Shut Down the Streets
| Shut Down the Streets | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 9, 2012 | |||
| Recorded | 2012 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock | |||
| Length | 40:20 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Colin Stewart | |||
| A. C. Newman chronology | ||||
| ||||
Shut Down the Streets is the third solo studio album by Canadian musician A. C. Newman. It was released on October 9, 2012 via Last Gang/Matador Records. Production was handled by Colin Stewart.
The album was named a longlisted nominee for the 2013 Polaris Music Prize and a shortlisted nominee for the Juno Award for Adult Alternative Album of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2014.
Critical reception
[edit]| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7/10[1] |
| Metacritic | 74/100[2] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Beats Per Minute | 76/100%[4] |
| Consequence of Sound | C-[5] |
| DIY | [6] |
| Now |   [7] |
| Paste | 8.8/10[8] |
| Pitchfork | 6.8/10[9] |
| PopMatters | 7/10[10] |
| The A.V. Club | B[11] |
| Under the Radar | [12] |
Shut Down the Streets was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 74 based on twenty-two reviews.[2] The aggregator AnyDecentMusic? has the critical consensus of the album at a 7 out of 10, based on nineteen reviews.[1]
Ryan Reed of Paste praised the album, claiming: "by opening up, by giving a glimpse into the heart behind those heart-stopping melodies, Newman's written his best songs in nearly a decade".[8] AllMusic's James Christopher Monger called the album "as accessible as it is rewarding, and as refreshingly idiosyncratic as it is revealing".[3] Tom Baker of DIY called it "a truly mature and well-rounded work, with a complete lack of pretension, and a lot of warmth and heart".[6] Carla Gillis of Now noted: "lyrically, he's still clever but also much more direct, and there's greater impact because of it".[7] Brendan Frank of Beats Per Minute found that the album "successfully infuses what could fly as an intimate acoustic set with contagious pop hooks".[4] Annie Bydlon Zaleski of The A.V. Club resumed: "Shut Down the Streets is worth getting over any bias, though: It's the rare adult album that isn't a self-indulgent bore".[11] Zachary Houle of PopMatters wrote: "Shut Down the Streets is not a record for the young--it is wisdom wrapped around the indelible songwriting skills of one of Canada's most distinctive musicians".[10] David Brusie of Under the Radar stated: "as is the case with all of Newman's work, there are plenty of surprises here, many of which reflect the surprises of the death and birth of loved ones".[12] Steven Hyden of Pitchfork wrote: "Newman's melodic gifts continue to serve the emotional core of his songs well, but he pulls his punches with opaque lyrics and too many wheelhouse-sticking power-pop cuts that keep Streets from achieving the impact it could have had".[9]
In his mixed review for Consequence, Justin Gerber concluded: "Shut Down the Streets is a strange beast and one that will fall victim to that option that destroys the album sequence as we know it: shuffle. Fortunately, the high points are so high that they warrant a listen, even a purchase of the record as a whole".[5]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I'm Not Talking" | 4:38 |
| 2. | "Do Your Own Time" | 4:33 |
| 3. | "You Could Get Lost Out Here" | 4:04 |
| 4. | "Encyclopedia of Classic Takedowns" | 3:59 |
| 5. | "There's Money in New Wave" | 3:18 |
| 6. | "Strings" | 4:37 |
| 7. | "Hostages" | 4:09 |
| 8. | "Wasted English" | 3:22 |
| 9. | "The Troubadour" | 3:49 |
| 10. | "They Should Have Shut Down the Streets" | 3:51 |
| Total length: | 40:20 | |
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Shut Down The Streets by AC Newman reviews | Any Decent Music". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
- ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Shut Down The Streets - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
- ^ a b Monger, James Christopher. "Shut Down the Streets - A.C. Newman | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
- ^ a b Frank, Brendan (October 11, 2012). "Album Review: AC Newman – Shut Down the Streets". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
- ^ a b Gerber, Justin (October 8, 2012). "Album Review: A.C. Newman | Shut Down the Streets". Consequence Of Sound. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
- ^ a b Baker, Tom (October 29, 2012). "A.C. Newman - Shut Down The Streets". DIY. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
- ^ a b Gillis, Carla (October 11, 2012). "A.C. Newman - Shut Down The Streets - NOW Magazine". NOW Toronto. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
- ^ a b Reed, Ryan (October 9, 2012). "A.C. Newman: Shut Down the Streets". Paste Magazine. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
- ^ a b Hyden, Steven (October 10, 2012). "A.C. Newman: Shut Down the Streets". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
- ^ a b Houle, Zachary (October 14, 2012). "A.C. Newman: Shut Down the Streets » PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
- ^ a b Bydlon, Zaleski, Annie (October 9, 2012). "A.C. Newman: Shut Down The Streets". The A.V. Club. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
- ^ a b Brusie, David. "Shut Down the Streets". Under The Radar. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
External links
[edit]- Shut Down The Streets at Discogs (list of releases)
