life by Richards' rich vocals that wrap themselves around each instrument". In The Sydney Morning Herald, Bernard Zuel argued the album was more subdued; "the tempos and the arrangements are a little quieter and simpler". Richards' lyrics, however, still drew praise; "he writes with a 19th-century novelist's ear and a Dylanesque tongue". Miller of Stylus also touched on the fact that "Moo is as direct a shot as you'll ever get at Augie March", but that it was nonetheless a "refining and continuation" of the band's work thus far. Shirley Halperin, writing for Entertainment Weekly, said the album featured "smooth, emotive vocals mingle with soaring melodies that'd make Paul McCartney proud". Dan Raper of PopMatters said the lyrics to "One Crowded Hour" were poetic, citing the lines "Well put me in a cage full of lions / I'll learn to speak lion / In fact I know the language well", as well as the "full and glorious" chorus; Watch Me Disappear was Augie March's most mainstream pop work to date, described as a further distillation of the band's earlier, even more complex, music. Richards considered it to be more streamlined than their early work, despite their attempts to maintain a sense of spontaneity. Zuel also noted a removal of much of the backing instrumentation which had acted as "clutter" around Richards' vocals on earlier work. Scott Podmore wrote in the Herald Sun that the album did not have a standout song or an instant appeal but that it was "a slow burner that takes time to get to know you, but once it does, it's a friend for good". Triple J reviewer Jenny Valentish argued that multiple songs from the album could take the place of "One Crowded Hour" as "likely to become wailed for and misquoted at festivals". She noted a "commercial potential" for the album, despite its more disconcerting and confrontational content. Songwriting Songwriting for Augie March is primarily initiated by Richards; he delivers demos to the rest of the band members who then collaborate with him to develop the music. Kathy McCabe of The Daily Telegraph suggests "almost every songwriter in Australia has name-checked [Richards] as one of the finest tunesmiths of his generation" and that "Richards is a storyteller who is spoken of in reverential terms by peers". Richards simply states that he enjoys "dabbling with words", and that people often appreciate him doing so. Despite