Overjoyed (Half Japanese album)

Overjoyed
Studio album by
Half Japanese
ReleasedSeptember 2, 2014 (2014-09-02)
GenreArt punk
Length39:53
LabelJoyful Noise
ProducerJohn Dieterich
Half Japanese chronology
Hello
(2001) 		Overjoyed
(2014) 		Perfect
(2016)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic(74%)[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Pitchfork Media(6.8/10)[3]
Consequence of Sound(C+)[4]
NME(8/10)[5]
Robert Christgau(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)[6]
PopMatters(7/10)[7]
The Skinny[8]

Overjoyed is an album by the American art punk band Half Japanese, released on September 2, 2014, on Joyful Noise Recordings. It is their first album since Hello, released in 2001.[3] It was produced by John Dieterich of Deerhoof.[3]

Critical reception

According to review aggregator Metacritic, which compiles and averages reviews from well-known music critics, Overjoyed has a score of 74 out of 100, indicating generally favorable reviews.[1] Paul McGuinness, writing in Record Collector magazine, said that "Overjoyed is a brilliant album – quite probably the best new record from a guitar band all year."[9] Mark Deming of Allmusic gave Overjoyed four out of five stars and noted that the album is more cheerful lyrically than is typical for Half Japanese's work.[2] Some critics gave the album mixed reviews; Adam Kivel wrote that the album's "clean production...too frequently redoubles the intentional toothlessness of the lines."[4]

Track listing

  1. "In Its Pull"
  2. "Meant To Be That Way"
  3. "Brave Enough"
  4. "Do It Nation"
  5. "The Time Is Now"
  6. "Our Love"
  7. "Shining Star"
  8. "Each Other's Arms"
  9. "Overjoyed and Thankful"
  10. "We Are Sure"
  11. "As Good Can Be"
  12. "Tiger Eyes"

Personnel

  • Craig Bowen - engineer
  • John Dieterich - mastering, mixing
  • Jad Fair - cover art, group member, layout, vocals
  • Half Japanese - composer, primary artist
  • Mick Hobbs - group member, guitar, organ (Hammond)
  • Jared Paolini - engineer
  • Gilles-Vincent Reider - drums, group member, melodica, percussion, synthesizer
  • John Sluggett - group member, guitar, synthesizer, composer
  • Jason Willett - bass guitar, group member
  • David Woodruff - layout

References

  1. ^ a b "Overjoyed". Metacritic. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  2. ^ a b Deming, Mark. "Overjoyed Review". Allmusic. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c Heller, Jason (September 2, 2014). "Overjoyed Review". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  4. ^ a b Kivel, Adam (September 4, 2014). "Overjoyed Review". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  5. ^ Huggett, Stuart (August 31, 2014). "Half Japanese - 'Overjoyed'". NME. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  6. ^ Christgau, Robert (November 21, 2014). "Coathangers / Chumped / Parkay Quarts / Parquet Courts / Cloud Nothings / Half Japanese / Typefighter / Wire / Oblivians / Sunwolf / Swearin'". Medium. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  7. ^ Fiander, Matthew (September 4, 2014). "Half Japanese: Overjoyed". PopMatters. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  8. ^ Fitzpatrick, Will (August 27, 2014). "Half Japanese – Overjoyed". The Skinny. Retrieved November 28, 2014.
  9. ^ "Overjoyed". Record Collector. Retrieved November 30, 2014.