High Water (El-P album)
High Water | ||||
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Studio album by El-P featuring The Blue Series Continuum | ||||
Released | March 9, 2004 | |||
Genre | Electronic, jazz fusion | |||
Length | 44:06 | |||
Label | Thirsty Ear | |||
Producer | El-P | |||
El-P chronology | ||||
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High Water is a collaborative studio album by El-P featuring The Blue Series Continuum. It was released through Thirsty Ear Recordings on March 9, 2004.[1] It peaked at number 46 on the Billboard Independent Albums chart.[2]
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 71/100[3] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
BBC | unfavorable[5] |
Dusted Magazine | unfavorable[6] |
JazzTimes | favorable[7] |
Pitchfork | 7.2/10[8] |
PopMatters | favorable[1] |
The Village Voice | A–[9] |
High Water was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 71 based on 9 reviews.[3]
Reviewing for The Village Voice in September 2004, Tom Hull said this album "shows more meat" than the previous two Blue Series Continuum albums, "probably because El-P carves what the band gives him rather than smothering it in sauce."[9] Thom Jurek of AllMusic gave the album 4 stars out of 5, saying: "In sum, it's a moody and haunting record with a few highs, a few lows, and lots of shades of blue to make your way through."[4] David Moore of Pitchfork gave the album a 7.2 out of 10, saying, "El-P's edits and subtle production work strengthens the ensemble's more indulgent moments."[8] He added, "El-P sometimes seems reluctant to interfere with the ensemble's improvisation, which is a shame considering that the album's strongest tracks show him taking the reins from individual players."[8] Meanwhile, Stefan Braidwood of PopMatters said, "El-P has now proven beyond all doubt that he merits a further word in his description, and that word is: genius."[1]
Track listing
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Please Stay (Yesterday)" | 2:37 |
2. | "Sunrise Over Bklyn" | 10:33 |
3. | "Get Your Hand Off My Shoulder, Pig" | 6:34 |
4. | "Get Modal" | 5:06 |
5. | "Intrigue in the House of India" | 6:33 |
6. | "Something Is Wrong" | 4:09 |
7. | "When the Moon Was Blue" | 6:42 |
8. | "Please Leave (Yesterday)" | 1:51 |
Personnel
Credits adapted from liner notes.
- El-P – composition, production, arrangement, mixing
- Matthew Shipp – piano
- Daniel Carter – reeds, flute
- Steve Swell – trombone
- Roy Campbell – trumpet
- William Parker – double bass
- Guillermo E. Brown – drums
- Harry Keys – vocals (7)
- Tim Conklin – recording
- Scott Hull – mastering
- Cynthia Fetty – art direction, photography
- Loretta Wong – design, layout
Charts
Chart | Peak position |
---|---|
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[2] | 46 |
References
- ^ a b c Braidwood, Stefan (April 30, 2004). "EL-P: High Water". PopMatters. Archived from the original on February 10, 2005. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- ^ a b "El-P: Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- ^ a b "High Water (Mark) by El-P". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- ^ a b Jurek, Thom. "High Water - El-P". AllMusic. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- ^ Marsh, Peter (2004). "El-p High Water Review". BBC. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- ^ Bivins, Jason (March 10, 2004). "El-P - High Water". Dusted Magazine. Archived from the original on February 3, 2008. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- ^ Segal, Dave (June 1, 2004). "El-P: High Water (Mark)". JazzTimes. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- ^ a b c Moore, David (October 31, 2014). "El-P: High Water / Collecting the Kid". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- ^ a b Hull, Tom (September 28, 2004). "Jazz Consumer Guide (2): The Caribbean Tinge". The Village Voice. Retrieved June 25, 2020 – via tomhull.com.
External links
- High Water at Discogs (list of releases)
- High Water at MusicBrainz (list of releases)