Major Arcana (album)

Major Arcana
Studio album by
Speedy Ortiz
ReleasedJuly 9, 2013 (2013-07-09)
GenreIndie rock, noise pop, alternative rock, grunge
Length34:30
LabelUnited States Carpark Records
ProducerJustin Pizzoferrato
Speedy Ortiz chronology
The Death of Speedy Ortiz
(2011) 		Major Arcana
(2013) 		Real Hair EP
(2014)

Major Arcana is the debut full-length studio album from the indie rock group Speedy Ortiz. It was released on July 9, 2013, by Carpark Records.

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
The A.V. ClubA-[3]
Consequence of Sound[4]
Pitchfork Media(8.4/10)[5]
PopMatters[6]
Rolling Stone[7]

Major Arcana has received critical acclaim. The album has a score of 81 out of 100 on the review aggregate site Metacritic, based on 16 reviews.[1]

Pitchfork Media's Lindsay Zoladz gave the album a Best New Album designation, claiming that frontwoman Sadie Dupuis "writ[es] lyrics that are actually worth poring over".[5] David Brusie of The A.V. Club also praised the album, writing "a markedly assured debut, one that makes Speedy Ortiz an act to watch".[3] Consequence of Sound's Katherine Flynn called the album "strong, punchy musical concentrate".[4] Robin Smith of PopMatters described "its angular, moody ‘90s feel conjures the image of an overgrown punk hanging around a playground at night, drinking, smoking, wasting".[6]

Pitchfork Media ranked Major Arcana #48 on its list of the top 50 albums of 2013, writing: "Speedy Ortiz strains the strangled chords and corkscrew interplay of 90s guitar heroes [...] into jaggedly axed anthem".[8] The album was listed 31st on Stereogum's list of top 50 albums of 2013.[9]

The song "No Below" was featured in the 2017 Square Enix/Deck Nine game Life Is Strange: Before the Storm.

Track listing

All songs by Speedy Ortiz.

No.TitleLength
1."Pioneer Spine"3:37
2."Tiger Tank"2:46
3."Hitch"2:35
4."Casper (1995)"2:48
5."No Below"3:44
6."Gary"3:26
7."Fun"2:05
8."Cash Cab"3:35
9."Plough"2:53
10."MKVI"7:08
Total length:34:30
iTunes bonus track
No.TitleLength
11."Speedy Ortiz"2:17

Charts

Chart (2013) Peak
position
US Top Heatseekers[10] 30

References

  1. ^ a b Critic Reviews for Major Arcana. Metacritic. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  2. ^ Lymangrover, Jason. Major Arcana - Speedy Ortiz. Allmusic. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  3. ^ a b Brusie, David. Speedy Ortiz: Major Arcana. The A.V. Club. 9 July 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  4. ^ a b Flynn, Katherine. Speedy Ortiz - Major Arcana. Consequence of Sound. 15 July 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  5. ^ a b Zoladz, Lindsay. Speedy Ortiz: Major Arcana. Pitchfork Media. 12 July 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  6. ^ a b Smith, Robin. Speedy Ortiz: Major Arcana. PopMatters. 12 September 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  7. ^ Powell, Mike. Speedy Ortiz, 'Major Arcana'. Rolling Stone. 12 August 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  8. ^ The Top 50 Albums of 2013. Pitchfork Media. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  9. ^ The 50 Best Albums of 2013 - Stereogum. Stereogum. 3 December 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  10. ^ "Major Arcana - Speedy Ortiz Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 January 2014.