Jump to content

Past Life Martyred Saints: Difference between revisions

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Line 31: Line 31:
After Gowns disbanded in early 2010,<ref name="AMG3">{{cite web |last=Mason |first=Stewart |title=Gowns: Biography |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/gowns-p1007983 |work=[[Allmusic]] |accessdate=June 25, 2010}}</ref> Anderson began putting songs together for a solo project.<ref name="LATimes"/> Anderson took many attempts to meet with record labels about the possibility of recording an [[extended play]], but received few responses, leading her into a depression.<ref name="LATimes">{{cite web |last=Jackson |first=Nate |date=June 3, 2011 |title=EMA talks new record, emotional rollercoasters and giving the middle finger to California |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/06/pop-hiss-between-the-2010-release-little-sketches-on-tape-to-your-new-album-past-life-of-martyred-saints-what.html |work=[[The Los Angeles Times]] |accessdate=June 25, 2011}}</ref> However, before she decided to return from West Oakland to her parents' basement in South Dakota, she received a contract offer from indie label Souterrain Transmissions to record a solo album.<ref name="LATimes"/>
After Gowns disbanded in early 2010,<ref name="AMG3">{{cite web |last=Mason |first=Stewart |title=Gowns: Biography |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/gowns-p1007983 |work=[[Allmusic]] |accessdate=June 25, 2010}}</ref> Anderson began putting songs together for a solo project.<ref name="LATimes"/> Anderson took many attempts to meet with record labels about the possibility of recording an [[extended play]], but received few responses, leading her into a depression.<ref name="LATimes">{{cite web |last=Jackson |first=Nate |date=June 3, 2011 |title=EMA talks new record, emotional rollercoasters and giving the middle finger to California |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2011/06/pop-hiss-between-the-2010-release-little-sketches-on-tape-to-your-new-album-past-life-of-martyred-saints-what.html |work=[[The Los Angeles Times]] |accessdate=June 25, 2011}}</ref> However, before she decided to return from West Oakland to her parents' basement in South Dakota, she received a contract offer from indie label Souterrain Transmissions to record a solo album.<ref name="LATimes"/>


Anderson recalled being in a "hallucinatory state" when writing the song "Marked" and completed the recording for it in a single take.<ref name="Sputnik">{{cite web |last=Tao |first=Conrad |date=May 7, 2011 |title=EMA: Past Life Martyred Saints |url=http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/43354/EMA-Past-Life-Martyred-Saints/ |work=[[Sputnikmusic]] |accessdate=July 26, 2011}}</ref>
The songs "Marked" and "Butterfly Knife" were written while Gowns was still touring and were the first to be completed for the album.<ref name="FC">{{cite web |title=EMA interview - Erika M. Anderson (Part 3) |url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuL3Cn9de9I&feature=relmfu |work=FaceCulture |accessdate=July 26, 2011.}}</ref> Anderson recalled being in a "hallucinatory state" when writing the song "Marked" and completed the recording for it in a single take.<ref name="Sputnik">{{cite web |last=Tao |first=Conrad |date=May 7, 2011 |title=EMA: Past Life Martyred Saints |url=http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/43354/EMA-Past-Life-Martyred-Saints/ |work=[[Sputnikmusic]] |accessdate=July 26, 2011}}</ref>


==Music==
==Music==

Revision as of 23:56, 25 July 2011

Untitled

Past Life Martyred Saints is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Erika M. Anderson (also known as EMA), former lead singer of the noise-folk band Gowns, released in the United States on May 10, 2011, under the label Souterrain Transmissions. After disbanding, Anderson began working on material for a solo act, but she endured many failed attempts to successfully record before finally receiving an offer from an independent record label. The album is noted for showcasing Anderson's vulnerability, lyrically dealing with themes of self-mutilation, drug use, and unsuccessful relationships.

Past Life Martyred Saints debuted to critical praise from contemporary music critics for both its emotional depth and raw pain. The album yielded three singles; however, each one failed to enter any charts upon release. Subsequently, the album achieved little chart success, debuting solely on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart at number twenty-one in the United States.

