rick Anderson wrote that the album exhibited "a well-developed and highly personal sound that draws from any number of exotic musical cultures without depending too much on any one of them." [5]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic (61%) [6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Consequence of Sound F [1]
Drowned in Sound 6/10 [3]
Filter 80% [7]
Pitchfork Media 4.9/10 [8]
PopMatters Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Robert Christgau A– [2]
Tiny Mix Tapes TMT full.svgTMT half.svgTMT empty.svgTMT empty.svgTMT empty.svg [10]

Track listing

  1. Boys and Diamonds
  2. Without You
  3. Blind
  4. Nothin Gonna Be Undone
  5. Papai
  6. Jungle Bear
  7. Hai
  8. Mechanical
  9. This Life is Practice
  10. Sayer
  11. Sequenced

Personnel

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References

  1. 1 2 Young, Alex (12 April 2011). "Album Review: Rainbow Arabia Boys and Diamonds". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  2. 1 2 CG: Rainbow Arabia
  3. 1 2 Cooke, Robert (9 March 2011). "Boys and Diamonds Review". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  4. Power, Chris (2011). "Rainbow Arabia Boys and Diamonds Review". BBC iPlayer . Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  5. 1 2 Anderson, Rick. "Boys and Diamonds Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  6. "Boys and Diamonds by Rainbow Arabia". Metacritic. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
  7. Rondeau, Bernardo (12 April 2011). "Boys and Diamonds Review". Filter. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  8. Pytlik, Mark (18 March 2011). "Boys and Diamonds Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 12 July 2014.
  9. Nickum, Stefan (2011-03-09). "Rainbow Arabia: Boys and Diamonds". PopMatters. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
  10. DNC. "Boys and Diamonds". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 12 July 2014.