Rolling Stone (p.84) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Yo La Tengo run from pretty acoustic sketches to the 16-minute noise freakout 'And the Glitter Is Gone,' mixing up disparate sounds, if for no other reason than it feels good."

Spin (p.88) - "[T]he vibe stays mellow, and when the soft-sung ballads and gently loping grooves culminate in two jams totaling 21 minutes, the droning results remain restrained."

Billboard (p.52) - "POPULAR SONGS offers nine darkly catchy tracks that recall the band's late-'90s output before shifting gears; the remaining three songs get more experimental."

Q (Magazine) (p.119) - "[D]reamy and succinct pop....It's another fine record to add to their canon."

Pitchfork (Website) - "'Avalon or Someone Very Similar' is upper-register psychedelia, dreamy and chipper....The band indulges its expanded palette by riffing on Motown, funk, and organ-boogie..."

Record Collector (magazine) (p.98) - 5 stars out of 5-- "'Periodically Double Or Triple' is a slice of laidback funk, while 'All Your Secrets' swoons and shuffled like a lovesick, sweet-voiced Lambchop."