Metamodern Sounds in Country Music
| Metamodern Sounds in Country Music | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||||||||
| Studio album by Sturgill Simpson | ||||||||||
| Released | May 13, 2014 | |||||||||
| Genre | Country | |||||||||
| Length | 34:29 | |||||||||
| Label | High Top Mountain, Loose Music | |||||||||
| Producer | Dave Cobb | |||||||||
| Sturgill Simpson chronology | ||||||||||
| ||||||||||
Metamodern Sounds in Country Music is the second studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Sturgill Simpson. The album was produced and engineered by Dave Cobb and was released on May 13, 2014, through High Top Mountain/Thirty Tigers & Loose Music (Europe).
Promotion
Prior to its official release, the entire album was available to stream on MSN's Listening Booth and NPR Music's First Listen.[1]
To further promote the album, Simpson performed on Late Show with David Letterman,[2] Conan,[3] and The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.[4] Simpson also performed a set for NPR's Tiny Desk Concert series.[5]
"Turtles All the Way Down" was featured on FX's The Bridge.[6]
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 81/100[7] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| American Songwriter | [9] |
| Blurt | [10] |
| Paste | (9.2/10)[11] |
| Pitchfork Media | (7.7/10)[12] |
| PopMatters | (8/10)[13] |
| Rolling Stone |  [14] |
Metamodern Sounds in Country Music received "universal acclaim" according to Metacritic, earning a normalized score of 81 out of 100 based on ten reviews by music critics.[15]
Jonathan Bernstein of American Songwriter noted Simpson's cover of When in Rome's "The Promise," stating that he "turns the song into a countrypolitan torch song that culminates in a cathartic release."[16]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Turtles All the Way Down" | Sturgill Simpson | 3:08 | |
| 2. | "Life of Sin" | Simpson | 2:26 | |
| 3. | "Living the Dream" | Simpson | 3:52 | |
| 4. | "Voices" | Simpson | 2:47 | |
| 5. | "Long White Line" | Buford Abner | 4:01 | |
| 6. | "The Promise" |
|
4:17 | |
| 7. | "A Little Light" | Simpson | 1:40 | |
| 8. | "Just Let Go" | Simpson | 2:32 | |
| 9. | "It Ain't All Flowers" | Simpson | 6:44 | |
| 10. | "Pan Bowl" (hidden track) | Simpson | 3:02 | |
Total length: |
34:29 | |||
Chart performance
The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 59 and the Top Country Albums at No. 11, with 5,500 copies sold in the US for the week.[17] As of March 2015, the album has sold 112,800 copies in the US.[18]
Weekly charts
| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[19] | 59 |
| US Digital Albums (Billboard)[20] | 22 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[21] | 6 |
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[22] | 8 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2014) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[23] | 69 |
Personnel
Musicians and contributors
- "Dood" Fraley - Master of Ceremonies
- Sturgill Simpson - Vocals, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
- Laur Joamets - Electric guitar, slide guitar
- Kevin Black - Bass guitar
- Miles Miller - Drums, percussion, backing vocals
- Mike Webb - Keyboards, mellotron
- Dave Cobb - Classical guitar, percussion
Technical personnel
- Dave Cobb - Producer, engineer, mixing
- Justin Herlocker - Assistant engineer
- John Netti - Assistant engineer
- Sturgill Simpson - Mixing
References
- ↑ Ganz, Jacob (2014-05-04). "First Listen: Sturgill Simpson, 'Metamodern Sounds In Country Music'". NPR.org. Retrieved 2014-11-10.
- ↑ "The Late Show Sturgill Simpson - "Life of Sin"". CBS.com. Retrieved 2014-11-10.
- ↑ "Sturgill Simpson "Living The Dream" 09/10/14". TeamCoco.com. Retrieved 2014-11-10.
- ↑ "Sturgill Simpson: Turtles All the Way Down - Video". NBC.com. Retrieved 2014-11-10.
- ↑ "Tiny Desk Concerts - Sturgill Simpson". NPR.org. Retrieved 2014-11-10.
- ↑ Logan, Buddy (2014-08-26). "Sturgill Simpson Music to be Featured on FX’s ‘The Bridge’". Radio Texas Live. Retrieved 2014-11-10.
- ↑ "Metamodern Sounds in Country Music Reviews". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2014-11-10.
- ↑ Jurek, Thom. "Metamodern Sounds in Country Music". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 2014-11-10.
- ↑ Bernstein, Jonathan (2014-05-19). "Sturgill Simpson: Metamodern Sounds in Country Music". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2014-11-10.
- ↑ Zimmerman, Lee. "Sturgill Simpson – Metamodern Sounds In Country Music". Blurtonline.com. Retrieved 2014-11-10.
- ↑ Lore, Mark (2014-05-21). "Sturgill Simpson: Metamodern Sounds In Country Music Review". Paste. Retrieved 2014-11-10.
- ↑ Deusner, Stephen (2014-05-16). "Sturgill Simpson - Metamodern Sounds in Country Music". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2014-11-10.
- ↑ Recker, Scott (2014-05-13). "Sturgill Simpson: Metamodern Sounds in Country Music". PopMatters.com. Retrieved 2014-11-10.
- ↑ Murray, Nick (2014-05-30). "Metamodern Sounds in Country Music". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2014-11-10.
- ↑ "Metamodern Sounds in Country Music Reviews". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2014-11-10.
- ↑ Bernstein, Jonathan (2014-05-19). "Sturgill Simpson: Metamodern Sounds in Country Music". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2014-11-10.
- ↑ Matt Bjorke (May 21, 2014). "Country Music's Top 10 Albums: The Week Of May 21, 2014". Roughstock.
- ↑ Matt Bjorke (March 18, 2015). "Country Album Chart Report For March 18, 2015". Roughstock. Sales figure given here
- ↑ "Sturgill Simpson Album & Song Chart History" Billboard 200 for Sturgill Simpson. Retrieved 2014-11-10.
- ↑ "Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Digital Albums for Sturgill Simpson. Retrieved 2014-11-10.
- ↑ "Sturgill Simpson Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Independent Albums for Sturgill Simpson. Retrieved 2014-11-10.
- ↑ "Sturgill Simpson Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Top Country Albums for Sturgill Simpson. Retrieved 2014-11-10.
- ↑ "Top Country Albums: 2014 Year-End Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 16, 2015.