Crab Day is the fourth studio album by Welsh musician Cate Le Bon, released on 15 April 2016 by Drag City, Turnstile Music, and Caroline International. It was produced by Josiah Steinbrick and Noah Georgeson and recorded at Panoramic House, a hilltop mansion in the coastal town of Stinson Beach, California.[1] The artist Phil Collins created a short film set in Berlin to coincide with the release.[2]
| Crab Day | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 15 April 2016 | |||
| Studio | Panoramic House (Stinson Beach, California) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 36:38 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | ||||
| Cate Le Bon chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Crab Day | ||||
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Recording
editAfter the experience working with American musician Tim Presley as DRINKS, Le Bon changed her working method. She created short demos and used different instruments. Lyrics were written after the music had been completed. She described the process as "the songs were mapped out in my head and I had vocal melodies, just not lyrics".[3] When the songs had been developed, they were rehearsed over five days together with Stephen Black (bass), H. Hawkline (guitar) and Stella Mozgawa (drums).[3] Upon entering the studio, recording was completed over five days after which Le Bon completed her vocals and overdubs. It was followed by the process of selecting the songs and running order for the album.[3]
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 75/100[4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [5] |
| Consequence of Sound | B−[6] |
| DIY | [7] |
| Drowned in Sound | 7/10[8] |
| The Guardian | [9] |
| musicOMH | [10] |
| The New York Times | (favorable)[11] |
| NME | 3/5[12] |
| Pitchfork | 8.1/10[13] |
| Under the Radar |   [14] |
Crab Day received positive reviews from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 75, based on 21 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[4]
Laura Snapes of Pitchfork Media gave the album a favorable review, stating, "Crab Day is a voyage into doubt led by a queasy compass, and a ringleader who's prepared to stake out uncertain territory. Le Bon always keeps you guessing, making the old traditions of guitar-oriented rock feel arbitrary, too. Her nervy assessments of the world are filled with equal parts suspense and heart, and beautifully zany riffs, where the feeling of being frayed by uncertainty comes together into a strangely comforting patchwork."[13]
Accolade
edit| Publication | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rough Trade | Albums of the Year | 2016 | 89[15]
|
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Cate Le Bon
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Crab Day" | 3:51 |
| 2. | "Love Is Not Love" | 3:03 |
| 3. | "Wonderful" | 2:38 |
| 4. | "Find Me" | 2:53 |
| 5. | "I'm a Dirty Attic" | 3:08 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 6. | "I Was Born on the Wrong Day" | 2:19 |
| 7. | "We Might Revolve" | 3:49 |
| 8. | "Yellow Blinds, Cream Shadows" | 4:04 |
| 9. | "How Do You Know?" | 3:27 |
| 10. | "What's Not Mine" | 7:26 |
| Total length: | 36:38 | |
Personnel
editCredits adapted from the liner notes of Crab Day.[16]
Musicians
- Cate Le Bon – guitar, piano (1, 2, 6), percussion (6, 9, 10), synthesizer (4, 5, 7), marimba (3, 8)
- Josiah Steinbrick – bass (6), piano (3, 10), percussion (6, 9)
- Stephen Black – bass (1-5, 7-10), clarinet (1, 8, 10), saxophone (2-4, 6-10)
- H. Hawkline – guitar (1-3, 6, 9, 10), marimba (7, 10), synthesizer (4, 10)
- Stella Mozgawa – drums (1-5, 7-10)
Production and artwork
- Josiah Steinbrick – production
- Noah Georgeson – production, mixing
- Samur Khouja – engineering
- JJ Golden – mastering
- Isabel Vollrath – kimono jacket
- Christian Fritzenwanker – make up
- Ivana Klickovic – cover photography, insert photography
- H. Hawkline – sleeve
References
edit- ^ Mejia, Paula (16 April 2016). "'The World Is Absolute Nonsense': The Cosmic Quest Of Cate Le Bon". NPR Music. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ^ Day, Laurence (11 April 2016). "Cate Le Bon reveals new 11-minute short film Crab Day". thelinebestfit.com. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
- ^ a b c Nash, Ed (4 August 2016). "Cate Le Bon: Something Changed". thelinebestfit.com. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
- ^ a b "Crab Day – Cate Le Bon". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ^ Monger, James Christopher (14 April 2016). "Crab Day – Cate Le Bon". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ^ Ivey, Brenna (15 April 2016). "Cate Le Bon – Crab Day". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ^ Hunt, El (15 April 2016). "Cate Le Bon – Crab Day". DIY. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ^ Farah, Amanda (13 April 2016). "Cate Le Bon – Crab Day". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 24 April 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ^ Hutchinson, Kate (14 April 2016). "Cate Le Bon: Crab Day review – a rubber-band-ball of energy and invention". The Guardian. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ^ White, Chris (9 April 2016). "Cate Le Bon – Crab Day". musicOMH. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ^ Ratliff, Ben (13 April 2016). "Review: Cate Le Bon Evokes Pop Outliers". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ^ Beaumont, Mark (20 April 2016). "Cate Le Bon - 'Crab Day'". NME. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ^ a b Snapes, Laura (15 April 2016). "Cate Le Bon: Crab Day". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ^ Hill, Marty (19 April 2016). "Cate Le Bon: Crab Day". Under the Radar. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ^ "Albums of the Year". Rough Trade. 14 November 2016. Archived from the original on 16 November 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
- ^ Crab Day (LP liner notes). Cate Le Bon. Drag City. 2016. DC653.
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