Wikipedia

Entertainment, Death

Entertainment, Death (stylized in all capitals) is the fourth studio album by American experimental rock band, Spirit of the Beehive. The album was released on April 9, 2021 through Saddle Creek Records. Two singles were released ahead of the album: "There's Nothing You Can't Do", and "The Server is Immersed", which were met with critical acclaim. The album itself was met with universal critical acclaim, and appeared in numerous end of the year lists.

Entertainment, Death
Studio album by
Spirit of the Beehive
ReleasedApril 9, 2021
RecordedApril – July 2020
Genre
Length36:41
LabelSaddle Creek
Producer
  • Zack Schwartz
  • Corey Wichlin
Spirit of the Beehive chronology
Hypnic Jerks
(2018) 		Entertainment, Death
(2021)
Singles from Entertainment, Death
  1. "There's Nothing You Can't Do"
    Released: February 3, 2021[1]
  2. "The Server is Immersed"
    Released: February 24, 2021[2]

Background and recording

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Writing for the album began during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in April 2020, and lasted until July 2020. Recording occurred concurrently during this process, and mastering occurred during the fall of 2020 in anticipation of a Spring 2021 release.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.5/10[3]
Metacritic84/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [5]
Beats Per Minute84/100[6]
Exclaim!8/10[7]
Flood7/10[8]
No Ripcord8/10[9]
Our Culture     [10]
Paste8.2/10[11]
Pitchfork8.3/10[12]
Riot9/10[13]

Entertainment, Death received critical acclaim by contemporary music critics. On review aggregator, Metacritic, Entertainment, Death has an average critic review of 82 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim based on 6 Critic Reviews".[4] Harrison Baer, writing for Beats Per Minute wrote that "the band’s shape-shifting compositions create a forward momentum well suited to a journey through different levels of Hell on Earth." Baer gave the album an 84 out of 100.[6] Sophie Kemp, writing for Pitchfork, gave the album a "Best New Music" designation, and an 8.3 out of 10 rating. Kemp summarized the album as "reclusive, cryptic, late-night paranoia music. Their oblique songs can evoke an entire landscape of feeling in very few words".[12]

Paul Simpson, writing for Allmusic, gave Entertainment, Death three-and-a-half stars out of five, describing the album as difficult for casual listeners, but rewarding for patient listeners. Simpson said that on Entertainment, Death, The Spirit of the Beehive "make willfully unorthodox music and seem to dare listeners to keep up with them and make sense of their art, but those who make the effort are rewarded by the band's unbridled creativity and warped yet radiant sense of optimism and excitement".[5]

Upon the end of the calendar year, the album was listed in at least nine major music publication's "Best of 2021" album lists. Two publications, Beats Per Minute and Paste, placed Entertainment, Death in the top 10 of their respective lists.[14][15]

Accolades

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Entertainment, Death on year-end lists
Publication List Rank Ref.
Beats Per Minute Top 50 Albums of 2021
7
 [14]
Exclaim! Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2021
21
 [16]
Fader The Best Albums of 2021
31
 [17]
Gaffa Top 20 Albums of 2021
17
 [18]
Our Culture The 50 Best Albums of 2021
12
 [19]
Paste The 50 Best Albums of 2021
9
 [15]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2021
28
 [20]
Pitchfork The 31 Best Rock Albums of 2021
—
 [21]
Spin The 30 Best Albums of 2021
22
 [22]
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2021
27
 [23]

Track listing

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All music is composed by Zack Schwartz, Rivka Ravede, and Corey Wichlin. All track titles are stylized in upper case

No.TitleLength
1."Entertainment"2:44
2."There's Nothing You Can't Do"2:59
3."Wrong Circle"2:51
4."Bad Son"2:51
5."Give Up Your Life"2:54
6."Rapid & Complete Recovery"4:01
7."The Server is Immersed"2:49
8."It Might Take Some Time"2:38
9."Wake Up (In Rotation)"2:56
10."I Suck the Devil's Cock"6:40
11."Death"3:18
Total length:36:41

References

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  1. ^ Hogan, Marc (February 8, 2021). ""There's Nothing You Can't Do" by Spirit of the Beehive Review". Pitchfork. Conde Nast. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  2. ^ Minsker, Evan (February 24, 2021). "Spirit of the Beehive Share New Song "The Server Is Immersed"". Pitchfork. Conde Nast. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  3. ^ "ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH by Spirit of the Beehive reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH by Spirit of the Beehive Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Simpson, Paul. Review of ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH at AllMusic. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Baer, Harrison (April 12, 2021). "Album Review: Spirit of the Beehive – Entertainment, Death". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  7. ^ Gee, Chris (April 6, 2021). "Spirit of the Beehive's 'ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH' Captures the Beautiful Chaos of the Human Mind". Exclaim!. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  8. ^ Brooks, Michael (April 20, 2021). "Spirit of the Beehive, "ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH"". Flood Magazine. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  9. ^ Rodriguez, Juan Edgardo (April 12, 2021). "Spirit of the Beehive: Entertainment Death - Music Review". noripcord.com. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  10. ^ Pappis, Konstantinos (April 15, 2021). "Album Review: Spirit of the Beehive, 'ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH'". Our Culture Mag. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  11. ^ Reyes-Kulkarni, Saby (April 12, 2021). "Spirit of the Beehive Get Even More Abstract on ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH". Paste. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  12. ^ a b Kemp, Sophie (April 9, 2021). "Spirit of the Beehive: ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH Album Review". Pitchfork. Conde Nast. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  13. ^ Woodley, Daisy (April 8, 2021). "Album Review: SPIRIT OF THE BEEHIVE // ENTERTAINMENT, DEATH". riotmag.co. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  14. ^ a b Hakimian, Rob; McMullan, Chase; Sentz, Tim; Pickard, Joshua; Wohlmacher, John; Finlayson, Ray; Amen, Josh; Kenny, Mimi; Kohner, Kyle; Johnston, Andy; Early, J.T.; Thomas, Carlo; Reis, Ethan; Fisette, Jeremy J.; Smirnov, Aleksandr; Penna, Grady; Baer, Harrison Suits (December 16, 2021). "BPM's Top 50 Albums of 2021". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  15. ^ a b "The 50 Best Albums of 2021". Paste. November 29, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  16. ^ "Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2021". Exclaim!. December 1, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  17. ^ "The 50 best albums of 2021". The Fader. December 14, 2021. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
  18. ^ "Årets bästa utländska album 2021". gaffa.se (in Swedish). December 12, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  19. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2021". Our Culture Mag. December 9, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  20. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2021". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. December 7, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  21. ^ "The 31 Best Rock Albums of 2021". Pitchfork. December 8, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  22. ^ "The 30 Best Albums of 2021: Our favorite records from another bizarre 12 months — from Tinashe to Turnstile to Tyler, the Creator". SPIN. December 13, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  23. ^ "The 50 Best Albums Of 2021". Stereogum. December 6, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
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