Thin Black Duke
| Thin Black Duke | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 5, 2017 | |||
| Studio | Various
| |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 38:59 | |||
| Label | Hydra Head | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Oxbow chronology | ||||
| ||||
Thin Black Duke is the seventh studio album by American experimental rock band Oxbow. It was released on May 5, 2017 through Hydra Head Records.
Background and composition
According to Pitchfork writer Zoe Camp, the album "envision[s] a world domineered by disorder, a carnivalesque arena where music's most intimidating, grandiose genres (free jazz, high-concept chamber pop, noise, neoclassical, metal) can duke it out like gladiators one minute, and come together for a grotesque group hug the next."[2]
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 87/100[3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Drowned in Sound | 9/10[6] |
| Louder Sound |   [8] |
| musicOMH | [5] |
| Pitchfork | 7.3/10[2] |
| Record Collector | [4] |
| Sputnikmusic |  [9] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | [7] |
Thin Black Duke was met with critical acclaim. The album received an average score of 87/100 from 9 reviews on Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim".[3] In a positive review with The Quietus, Sean Guthrie wrote, "By rights no group should be peaking after 30 years of making music together, yet that is the situation in which Oxbow find themselves. Will they ever transcend Thin Black Duke? Such are the ideas and attention to detail on this record, only a fool would bet against them."[10] Zoe Camp of Pitchfork was positive on the album, but she did not see Thin Black Duke as Oxbow's "definitive show of force".[2]
Accolades
| Year | Publication | Country | Accolade | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Rolling Stone | United States | "20 Best Metal Albums of 2017" | 7 | [11] |
| 2017 | The Quietus | United Kingdom | "Albums of the Year, 2017" | 10 | [12] |
| 2017 | Decibel | United States | "Top 40 Albums of 2017" | 30 | [13] |
| 2017 | The Needle Drop | United States | "Top 50 Albums of 2017" | 11 | [14] |
| 2017 | musicOMH | United Kingdom | "Top 50 Albums of 2017" | 20 | [15] |
| 2017 | Louder Than War | United Kingdom | "Top 100 Albums of 2017" | 66 | [16] |
| 2017 | The Observer | United Kingdom | "Observer readers' hidden musical gems of 2017" | - | [17] |
Track listing
All tracks are written by Oxbow
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Cold & Well-Lit Place" | 4:32 |
| 2. | "Ecce Homo" | 4:17 |
| 3. | "A Gentleman's Gentleman" | 3:24 |
| 4. | "Letter of Note" | 6:17 |
| 5. | "Host" | 5:23 |
| 6. | "The Upper" | 4:32 |
| 7. | "Other People" | 4:03 |
| 8. | "The Finished Line" | 6:27 |
| Total length: | 38:59 | |
Personnel
Credits adapted from liner notes.[18][19]
|
Oxbow
|
Additional musicians
|
Technical personnel
|
References
- ^ a b Terich, Jeff (May 16, 2017). "Oxbow : Thin Black Duke". Treblezine. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
Their music sounds is conflict caught on tape, the document of a real-time struggle scored by urgent art-rock and post-hardcore arrangements.
- ^ a b c Camp, Zoe (May 1, 2017). "Oxbow Thin Black Duke".
- ^ a b "Oxbow: The Thin Black Duke (2017)". Metacritic. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
- ^ Hamnett, Alun (June 1, 2017). "Oxbow Thin Black Duke".
- ^ Shepherd, Sam (May 1, 2017). "Oxbow - Thin Black Duke".
- ^ Turner-Heffer, Adam (May 11, 2017). "Oxbow Thin Black Duke".
- ^ Hemmerling, Joe (May 4, 2017). "Oxbow The Thin Black Duke".
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Oxbow Thin Black Duke". 2 July 2017. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- ^ Guthrie, Sean. "Oxbow - THIN BLACK DUKE". thequietus.com. The Quietus. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
- ^ "20 Best Metal Albums of 2017". rollingstone.com. Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
- ^ "Quietus Albums Of The Year 2017 In Association With Norman Records". thequietus.com. The Quietus. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
- ^ Mudrian, Albert. "Here Are Decibel's Top 40 Albums of 2017". decibelmagazine.com. Decibel. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ [4]
- ^ [5]
- ^ "Thin Black Duke AllMusic entry (includes liner notes)". allmusic.com. AllMusic. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
- ^ "Thin Black Duke Discogs entry (includes liner notes)". discogs.com. Discogs. Retrieved December 24, 2017.