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The Fool (Warpaint album)

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The Fool
Studio album by
Warpaint
ReleasedOctober 25, 2010
Recorded2010 at Curves Studio and The Boat Studio in Los Angeles, California
Genre
Length46:49
LabelRough Trade
ProducerTom Biller
Warpaint chronology
Exquisite Corpse
(2008) 		The Fool
(2010) 		Warpaint
(2014)
Singles from The Fool
  1. "Undertow"
    Released: September 21, 2010
  2. "Shadows"
    Released: January 10, 2011

The Fool is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band Warpaint, released on October 25, 2010, on Rough Trade Records.[1] The album was recorded at two studios—Curves Studio and The Boat Studio—in the band's native Los Angeles, California, throughout 2010 and was produced by Tom Biller, who also shared mixing duties with Andrew Weatherall and Adam Samuels.[1]

The band describe the album as the "older sister" of their debut, Exquisite Corpse (2008).[2]

Release

[edit]

The Fool was released on October 25, 2010, in the United Kingdom and the following day in the United States.[1] The album was previewed before its physical release through an exclusive stream on The Hype Machine on October 18.[3] The album was promoted by two singles—"Undertow" and "Shadows"—released on September 21, 2010[4] and January 10, 2011,[5] respectively. Both singles received moderate acclaim, though did not chart. In March 2011, "Undertow" and the Neon Lights remix of "Shadows", featured as the single's B-side, were featured on a playlist by BBC Radio 1 as part of the In New Music We Trust[6] and "Undertow" was exclusively re-released in April 2011 as part of the international Record Store Day.[7] On September 26, 2011, less than a year after its original release, a deluxe edition of The Fool was released, featuring two bonus tracks and a second disc with Exquisite Corpse.[8]

In 2011, The Fool was awarded a silver certification from the Independent Music Companies Association, which indicated sales of at least 20,000 copies throughout Europe.[9]

A previously-unheard alternate version of The Fool mixed entirely by Andrew Weatherall – as opposed to just two songs mixed by Weatherall on the original album – along with a different tracklisting envisaged by Weatherall, was released on vinyl for Record Store Day on June 12, 2021.[10] The Weatherall mix also included "Jubilee", a previously-unreleased track that was recorded for and subsequently left off The Fool, with plans to release it as a stand-alone single in 2011[11] that ultimately also fell through.

Tour

[edit]

Upon its release, Warpaint embarked on a tour of Europe to promote The Fool. The 21-date tour lasted from October 21 to November 15, 2010, and the band performed in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, Denmark, France and the Netherlands.[12] Following the tour, the band also performed seven shows throughout the United States, beginning in St. Louis, Missouri on November 19 and concluding in Los Angeles, California on December 12.[12] On January 31, 2011, the band began a third leg of the tour in Australia and New Zealand, lasting until February 12.[13] On February 21, the band performed a one-off show with Twin Shadow at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire in London as part of the NME's award shows[14] and in March and April, the band began another leg throughout the United States, beginning in San Francisco, California on March 16 and concluding in Indio, California on April 15.[13] They also played at various major festivals including Bonnaroo, Glastonbury Festival, Reading and Leeds Festivals, Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Rock Werchter and Electric Picnic in support of the album.

Composition

[edit]

On The Fool, Warpaint tap into a "sultry" desert rock language,[15] speaking to the style's mysticism.[16] They also work in "complicated and intricate" art rock,[17] psychedelic rock,[18] and slowcore styles.[19]

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.7/10[20]
Metacritic77/100[21]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[22]
The A.V. ClubB+[23]
Financial Times[24]
The Guardian[25]
Mojo[26]
NME9/10[27]
Pitchfork7.2/10[15]
Q[28]
Rolling Stone[16]
Spin8/10[29]

