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"This is sterling, stirring and imaginative music that deserves a much higher profile. 4 out of 5." - Leonard's Lair

"The Artificial Sea, projet flirtant avec des ambiances plus électronica du genre Lali Puna ou Tarwater. Une belle découverte à faire donc!" - jauneorange

"Alina Simone is loaded with powerful soul, and these songs prove to be the perfect outlet. Master-instrumentalist Kevin Smith creates the grooving soundscapes, and he wisely changes tempos and atmospheres to keep you listening. All of the songs safely live within dreamland, and bare a chic otherworldly presence." - the black and white magazine

"L’auditeur se sent bien, comme s’il était au milieu d’un cocon, en train de survoler des pays étrangement inconnus… Ce disque est donc très réussi et, à ce titre, mérite d’être écouté par le plus grand nombre. Avec un répertoire d’une telle qualité, les prestations scéniques d’Alina Simone et Kevin C. Smith doivent être absolument incroyables !" - foutraque

"Suggestion and subtlety goes a long way towards holding my interest, be it with a movie, CD, or book. Those are qualities that City Island has, to great effect. The Artificial Sea’s music is a little rough around the edges, but by and large, it’s a solid debut whose restraint leaves the listener wanting more—in a very good way." - Opus

"Simply imaginative, delicate and even perfect if chosen as a melodies box to play before you sleep. Warmly suggested." - Komakino Fanzine

"Une carcasse aux formes pourtant étonnamment charnelles et sexy, bricolée à la main verte par Kevin C. Smith : instruments organiques épars et électronique discrète y forment un dédale nettement plus riche et complexe qu’une écoute discrète le laisserait supposer – un écrin de glace pour la voix pétrifiante d’Alina Simone, version cryogénisée de Nina Simone." - Les Inrockuptibles

"Sa beauté crépusculaire n'a pas fini de nous hanter." - Rockomondo

"Bref en dépit de son The Artificial Sea distille de l’authenticité par tous les pores de sa musique. 9/10" - La MagicBox

"Heartbreakingly gorgeous..." - 5 Acts

"Un son qui réussit le pari de mêler influences palpables et nouveauté dans l’approche et surtout une fraîcheur indéniable dans le son, sans oublier une voix magnifiquement écorchée qui suggère que l’île dont il s’agit vaut le coup d’être recherchée." - Froggy's Delight

"These dreamy urbanscapes are like driving home from a late night clubshow, down near-deserted streets in a strange, but appealing city." - Tone and Groove

"It’s all gloriously downbeat, beautifully desolate, naturally twisted and hugely impressive. The sound of raindrops glistening on the eyelashes of angels with dirty faces." - Tangents

"The give and take between Smith and Simone is a thing of beauty. Never once does either one overtake the other. They compliment each other to remarkable results." - Sound As Language

"...un peu de jazz , un peu de musique cinématographique , un peu d'électro , un peu de pop , quelques beats hip hopiens et il mélange le tout . Attention pas n'importe comment , sinon ça serait trop facile . Là tout se tient , tout s'enchaîne , tout s'entrecroise et , nom de sort , c'est un labyrinthe incroyable dans lequel on a envie de se perdre ." - les cadavres ont les mains moites

"Combining snippets of ideas from 1970s progressive rock with bits and pieces from 1990s slo-core bands...Smith and Simone have managed to come up with an album that is uniquely soothing and satisfying. 5 out of 6" - babysue®:LMNOP®

"Brooklyn duo, The Artificial Sea, fashion melancholic, smoky jazz infused soundscapes that quietly crawl out of the speakers like silent tears from a weeping madonna." - The Devil Has The Best Tuna

"Amis des anti-étiquettes, cet album est pour vous. Avec "City island", le duo new yorkais offre une possibilité d'expression musicale fascinante dont les écoutes répétées ne viendront pas à bout du mystère." - Longuer d’Ondes

"The music ranges from epic ("Gloryhole") to minimal ("Ride This Thing"). It's easy to think that you'd be turned off by these inconsistencies, but they actually make the whole body of work stronger by showcasing the versatility of Simone and Smith's individual talents." - It’s the Money Shot!!

"As much modern art as it is music, like a vast and complex sculptural installation, it forces the listener to think deeply about what they're hearing – about its meaning and symbolism, about what its creator is trying to convey. It is impossible to listen to The Artificial Sea and just let it wash over you. This is a highly thought provoking, highly intelligent piece of craftsmanship in musical form. Enchanting, mesmerising and simply sensational." - Noize Makes Enemies

"Doch The Artifical Seas Musik ist der Missing Link zwischen den Portishead-Platten und Goldfrapps Felt Mountain. Ihre Songs sind ebenfalls so kunstvoll gestaltet, besitzen eine ähnliche Intensität und erwischen einen und bohren sich tief ein...Trotzdem schon ein ziemlich perfektes Album, und das nächste ist dann ein Meisterwerk!" - Kiel 4 Kiel

"Embracing a spectrum of sounds and techniques including vintage synthesizers and drum machines, obscure samples and found sound, circuit bent creations and homemade electronics, as well as good old guitar, bass, and drums, these disparate strains are all tied together with a restrained aesthetic and fearless beauty. Recorded almost entirely at home they have rejected over-production (for aesthetic as well as practical reasons) and instead welcome any rough edges as integral to the work. The result is at once pleasing and unsettling, comforting and tense." - brblife

"Throughout the album Kevin Smith continuously changes the tempos and atmospheres of his sounds, giving City Island a vibrant feeling of constant change, keeping the album from ever seeming repeatative or stale. Alina's voice maintains the same heartbreaking, desperate call throughout leading the album to sound like the heart wrenching soundtrack to a long lonely walk home. It's beautiful and desperate and everything one could look for in this brand of music." - Pop Tarts Suck Toasted

"It's not lounge, it's not your basic electronic down tempo, this is music that goes well with daydreaming." - Here Comes The Flood

"Cross the baroque elegies of Zach Condon's new Beirut work with spacey English trip-hop and the frozen indie pop of Sigur Rós, and you'll be in the ballpark of this Brooklyn-based act. The abstraction level is high, but deep wells of emotion help bring the thing off." - CNET Download.com