Spin: Bits of darkness invade !!!'s first album in three years, and it's a dangerous supplement for a band whose foundation is winking, boisterous funk. When the slink doesn't get too murky, as on "AM/FM" and the cheery "Steady as the Sidewalk Cracks," the nighttime vibe pays off.
The Observer: Back on funkier ground, however, grooves such as "Jamie, My Intentions Are Bass" are pleasantly fidgety but nondescript. A mixed bag, then, which nevertheless proves there's still some gas in the tank.
Pretty Much Amazing: There isn't a single song as hard hitting as previous singles like "Yadnus" or "Must Be The Moon." Grooves like "Jamie, My Intentions Are Bass" and "Steady As The Sidewalk Cracks" make you feel like a climatic, jaw-dropping dance sequence is creeping up on you but for once, this is not the case. It eventually becomes clear that this is an LP meant to inspire chilling out rather than going ape-shit crazy on the dance floor.
Pitchfork: As such, the album's more engaging moments stand out even more (the oscillating breakdown of "The Hammer", the sax line that takes out "Steady as the Sidewalk Cracks", each and every second of "The Most Certain Sure"), but the flatlining is-that-how-they're-really-ending-this-record "Made of Money" sadly cements the fate of Strange Weather, Isn't It?: you'll enjoy it plenty while it's on, but once it's over you might forget it ever existed.
Strange Weather, Isn't It? is out now via Warp. !!! will play the Clubhouse Sunday, September 5.
