Life, and Another is the sixth record by the avant-pop musician Erin Birgy, under the moniker of Mega Bog. It was released by Paradise of Bachelors in July 2021. The record is produced by Birgy and James Krivchenia, the drummer for folk rock quartet Big Thief.[2]
| Life, and Another | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 23, 2021 | |||
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 44:10 | |||
| Label | Paradise of Bachelors | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Mega Bog chronology | ||||
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Background
editLife, and Another was recorded at the Unknown studio in Anacortes, Washington, from 2019.[3] The album is influenced in part by the artist David Wojnarowicz's audio journals, transcriptions of which were published as Weight of the Earth (2018).[3]
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 81/100[4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Beats Per Minute | 76%[6] |
| God Is in the TV | 8/10[7] |
| The Guardian | [1] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 8/10[8] |
| Pitchfork | 8.0/10[9] |
Life, and Another has been welcomed with mostly positive reviews. On Metacritic, it has a score of 81 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim", based on six reviews. Sophie Kemp for Pitchfork gave it a glowing review, calling it "delightfully freaky".[9]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Erin Birgy.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Flower" | 2:35 |
| 2. | "Station to Station" | 4:25 |
| 3. | "Weight of the Earth, on Paper" | 3:12 |
| 4. | "Crumb Back" | 3:14 |
| 5. | "Butterfly" | 2:50 |
| 6. | "Life, and Another" | 4:10 |
| 7. | "Maybe You Died" | 4:27 |
| 8. | "Beagle in the Cloud" | 1:42 |
| 9. | "Darmok" | 3:19 |
| 10. | "Adorable" | 1:13 |
| 11. | "Bull of Heaven" | 1:59 |
| 12. | "Obsidian Lizard" | 2:07 |
| 13. | "Before a Black Tea" | 3:29 |
| 14. | "Ameleon" | 5:20 |
| Total length: | 44:10 | |
Personnel
editMusicians
- Erin Birgy – lead vocals (tracks 1–8, 10, 12–14), nylon guitar (track 1), background vocals (2–4, 6, 7, 10, 12–14), electric guitar (3–7, 9–11, 13, 14), sound effects (4, 13), 12-string guitar (10)
- Zach Burba – bass guitar (tracks 1, 2, 4, 7, 10, 12, 14), background vocals (1, 3, 4), sampling (2), drum set (3, 5, 6, 10, 13), unplugged electric guitar (3), electric guitar (4), drum pad sampler (5); timpani, jam block (11)
- Aaron Otheim – synthesizers (tracks 1–3, 5–7, 9, 11–14), grand piano (1, 3–6, 9–11, 13), electric piano (8, 12), background vocals (12), organ (13)
- James Krivchenia – shaker (tracks 1, 3, 5, 6, 13), triangle (1, 3, 5, 13), snaps (1), drum set (2, 14), congas (3, 4, 6, 13); chimes, cowbell, background vocals (3); tambourine (4, 14), claps (4), orchestral percussion (10), bells (14)
- Will Segerstrom – electric guitar (tracks 1, 3–6, 10, 11, 13, 14), background vocals (3)
- Andrew Dorsett – drum set (tracks 1, 4, 7, 11), additional vocals (4), synthesizer (9, 12, 14); electric piano, background vocals (12); upright piano (14)
- Meg Duffy – electric guitar (tracks 1, 6, 13, 14), guitar (10)
- Matt Bachmann – synthesizer (tracks 2, 9), bass guitar (3, 6, 11), background vocals (3)
- Alex Liebman – saxophone (tracks 4–7)
- Jade Tcimpidis – bass guitar (track 5)
Technical
- Erin Birgy – production
- James Krivchenia – production, mixing, engineering
- Heba Kadry – mastering
- Geoff Traeger – additional engineering
- Phil Hartunian – additional engineering
Visuals
- Erin Birgy – photography
- Joel Gregory – design
- Zach Burba – artist photo
References
edit- ^ a b Rachel Aroesti (July 23, 2021). "Mega Bog: Life, and Another review – a beautiful, bewildering fantasy". The Guardian. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
- ^ "Mega Bog: Life, and Another". paradiseofbachelors.com. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
- ^ a b Moreland, Quinn (August 2, 2021). "Step Into the Inscrutable World of Mega Bog". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
- ^ "Life, and Another by Mega Bog Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
- ^ Fred Thomas. "Life, and Another – Mega Bog – Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
- ^ Tim Sentz. "Album Review : Mega Bog – Life, and Another". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
- ^ Trev Elkin (July 21, 2021). "Mega Bog – Life, and Another (Paradise of Bachelors)". God Is in the TV. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
- ^ Janne Oinonen (July 25, 2021). "Mega Bog – Life, and Another". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ a b Sophie Kemp. "Mega Bog: Life, and Another Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
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