Conception

"'Past Life Martyred Saints' was more like a pop record, or my best attempt at a pop record. It’s the first time I’ve ever written anything with a conventional verse-chorus-verse type of thing."
— EMA speaks to The Los Angeles Times about the musical direction of her album.[3]

After Gowns disbanded in early 2010,[4] Anderson began putting songs together for a solo project.[3] Anderson took many attempts to meet with record labels about the possibility of recording an extended play, but received few responses, leading her into a depression.[3] However, before she decided to return from West Oakland to her parents' basement in South Dakota, she received a contract offer from indie label Souterrain Transmissions to record a solo album.[3]

The songs "Marked" and "Butterfly Knife" were written while Gowns was still touring and were the first to be completed for the album.[5] Anderson recalled being in a "hallucinatory state" when writing the song "Marked" and completed the recording for it in a single take.[6]

Music

Style and lyrics

In an interview with The Village Voice, Anderson cited rock musician Lou Reed as the model for her songwriting style on Past Life Martyred Saints.[7] Some professional critics have labeled the record to be primarily folk-noise,[8][9][1] while also containing notable rock elements.[10] Many songs on the album contain moments of Anderson gasping for air between lyrics, which one reviewer described as being "intimate, dramatic, and potent."[8]

Songs

"The Grey Ship", the record's opening track, was chosen as the lead single and was released in December, 2010. Over its seven-minute length, the song shifts in style several times, containing both a folk-influenced introduction and midsection devoid of musical instrumentation.[11] The song received positive reviews from the media, with one reviewer referring to it as "A slow burning, seven-minute track, filled with eerie harmonies, slide-guitar, and arrhythmic percussion," where "Anderson tests the limits of sorrow—and finds glory in the gloom."[12] The second single released from the album was "California", a song which contains themes of alienation and displacement.[11] It was lauded by critics and noted by some as its highlight track.[13] Luke Winkie from musicOMH commended the song for its lyricism, calling it "a brooding, broken anthem for the strung-out hearts of the world" in which "Anderson unravels line after line of crushing imagery."[13] It featured a simplistic music video, with Anderson standing in front of a screen that juxtaposed images of both violence and beauty.[14]

"Coda', the fifth track, is a blues-influenced song that lyrically deals with romantic obsession.[2] The sixth track, "Marked", deals with physical abuse.[11] It features both raspy vocals and repetition, which some critics felt heightened the song's themes of fragility and desperation.[8][12] "Butterfly Knife", the eight track, has been noted as being more direct rock when compared to other songs on the album.[13] The song lyrically deals with self-mutilation and was inspired by Anderson's own youth.[9] It received very positive reviews from critics, with Paul Schrodt from Slant Magazine referring to it as one of the record's best moments.[2]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Anderson.

No.TitleLength
1."The Grey Ship"7:14
2."California"4:35
3."Anteroom"3:18
4."Milkman"3:20
5."Coda"1:00
6."Marked"4:20
7."Breakfast"3:22
8."Butterfly Knife"3:52
9."Redstar"6:35

[15]

Reception

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 21 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers.[16] However, it dropped off the chart a week later.[16]

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
allmusic[15]
Drowned in Sound(8/10)[9]
The Independent[17]
NME(8/10)[18]
The Phoenix[19]
Pitchfork(8.5/10)[11]
PopMatters(9/10)[20]
Rolling Stone(favorable)[1]
Slant Magazine[2]
Village Voice(favorable)[21]
Anderson performing at the Berghain Kantine in Berlin on May 5th, 2011.

Past Life Martyred Saints has received general acclaim from professional music critics.[22] According to Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album holds a score of 82/100, indicating "Critical acclaim", based on twenty-one reviews.[22] Heather Phares from Allmusic has reserved praise for the album, feeling that it "will win Andersen new fans as well as thrill longtime ones."[15] Priya Elan from NME also had a positive response to the album, commenting "her perceptive glare is intense and unrelenting. A new, added tunefulness makes this a much-welcome Exile In Nihilist-ville."[18] Ian Mathers of PopMatters awarded the record a nine out of ten, feeling that "EMA's work is simultaneously some of the most interesting I've heard in years, and jaggedly alive, the furthest thing from any sort of academic exercise."[20]

Many critics reserved praise for the album's raw and powerful emotion.[22][9][11][2][8] James Skinner of Drowned in Sound gave the album an eight out of ten, commending it for its feeling of "naked emotion on display."[9] Skinner further commented on the album, stating "PLMS certainly isn’t a unanimously easy listen (that much should be clear from its title alone), but themes like those of ‘Butterfly Knife’ are leavened by that ever-present defiance."[9] Nick Neyland from Pitchfork lauded the album, calling it "a fiercely individual record, made by a musician with a fearless and courageous approach to her art. Crucially, the desire to let such raw emotion out in song never feels forced."[11] Paul Schrodt of Slant Magazine gave the album four out of five stars, stating "Rock music is not an uncommon way to deal with pain, either for the people who make it or for those who listen to it, but it's rare when those raw emotions translate into a record as focused and accomplished as EMA's debut".[2] Ad Mehta from One Thirty BPM gave the record high marks, stating "With fresh, sonically adventurous juxtapositions, and bold, honest lyrics, she engages the listener in an intense, emotional journey.[8]

