2 (Mac DeMarco album)
| 2 | ||||
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| Studio album by Mac DeMarco | ||||
| Released | October 16th, 2012 | |||
| Recorded | June 2012 | |||
| Genre | Jangle pop, psychedelic pop, lo-fi, surf rock | |||
| Length | 31:27 | |||
| Label | Captured Tracks | |||
| Mac DeMarco chronology | ||||
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2 is the debut full-length studio album by Canadian musician Mac DeMarco. It was recorded in June and released in October of 2012 on the Captured Tracks label.
Background
DeMarco moved from Vancouver to Montreal in 2011. There, he recorded an EP under his own name, Rock and Roll Nightclub. Featuring slowed-down vocals and elements of glam rock, this recording garnered enough attention that his label, Captured Tracks, agreed to finance a full length album.[1] DeMarco shifted his style from Rock and Roll Nightclub for 2, glam and a crooning singing style were dropped for a more standard approach to guitar rock.[2] The album was composed and recorded in DeMarco's Montreal apartment, in the Mile End neighbourhood. DeMarco made the recording wearing only his "skivvies", or underwear.[3]
Music
The album contains a single acoustic track, "Still Together", which features Demarco using falsetto singing in the chorus.[4] The opener, "Cooking Up Something Good", uses a song structure where a catchy verse transitions to a "blindsiding" darker chorus.[5] "Robson Girl" also juxtaposes a "sweet" verse with a guitar-shredding chorus.[6]
Lyrically, DeMarco covers growing up in suburbia, failed love, and family secrets, the last featuring heavily in "Cooking Up Something Good".[5] "Ode to Viceroy" is a tribute to the singer's favourite brand of cigarettes.[4] DeMarco is apologizing to his mother in "Freaking Out The Neighbourhood", and trying to convince a girl to leave town with him in "'The Stars Keep On Calling My Name".[6]
Album art
In September 2014, DeMarco stated in a "What's in My Bag?" interview video with Amoeba Records in Hollywood, California, that he had been inspired by the album art of Haruomi Hosono's 1973 studio album Hosono House for the design of the record cover for 2.[7] In the same interview, DeMarco also points out the record cover's striking but coincidental similarity to Bruce Springsteen's 1980 studio album The River.
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 81/100[8] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| NME[6] | 8/10 |
| Pitchfork Media[5] | 8.2/10 |
| Prefix[9] | 6.5/10 |
| The Guardian[10] | 3/5 |
| Beats Per Minute[11] | 85% |
| Line of Best Fit[12] | 8/10 |
| Time Out London[13] | 4/5 |
| Consequence of Sound[2] | C+ |
| Earbuddy | (8.3/10)[14] |
The album was compared by several reviewers to Real Estate's 2011 release, Days.[2] NME called DeMarco a "skilled songwriter" and likened him to fictional character Ferris Bueller.[6] DeMarco's guitar work was praised by several reviewers.[4] The Guardian remarked that, although the initial tracks have promise, the album "never quite delivers" and criticised its "unvarying" tone.[10] Pitchfork Media gave an enthusiastic review, awarding the record its "Best New Music" designation. Reviewer Sam Hockley-Smith commented positively on DeMarco's songwriting and lyrical depth.[5] The website placed the album at 43rd on their "50 Best Albums of the Year" retrospective.[15]
The album was named a longlisted nominee for the 2013 Polaris Music Prize on June 13, 2013.[16]
The album was recognized as one of The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far, a list published by Pitchfork Media in August 2014.[17]
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Mac DeMarco.
| No. | Title | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Cooking Up Something Good" | 2:41 | |
| 2. | "Dreamin'" | 2:27 | |
| 3. | "Freaking Out the Neighborhood" | 2:53 | |
| 4. | "Annie" | 3:10 | |
| 5. | "Ode to Viceroy" | 3:53 | |
| 6. | "Robson Girl" | 2:56 | |
| 7. | "The Stars Keep On Calling My Name" | 2:22 | |
| 8. | "My Kind of Woman" | 3:10 | |
| 9. | "Boe Zaah" | 1:41 | |
| 10. | "Sherrill" | 2:29 | |
| 11. | "Still Together" | 3:39 |
Chart positions
| Chart (2012) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Top Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[18] | 26 |
References
- ↑ Traynor, Cian. "Interview: Mac DeMarco". The Stool Pigeon. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Arroyo, Steven. "Album Review: Mac DeMarco – 2". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
- ↑ Leijon, Eric (December 12, 2012). "Mac DeMarco keeps his music clean and his apartment dirty". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Whelan, Alex. "Mac DeMarco's new record shines with its Montreal roots". Arizona Daily Wildcat. University of Arizona. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Hockley-Smith, Sam. "Mac DeMarco - 2". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Pattison, Louis. "Mac Demarco - '2'". NME. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
- ↑ "Mac DeMarco - What's In My Bag?". YouTube. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
- ↑ "Mac Demarco". Metacritic. Retrieved 7 April 2014.
- ↑ Levy, Art. "Album Review: Mac DeMarco "2"". Prefix. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Hann, Michael (18 October 2012). "Mac DeMarco: 2 – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
- ↑ Joyce, Colin. "Mac DeMarco 2". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
- ↑ Wojtas, Michael. "Mac DeMarco – 2". Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
- ↑ Frankel, Eddy. "Mac DeMarco – '2' album review". TimeOut London. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
- ↑ Krenn, Nick (2012-10-17). "Mac DeMarco - 2 Review". Earbuddy. Archived from the original on 2013-07-11. Retrieved 2012-10-17.
- ↑ Snapes, Laura. "The Top 50 Albums of 2012". Staff Lists. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 26 December 2012.
- ↑ "Polaris Music Prize Unveils 2013 Long List". Exclaim!, June 13, 2012.
- ↑ "The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far (2010-2014) - Pitchfork". Pitchfork. Retrieved 25 September 2014.
- ↑ "Mac DeMarco Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Top Heatseekers Albums for Mac DeMarco. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
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