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Aurora (Daisy Jones & the Six album)

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Aurora is a studio and soundtrack album released on March 1, 2023 by Atlantic Records to promote the Amazon Prime Video streaming television miniseries Daisy Jones & the Six, based on Taylor Jenkins Reid's 2019 novel of the same name. The 11-track album headlined by the fictional titular band featured songs with lead vocals performed by Riley Keough and Sam Claflin, and the songs are composed, performed and produced by Blake Mills with additional music production by Tony Berg and co-production by Chris Weisman, Jackson Browne, Marcus Mumford, and Phoebe Bridgers.[1][2] The soundtrack album is produced by Blake Mills, Kevin Weaver, Pete Ganbarg, Brandon Davis and Joseph Khoury.

Aurora
A man and woman pressed against one another looking into the other's eyes, while the woman has her arms outstretched; the album title and artist names are superimposed
Studio album / soundtrack album by
Daisy Jones & the Six
ReleasedMarch 1, 2023
Recorded2022–2023
StudioSound City Studios, Los Angeles
Genre
Length44:28
LabelAtlantic
Producer
Singles from Aurora
  1. "Regret Me"
    Released: January 25, 2023
  2. "Look at Us Now (Honeycomb)"
    Released: February 15, 2023

The fictional album in the original novel was loosely based on Fleetwood Mac's eleventh studio album Rumours (1977). The cast rehearsed many of the songs at their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. All the songs were recorded and mixed at the Sound City Studios in Los Angeles. The album received generally positive reviews for musical quality and conveying the essence of the fictional band as well as the music of the 1970s.

Background

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Series showrunner Taylor Jenkins Reid recruited Blake Mills to produce the album, along with fellow record producer Phoebe Bridgers and singer-songwriter Chris Weisman. "I'm not a musician. I hear something in my head, but it's not anything that anyone could make into a song," she said. "So the idea that people are going to create this album is incredibly exciting to me. I was meeting with one of the guys at Amazon, and we were talking about the music, and he was saying he was very daunted by the task of having to create the song 'Aurora'. He was like, 'You have made it out to be the greatest album of the 1970s!' And now he has to go figure out a way to make it. I'm just glad it's not my problem."[1] According to Blake Mills, who was interviewed by Jonathan Bernstein of Rolling Stone in June 2020, "there's an opportunity to subvert and create a guitar personality that could have been present in the Seventies, and wasn't [...] People just loved guitar at that point. So I’m trying to find an appreciation for the instrument and try to bend it to my will a little bit."[3]

Release history

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The album was announced on January 25, 2023, with the track list also being revealed.[4][5] It was planned to be released on March 3, 2023 coinciding with the series. But the MP3 album released two days earlier than scheduled, whereas the physical form was released on vinyl by Ellemar Records (the fictional record label in the original novel) on March 2. The LP edition was issued as a two-sided 180-gram disc, on multicolored vinyl with variants such as orange, blue translucent, yellow translucent and teal.[6] The latter was released as a special edition through Barnes & Noble retailers.[7]

Singles

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The album was led by the first single "Regret Me" released on the same day as the album preview on January 25, 2023. The album was performed by Keough and Claflin along with Nicki Bluhm and James Petralli performing the background vocals.[4] The second track "Look at Us Now (Honeycomb)" was released on February 15, 2023.[8] Two versions of the song were released: a single edit that runs four minutes and 30 seconds, and a five minute, thirty-two second longer version. [9][10] Mumford subsequently released his own version of "Look at Us Now" alongside Maren Morris.

