Eggs (Oh No Ono album)
| Eggs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 20 April 2009 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 49:54 | |||
| Label | Morningside, Friendly Fire[1] | |||
| Producer | Oh No Ono | |||
| Oh No Ono chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Eggs | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Drowned in Sound | 7/10[2] |
| Pitchfork | 6.8/10[1] |
| SPIN | 8/10[3] |
Eggs is the second studio album by Danish psychedelic pop band Oh No Ono, released on 20 April 2009. The album made a brief appearance on the Denmark Top 40 charts, peaking at #25.[4]
Background
[edit]In 2008, pianist and keyboardist Kristian Olsen left the band and was replaced by Nicolai Koch, whom the band met in Copenhagen.[5] After their previous album, Yes, the band compiled lists of musical ideas they wished to explore for their next album and experimented by combining the various parts.[5]
Writing
[edit]In an interview with The Quietus, Koch explained that the band approached writing songs for the album by having each member write a different part of each song, and then the band would assemble the parts together.
The eclectic influences for the album were drawn from throughout the recording process; the band has listed Kraftwerk, old-school hip hop, and Black Dice as direct inspirations.[5]
Recording
[edit]The album was recorded over nine months in four different locations across Europe. The bass and drums were recorded first, on a farm on the island of Møn, which allowed the band to record natural sounds to incorporate into their songs.[6] The band would also take shifts sleeping and recording the album.
The band also traveled to Sweden to record strings, a church in Copenhagen to record organ, and then finally recorded in the Beelitz-Heilstätten hospital complex.[5]
Cover and artwork
[edit]The album was released initially in a completely white CD sleeve with an embossed 11 x 9 grid of zeroes, with the album and band name placed within the grid. Inside this sleeve was a jewel case with a black cover and an digitally-altered photograph of two faces and aquatic animals.[7] The vinyl edition of the album, which was released on 8 February 2010 on Leaf would use the latter photograph for the cover.[8]
The album's CD design was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package in 2011.[9]
Reception
[edit]The album has received moderately positive reviews from music critics.
In a positive review for SPIN, Barry Walters called the album a mixture of sunshine pop, Syd Barrett, and Electric Light Orchestra, and ultimately writing, "[r]arely has whimsical weirdness been done with such finesse".[3] Paul Stephens Gettings called the band "as ambitious in their pop hooks as they are in their sonic adventures" in a review for Drowned in Sound.
Brian Howe, a writer for Pitchfork, similarly praised the influence of psychedelic pop, as well as the varied timbres of the record, but critiqued the songwriting, stating "this isn't the kind of stuff you're going to walk around humming. It's too weirdly shaped to really abide in you-- you have to be willing lose yourself in it instead".[1]
Track listing
[edit]All tracks are written by Oh No Ono
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Eleanor Speaks" | 4:51 |
| 2. | "Swim" | 4:38 |
| 3. | "Internet Warrior" | 4:06 |
| 4. | "Icicles" | 3:28 |
| 5. | "Helplessly Young" | 3:06 |
| 6. | "The Wave Ballet" | 5:14 |
| 7. | "The Tea Party" | 3:45 |
| 8. | "Miss Miss Moss" | 4:19 |
| 9. | "Eve" | 6:41 |
| 10. | "Beelitz" | 9:46 |
| Total length: | 49:54 | |
Personnel
[edit]Oh No Ono[8]
- Malthe Fischer – vocals, guitar
- Aske Zidore – guitars, vocals
- Nicolai Koch – keyboards
- Kristoffer Rom – drums
- Nis Svoldgård – bass, vocals
Charts
[edit]| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Denmark Albums Top 40[4] | 25 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Howe, Brian. "Oh No Ono: Eggs Album Review". Pitchfork. Pitchfork. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
- ^ Gettings, Paul Stephen. "Album Review: Oh No Ono - Eggs / Releases / Releases". Drowned in Sound. Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 6 July 2020. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
- ^ a b Walters, Barry. "Review: Oh No Ono, 'Eggs'". SPIN. Next Management Partners. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
- ^ a b "Eggs by Oh No Ono - Music Chart". acharts. acharts. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
- ^ a b c d Snapes, Laura. "Oh No Ono Talk Crazy Music And Psychiatric Hospitals". The Quietus. The Quietus. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
- ^ "Oh No Ono". Friendly Fire Recordings. Friendly Fire Recordings. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
- ^ "Oh No Ono "Eggs" Recording Packaging". Vimeo. Vimeo. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
- ^ a b "The Leaf Label: EGGS". Leaf. The Leaf Label. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
- ^ "Grammy Awards 2011: Winners and nominees for 53rd Grammy Awards". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 July 2020.