Play Music (album)
{{Infobox album
| name = Play Music
| type = studio
| artist = Thieves Like Us
| cover = Play Music (album).jpg
| alt =
| released = {{start date|2008|11|17|df=yes}}
| recorded =
| studio =
| genre =
| length =
| label = Shelflife Records
| producer =
| prev_title = Berlin, Alex
| prev_year = 2007
| next_title = Again and Again
| next_year = 2010
}}
Play Music is the second studio album by electronic group Thieves Like Us.
Critical reception
{{Album ratings
|MC=48/100{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/play-music/thieves-like-us|title=Play Music by Thieves Like Us Reviews and Tracks|website=Metacritic|accessdate=11 May 2020}}
|rev1=AllMusic
|rev1Score={{rating|2.5|5}}{{cite web|last=Hoffman|first=K. Ross|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/play-music-mw0000811906|title=Play Music – Thieves Like Us|website=AllMusic|accessdate=11 May 2020}}
|rev2=Contactmusic.com
|rev2Score=6/10{{cite web|last=Roffey|first=Pablo|date=15 June 2009|url=https://www.contactmusic.com/thieves-like-us/music/thieves-like-us-play-musicx15x06x09|title=Thieves Like Us|work=Contactmusic.com|accessdate=11 May 2020}}
|rev3=Drowned in Sound
|rev3Score=5/10{{cite web|last=Catling|first=Simon Jay|date=21 July 2009|url=http://drownedinsound.com/releases/14525/reviews/4137425|title=Album Review: Thieves Like Us – Play Music|work=Drowned in Sound|accessdate=11 May 2020}}
|rev4=IndieLondon
|rev5=The Line of Best Fit
|rev5Score=30%{{cite web|last=Jones|first=Merlin|date=6 July 2009|url=https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/reviews/albums/thieves-like-us-play-music-17391|title=Thieves Like Us – Play Music|work=The Line of Best Fit|accessdate=11 May 2020}}
|rev6=NME
|rev6Score={{rating|1|5}}{{cite web|last=Hoban|first=Alex|date=11 June 2009|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews-iv-thieves-10548-318119|title=Album review: Thieves Like Us – 'Play Music'|work=NME|accessdate=11 May 2020}}
|rev7=Pitchfork
|rev7Score=5.6/10{{cite web|last=Hogan|first=Marc|date=10 April 2009|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12865-play-music/|title=Thieves Like Us: Play Us|work=Pitchfork|accessdate=11 May 2020}}
|rev8=PopMatters
|rev8Score={{rating|6|10}}{{cite web|last=Raper|first=Dan|date=16 April 2009|url=http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/72395-thieves-like-us-play-music/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100516191447/http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/72395-thieves-like-us-play-music/|archivedate=16 May 2010|title=Thieves Like Us: Play Music|work=PopMatters|accessdate=11 May 2020}}
|rev9=Q
}}
IndieLondon criticized Play Music for the song tempos being too slow for the dance style it aimed for and also panned the lead singer's performance. An extremely negative NME review from Alex Hoban dismissed the album as a set of "boring songs about drugs" with "vaguely voguish words" and "empty lyrics," wondering if he was "caught up in some kind of late April Fool" instead of an actual record. The Line of Best Fit bashed the record for its lack of stylistic and instrumental variety between tracks, describing the experience as "faceless, soulless, heartless synthetics in its prime as this Parisian trio pursue only what they know, and care nothing for what they don't."
Exclaim! was one of the few publications to run a favorable review, where Cam Lindsay praised its mixture of styles from different countries with pop music elements and a dark mood: "Play Music is the complete package, with a resounding desire to keep you locked in with misshapen melodies and distorted emotion. Even two years after its debut, it still sounds freshly squeezed, without any indication of going sour any time soon."{{cite web|last=Lindsay|first=Cam|date=4 March 2009|url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/thieves_like_us-play_music|title=Thieves Like Us Play Music|work=Exclaim!|accessdate=11 May 2020}}
== References ==
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