Reception

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Critical response

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [11]
Beyond the Stage7/10[12]
The Line of Best Fit7/10[13]
Pitchfork6.6/10[14]
The Times     [15]

Writing for Pitchfork, Pete Tosiello scored the album 6.6 out of 10 and wrote "Aurora is the soft-rock holy grail, an achievement that transforms American music and rends its creators in the process. The series is burdened by the same strictures as folk musicals Begin Again and Juliet, Naked, not to mention low-prestige cable dramas Vinyl and Dave: In dramatizing the creative process and the difficulty of genius, the work becomes secondary. Logistically, a narrative hinging on transcendent music is undone when the songs are just pretty good. The album struggles to apprehend Fleetwood Mac's audacity, conflating a '70s rock pinnacle with easy-listening ballads. Aurora is bold only as far as tribute-band supergroups go."[14] Tilly Pearce of Den of Geek summarized "for an album based on a TV show, Aurora has no right to be this dang good – full of earworm tracks that will remain in your head for ages."[16]

Vicky Greer in his review for The Line of Best Fit gave 7/10 and wrote "Purists might be jarred by the fact that the series' version of Aurora bears little resemblance to the book, but don't let that put you off – this album captures all the magic and intensity created by Taylor Jenkins Reid."[13] Cate Pasterchick of Beyond The Stage also rated the same and summarised "While the album could never outdo its non-fictional equivalents, Aurora serves its purpose of emulating the greats. Aurora is nostalgic, but it's not the heart and soul of 70s music. That kind of magnetism can only be found in the original era. With that being said, Daisy Jones & The Six's one and only album beautifully immortalizes the beloved book."[12] Will Hodgkinson of The Times stated, "For a Seventies band who never existed, this is pretty authentic".[15] Marcy Donelson of AllMusic wrote: "In the end, while Aurora plays out more like a cast album than unearthed period vinyl, it does hover on the spectrum, and the actor/musicians come to play while songs suggest the intended period Los Angeles music scene, if they rarely stand strong enough on their own to create their own legend."[11]

Accolades

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Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2024 Grammy Awards Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media AURORA Nominated [17]

Track listing

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All tracks are produced by Blake Mills.

Aurora track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Performer(s)/Artist(s)Length
1."Aurora"
Riley Keough and Sam Claflin3:25
2."Let Me Down Easy"
Riley Keough and Sam Claflin
Background vocals: Z Berg		3:23
3."Kill You to Try"
Riley Keough, Sam Claflin, James Petralli and Nicki Bluhm5:12
4."Two Against Three"MillsRiley Keough3:51
5."Look at Us Now (Honeycomb)"
Riley Keough and Sam Claflin
Background vocals: Blake Mills and Madison Cunningham		5:32
6."Regret Me"
  • Mills
  • Weisman
Riley Keough and Sam Claflin
Background vocals: Nicki Bluhm and James Petralli		3:16
7."You Were Gone"
  • Mills
  • Weisman
Riley Keough and Sam Claflin
Background vocals: James Petralli and Z Berg		4:18
8."More Fun to Miss"
  • Mills
  • Sweeney
Riley Keough and Sam Claflin2:53
9."Please"
  • Mills
  • Weisman
Sam Claflin
Background vocals: James Petralli and Nicki Bluhm		3:24
10."The River"
  • Mills
  • Berg
  • Joe Keefe
  • Kayslee Collins
Riley Keough and Sam Claflin
Background vocals: Blake Mills and Z Berg		4:54
11."No Words"MillsRiley Keough and Sam Claflin
Background vocals: James Petralli and Nicki Bluhm		4:16
Total length:44:28
Bonus version
No.TitleWriter(s)Performer(s)/Artist(s)Length
12."Look at Us Now (Honeycomb)" (single version)
  • Mills
  • Boesel
  • Smith
  • Rice
  • Mumford
Sam Claflin4:30
Total length:48:58

Personnel

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  • Blake Mills – music production, mixing
  • Tony Berg – additional music production
  • Chris Weisman – additional music production
  • Jackson Browne – additional music production
  • Marcus Mumford – additional music production
  • Phoebe Bridgers – additional music production
  • Scott Neustadter – liner notes
  • Taylor Jenkins Reid – liner notes
  • Will Maclellan – additional recording
  • Joseph Lorge – recording, mixing
  • Greg Koller – mastering
  • Ashley Strumwasser – executive producer
  • Brad Mendelsohn – executive producer
  • Frankie Pine – executive producer
  • Lauren Neustadter – executive producer
  • Will Graham – executive producer
  • Brandon Davis – soundtrack album producer
  • Joseph Khoury – soundtrack album producer
  • Kevin Weaver – soundtrack album producer
  • Pete Ganbarg – soundtrack album producer

