Opheliac is the second studio album by Emilie Autumn. Originally released on September 1, 2006, by Trisol Music Group, and recorded at Mad Villain Studios in Chicago, Illinois,[2] it was the first album by the artist to receive widespread distribution around the world.
| Opheliac | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 1, 2006[1] | |||
| Recorded | Mad Villain Studios, Chicago | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 86:30 | |||
| Label | Trisol Music Group | |||
| Emilie Autumn chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [2] |
| Sputnikmusic | [3] |
Release and promotion
editThe album Opheliac was preceded by the Opheliac EP, released in Spring 2006.[4] Released through Autumn's own independent label, Traitor Records, this was a preview of the full-length album, and featured the first six tracks plus "Marry Me" and "Thank God I'm Pretty", the latter as a hidden track following the former. However, track 5 "I Want My Innocence Back" does not play on any copies of the EP, due to a manufacturing error. Earlier that year, on January 12, Autumn appeared on the WGN Chicago Morning Show to promote the album,[5] and on January 13 performed an "Opheliac album preview show" at the Double Door in Chicago.[6][7][8]
Opheliac was originally released as a limited edition digipak in Europe on September 1, 2006, and worldwide on September 22, 2006, to coincide with Autumn's birthday.[1]
As of August 6, 2008, Autumn announced that she would be releasing Opheliac nationwide in music stores across the US on October 7, 2008.[9] The US release features exclusive tracks, such as "The Art of Suicide - Acoustic" and out-takes from the Opheliac recording sessions.
After Autumn parted ways with Trisol, a third issuing of Opheliac, entitled The Deluxe Edition, was released by The End Records on October 27, 2009, to coincide with her first American tour.[10]
Critical reception
editThe album received mixed-to-positive reviews. Greg Prato of AllMusic commented, "It's easy to detect similarities at times between Autumn and such renowned female artists as Kate Bush and Tori Amos [...], but when you come across the electronic/symphonic "Gothic Lolita" and the swirling "Let the Record Show," Autumn sheds her influences and finds her own original voice."[2] Alissa Ordabai of HardRockHaven.net said of the album, "[...]Autumn’s voice is alternately sweetly pitch-perfect and ruggedly punky, mirroring perfectly the conflict between chaos and order that’s at the centre of her act", and, "After all, under all of her grotesque buffoonery and a desire to shock hides a shrewd knack for writing a perfect pop song and vocal chops that can carry through and deliver any message she chooses – from deliberately neurotic to artfully vacuous."[11]
Lyrics and themes
edit
The word Opheliac is derived from the character Ophelia from the Shakespeare play Hamlet. Autumn explained:
"Opheliac" is word I childishly made up to explain the condition of a person having the characteristics of "Ophelia" and the "Ophelia" archetype. While the original Ophelia did indeed go "mad", it was not primarily caused by her boyfriend knocking off her dad, but rather by not only Hamlet but also all the men in her life manipulating and pushing her to the point of no alternative. I didn't exactly name the album after her as much as I named it after myself. As the truest "Opheliac" I know, this album is my story from beginning to end. Listen thoroughly and you'll know more about me than my closest friends, this being because I generally write songs about things I would never tell a living soul.[12]
The album, largely written and recorded in the wake of Autumn's hospitalization due to bipolar disorder,[13] touches on themes ranging from mental illness, suicide, and child abuse, as well as societal expectations of women and misogyny.[14] Autumn has described the album as being "about women, water, and madness", stating that every song on the album contains some reference to water or drowning.[15] She has also described the album as her "mad scene", referring to the famous scene in Act IV of Hamlet in which Ophelia, shortly before drowning herself, seems to go "mad", handing out flowers and singing songs.[15] Autumn also makes frequent use of literary allusions, both to Shakespeare and to other "Opheliac"-type characters; for instance the song "Shalott" is based on the poem "The Lady of Shalott" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
