Say Us is the first full-length studio album by the Canadian indie band Zeus. The vinyl LP was released 9 February 2010, with the CD version released 23 February 2010. A digital download was made available, with the LP version. All three versions were released in Canada by Arts & Crafts Records.[1][2][3]
| Say Us | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 23 February 2010 | |||
| Recorded | 2009 Toronto | |||
| Genre | Alternative, indie | |||
| Length | 37:31 | |||
| Label | Arts & Crafts | |||
| Producer | Carlin Nicholson Mike O'Brien | |||
| Zeus chronology | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception
editIn a positive review of the album, critic Noel Murray of the AV Club said fans of Sloan and of the New Pornographers should "warm immediately to Zeus", and wrote that "after moonlighting from their gig as Jason Collett’s backing band... [they] deserve to move from the side of the stage to the front."[4]
Critic Andrew Leahey wrote that Say Us "re-creates the sunny strains of Sloan, The Hollies, and the Beatles to charming effect."[5]
In a neutral review, critic Pieter J Macmillan wrote that the band's democratic approach to singing and song writing lead to a remarkable coherence of sound throughout the album. However, he continued the album's "lack of originality is felt particularly strong... in the lyrics."[6]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Lead vocal | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "How Does It Feel?" | O'Brien | 2:49 |
| 2. | "Fever of the Time" | C. Nicholson | 2:38 |
| 3. | "Kindergarten" | Quin | 2:48 |
| 4. | "The Renegade" | O'Brien | 3:45 |
| 5. | "Greater Times on the Wayside" | Quin | 0:59 |
| 6. | "The River by the Garden" | O'Brien | 3:52 |
| 7. | "You Gotta' Teller" | C. Nicholson | 3:14 |
| 8. | "I Know" | C. Nicholson | 3:15 |
| 9. | "Marching Through Your Head" | Quin | 2:24 |
| 10. | "The Sound of You" | O'Brien | 3:08 |
| 11. | "Heavy on Me" | Quin | 4:36 |
| 12. | "At the Risk of Repeating" | C. Nicholson | 4:03 |
| Total length: | 37:31 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Cornerstones" | 3:56 |
| 14. | "That's All" | 3:13 |
| 15. | "Mother Mother" | 2:56 |
| Total length: | 47:37 | |
Personnel
edit- Rob Drake – drums tracks 3, 7, 9, 10, 11
- Carlin Nicholson – drums tracks 1, 2, 4; Bass tracks 1, 6, 9, 10, 11; Vocal harmony tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, 11; acoustic guitar track 2; piano tracks 2, 12; electric piano track 3
- Mike O'Brien – drums track 12; Bass tracks 3, 7, 12; Vocal harmony tracks 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12; electric guitar tracks 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12; piano tracks 1, 4, 10
- Neil Quin – drums track 5; Bass track 5; Vocal harmony track 6, 10; acoustic guitar tracks 3, 4, 10; electric guitar tracks 3, 4, 5, 10; piano tracks 9, 10
Guest performers
edit- Dave Azzolini – drums track 8; Vocal harmony tracks 2, 4, 8, 9; acoustic guitar track 12; electric guitar tracks 4, 6, 9
- Bryden Baird – trumpet tracks 4, 8
- Peter Elkas – slide guitar track 12
- Jessica Grassia – Vocal harmony tracks 1, 2, 4, 8, 9, 10, 12
- Afie Jurvanen – Vocal harmony track 4; electric guitar tracks 4, 8
- Taylor Knox – drums track 6; Vocal harmony track 2
- Liam Nicholson – Vocal harmony tracks 2, 4; Vocal harmony tracks 2, 4, 10
- Leon Patterson – Vocal harmony track 4; electric guitar track 4
Production
edit- Benny Cloutier Jr. – front cover illustration
- Mike O'Brien, Robyn Kotyk, Zeus – design and layout
- Mike O'Brien, Andrea Wilson – plasticine art
- Mike O'Brien, Carlin Nicholson – producer
- Robbie Lackritz – mixing
Footnotes
editCitations
edit- ^ Carlick, Stephen (November 2009). "News > NOV 16 2009". Exclaim!. ISSN 1207-6600. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
- ^ "Say us (sound recording) / Zeus", www.collectionscanada.gc.ca, Ottawa: Library and Archives Canada, OCLC 556444910, AMICUS No. 37431211, retrieved 6 March 2011.
- ^ "Say us (sound recording) / Zeus", www.collectionscanada.gc.ca, Ottawa: Library and Archives Canada, OCLC 650199506, AMICUS No. 37390669, retrieved 6 March 2011.
- ^ Murray, Noel (2 March 2010). "Music Review Say us B+". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
- ^ Leahey, Andrew. "Say Us Review". www.allmusic.com. Allmusic. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
- ^ Macmillan, Pieter J (25 January 2011). "Say us Reviews 6/10". drownedinsound.com. Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 28 January 2011. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
- ^ "Zeus / Say Us". Tower Records.com. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
References
edit- Say Us (Booklet). Zeus. Toronto: Arts & Crafts. 2010. A&C051.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
- "Say Us - Zeus (2010) > Album Info", Billboard, OCLC 1532948, retrieved 6 March 2011.
External links
edit- Zeus official site at Arts & Crafts
- Zeus on Myspace
- Zeus at CBC Radio 3