The Photo Album

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	75/100[2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Alternative Press	8/10[4]
The Austin Chronicle	[5]
The Boston Phoenix	[6]
NME	8/10[7]
Pitchfork	7.1/10[8]
Q	[9]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[10]
Spin	7/10[11]
Under the Radar	8/10[12]

The Photo Album holds a score of 75 out of 100 from the review aggregate site Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[2] John D. Luerssen of Billboard gave the album a very favorable review and said, "If it's true that music of this nature doesn't get anymore heartfelt, it also rarely gets more infectious."[13] Mojo wrote that the band "weave together smartly taut guitars with vivid observational lyrics to create perfectly crafted pop songs, stunning in their simplicity and beauty",[14] while Alternative Press called the album "the skillful meshing of Benjamin Gibbard's part-stream-of-consciousness, part-confessional vocals with melancholy piano and achingly melodic guitars that reveal a fleshed-out Cutie are indeed a band of uncommon beauty."[4] Nude as the News gave it a score of eight out of ten and stated, "While not every song is a gem, the ones that are have pushed the band's already high standard of compelling indie pop one notch higher."[2] Neumu.net gave it seven stars out of ten and called it "evidence of a band that's maturing, slowing down and trying new things."[15] Drawer B gave it a positive review and stated, "The most noteworthy aspect of The Photo Album is the band's upward trajectory. The music is cohesive and even, though still somewhat sluggish."[16]

In a mixed assessment, Stephen Thompson of The A.V. Club wrote that the album "is often marked by pleasant but static, middle-of-the-road material."[17] Melanie Haupt of The Austin Chronicle said, "It's a rare talent that can express such emotions so concisely; even more rare is the ability to deliver them in a near-whisper rather than a scream."[5] Q wrote, "Full of beautiful pop songs, The Photo Album is just that—a collection of vignettes."[9] Robert Christgau of The Village Voice gave the album a three-star honorable mention rating, indicating "an enjoyable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well treasure".[18][19]

Death Cab for Cutie

• Ben Gibbard – vocals, guitar, piano, organ
• Nick Harmer – bass guitar, organ
• Michael Schorr – drums, tambourine, shaker, loops
• Chris Walla – guitar, piano, loops

Additional personnel

• Sean Nelson – high vocals on "Blacking Out the Friction", harmony vocals on "I Was a Kaleidoscope"
• Jeff Saltzman – mastering
• John Vanderslice – low vocals on "Blacking Out the Friction", backing vocals on "I Was a Kaleidoscope"

• The Photo Album at Metacritic