Autumn has said that the lyrics to the song "Liar" were largely not written by her, but were instead taken nearly word for word from love letters written to her by an ex-boyfriend. The song also serves a reference to a scene in Hamlet in which Ophelia is forced to return Hamlet's love letters and he denies having ever written them.[15]
"The Art of Suicide" includes a critique of the popular song "Gloomy Sunday"; specifically the fact that some English versions of the song have a "second ending", in which the protagonist wakes up from a bad dream and no longer wants to commit suicide.[16][17]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Emilie Autumn, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Opheliac" | 5:33 |
| 2. | "Swallow" | 6:15 |
| 3. | "Liar" | 6:01 |
| 4. | "The Art of Suicide" | 5:32 |
| 5. | "I Want My Innocence Back" | 3:48 |
| 6. | "Misery Loves Company" | 4:28 |
| 7. | "God Help Me" | 5:58 |
| 8. | "Shalott" | 4:04 |
| 9. | "Gothic Lolita" | 6:03 |
| 10. | "Dead Is the New Alive" | 5:04 |
| 11. | "I Know Where You Sleep" | 3:15 |
| 12. | "Let the Record Show" | 3:54 |
| Total length: | 59:55 | |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dominant" | 3:47 | |
| 2. | "306" | 5:36 | |
| 3. | "Thank God I'm Pretty" | 4:01 | |
| 4. | "Marry Me" | 4:50 | |
| 5. | "Largo for Violin" | Johann Sebastian Bach | 4:06 |
| 6. | "Poem: How to Break a Heart" | 1:01 | |
| 7. | "Poem: Ghost" | 2:38 | |
| 8. | "Poem: At What Point Does a Shakespeare Say?" | 0:36 | |
| Total length: | 26:35 | ||
In addition to the audio tracks, Opheliac features live concert footage, clips from her performance of "Misery Loves Company" on the WGN Morning Show on January 12, 2006, and four short video clips entitled "Inside the Asylum: Lessons in Being a Wayward Victorian Girl".
Opheliac: The Deluxe Edition
edit| Opheliac (The Deluxe Edition) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 27, 2009 | |||
| Recorded | Mad Villain Studios, Chicago | |||
| Genre | Dark cabaret, electronica, classical, electro-industrial | |||
| Length | 1:58:14 | |||
| Label | The End Records | |||
| Emilie Autumn chronology | ||||
| ||||
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Emilie Autumn, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Opheliac" | 5:33 |
| 2. | "Swallow" | 6:15 |
| 3. | "Liar" | 6:01 |
| 4. | "The Art of Suicide" | 5:32 |
| 5. | "I Want My Innocence Back" | 3:48 |
| 6. | "Misery Loves Company" | 4:28 |
| 7. | "God Help Me" | 5:58 |
| 8. | "Shalott" | 4:04 |
| 9. | "Gothic Lolita" | 6:03 |
| 10. | "Dead Is the New Alive" | 5:04 |
| 11. | "I Know Where You Sleep" | 3:15 |
| 12. | "Let the Record Show" | 3:54 |
| 13. | ""Opheliac" Recording Out-Takes" | 4:11 |
| Total length: | 64:06 | |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Thank God I'm Pretty" | 4:01 | |
| 2. | "Dominant" | 3:47 | |
| 3. | "306" | 5:36 | |
| 4. | "Gloomy Sunday" | Rezső Seress | 3:22 |
| 5. | "Asleep" | Morrissey, Johnny Marr | 2:26 |
| 6. | "Mad Girl" (Acoustic Version) | 3:50 | |
| 7. | "The Art of Suicide" (Acoustic Version) | 5:45 | |
| 8. | "Thank God I'm Pretty" (Shoegaze Version) | 4:29 | |
| 9. | "Largo for Violin" | Johann Sebastian Bach | 4:06 |
| 10. | "Marry Me" | 4:50 | |
| 11. | "Excerpt from The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls" | 1:40 | |
| 12. | "Interview with EA" | 4:46 | |
| 13. | "Poem: How to Break a Heart" | 1:01 | |
| 14. | "Miss Lucy Had Some Leeches" | 2:20 | |
| Total length: | 51:59 | ||
Album Credits
edit- Emilie Autumn - Vocals, Violin, Audio Production
- Inkydust - Audio Engineer, Mixing
The Opheliac Companion
edit| The Opheliac Companion | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album (commentary) by | |
