Spaces is the seventh studio album by German musician Nils Frahm. It was released on 19 November 2013 on the Erased Tapes record label. It has been described by Frahm as a "collage of field recordings",[1] and a sound collage of found sounds,[2] and includes music recorded over a 2-year period at different locations using a variety of methods including cassette and reel to reel tapes.[3]
| Spaces | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | 19 November 2013 | |||
| Recorded | 2012–2013 | |||
| Genre | Avant-garde | |||
| Length | 76:10 | |||
| Label | Erased Tapes | |||
| Nils Frahm chronology | ||||
| ||||
Reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.4/10[4] |
| Metacritic | 90/100[5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Clash | 9/10[6] |
| Exclaim! | 8/10[7] |
| Fact | 4.5/5[8] |
| The Irish Times |   [9] |
| Mojo | [10] |
| The Observer | [11] |
| Pitchfork | 7.8/10[12] |
| PopMatters | 9/10[13] |
| Resident Advisor | 4.5/5[14] |
| Uncut | 9/10[15] |
Spaces received general acclaim upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received a score of 90 based on 15 reviews, which is categorised as "universal acclaim".[5] In his review for Pitchfork, Nick Neyland called it "an absorbing work, full of pensive moments cut together by music that thrives on dovetailing melodies that can be simultaneously mesmerizing and beautiful".[12] In his review on The Arts Desk, Kieron Tyler said the album does not feel like "a conventional live album", but rather a "seamless whole".[16]
Spaces was given an honorable mention in Pitchfork's Albums of the Year 2014, with Nick Neyland remarking, "There are magical properties here, giving Spaces a quality that makes it easy to forget the world outside during its absorbing duration".[17] "Says" was ranked at number 47 on Pitchfork's list of The 100 Best Tracks of 2014, with critic Andrew Rice writing that the track comes closest to capturing "the experience of seeing a Frahm concert".[18]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Nils Frahm
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "An Aborted Beginning" | 1:34 |
| 2. | "Says" | 8:18 |
| 3. | "Said and Done" | 9:39 |
| 4. | "Went Missing" | 4:59 |
| 5. | "Familiar" | 5:38 |
| 6. | "Improvisation for Coughs and a Cell Phone" | 6:44 |
| 7. | "Hammers" | 3:48 |
| 8. | "For – Peter – Toilet Brushes – More" | 16:49 |
| 9. | "Over There, It's Raining" | 3:07 |
| 10. | "Unter – Tristana – Ambre" | 11:43 |
| 11. | "Ross's Harmonium" | 3:51 |
| Total length: | 76:10 | |
References
edit- ^ Mcdonald, Michael (19 November 2013). "Nils Frahm – Spaces (Erased Tapes)". God Is in the TV Zine. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
- ^ Martin, Erin Lyndal (14 February 2018). ""All the music I can imagine:" DiS Meets Nils Frahm". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- ^ Mainzer, Jordan (18 November 2013). "Nils Frahm – Spaces". musicOMH. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
- ^ "Spaces by Nils Frahm reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
- ^ a b "Reviews for Spaces by Nils Frahm". Metacritic. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
- ^ James, Gareth (14 November 2013). "Nils Frahm – Spaces". Clash. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
- ^ Pollard, Vincent (15 November 2013). "Nils Frahm: Spaces". Exclaim!. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
- ^ Kalev, Maya (2 December 2013). "Spaces". Fact. Archived from the original on 13 June 2016. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
- ^ Keane, Brian (15 November 2013). "Nils Frahm: Spaces". The Irish Times. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
- ^ "Nils Frahm: Spaces". Mojo (241): 87. December 2013.
- ^ Carnwath, Ally (16 November 2013). "Nils Frahm: Spaces – review". The Observer. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
- ^ a b Neyland, Nick (23 January 2014). "Nils Frahm: Spaces". Pitchfork. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
- ^ HC (21 January 2014). "Nils Frahm: Spaces". PopMatters. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
- ^ Ryce, Andrew (21 November 2013). "Nils Frahm – Spaces". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
- ^ "Nils Frahm: Spaces". Uncut (199): 68. December 2013.
- ^ Tyler, Kieron (16 November 2013). "CD: Nils Frahm – Spaces". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 11 December 2014.
- ^ "Albums of the Year 2014: Honorable Mention". Pitchfork. 16 December 2014. p. 1. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
- ^ "The 100 Best Tracks of 2014". Pitchfork. 15 December 2014. p. 6. Retrieved 22 May 2015.