The Illusion of Progress is the sixth studio album by American rock band Staind. It was released on August 19, 2008. The Illusion of Progress was produced by Johnny K and recorded in lead singer Aaron Lewis's home studio. It debuted at No. 3 in the Billboard 200 with 91,800 units sold.
The Illusion of Progress | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 19, 2008 | |||
Recorded | 2007–2008 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 56:54 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | ||||
Staind chronology | ||||
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Singles from The Illusion of Progress | ||||
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Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 53/100[1] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Billboard | (positive)[3] |
The Boston Globe | (favorable)[4] |
Los Angeles Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Q | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
TuneLab Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The lead single "Believe" topped the Alternative Songs chart on September 13, 2008. It accumulated three weeks at number one. The second single was "All I Want", and was released on November 24. The video continued the story of the first single video and was available on Staind's Myspace on December 12. In Europe the second single was "The Way I Am", and its video was available on the official Staind website as of December 24. "This Is It" was later released as the last single off the album. The album has sold over 318,000 units in the United States alone.[8]
Lewis recorded a country version of the album’s ninth track "Tangled Up in You" on his 2011 solo EP Town Line.
Sound
editLewis commented, "We went into the studio with the mindset of making our heaviest record yet, but the record that came out has flavors of Pink Floyd and straight-up blues. We didn't use the same rigs that we use onstage; we used all vintage guitars and amps, and I'm pretty psyched about it. The songs are pretty timeless in their texture." The band calls the new project the "most musical CD" they've recorded to date.[9]
Promotion
editTo promote the album, Staind treated their fans to a series of intimate, behind-the-scenes "webisodes" posted on staind.com, documenting their recording process. Staind also premiered the song "Believe" worldwide on U.S. station KYSR in Los Angeles. Staind also released the song, "This Is It", on iTunes early as a single. "This Is It" was released as a downloadable track for the video game Rock Band on July 29 for the Xbox 360 and July 31 for PlayStation 3.[10]
This article may contain excessive or inappropriate references to self-published sources. (November 2023) |
"This Is It" was also featured on the soundtrack for the 2009 film Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
Reception
editInitial critical response ranged from mixed to average. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 53, based on 8 reviews.[1]
Track listing
editAll lyrics are written by Aaron Lewis, except "Raining Again", written by Lewis and Johnny K; all music is composed by Staind, except "Lost Along the Way" and "Tangled Up in You", composed by Lewis
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "This Is It" | 3:43 |
2. | "The Way I Am" | 4:18 |
3. | "Believe" | 4:17 |
4. | "Save Me" | 4:52 |
5. | "All I Want" | 3:30 |
6. | "Pardon Me" | 5:02 |
7. | "Lost Along the Way" | 4:20 |
8. | "Break Away" | 4:10 |
9. | "Tangled Up in You" | 4:35 |
10. | "Raining Again" | 3:53 |
11. | "Rainy Day Parade" | 4:17 |
12. | "The Corner" | 5:17 |
13. | "Nothing Left to Say" | 4:40 |
Total length: | 56:54 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
14. | "It's Been Awhile" (live at the Hiro Ballroom) | 4:49 |
15. | "Devil" (live at the Hiro Ballroom) | 5:18 |
16. | "Schizophrenic Conversations" (live at the Hiro Ballroom) | 4:46 |
- Note: All other editions with bonus tracks only contain "It's Been A While (Acoustic At The Hiro Ballroom)" and "Schizophrenic Conversations (Acoustic At The Hiro Ballroom)".[12]
No. | Title | Length |
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14. | "Something Like Me" | 4:52 |
15. | "The Truth" | 4:42 |
- Note: The Japanese edition of The Illusion of Progress lists the two bonus tracks "Something Like Me" and "The Truth" as both recorded live at the Hiro Ballroom. This is incorrect. They are actually the studio versions recorded during the Chapter V album sessions.
No. | Title | Length |
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14. | "The Truth" | 4:42 |
15. | "Believe" (Music Video) | 4:15 |
- Note: "Something Like Me" offered as an iTunes exclusive pre-order.
Personnel
editCredits taken from album's liner notes.[15]
Staind
edit- Aaron Lewis – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Mike Mushok – lead guitar
- Johnny April – bass, backing vocals
- Jon Wysocki – drums
Additional musicians
edit- John Pirruccello – pedal steel guitar (tracks 9 and 12)
- Johnny K – piano (track 4), Hammond organ (tracks 9 and 12)
- Rick Barnes – slide guitar (track 9)
- Stevie Blacke – orchestration (track 9)
- Vernard Burton, Emoni Wilkins, Sharlisa Brooks, Zita Smith, Lajuanese Robertson, and Carya Holmes-Brown – additional vocals (track 12)
Production
edit- Johnny K – producer and engineer
- Tony "Tadpole" Mysliwiec – digital editing
- Justin Wilk – additional editing
- Jeff Gilmer – assistant engineer
- Ryan Williams – mixing
- Ted Jensen – mastering
Charts
edit
Weekly chartsedit
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Year-end chartsedit
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References
edit- ^ a b c "Staind:The Illusion Of Progress (2008): Reviews". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. The Illusion of Progress at AllMusic. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
- ^ Graff, Gary. "The Illusion of Progress". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 19, 2008. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
- ^ Morse, Steve (August 19, 2008). "That's no illusion - it's real progress". The Boston Globe. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
- ^ Appleford, Steve (August 19, 2008). "New CDs: Staind, Amy Macdonald". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
- ^ Rosen, Jody (August 21, 2008). "Staind: The Illusion Of Progress: Music review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 18, 2009. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
- ^ "Review: Staind – 'The Illuison Of Progress'". TuneLab Music. August 12, 2008. Archived from the original on August 31, 2011. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
- ^ "Its Baaaacccck.....SoundScan Sales 2/17/09: India Arie, Bobby V, Ryan Leslie". NikeTalk. February 20, 2009. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
- ^ "STAIND /// The Official Site". Archived from the original on June 28, 2008. Retrieved June 22, 2008.
- ^ "DLC Week of July 29th Scars on Broadway, Staind, Testament, The New No 2 – Rock Band – Forums". Archived from the original on July 28, 2008. Retrieved July 28, 2008.
- ^ "Staind – the Illusion of Progress (2008, CD)". Discogs.
- ^ "Staind – the Illusion of Progress (2008, CD)". Discogs.
- ^ "Staind – the Illusion of Progress (2008, CD)". Discogs.
- ^ "The Illusion of Progress (Deluxe Version) by Staind". August 19, 2008.
- ^ The Illusion of Progress (booklet). Flip, Atlantic, Roadrunner. 2008.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 265.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Staind – The Illusion of Progress" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
- ^ "Staind Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Staind – The Illusion of Progress" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Staind – The Illusion of Progress". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Staind – The Illusion of Progress" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Staind – The Illusion of Progress". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
- ^ "Staind Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
- ^ "Staind Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
- ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved May 11, 2021.