Hybrid Magazine [04.26.02] - local mirror [08.27.02]
"Bazan seemed to channel the energy of whatever spirit it was that helped him write this amazing tune into an absolutely phenomenal performance."

Opus Magazine - local mirror [08.08.02]
"a far stronger, more aggressive album...it's Bazan at his darkest and most intense."

Splendid ezine
"Control stands apart from previous Pedro the Lion releases because its harder material is among its most satisfying."

Rolling Stone - local mirror [08.08.02]
"edgy, dirgeful guitar and dark, enveloping lyrics...critical of the day's newsccast and of weak souls...Control reveals a restrained, calculating rocker."

Furia.com [05.30.02]
"...churning rock songs to trenchant character studies of variously wrecked lives..."

Fine Print Mag
"Dave did step up on all levels just in time to escape becoming a characture of himself."

The Austin Chronicle
"It dwells in the miserable gap between the perfect illusion of love and the painful reality of a flawed relationship."

All Music Guide
"...his songs are about believing in, questioning, and challenging his faith."

Pitchfork
"Control wallows in an amoral netherworld of overamped midtempo ballads and incomplete thoughts...padded with typical Pedro ruminations on the pitfalls of vanity and technology."

Boston Globe Online
"...an occasionally bleak sound with increased guitar textures, Pedro the Lion has boldly broken new ground."

The Phantom Tollbooth - local mirror [08.08.02]
"songs are incredibly honest, dark, controversial, and sometimes even depressing—but they always serve to make an incredible point"

Cornerstone - local mirror [08.08.02]
"This isn’t a typical ‘Christian’ record...deals with ugly subject matter in (at times) equally ugly language and imagery...best Pedro The Lion record to date."

Pop Matters [04.23.01] - local mirror [08.08.02]
"'Priests/Paramedics' offers up a gorgeous vocal melody to go along with its pessimism...[Control is] quite thoughtful and introspective, and hearkens back to the best qualities of Bazan's earlier work."