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Titanic Rising

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Titanic Rising
Studio album by
Weyes Blood
ReleasedApril 5, 2019
Recorded2018–2019
Genre
Length42:22
LabelSub Pop
Producer
Weyes Blood chronology
Front Row Seat to Earth
(2016) 		Titanic Rising
(2019) 		And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow
(2022)
Singles from Titanic Rising
  1. "Andromeda"
    Released: January 17, 2019
  2. "Everyday"
    Released: February 12, 2019
  3. "Movies"
    Released: March 19, 2019

Titanic Rising is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter and musician Weyes Blood, released on April 5, 2019 by Sub Pop. Produced entirely by the artist along with Jonathan Rado, it is primarily a baroque pop and soft rock record with chamber pop elements and influenced by 1970s music. Its lyrical themes address romantic pursuits, climate change, and references to the Titanic.

The album was preceded by the release of three singles including "Andromeda", released on January 17, 2019, which was included in various year-end lists. "Everyday" and "Movies" were released as the second and third single, respectively. The album received universal acclaim from music critics, with praise going towards its powerful ambience and vulnerable lyrics. It earned the singer her first appearance on the UK Albums Chart, and additionally charted on the U.S. Top Album Sales chart and reached the top 20 in Scotland.

Production

Recording

Following the release of Front Row Seat to Earth, Natalie Mering signed with Sub Pop in 2017.[1] Titanic Rising was recorded in 2018 over a three month period at Sonora Studios in Los Angeles and was produced by Jonathan Rado.[2] The album named after the RMS Titanic and the 1997 film based on the ship's sinking, which had a profound impact on Mering when she was younger.[2][3][4]

Music and lyrics

The album's music has been described as soft rock[5] with influences from 1970s artists such as Joni Mitchell and the Carpenters, as well as chamber pop and baroque pop.[6][7][8]

The opening track "A Lot's Gonna Change", a song that Mering described as setting the overall theme of Titanic Rising, deals with the yearning for a return to the simpler times of childhood, as well as learning how to cope with changes without being bogged down with hopelessness.[7][4] "Andromeda", inspired by the galaxy and the mythological figure of the same name, deals with finding love in a world of distractions and past disappointments and features a LinnDrum.[9][10][11] "Everyday" has an upbeat melody and lyrics about the struggles of online dating.[12][13] Climate change is also a central theme of the album, with the Titanic used as a metaphor for this.[4][9][11]

Mering described the title track, an instrumental, as an interlude between the album's first half, which deals with hope and love, and the second half, which deals with "an existential sub-zone."[14] "Movies" features synth arpeggios in the first half before giving way to strings.[15][14] Lyrically, the song deals with Mering's disillusionment with movies as a teenager and how she felt they lied to her.[14][16] "Picture Me Better" is about a friend that committed suicide while Mering was making the album, while the finale track on the album, "Nearer to Thee", is a reference to the alleged final song the band on the RMS Titanic played before the ship sank.[9][2]

Artwork

The album cover features Mering submerged in an underwater bedroom. The cover was photographed by Brett Stanley in a Long Beach, California pool. Commenting on the cover's meaning, Mering stated that she thought of water as symbolizing the subconscious, and that a bedroom lives in this subconscious space due to its role as "a safe [..] and imaginative space" that shapes people's beliefs and identities.[17]

Release

On January 17, 2019, Weyes Blood released the album's first single, "Andromeda".[18] A second single, "Everyday", was released along with an accompanying self-directed music video on February 12, 2019.[19] The album's third single, "Movies", was released along with an accompanying self-directed music video on March 19, 2019.[14] On May 27, 2020, the "Wild Time" music video was released.[20] The Japanese bonus track, "Titanic Risen", was released in January 2021 exclusively on Roblox's sinking ship simulator, and on April 4, the track was released on streaming services after the Roblox Titanic room was sunk.[21][22][23]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.4/10[24]
Metacritic91/100[25]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
The A.V. ClubA−[26]
The Independent[27]
Mojo[28]
NME[29]
The Observer[30]
Pitchfork8.5/10[7]
Q[31]
Rolling Stone[32]
Uncut9/10[33]

Titanic Rising received widespread acclaim from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 91 based on 26 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[25]

