praised the album's musical and lyrical landscapes, marked by the "desolate beauty of Matthew Milia's poetry and the quiet intensity the band brings to every note it plays.

"[9] Hear/Say called The Orion Songbook "the year's best alt-country album," establishing the band as a "formidable outfit with a sound to reckon with and an easy confidence to match.

"[10] Likewise, Metro Times stated that the album "establishes the group as already one of the very best sounds to come out of Michigan this entire decade.

"[11] Inland Empire Weekly commended the record for its consideration of memory "without the cloying nostalgia or self-consciousness that derails so many attempts to turn back the clock to allegedly purer times," going on to state: "...by looking the present straight in the eye, Milia’s created something timeless.

"[12] Adult Swim used "Dark Autumn Hour" for four ads in their well-known series of bumps, first airing in September 2011.