Upon its release, The Fool received critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 77, based on 33 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[21] AllMusic's Heather Phares said that "The Fool has flashes of brilliance" and "darkly feminine songs with instinctive structures".[22] Jason Heller of The A.V. Club noted the album "coasts instead on a humid, hazy, oozing pulse that's less ice age and more malarial swamp" and "with a torpid and feverish dreaminess".[23] Writing for Consequence of Sound, Philip Cosores called it "a genre record for a genre that doesn't exist" and admired the album's production, stating "though the guitar leads sound unpolished, the vocals sound untrained, and the bass can overwhelm the songs, the lack of perfection makes more of a statement than all the auto-tune in the world."[17] Andrzej Lukowski, in his review in Drowned in Sound, said "there is an incredible level of detail and accomplishment to The Fool"[30] and Jenny Mulligan of Entertainment.ie described the "haunting atmosphere" of the album as "wholly intoxicating".[31]

Filter reviewer Laura Jespersen described The Fool as "uncomplicated, psychedelic indie-girl rock with plenty of hazy guitar and a swooning, restrained sadness";[32] Hot Press also described it as "psych-rock".[18] In The Guardian, Maddy Costa noted "it's the consistent sensuality of Warpaint's sound that makes them mesmerise."[25] NME's Laura Snapes wrote "the dark purple rumble and hypnotic coo of their vocals swim along, dragging the listener beneath its beguiling surface into a swathe of subtle time changes and guitar prone to sudden swan dives into heart-stabbing gold arcs from oil painting-thick landscapes."[27] Pitchfork writer Ryan Dombal referred to The Fool as "a nine-song seance of an album that's as subtle as it is disquieting" in his review[15] and Chris Martins of Spin summarized that "The Fool is built on Joy Division's post-punk low end, moody chords, droning vocals, and doomy lyrics, but it's more than a tribute."[29]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Warpaint

No.TitleLength
1."Set Your Arms Down"5:01
2."Warpaint"5:51
3."Undertow"5:53
4."Bees"4:22
5."Shadows"4:04
6."Composure"4:55
7."Baby"5:00
8."Majesty"6:32
9."Lissie's Heart Murmur"5:11
Total length:46:49
Deluxe edition
No.TitleLength
10."Shadows" (Neon Lights remix)3:19
Total length:50:08
Deluxe edition Exquisite Corpse bonus disc
No.TitleLength
1."Stars"6:27
2."Elephants"4:45
3."Billie Holiday"6:45
4."Beetles"6:58
5."Burgundy"4:41
6."Krimson"4:08
7."Billie Holiday" (Steve Mackey Radio Mix)3:39
Total length:37:23
Andrew Weatherall Mix
No.TitleLength
1."Warpaint" 
2."Undertow" 
3."Bees" 
4."Jubilee" 
5."Shadows" 
6."Majesty" 
7."Baby" 
8."Composure" 
9."Lissie's Heart Murmur" 
10."Set Your Arms Down" 

Personnel

[edit]

All personnel credits adapted from The Fool's album notes.[33]

Warpaint

Technical personnel

Design personnel

  • Mia Kirby – photography
  • Takayuki Okada – photography
  • Pierre Ziegler – artwork

Chart positions

[edit]
Chart (2010) Peak
position
Irish Albums Chart[34] 75
Irish Independent Albums Chart[35] 8
UK Albums Chart[36] 41
UK Independent Albums Chart[37] 3
UK Independent Albums Breakers Chart[38] 1
US Billboard 200[39] 176
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[39] 4
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[39] 26
US Tastemakers Albums (Billboard)[40] 19

Singles

[edit]
Year Single Peak positions
UK Indie
[41] 		UK Indie Breakers
[42]
2010 "Undertow" 30 10

