Live Forever (Bartees Strange album)
Live Forever | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 2, 2020 | |||
Genre | Indie rock, hip hop, jazz[1] | |||
Length | 35:24 | |||
Label | Memory Music | |||
Bartees Strange chronology | ||||
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Singles from Live Forever | ||||
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Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.7/10[2] |
Metacritic | 83/100[3] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Beats Per Minute | 81%[4] |
Exclaim! | 8/10[5] |
Flood Magazine | 8/10[6] |
Paste | 7.7/10[7] |
Pitchfork | 8.2/10[8] |
Under the Radar | 8/10[9] |
Live Forever is the debut studio album by English-born American musician Bartees Strange. It was released on October 2, 2020, by Memory Music.[10]
Production
[edit]The album was recorded in a barn studio in Wassaic, New York, and mastered by American producer Will Yip.[10]
Release
[edit]On July 23, 2020, Strange released the first single from the album "Mustang".[11] The single has been described as "something of an indie rock anthem wrapped up in mesmerizing synths, catchy riffs and bombastic vocals."[11] The music video was shot at Bartees Strange's apartment in Washington DC, with director Drew Horen.[12] It was also featured as the Top 8 Best Song of the week by Paste on July 24, 2020.[13] and Top 9 Songs of the Week by Under the Radar.[14]
On August 12, 2020, Strange announced the release of his debut album, along with the second single "Boomer".[15] The single has been described "a tight indie rock track driven by jangly guitars" while the music video shows Strange performing all the song's instruments from his home studio.[15]
The third single "Kelly Rowland" was released on September 18, 2020.[16] Along with the deluxe edition, Strange released the new version of the song titled "Free Kelly Rowland" with hip hop group Armand Hammer on October 1, 2021.[17]
Composition
[edit]The songs on Live Forever weave in sundry sounds and styles.
"Mustang" works in "infectious" guitar-pop, "sweltering" punk and "hooky" synth-rock.[5][7] "Boomer" digs into "giddy" blues rock and hip hop verses.[7] "Flagey God" channels experimental rock and witch house while working in "propulsive" dance-pop with a R&B chorus.[4][7]
Critical reception
[edit]Live Forever was met with "universal acclaim" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 83 based on 6 reviews.[3] At AnyDecentMusic?, which collates album reviews from websites, magazines and newspapers, they gave the release a 7.7 out of 10, based on a critical consensus of 7 reviews.[2]
Gareth O'Malley of Beats Per Minute wrote: "There’s so much ground covered on Live Forever that its easy to forget that it’s 35 minutes long. Strange’s genreless approach to making music means that its eventual follow-up could explore any of the sonic avenues the album heads down – or something else entirely"[4] Writing for Exclaim!, Adam Feibel explained: "As intriguing as Strange's music already is, Live Forever demonstrates that there's still tremendous potential left to unlock." He went on to say that the release "is itself not quite a masterpiece, but it's a clear picture of someone who's destined for greatness. Bartees Strange is a visionary artist worth watching closely."[5]
Accolades
[edit]Publication | Accolade | Rank |
---|---|---|
Consequence of Sound | Top 50 Albums of 2020 | 42[18]
|
Crack Magazine | Top 50 Albums of 2020 | 46[19]
|
NPR Music | Top 50 Albums of 2020 | 32[20]
|
Paste | Top 50 Albums of 2020 | 36[21]
|
Pitchfork | The 50 Best Albums of 2020 | 30[22]
|
Pitchfork | The 35 Best Rock Albums of 2020 | Unranked[23] |
PopMatters | Top 10 Indie Rock Albums of 2020 | 6[24]
|
Rolling Stone | Top 50 Albums of 2020 | 50[25]
|
Stereogum | Top 50 Albums of 2020 | 16[26]
|
Under the Radar | Top 100 Albums of 2020 | 15[27]
|
Uproxx | Top 50 Albums of 2020 | 25[28]
|
Vectis Radio | Top 10 Albums of 2020 | 2[29]
|
Track listing
[edit]No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Jealousy" | 2:41 |
2. | "Mustang" | 3:54 |
3. | "Boomer" | 3:18 |
4. | "Kelly Rowland" | 1:57 |
5. | "In a Cab" | 2:17 |
6. | "Stone Meadows" | 3:51 |
7. | "Flagey God" | 3:42 |
8. | "Mossblerd" | 1:28 |
9. | "Far" | 4:10 |
