There Is No Year

There Is No Year
There Is No Year album cover
Studio album by
Algiers
ReleasedJanuary 17, 2020 (2020-01-17)
RecordedApril–May 2019
StudioFigure 8, New York
Strange Weather, New York
Studio E, New York
Length36:58
LabelMatador
ProducerRandall Dunn and Ben Greenberg
Algiers chronology
The Underside of Power
(2017) 		There Is No Year
(2020) 		Shook World (hosted by Algiers)
(2023)
Singles from There Is No Year
  1. "Dispossession"
    Released: October 29, 2019
  2. "We Can't Be Found"
    Released: January 9, 2020

There Is No Year is the third studio album by American experimental band Algiers. It was released through Matador Records on January 17, 2020.[1] The album was produced by Randall Dunn and Ben Greenberg. During the lead up to the release, the band issued two non-album singles, "Can the Sub_Bass Speak?" and the Adult Swim Singles Club release of "Void". Special editions of the album include these songs as bonus tracks.

Background

The concept for the album was based around a poem, by singer Franklin James Fisher, entitled Misophonia.[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic75/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
DIY[5]
The Line of Best Fit7.5/10[6]
musicOMH[7]
NME[8]
The Observer[9]
The Guardian[10]
Pitchfork6/10[11]

There Is No Year has received generally positive reviews. AllMusic described the album as extending "the reach of their previous outings while offering a more strategically articulated, disciplined musicality without sacrificing their core sound or blunting their emotional impact."[4] NME described the album's lyrics as urgent and more precise than their predecessor's. They also praised the album's diverse sound for blending post-punk, ’60s soul, gospel, disco and noise.[8]

Track listing

There Is No Year track listing
No.TitleLength
1."There Is No Year"3:15
2."Dispossession"4:15
3."Hour of the Furnaces"4:26
4."Losing Is Ours"3:44
5."Unoccupied"3:06
6."Chaka"3:53
7."Wait for the Sound"4:11
8."Repeating Night"3:02
9."We Can't Be Found"3:25
10."Nothing Bloomed"3:41
Total length:36:58

Personnel

All personnel credits adapted from There Is No Year album notes.[1]

Algiers

  • Franklin James Fisher
  • Ryan Mahan
  • Lee Tesche
  • Matt Tong

Vocals, guitar, bass, drums, programming, piano, synthesizers, percussion, sheet metal, prepared instruments and eight-stringed oddities

Additional musicians

  • Skerik – saxophone
  • LaToya Kent – backing vocals
  • Kyle Kidd – backing vocals
  • Lou the Dog – backing vocals

Technical

  • Randall Dunn – producer, mixing, additional programming, modular synth, percussion and sound design, Korg MS-20, Modal 001, Ensoniq ESQ-1
  • Ben Greenberg – producer, additional programming and MPC 2000
  • Garrett DeBlock – mixing assistant
  • Jason Ward – mastering
  • Farbod Kokabi – art direction and design
  • Kenji Anorve; – studio assistant (studio E)

Charts

Chart performance for There Is No Year
Chart (2020) Peak
position
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[12] 85

References

  1. ^ a b "There Is No Year". Matador. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  2. ^ "Misophonia". Algiers. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  3. ^ "There Is No Year by Algiers Reviews and Tracks - Metacritic". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Jurek, Thom. "There Is No Year - Algiers". AllMusic. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  5. ^ Sloman, Tom (January 17, 2020). "Algiers - There Is No Year". DIY. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  6. ^ Cartledge, Luke (January 13, 2020). "Algiers - There Is No Year". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  7. ^ Newington, Mark (January 17, 2020). "Algiers - There Is No Year". musicOMH. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Balram, Dhruva (January 14, 2020). "Algiers – 'There Is No Year': a heady concoction of post-punk, '60s soul and political insight". NME. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  9. ^ Morris, Damien (January 19, 2020). "Algiers: There Is No Year review – electrifying and unpredictable". The Observer. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  10. ^ Morris, Damien (January 19, 2020). "Algiers: There Is No Year review – electrifying and unpredictable". The Guardian. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  11. ^ Kearse, Stephen (January 17, 2020). "Algiers There Is No Year Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
  12. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Algiers – There Is No Year" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved January 24, 2020.