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Bécs (album)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bécs
Studio album by
Released28 April 2014 (2014-04-28)
GenreElectronica, ambient, glitch
Length43:27
LabelMego
Fennesz chronology
Black Sea
(2008)
Bécs
(2014)
Agora
(2019)

Bécs is the sixth studio album by Austrian electronic music producer and guitarist Fennesz, released 28 April 2014 by Mego Records. The album has been described as a conceptual and sonic successor to Fennesz's well-received 2001 album Endless Summer and is his first solo release since 2008's Black Sea.

Background

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Bécs is described as a departure from the drone music influences of Black Sea, instead featuring contemporary pop music structures.[1] Pitchfork noted the album's "twinkly and bright" melodies, with the album's use of distortion "(walking) a tightrope between oceanic envelopment and repellant destruction."[2]

The track "Paroles" is notable for a stripped-down sound that does not feature as many audio effects as most of Fennesz's work.

Reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.1/10[3]
Metacritic86/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Exclaim!9/10[6]
Fact4/5[7]
Mojo[8]
Pitchfork7.8/10[2]
PopMatters8/10[9]
Uncut9/10[10]

Bécs was well-received by critics upon release; it currently holds a score of 86 from Metacritic, indicating "universal acclaim".[4]

London-based music magazine Uncut praised the album, calling it "an entirely ravishing aesthetic experience."[10] Exclaim! published a similarly adulatory review, writing that, "With Bécs, Fennesz achieves the near-impossible, crafting a musical sequel that retains the energy, vision, and flow of its predecessor."[6]

Pitchfork gave Bécs a generally positive review, remarking that it was "often gorgeous" but arguing that its sonic similarity to Endless Summer "makes you wonder about motivation."[2]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleLength
1."Static Kings"5:46
2."The Liar"4:37
3."Liminality"10:00
4."Pallas Athene"6:10
5."Bécs"5:43
6."Sav"7:35
7."Paroles"3:36
Total length:43:27

References

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  1. ^ "Bécs, by Fennesz". Fennesz. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Richardson, Mark (30 April 2014). "Fennesz: Bécs". Pitchfork. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  3. ^ "Bécs by Fennesz reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Reviews for Bécs by Fennesz". Metacritic. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  5. ^ Thomas, Fred. "Bécs – Fennesz". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  6. ^ a b Sylvester, Daniel (25 April 2014). "Fennesz: Bécs". Exclaim!. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  7. ^ Pattison, Louis (6 May 2014). "Bécs". Fact. Archived from the original on 9 May 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  8. ^ "Fennesz: Bécs". Mojo (248): 95. July 2014.
  9. ^ Franquelli, Alex (23 June 2014). "Fennesz: Bécs". PopMatters. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Fennesz: Bécs". Uncut (205): 76. June 2014.