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[43] Silver 60,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "Warpaint to release 'The Fool' in October (updated) - latimes.com". Los Angeles Times. August 18, 2010. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
  2. ^ Q Magazine, February 2011, pg. 138
  3. ^ "Rough Trade Records - Hype Machine premieres Warpaint's debut album 'The Fool'". Rough Trade Records. October 18, 2010. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  4. ^ "iTunes - Music - Undertow - Single by Warpaint". iTunes. 21 September 2010. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  5. ^ Lauren Down (November 12, 2010). "Warpaint Announce Second Single | The Line Of Best Fit". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on November 14, 2010. Retrieved December 26, 2010.
  6. ^ "Music Week - Yuck make BBC impact". Music Week. March 24, 2011. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  7. ^ "Pictures of Record Store Day - 50 essential releases - Photos - NME.COM". NME. April 12, 2011. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
  8. ^ Carrie Battan (September 21, 2011). "Warpaint to Reissue Debut LP The Fool | News | Pitchfork". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  9. ^ "Color". www.impalamusic.org. Archived from the original on 11 September 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  10. ^ Richards, Will (April 8, 2021). "An Andrew Weatherall mix of Warpaint's debut album to be released on Record Store Day". NME. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  11. ^ "Warpaint reveal new 'Jubilee Real' single at Great Escape festival". NME. May 21, 2011. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Warpaint Tour Dates 2010 Announced". gorockfest.com. October 26, 2010. Archived from the original on January 3, 2014. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  13. ^ a b "Warpaint Tour Dates 2011 Announced". gorockfest.com. November 24, 2010. Archived from the original on January 3, 2014. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  14. ^ "Warpaint, White Lies, Carl Barat for NME Award Shows 2011 | News | NME.COM". NME. November 22, 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  15. ^ a b c Dombal, Ryan (October 29, 2010). "Warpaint: The Fool". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  16. ^ a b Dolan, Jon (October 26, 2010). "The Fool". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  17. ^ a b Cosores, Philip (October 15, 2010). "Album Review: Warpaint – The Fool". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  18. ^ a b "Watch Warpaint's 'Live in NYC' session". Hot Press. 12 January 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2016.
  19. ^ Astin, Martin. "BBC - Music - Review of Warpaint - The Fool". BBC. Retrieved March 19, 2022.
  20. ^ "The Fool by Warpaint reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved October 6, 2019.
  21. ^ a b "Reviews for The Fool by Warpaint". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  22. ^ a b Phares, Heather. "The Fool – Warpaint". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  23. ^ a b Heller, Jason (October 26, 2010). "Warpaint: The Fool". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  24. ^ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (November 6, 2010). "Warpaint: The Fool". Financial Times. Retrieved May 4, 2019.
  25. ^ a b Costa, Maddy (October 21, 2010). "Warpaint: The Fool – review". The Guardian. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  26. ^ "Warpaint: The Fool". Mojo (205): 99. December 2010.
  27. ^ a b Snapes, Laura (October 25, 2010). "Album Review: Warpaint – The Fool (Rough Trade)". NME. IPC Media. Archived from the original on October 28, 2010. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  28. ^ "Warpaint: The Fool". Q (293): 112. December 2010.
  29. ^ a b Martins, Chris (October 4, 2010). "Warpaint, 'The Fool' (Rough Trade)". Spin. Spin Media. Archived from the original on October 22, 2010. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  30. ^ Lukowski, Andrzej (October 29, 2010). "Warpaint – The Fool / Releases". Drowned in Sound. Silentway. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  31. ^ Mulligan, Jenny (October 20, 2010). "Warpaint – The Fool. Review by Jenny Mulligan | Music, CD Reviews". Entertainment.ie. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  32. ^ Jespersen, Laura (November 17, 2010). "Reviews – Warpaint". FILTER. FILTER Creative Group. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  33. ^ The Fool (Album notes). Warpaint. Rough Trade Records. 2010. RTRADCD580.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  34. ^ "Discography Warpaint". irish-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved December 23, 2013.
  35. ^ "Top 10 Independent Artist Album, Week Ending 4 November 2010". Chart-Track. GfK. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
  36. ^ "Warpaint | Artist". Official Charts Company. British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  37. ^ "2010-11-06 Top 40 Independent Albums Archive". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
  38. ^ "2010-11-06 Top 40 Independent Albums Breakers Archive". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
  39. ^ a b c "The Fool – Warpaint | Awards". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
  40. ^ "Warpaint – Chart history". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 23, 2012.
  41. ^ "2010-11-06 Top 40 Independent Singles Archive". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
  42. ^ "2010-11-06 Top 40 Independent Singles Breakers Archive". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
  43. ^ "British album certifications – Warpaint – the Fool". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 3, 2020.
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