AMG Review of 13th [#2]

Ned Raggett
All Music Guide

Quite why Elektra felt the need to follow the British example of two-part singles isn't exactly clear, but nonetheless that's what happened here: all the more frustrating given that only two songs are on this release, and that one of them is quite excellent. The "swing radio mix" of the title track isn't much different at all from the other mixes of the track on other singles or the album version. The mariachi-tinged horns are still a joy, while the guitar line is a little more immediately noticeable as well, but that's about it. "Adonais," a wholly original track, is something else entirely. With a persistent, rising feeling like a crest of a wave, excellent drumming, and increasingly nervous, suggestive string-synth lines, it has the impact of songs like "Open" and to an extent "End," heading towards a threatening climax.