Charts

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References

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  1. ^ a b Paul, Larisha (January 25, 2023). "'Daisy Jones & the Six' Fictional Album 'Aurora' Isn't So Fictional Anymore". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  2. ^ Hussey, Allison (January 26, 2023). "Phoebe Bridgers, Blake Mills, Jackson Browne, and More Contribute to New Daisy Jones & the Six Album". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  3. ^ Bernstein, Jonathan (June 9, 2020). "Blake Mills Became a Modern-Day Guitar Hero. That Wasn't Enough". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Shafer, Ellise (January 25, 2023). "'Daisy Jones & the Six' Reveals First Teaser, Plus Debut Single and Album Tracklist From Upcoming Amazon Series". Variety. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  5. ^ Gonzales, Erica. "The Daisy Jones & the Six Soundtrack Is Packed With Vintage Gems and More Original Songs". Elle. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  6. ^ Raschella, Cody (January 25, 2023). "How to buy the 'Aurora' vinyl from 'Daisy Jones and the Six'". We Got This Covered. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  7. ^ Noble, Barnes &. "Aurora [B&N Exclusive] [Teal Vinyl]". Barnes & Noble. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  8. ^ Paul, Larisha (February 15, 2023). "Riley Keough and Sam Claflin Unravel on 'Daisy Jones & the Six' Single 'Look At Us Now (Honeycomb)'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  9. ^ "The 'Look at Us Now (Honeycomb)' Lyrics Are Key to Unlocking the 'Daisy Jones & The Six' Drama". Elle. March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  10. ^ "How the Lyrics to "Look at Us Now (Honeycomb)" Hint at the 'Daisy Jones & The Six' Love Triangle". Harper's Bazaar. March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  11. ^ a b Donelson, Marcy. "Daisy Jones & the Six – Aurora Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  12. ^ a b Pasterchick, Cate (March 4, 2023). "Album Review: Aurora by Daisy Jones & The Six". Beyond The Stage Magazine. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  13. ^ a b Greer, Vicky. "Daisy Jones & The Six: Aurora Review - a different take on the fictional group | Rock". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  14. ^ a b Tosiello, Pete. "Daisy Jones & the Six: Aurora". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  15. ^ a b Hodgkinson, Will. "Daisy Jones & the Six: Aurora review — Fleetwood Mac for the Amazon Prime generation". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  16. ^ Pearce, Tilly (March 3, 2023). "Daisy Jones & The Six: All the Songs on Aurora Reviewed". Den of Geek. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  17. ^ "2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Full Nominees List | GRAMMY.com". www.grammy.com. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
  18. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Daisy Jones & the Six – Aurora". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  19. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Daisy Jones & the Six – Aurora" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
  20. ^ "Ultratop.be – Daisy Jones & the Six – Aurora" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  21. ^ "Ultratop.be – Daisy Jones & the Six – Aurora" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  22. ^ "Billboard Canadian Albums: Week of April 1, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  23. ^ "Lescharts.com – Daisy Jones & the Six – Aurora". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  24. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Daisy Jones & the Six – Aurora" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  25. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 2023. 10. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved May 25, 2023.
  26. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Daisy Jones". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  27. ^ "Charts.nz – Daisy Jones & the Six – Aurora". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  28. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Daisy Jones & the Six – Aurora". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  29. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
  30. ^ "Billboard 200: Week of April 8, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  31. ^ "Americana/Folk Albums: Week of April 8, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
  32. ^ "Top Rock Albums: Week of April 8, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  33. ^ "Soundtracks: Week of April 1, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  34. ^ "Top Rock Albums – Year-End 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
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