However, the British music press had mixed feelings towards the record. Andy Gill from The Independent gave the album three out of five stars, feeling that most of its material doesn't live up to its opening track.[17]. Andrew Perry of The Daily Telegraph praised the record for its emotional depth, but felt that EMA's style was similar to that of other artists.[23]

Personnel

Credits for Past Life Martyred Saints adapted from Allmusic.[24]

  • Erika Anderson - composer, engineer, mixing, producer
  • Nicole K. Anderson - drums, guitar, vocals
  • Ezra Buchla - keyboards, viola, vocals
  • Aaron Davis - bass
  • Corey Fogel - percussion
  • Will Rahilly - layout
  • Sarah Register - mastering
  • Leif Shackelford - keyboards, recording, mixing, piano, producer, synthesizer, viola
  • Zev3 - bass, tambourine

Charts

Chart (2011) Peak
position
Billboard Top Heatseekers[16] 21

Release history

Country Date Label
United States[15] May 10, 2010 Souterrain Transmissions

References

  1. ^ a b c Keyes, J. Edward (May 17, 2011). "Artist to Watch: EMA's Spellbinding Noise-Folk Confessionals". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Schrodt, Paul (May 13, 2011). "EMA: Past Life Martyred Saints". Slant Magazine. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d Jackson, Nate (June 3, 2011). "EMA talks new record, emotional rollercoasters and giving the middle finger to California". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
  4. ^ Mason, Stewart. "Gowns: Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved June 25, 2010.
  5. ^ "EMA interview - Erika M. Anderson (Part 3)". FaceCulture. Retrieved July 26, 2011.. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  6. ^ Tao, Conrad (May 7, 2011). "EMA: Past Life Martyred Saints". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  7. ^ Weiss, Dan (July 20, 2011). "Q&A: EMA's Erika M. Anderson On How To Shock People Using Stolen Classic-Rock Lyrics And Firing A Gun At Age 14". The Village Voice. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
  8. ^ a b c d e Mehta, Ad. "EMA: Past Life Martyred Saints". One Thirty BPM. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Skinner, James (May 5, 2011). "EMA: Past Life Martyred Saints". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  10. ^ Bussolini, Brandon (May 5, 2011). "EMA - Past Life Martyred Saints". Dusted. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Neyland, Nick (May 10, 2011). "EMA: Past Life Martyred Saints". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  12. ^ a b Studarus, Laura (May 13, 2011). "EMA: Past life Martyred Saints". Under the Radar. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
  13. ^ a b c Winkie, Luke. "EMA - Past Life Martyred Saints". musicOMH. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  14. ^ Bently, Lisa J. (April 15, 2011). "EMA- California (music video)". Creaturemag.com. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
  15. ^ a b c d Phares, Heather. "Past Life Martyred Saints: EMA". Allmusic. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  16. ^ a b c "Past Life Martyred Saints - EMA". Billboard. Retrieved July 8, 2011.
  17. ^ a b Gill, Andy (May 6, 2011). "Album: EMA, Past Life Martyred Saints (Souterrain Transmissions)". The Independent. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  18. ^ a b Elan, Priya (May 4, 2011). "Album Review: EMA - 'Past Life Martyred Saints': Intense, fierce and a welcome departure from past ventures". NME. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  19. ^ Stewart, Ryan (June 9, 2011). "EMA - Past Life Martyred Saints". The Phoenix. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
  20. ^ a b Mathers, Ian (May 13, 2011). "EMA: Past Life Martyred Saints". PopMatters. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  21. ^ Weber, Theon (May 25, 2011). "EMA, Drug Buddy: Grasping for closeness on Past Life Martyred Saints". The Village Voice. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  22. ^ a b c "Past Life Martyred Saints - EMA". Metacritic. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  23. ^ Perry, Andrew (May 5, 2011). "EMA: Past Life Martyred Saints, CD review - EMA's Past Life Martyred Saints plumbs torrid emotional depths.". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  24. ^ "Past life Martyred Saints: EMA - Credits". Allmusic. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Past_Life_Martyred_Saints&oldid=441439900"