| Released | August 2009[18] |
| Recorded | Mad Villain Studios, Chicago |
| Genre | Commentary |
| Length | 7:29:24 |
In August 2009, Autumn released a companion "album" to Opheliac, consisting of an approximately eight-hour long director's commentary style interview/chat between Autumn and her "sound guy" Inkydust. The discussion covers everything from the equipment used during production, to musical composition, to Autumn's writing process and inspirations behind the lyrics.[19]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | Emilie Autumn, Inkydust | 4:49 |
| 2. | "Opheliac" | Emilie Autumn, Inkydust | 1:06:04 |
| 3. | "Swallow" | Emilie Autumn, Inkydust | 34:10 |
| 4. | "Liar" | Emilie Autumn, Inkydust | 47:03 |
| 5. | "The Art of Suicide" | Emilie Autumn, Inkydust | 46:04 |
| 6. | "I Want My Innocence Back" | Emilie Autumn, Inkydust | 29:53 |
| 7. | "Interlude" | Emilie Autumn, Inkydust | 16:34 |
| 8. | "Misery Loves Company" | Emilie Autumn, Inkydust | 14:08 |
| 9. | "God Help Me" | Emilie Autumn, Inkydust | 17:07 |
| 10. | "Shalott" | Emilie Autumn, Inkydust | 16:32 |
| 11. | "Gothic Lolita" | Emilie Autumn, Inkydust | 1:36:04 |
| 12. | "Dead Is the New Alive" | Emilie Autumn, Inkydust | 20:59 |
| 13. | "I Know Where You Sleep" | Emilie Autumn, Inkydust | 14:21 |
| 14. | "Let the Record Show" | Emilie Autumn, Inkydust | 23:17 |
| 15. | "Ending" | Emilie Autumn, Inkydust | 2:19 |
| Total length: | 7:29:24 | ||
References
edit- ^ a b "Latest News". Emilie Autumn Online. September 1, 2006. Archived from the original on November 9, 2006. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- ^ a b c Prato, Greg. "Review: Opheliac". Allmusic. Retrieved October 25, 2009.
- ^ "Emilie Autumn - Opheliac (Album review ) | Sputnikmusic".
- ^ "Opheliac EP". Traitor Records. Archived from the original on April 19, 2006. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
- ^ "Emilie Autumn & The Bloody Crumpets on the WGN Morning Show". WGN. January 13, 2006. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2021.
- ^ "Dates". Emilie Autumn Online. Archived from the original on November 13, 2006. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- ^ "Upcoming Shows". Double Door. Archived from the original on January 3, 2006. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- ^ "Tours". Traitor Records. Archived from the original on December 28, 2007. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
- ^ "OPHELIAC RELEASE IN NORTH AMERICA on October 7th 2008". THE ASYLUM - Emilie Autumn's Official Forum. August 6, 2008. Archived from the original on September 6, 2008. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- ^ "The Asylum Emporium - Music". Welcome To The Asylum. Archived from the original on September 21, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
- ^ Ordabai, Alissa. "Emilie Autumn Opheliac The Deluxe Edition". HardRockHaven. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
- ^ Morris, Kevin (Spring 2006). "The World According To Emilie Autumn" (PDF). TWF Magazine. p. 31. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
- ^ Mickie, Naughty (2011). "Emile Autumn serving up insanity with love". DaBelly Magazine. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
- ^ Reesman, Bryan (November 30, 2009). "Emilie Autumn's Personal Asylum". Attention Deficit Delirium. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
- ^ a b c Autumn, Emilie; Inkydust (2009). "The Opheliac Companion" (Podcast). Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- ^ Van Muylem, Filip (December 29, 2011). "Emilie Autumn - interview". Peek-A-Boo Magazine. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
- ^ "Emilie Autumn". The Dose Magazine. April 2007. Archived from the original on July 15, 2010. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
- ^ "THE ASYLUM - Emilie Autumn's Official Forum". Archived from the original on August 13, 2009. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
- ^ "The Opheliac Companion". The Asylum Emporium. Retrieved July 10, 2021.