Appaloosa Bones is a studio album by Gregory Alan Isakov. It was released on August 18, 2023, by Suitcase Town Music and Dualtone Music Group.[1]

Appaloosa Bones
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 18, 2023
StudioGregory Alan Isakov's barn (near Boulder, Colorado)
Length37:29
Label
  • Suitcase Town Music
  • Dualtone Music Group
Gregory Alan Isakov chronology
Evening Machines
(2018)
Appaloosa Bones
(2023)

Background

edit

Appaloosa Bones is Isakov's first studio album since Evening Machines (2018). After gaining inspiration from the time he spent in West Texas, Isakov began writing and recording the album at his barn located in Colorado. In an interview with World Cafe, Isakov said of the making of the album: "I thought I was gonna make something very lo-fi, very simple. Almost like a lo-fi rock and roll record. I wanted old silver tones that are double amped and kind of dirty, [...] Then, the songs sort of presented themselves to me. It's sort of a co-creative process for me. I just follow along."[2]

Promotion

edit

On October 17, 2023, Isakov appeared on Minnesota Public Radio's The Current and performed three songs from Appaloosa Bones: "The Fall, "Miles to Go", and "Before the Sun".[3]

Critical reception

edit
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic80/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [5]
Mojo     [6]
Paste7.4/10[7]
PopMatters8/10[8]
Sputnikmusic     [9]

Upon release, Appaloosa Bones received acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 based on reviews from mainstream publications, the album has a mean weighted average of 80 out of 100 based on six reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[4]

Track listing

edit
Appaloosa Bones track listing
No.TitleLength
1."The Fall"3:27
2."Before the Sun"2:48
3."Appaloosa Bones"3:59
4."Silver Bell"3:24
5."Watchman"3:18
6."Miles to Go"3:03
7."Terlingua"3:10
8."Mistakes"3:22
9."One Day"2:41
10."Sweet Heat Lightning"4:46
11."Feed Your Horses"3:31
Total length:37:29

Charts

edit
Chart performance for Appaloosa Bones
Chart (2023–2024) Peak
position
Australian Vinyl Albums (ARIA)[10] 6
US Billboard 200[11] 81

References

edit
  1. ^ "Gregory Alan Isakov's Anticipated New Album Appaloosa Bones Out August 18". Grateful Web. May 17, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  2. ^ Kallao, Stephen; Perez, Miguel (September 13, 2023). "Gregory Alan Isakov goes wherever the songs take him". NPR. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  3. ^ "Gregory Alan Isakov plays songs from 'Appaloosa Bones' in The Current studio". The Current. Minnesota Public Radio. October 17, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Appaloosa Bones by Gregory Alan Isakov". Metacritic. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  5. ^ "Gregory Alan Isakov - Appaloosa Bones". AllMusic. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  6. ^ Martin Aston (November 2023). "Appaloosa Bones (review)". Mojo. No. 360.
  7. ^ Wollen, Miranda (August 18, 2023). "Gregory Alan Isakov Does What He Knows Best on Appaloosa Bones". Paste Magazine. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  8. ^ Ingalls, Chris (August 21, 2023). "Gregory Alan Isakov Embraces Elegant Simplicity on Appaloosa Bones". PopMatters. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  9. ^ "Review: Gregory Alan Isakov - Appaloosa Bones | Sputnikmusic". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  10. ^ "ARIA Top 20 Vinyl Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. February 5, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  11. ^ "Billboard 200: Week of September 2, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2024.