Systems/Layers is the final LP by the instrumental group Rachel's.[4] It was released on October 7, 2003, on Quarterstick Records. The album is a collaborative dance/theater piece with the New York ensemble SITI Company.[2][5]
Systems / Layers | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 7, 2003 (U.S.) | |||
Recorded | July 2001 – June 2003 | |||
Genre | Chamber music, post-rock | |||
Length | 1:02:21 | |||
Label | Quarterstick 75[1] | |||
Rachel's chronology | ||||
|
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [3] |
The album peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Classical Albums chart.[6]
Reception
editInitial critical response to Systems/Layers was positive. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 81, based on 14 reviews.[7] PopMatters called the album "one of the year's finest releases," writing that "its greatest gift ... is its sheer compatibility -- you can take Systems/Layers anywhere and it will speak to you."[8] Exclaim! called it "at once touching and haunted, intimate and disturbingly uncomfortable."[9] The Times deemed it the band's worst album.[10] The East Bay Express labeled it "the soundtrack to your most brilliant, reflective life."[11]
Track listing
edit- "Moscow Is in the Telephone" – 3:59
- "Water from the Same Source" – 6:18
- "Systems/Layers" – 3:11
- "Expect Delays" – 3:57
- "Arterial" – 1:45
- "Even/Odd" – 3:14
- "Wouldn't Live Anywhere Else" – 2:47
- "Esperanza" – 5:32
- "Packet Switching" – 1:09
- "Where_Have_All_My_Files_Gone?" – 2:49
- "Reflective Surfaces" – 2:00
- "Unclear Channel" – 2:47
- "Last Things Last" – 3:33
- "Anytime Soon" – 2:18
- "Air Conditioning / A Closed Feeling" – 3:39
- "Singing Bridge" – 2:13
- "And Keep Smiling" – 2:38
- "4 or 5 Trees" – 6:04
- "NY Snow Globe" – 2:28
Personnel
edit- Kyle Crabtree – drums
- Christian Frederickson – viola, keyboards
- Edward Grimes – drums, keyboards
- Rachel Grimes – piano, keyboards
- Greg King – films
- Eve Miller – cello
- Jason Noble – bass, guitar, drums, toolbelt, keyboards
- Matthew Annin – French horn
- Wendy Doyle – cello
- Doug Elmore – stand-up bass
- Jane Halliday – violin
- Sarah Hill – violin
- Stephen Webber – spoken word on "4 or 5 Trees"
- Shannon Wright – vocals on "Last Things Last"
Footnotes
edit- ^ "Systems/Layers". Touch and Go/Quarterstick Records. Retrieved 8 January 2021.
- ^ a b "Systems/Layers - Rachel's | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 6. MUZE. p. 731.
- ^ "Rachel's | Biography & History". AllMusic.
- ^ "Interview: Rachel's". Tiny Mix Tapes.
- ^ "Rachel's". Billboard.
- ^ "Systems/Layers Reviews". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. Retrieved July 24, 2013.
- ^ "Rachel's: Systems/Layers". PopMatters. November 5, 2003.
- ^ "Rachel's Systems/Layers". exclaim.ca.
- ^ Lee, Stewart (3 October 2023). "Rachel's: Systems/Layers" – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
- ^ Richard, Eric K. Arnold (26 November 2003). "The Best Records of 2003 | Holiday Guide | Oakland, Berkeley & Bay Area". East Bay Express.