AllMusic praised the record, stating that "she underscores enormously orchestrated pop songs with eerie experimental ambience, imagining a dreamworld where Joni Mitchell's late-'70s output was produced by Brian Eno."[8] Quinn Moreland, writing for Pitchfork, described the album as "a grand, sentimental ode to living and loving in the shadow of doom" and "her most ambitious and complex work yet".[7] Dazed Digital stated that, "pairing a rich, 70s soft-rock palette with rippling undercurrents of dread, it already feels like one of the year's best records, and a poignant document on what it feels like to inhabit this particular moment in time."[5]

Year-end lists
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
AllMusic AllMusic Best of 2019
1
[34]
The A.V. Club The 20 Best Albums of 2019
5
[35]
Consequence of Sound Top 50 Albums of 2019
26
[36]
Dazed The 20 Best Albums of 2019
4
[37]
The Guardian The 50 Best Albums of 2019
10
[38]
NME The 50 Best Albums of 2019
9
[39]
NPR The 25 Best Albums of 2019
14
[40]
Paste The 50 Best Albums of 2019
1
[41]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2019
9
[42]
PopMatters The 70 Best Albums of 2019
38
[43]
Slant The 25 Best Albums of 2019
18
[44]
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2019
17
[45]
Treble Zine The Top 50 Albums of 2019
11
[46]
Uproxx The Best Albums of 2019
4
[47]
Vice The 100 Best Albums of 2019
20
[48]
Decade-end lists
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
AllMusic AllMusic Best Albums of the 2010s —
[49]
Pitchfork The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s
143
[50]
The A.V. Club The 50 Best Albums of the 2010s
37
[51]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Natalie Mering (Weyes Blood)

No.TitleLength
1."A Lot's Gonna Change"4:21
2."Andromeda"4:40
3."Everyday"5:07
4."Something to Believe"4:45
5."Titanic Rising"1:36
6."Movies"5:53
7."Mirror Forever"5:05
8."Wild Time"6:09
9."Picture Me Better"3:41
10."Nearer to Thee"1:05
Total length:42:22
Titanic Rising – Japanese edition (bonus track)
No.TitleLength
11."Titanic Risen"4:25
Total length:46:47

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.

Charts

Chart performance for Titanic Rising
Chart (2019) Peak
position
Australian Digital Albums (ARIA)[52] 37
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[53] 139
French Albums (SNEP)[54] 113
Scottish Albums (OCC)[55] 20
UK Albums (OCC)[56] 68
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[57] 34
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[58] 6
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[59] 3

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Except "Mirror Forever", produced by Rado, Mering and Brian D'Addario.

