USA (Anamanaguchi album)

The correct title of this article is [USA]. The omission of any brackets is due to technical restrictions.
[USA]
The cover art of USA, depicting a paintbrush and hard-bound book, the latter of which has a screen showing the letters "USA" embedded into the front cover, and above it, the word "Anamanaguchi".
Studio album by
Anamanaguchi
ReleasedOctober 25, 2019
Genre
Length52:28
LabelPolyvinyl[3]
ProducerAry Warnaar, Peter Berkman, Luke Silas, Nathan Ritholz, Porter Robinson
Anamanaguchi chronology
Capsule Silence XXIV (Original Soundtrack Vol II)
(2017) 		[USA]
(2019)
Singles from [USA]
  1. "Lorem Ipsum (Arctic Anthem)"
    Released: August 29, 2019
  2. "Air On Line"
    Released: October 2, 2019
  3. "On My Own"
    Released: October 23, 2019

[USA] is the third studio album from American chiptune-based pop and rock band Anamanaguchi. It was released on October 25, 2019 through Polyvinyl. It received largely positive critical reception.

Background

After the release of their previous album Endless Fantasy, criticism about perceived cultural appropriation and a "point of reckoning" about the negative aspects of what the band described as literal "endless fantasy" lead Anamanaguchi to move in a less escapist direction.[4] The band initially even considered moving away from the Anamanaguchi name, but decided that it would be more "authentic" to retain their previous identity.[5]

The initial version of the album completed under the [USA] title was slated for release in 2015, but the band felt that it didn't "answer the question that the title poses". Instead, the tracks were released as a soundtrack to a semi-fictional video game, Capsule Silence XXIV, created in collaboration with indie developer Ben Esposito, who later created Donut County.[4]

Composition

Thematically, the band conceptualised the album as more thematically "complete" compared to the "sugar all the time" of their previous work, with member Ary Warnaar stating that they incorporated themese of "happiness, loneliness, loss [and] connection".[5][6]

Compared to Anamanaguchi's previous chiptune music, The Fader described [USA] as incorporating more aspects of pop music and post-rock. Co-frontman Peter Berkman described it as a version of "an Anamanaguchi album... not devoted to video games", with chiptune instrumentation incorporated in limited but "more intentional" ways.[5][7]

For "Air On Line", the band collaborated with Porter Robinson.[6] "Sunset By Plane" was initially written as a song for Luke Silas's then-partner, and later featured in Capsule Silence XXIV before being revised with vocals by Caroline Lufkin.[7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Pitchfork7.5/10[2]
Spectrum Culture[9]

Pitchfork praised [USA] as Anamanaguchi's "most emotionally grounded record yet".[2] AllMusic reviewer Paul Simpson described it as a "a more challenging listen" than their previous work, but stated that it was "filled with triumphant, transcendent moments".[8] Holly Hazelwood of Spectrum Culture said that it didn't "reinvent the wheel", but the band "spend a lot of time looking for new ways to use that wheel".[9]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."[ U S A ]"3:18
2."Lorem Ipsum (Arctic Anthem)"4:50
3."The C R T Woods"4:17
4."Speak to You [Memory Messengers]"1:41
5."Sunset by Plane" (featuring Caroline Lufkin)4:42
6."Air On Line"4:59
7."Apophenia Light [Name Eaters]"1:46
8."Overwriting Incorporate"5:24
9."B S X" (featuring Miku Hatsune)2:52
10."On My Own" (featuring HANA)3:58
11."Up to You" (featuring meesh)2:30
12."Tear"3:24
13."We Die"6:12
14."[ L O M ]"2:38

Notes

  • All tracks are co-produced by Ary Warnaar and Peter Berkman and co-written by Warnaar, Berkman, James DeVito and Luke Silas.
  • Tracks 2, 5, 8, 9, and 13 were co-produced by Luke Silas.
  • Tracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 8-11, and 13 were co-produced by Nathan Ritholz.
  • "Sunset by Plane" is co-written by Caroline Lufkin.
  • "Air On Line" is co-written by and features contributions from Porter Robinson.[10]
  • "On My Own" is co-written by Hana Pestle.

Charts

Chart (2019) Peak
position
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[11] 3
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[12] 7
US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)[13] 17
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[14] 63

References

  1. ^ a b c d "What I'm Listening To: '[USA]' by Anamanaguchi". 12 March 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020 – via Michigan Daily. I should have known Anamanaguchi was anything but one-dimensional. With electropop bangers like "Pop It" and "Miku" under their belt, they are so much more than gamer music. Their talent is beyond the confines of 8-bit pop, and so is [USA].
  2. ^ a b c Yoo, Noah (November 6, 2019). "Anamanaguchi: [USA] Album Review". Retrieved December 14, 2020 – via Pitchfork.
  3. ^ Grech, Aaron (August 20, 2019). "Anamanaguchi Signs with Polyvinyl and Announces New Album [USA] for October 2019 Release". Retrieved June 8, 2021 – via music.mxdwn.com.
  4. ^ a b Moen, Matt (21 October 2019). "The Long Road to Anamanaguchi's '[USA]'". Paper. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Darville, Jordan. "Anamanaguchi's reality check". The Fader. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  6. ^ a b Ohanesian, Liz (24 October 2019). "Anamanaguchi Talk New Album '[USA],' Tackling a Changed World: 'Let's Look at This Darkness & Wear It'". Billboard. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  7. ^ a b Grassl, Zion (21 December 2020). "Chiptune Band Anamanaguchi Shares Insight Into Its Latest Album And Dream Smash Bros. Fighters". Nintendo Life. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  8. ^ a b Simpson, Paul. "Anamanaguchi – [USA]". AllMusic. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  9. ^ a b Hazelwood, Holly (November 5, 2019). "Anamanaguchi: [USA]". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  10. ^ Robinson, Porter (October 2, 2019). "love this so much!! i worked on this song a little bit in 2015 but my head exploded when i heard how far they had taken it by 2019. congratulations on the release @anamanaguchi !!". Twitter.
  11. ^ "Anamanaguchi Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  12. ^ "Anamanaguchi Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  13. ^ "Anamanaguchi Chart History (Vinyl Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  14. ^ "Anamanaguchi Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 February 2020.