Breaks in the Armor is an album by the American alternative rock band Crooked Fingers, released in 2011.[2][3] It was released the same year as the reunion of Archers of Loaf, Eric Bachmann's previous band.[4]
| Breaks in the Armor | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2011 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock | |||
| Label | Merge Records[1] | |||
| Crooked Fingers chronology | ||||
| ||||
The album peaked at No. 23 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart.[5]
Production
editMost of the album was written in Taipei, where Bachmann was working as an ESL teacher.[6] It was recorded in Athens, Georgia, with the engineer Matt Yelton.[7] Liz Durrett provided backing vocals.[3]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [6] |
| Pitchfork | 6.7/10[8] |
| Spin |   [9] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | [1] |
The A.V. Club wrote that "these are some of the most melodious songs Bachmann has recorded, verging on the poppy with the bouncy 'The Counterfeiter' and angling toward the aspirational with the pounding, rising 'Went To The City'."[10] Exclaim! thought that "with its richly layered arrangements and intimate framework, Breaks in the Armor is generally pleasing, and one of the finest Crooked Fingers releases yet."[11] Spin called Bachmann "indie rock's most refreshingly unpretentious auteur."[9]
The New York Times concluded that "previous Crooked Fingers albums have been more elaborately orchestrated, fortifying themselves; this one, even when cushioned by Liz Durrett’s backup vocals, makes a wary peace with its own sense of isolation."[12] The Cleveland Scene deemed the album "a rousing and occasionally accessible record that ranks as one of Bachmann's all-time best." Indy Week concluded that "the sparse folk palette is livened by moments of distortion that echo Bachmann's dark themes of uncertainty and mistrust."[13]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Typhoon" | |
| 2. | "Bad Blood" | |
| 3. | "The Hatchet" | |
| 4. | "The Counterfeiter" | |
| 5. | "Heavy Hours" | |
| 6. | "Black Candles" | |
| 7. | "Went to the City" | |
| 8. | "Your Apocalypse" | |
| 9. | "War Horses" | |
| 10. | "She Tows the Line" | |
| 11. | "Our New Favorite" |
References
edit- ^ a b "Music Review: Crooked Fingers - Breaks In the Armor". Tiny Mix Tapes.
- ^ "Crooked Fingers Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ a b "Crooked Fingers On World Cafe". NPR.
- ^ "Crooked Fingers: Show Preview". SF Weekly. November 23, 2011.
- ^ "Crooked Fingers". Billboard.
- ^ a b "Breaks in the Armor - Crooked Fingers | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- ^ "MP3 At 3PM: Crooked Fingers". Magnet. September 10, 2011.
- ^ "Crooked Fingers: Breaks in the Armor". Pitchfork.
- ^ a b Herzog, Kenny (Oct 2011). "Reviews". Spin. 27 (9): 73–74.
- ^ "Crooked Fingers: Breaks In The Armor". The A.V. Club. 11 October 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
- ^ "Crooked Fingers Breaks in the Armor | Exclaim!". exclaim.ca.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (October 22, 2011). "Mali's Regional Rhythms and Ambitious Math-Rock". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
- ^ Lawrence, Jordan (January 4, 2012). "Eric Bachmann's extreme arrival at the latest iteration of Crooked Fingers". INDY Week.