Selfless (album)
| Selfless | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Godflesh | ||||
| Released | September 26, 1994 | |||
| Genre | Industrial metal | |||
| Length | 78:12 | |||
| Label | Earache/Columbia | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Godflesh chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Selfless | ||||
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Selfless is the third studio album by British industrial metal band Godflesh. It was released on September 26, 1994, in Europe, and on October 18, 1994, on Earache and Columbia Records. Being the band's major-label debut, the record features a more conventional and rock-oriented sound compared to Godflesh's previous releases. It spawned two singles, "Xnoybis" and "Crush My Soul". The music video for the latter was directed by photographer Andres Serrano.[1]
The album reportedly takes its name from the John Coltrane record, Selflessness: Featuring My Favorite Things (1969).[2]
Music and composition
Broadrick described Selfless as his "rock & roll" album. Nevertheless, on the record's sound, AllMusic's Ned Raggett states: "The rough, clipped, lock and load style of the band remained essentially unchanged at heart -- Broadrick's brawling, echoed vocals, the sheer impact of the guitars and drum machine beats, Green's uneasy bass. Still, some of the singing is Broadrick's most conventional, some of the riffing almost epically classic rock, and the technical/digital pulse at the heart of the band sufficiently straightforward enough not to annoy those who can't stand the idea of a non-human drummer."[3] According to The Quietus, the album "returned to the super-dense riffery of their debut but also saw a widening melodic strain that would come to full bloom in Broadrick’s post-Godflesh act Jesu."[4] Trouser Press reported that the album drops the previous techno inclinations for "slow-motion Melvins meltdown surrealism and variations on Chicago skronk ratchetry."[2]
Release and critical reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
Licensed by Columbia Records to break the band to a larger alternative audience, the album sold approximately 180,000 copies,[5] yielding a commercial result below expectations.[6]
AllMusic critic Ned Raggett wrote that some tunes on the record are "both unpleasant enough to keep the wimps away and accessible enough to win over the more open-minded." Raggett further added: "It's a slightly uneasy balance but one that the band still makes work, with enough worthy tunes on Selfless to make it of interest."[3]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Xnoybis" | 5:54 |
| 2. | "Bigot" | 4:33 |
| 3. | "Black Boned Angel" | 6:46 |
| 4. | "Anything Is Mine" | 3:59 |
| 5. | "Empyreal" | 6:02 |
| 6. | "Crush My Soul" | 4:26 |
| 7. | "Body Dome Light" | 5:30 |
| 8. | "Toll" | 4:13 |
| 9. | "Heartless" | 5:32 |
| 10. | "Mantra" | 7:26 |
| Total length: | 54:21 | |
| CD-only bonus track | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 11. | "Go Spread Your Wings" | 23:51 |
| Total length: | 78:12 | |
Personnel
Godflesh
- Justin Broadrick – vocals, guitar, engineering, mixing, production
- G.C. Green – bass, synthesizer, engineering, mixing, production
Additional personnel
References
- ↑ Weaver, Jane (February 1995). "Crucifixion's Cool". New York. 28 (7): 20.
- 1 2 Aswad, Jem; Robbins, Ira. "Godflesh". Trouser Press.
- 1 2 3 Raggett, Ned. "Selfless Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 19 March 2010.
- ↑ "Godflesh To Play Supersonic. Justin Broadrick Talks Reformation". The Quietus. 20 June 2010. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ↑ Nasrallah, Dimitri (August 21, 2010). "Justin Broadrick: Napalm Death - Godflesh - Techno Animal - Jesu - Pale Sketcher". Exclaim!. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ↑ Buckley, Peter (2003). The Rough Guide to Rock. Rough Guides. p. 432. ISBN 1843531054.
External links
- Selfless (album) at Discogs (list of releases)