[12] The Chicago Reader thought that "the shrieking rage that fueled the earlier records has either dissipated or been groomed away; if Bricks and Blackouts achieves nothing else, perhaps it will dispel the pernicious myth that Warner Brothers is an artist-friendly label.

"[16] CMJ New Music Monthly opined that Gaunt possessed "an innate understanding that copies nothing but examines various elements, in the process creating something hard, passionate and timeless.

"[17] The Plain Dealer declared that Gaunt "may tear through short songs like punks with no tomorrow, but their attention to melodic detail bears the unavoidable influence of the mainstream rock that rules the airwaves in [the Midwest].

"[18] The Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel wrote: "Recycling AC/DC riffs through a squall of digital noise—modem beeps and so forth—Gaunt counts up suburbia's casualties in the information age.

"[6] Miami New Times thought that "'Mixed Metals' and 'Don't Tell' chart the remarkable growth of Gaunt as a band and Wick as one of the underground's best songwriters.