Bavarian Fruit Bread

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Alternative Press	[4]
ArtistDirect	[5]
Drowned In Sound	[6]
E! Online	[7]
Mojo	[8]
Neumu.net	[9]
NME	[10]
Pitchfork Media	(5.6/10)[11]
Spin	[7]
Uncut	[7]

Initial critical response to Bavarian Fruit Bread was generally positive. According to Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 75 out of 100, based on 15 reviews.[7]

Many of the positive reviews focused heavily on Sandoval's vocals,[7] with Q magazine stating that "the glacial tones and chimes that The Velvet Underground modelled on "Sunday Morning" are invoked with absolute perfection. Yet even beyond this, Sandoval's sedated, spellbound voice remains a remarkable presence."[12] Lori Miller Barrett, in an overwhelmingly positive review of the album for neumu.net, stated "it's magical and mysterious, compelling and complex," before giving the record a 10 out of 10 score.[9] Alternative Press described the album as "consistently intriguing, haunting and above all, very good," before giving the album a 9 out of 10 score.[4]

Nathan Rooney from Pitchfork opened his review with the personal assessment that he had "begun to grow tired of the Mazzy Star formula before [the group] dissolved," and that without a solid shift in theme and sound from that of her previous work with Mazzy Star, Bavarian Fruit Bread ended up sounding like "a narcissistic and self-paroding record." However, the opening three tracks and the "gorgeous" Charlotte were singled out for particular praise. Also given a positive summation was the track Around My Smile which, despite being described positively as "psychodelic [sic] soul romp," was ultimately dismissed as being "uncreative." The two instrumental pieces were described as "attempts to break new ground," but again were dismissed for "adding nothing [new] to the course of the album."[11]

Allmusic, whose review — along with the review from Pitchfork — was among the most critical, complimented the album's use of "child-like bells, cello and piano, alt-country electric and chamber-bare acoustic guitar and harmonica gasps," but ultimately dismissed the "minimal" backing tracks as "unsatisfying" and summarized the album as "[not particularly] compelling, striking or affecting."[3]

The November 2001 issue of Mojo magazine commented that "[there] is a narcotic quality to these drifting ballads, one that perfectly suits these shell-shocked, terrorised times. As the world gears up for the Apocalypse, I shall take comfort in Bavarian Fruit Bread -- a very haunting, beautiful record."[8] The album was released exactly six weeks after the 9-11 terrorist attacks in New York.

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Bavarian Fruit Bread.[14]

• Hope Sandoval – vocals and backing vocals, guitars, keyboards, glockenspiel, harmonica and production
• Colm Ó Cíosóig – backing vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, drums, engineering, production and mixing
• Mads Bjerke – mixing on "Drop"
• Alan Browne – bass on "Drop," "On the Low" and "Around My Smile"
• Scott Campbell – engineering
• Elise Collins – artwork (film stills)
• Jill Emery – bass on "Bavarian Fruit Bread"
• Julian Goldwhite – guitar on "Bavarian Fruit Bread"
• Arve Henrickson – trumpet on "Lose Me on the Way"
• Bert Jansch – guitar on "Butterfly Mornings" and "Charlotte"
• Paul McQuillan – guitar on "On the Low" and "Around My Smile"
• Ji-Young Moon – cello on "Feeling of Gaze" and "Down the Steps"
• Nicole Presley – backing vocals on "Drop"
• Mike Prosenko – guitar on "Drop"; artwork (sleeve design)
• Heige Sten – engineering and mixing
• Audun Strype – mastering