References

  1. ^ "Weyes Blood sneaks off with Sub Pop for forthcoming album, bunks (platonically) with Father John Misty on fall tour in the meantime". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "Weyes Blood's Titanic Rising is a stunning early contender for album of the year". The A.V. Club. April 2, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  3. ^ "Weyes Blood still has hope for the world". The FADER. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "Weyes Blood Meditates On Climate Change And Learns To Cope With Loss". NPR.org. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Denney, Alex (April 22, 2019). "How Weyes Blood raised the Titanic for her new record". Dazed Digital. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  6. ^ Stokes, Paul (May 1, 2019). "Album Review: Weyes Blood, Titanic Rising". Hot Press. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c d Moreland, Quinn (April 5, 2019). "Weyes Blood: Titanic Rising". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  8. ^ a b c Thomas, Fred. "Titanic Rising – Weyes Blood". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  9. ^ a b c Martoccio, Angie (June 14, 2019). "Weyes Blood on Stunning New LP, the Titanic Sinking and Climate Change". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  10. ^ Records, Sub Pop. "Weyes Blood Shares "Andromeda," Her First Recording of Original Material Since 2016". Sub Pop Records. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Weyes Blood on why the irony of the Titanic is the perfect metaphor for climate change". 88Nine Radio Milwaukee. April 5, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  12. ^ Martoccio, Angie. Song You Need to Know: Weyes Blood, ‘Everyday’. Rolling Stone. 2019 April 11. Retrieved 2019 November 2010.
  13. ^ Kinsella, Paddy. How helplessness and powerlessness fuelled Weyes Blood's best record to date. The Line of Best Fit. 2019 April 5. Retrieved 2019 November 10.
  14. ^ a b c d "Weyes Blood's New Track "Movies" Finds Humanity In Contradictions". www.vice.com. March 19, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  15. ^ "Weyes Blood: "Movies"". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  16. ^ Clarke, Patrick (April 4, 2019). "Weyes Blood: "A lot of big artists don't write their songs, they just have a lifestyle brand"". NME. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  17. ^ "Weyes Blood Shows Us How She Made The Striking Cover For Her Exquisite New Album". Stereogum. April 5, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  18. ^ Gray, Julia (January 17, 2019). "Weyes Blood – "Andromeda"". Stereogum. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  19. ^ Yoo, Noah (February 12, 2019). "Weyes Blood Announces New Album Titanic Rising, Shares New Song 'Everyday': Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 28, 2019.
  20. ^ Sodomsky, Sam (May 27, 2020). "Weyes Blood Shares New "Wild Time" Video". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  21. ^ Kenneally, Cerys (April 5, 2021). "Weyes Blood releases Titanic Rising outtake "Titanic Risen" on streaming services". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  22. ^ Triscari, Caleb (April 4, 2021). "Weyes Blood officially releases album outtake 'Titanic Risen'". NME. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  23. ^ Rossignol, Derrick (April 5, 2021). "Weyes Blood Drops A New 'Titanic Rising' Bonus Track, 'Titanic Risen'". Uproxx. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  24. ^ "Titanic Rising by Weyes Blood reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
  25. ^ a b "Titanic Rising by Weyes Blood Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 19, 2019.
  26. ^ Rife, Katie (April 5, 2019). "Weyes Blood ascends to new musical heights on the lush, cinematic Titanic Rising". The A.V. Club. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  27. ^ Pollard, Alexandra; O'Connor, Roisin (April 4, 2019). "Album reviews: Weyes Blood – Titanic Rising, and Circa Waves – What's It Like Over There?". The Independent. Archived from the original on June 21, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  28. ^ Segal, Victoria (May 2019). "Unsinkable". Mojo (306): 87.
  29. ^ Bassett, Jordan (April 4, 2019). "Weyes Blood – 'Titanic Rising' review". NME. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  30. ^ Empire, Kitty (April 6, 2019). "Weyes Blood: Titanic Rising review – beauty deep enough to drown in". The Observer. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  31. ^ Doyle, Tom (June 2019). "Weyes Blood: Titanic Rising". Q (398): 116.
  32. ^ Hermes, Will (April 5, 2019). "Review: The Unnerving Nostalgia of Weyes Blood's 'Titanic Rising'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  33. ^ Wirth, Jim (May 2019). "Weyes Blood: Titanic Rising". Uncut (264): 18.
  34. ^ "AllMusic Best of 2019". allmusic.com. AllMusic. Retrieved February 8, 2020.
  35. ^ "The 20 Best Albums of 2019". The A.V. Club. December 19, 2019. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  36. ^ "Top 50 Albums of 2019". Consequence of Sound. December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  37. ^ "The 20 best albums of 2019". Dazed. December 11, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  38. ^ "The 50 best albums of 2019". The Guardian. December 16, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  39. ^ "The 50 best albums of 2019". NME. December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  40. ^ "Best Albums of 2019". National Public Radio. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  41. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2019". Paste. December 2, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  42. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2019". Pitchfork. December 10, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  43. ^ "The 70 Best Albums of 2019". PopMatters. December 9, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  44. ^ Ordaz, Sophia (December 12, 2019). "The 25 Best Albums of 2019". Slant Magazine. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  45. ^ "The 50 Best Albums Of 2019". Stereogum. December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  46. ^ "The Top 50 Albums of 2019". Treble Zine. December 3, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  47. ^ "The Best Albums Of 2019". Uproxx. December 2, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  48. ^ "The 100 Best Albums of 2019". Vice. December 12, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  49. ^ "AllMusic Decade In Review". allmusic.com. AllMusic. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
  50. ^ "The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s". pitchfork.com. Pitchfork. October 8, 2019. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  51. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of the 2010s". avclub.com. The A.V. Club. November 20, 2019. Retrieved August 17, 2020.
  52. ^ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Digital Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. April 15, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  53. ^ "Ultratop.be – Weyes Blood – Titanic Rising" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 12, 2019.
  54. ^ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Fusionnes – SNEP (Week 15, 2019)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  55. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  56. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  57. ^ "Weyes Blood Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  58. ^ "Weyes Blood Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  59. ^ "Weyes Blood Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
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