10. | "Fallen for You" | 4:09 |
11. | "Ghostly" | 3:57 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
4. | "Free Kelly Rowland" (featuring Armand Hammer) | 3:20 |
12. | "Weights" | 2:36 |
13. | "Flagey God Redux" | 2:39 |
References
[edit]- ^ Chelosky, Danielle. "Bartees Strange Gives In To Lawless Creation". MTV News. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
- ^ a b "AnyDecentMusic? Review". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ a b "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ a b c O'Malley, Gareth (October 2, 2020). "Beats Per Minute Review". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ a b c Feibel, Adam (October 1, 2020). "Bartees Strange's Ambitious Creative Vision Comes to Life on 'Live Forever'". Exclaim!. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ LeSeur, Matt (September 29, 2020). "Flood Magazine Review". Flood Magazine. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Manno, Lizzie (October 5, 2020). "Bartees Strange's Live Forever Refuses to Conform". Paste. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ Josephs, Brian (October 6, 2020). "Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ Moody, Mark (October 2, 2020). "Under the Radar Review". Under the Radar. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ a b Roberts, Christopher (August 12, 2020). "Bartees Strange Officially Announces Debut Album; Shares Video for New Song "Boomer"". Under the Radar. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ a b Chelosky, Danielle (July 23, 2020). "Bartees Strange Shares New Single "Mustang"". Paste. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ Small, Samantha (July 23, 2020). "Bartees Strange Tentatively Announces New Album; Shares Video for New Song "Mustang"". Under the Radar. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ Manno, Lizzie (July 24, 2020). "The Best Songs of the Week". Paste. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ Roberts, Christopher (July 24, 2020). "9 Best Songs of the Week: Madeline Kenney, METZ, Bartees Strange, Taylor Swift, and More". Under the Radar. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ a b Meyer, Jack (August 12, 2020). "Bartees Strange Announces Debut Album 'Live Forever,' Shares New Single". Paste. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ Roberts, Christopher (September 18, 2020). "Bartees Strange Shares Video for New Song "Kelly Rowland"". Under the Radar. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ White, Caitlin (October 1, 2021). "Bartees Strange's 'Free Kelly Rowland' Features Armand Hammer As Part Of His Deluxe 'Live Forever'". Uproxx. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ "The 50 Albums of 2020". Consequence of Sound. December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ "The Top 50 Albums of 2020". Crack Magazine. December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". NPR Music. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". Paste. November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ Deusner, Stephen M. (December 8, 2020). "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 9, 2020.
- ^ "The 35 Best Rock Albums of 2020". Pitchfork. December 15, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
- ^ Manrique, Linnette (December 3, 2020). "The 10 Best Indie Rock Albums of 2020". PopMatters. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ Bernstein, Jonathan; Blake, Emily; Blistein, Jon; Dolan, Jon; Doyle, Patrick; Ehrlick, Brenna; Freeman, Jon; Grow, Kory; Hoard, Christian; Hudak, Joseph; Leight, Elias; Martoccio, Angie; Shaffer, Claire; Sheffield, Rob; Shteamer, Hank; Vozick-Levinson, Simon (December 4, 2020). "Best Albums of 2020". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ "Best Albums of 2020". Stereogum. December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ "Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2020". Under the Radar. January 15, 2021. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
- ^ "The Best Albums of 2020". Uproxx. December 1, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
- ^ "The New Music Podcast: Albums of the Year 2020 Special". Mixcloud. December 30, 2020. Retrieved October 11, 2021.