"NME" was more enthusiastic, with the magazine's John Robinson writing that the album shows Oasis pursuing "an altogether different direction; away from the conscience-free overloaded hedonism towards an understanding of its consequences". "Rolling Stone"s Jon Wiederhorn wrote that ""What's the Story" is more than a natural progression, it's a bold leap forward that displays significant musical and personal growth." He went on to note that the "stormy" relationship between Liam and Noel proved to be one of the album's strengths; "tension and instability have been inherent traits of great rock teams ... for Oasis, the addition of shared genes gives their songs extra impact and dimension." "Los Angeles Times" critic Robert Hilburn welcomed the album as a counterpoint to the prevailing "despair" of the decade's rock music. The album finished 10th in the voting for "The Village Voice"s annual Pazz & Jop critics' poll. The poll's curator Robert Christgau initially assessed it as "phony Beatlemania"; he later gave it a two-star honourable mention, indicating a "likable effort that consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well enjoy", and quipped "give them credit for wanting it all—and (yet another Beatles connection!) playing guitars". "Select" ranked the album at number two on its end-of-year list of the 50 best albums of 1995.