Weather Alive is the eighth studio album by English singer-songwriter Beth Orton. The album was released on 23 September 2022 by Partisan Records.
| Weather Alive | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 23 September 2022 | |||
| Length | 45:43 | |||
| Label | Partisan | |||
| Producer | Beth Orton | |||
| Beth Orton chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
editOrton began work on Weather Alive after buying a used upright piano from a dealer at Camden Market in London for £300 (US$350) and creating songs by playing notes around the instrument. In an interview with The New York Times, Orton said of that creation process: "No matter where you touch [the piano], it just has these resonances [...] Little ghosts of other chords just keep ringing out and you're like, "Oh, that speaks of another melody, and that speaks of another feeling."[1] In a press release following the album's announcement on 31 May 2022, Orton described the album as "a sensory exploration that allowed for a connection to a consciousness that I was searching for."[2]
Singles
editThe album's title track was released as the first single on 31 May 2022. Reviewing for Pitchfork, Sam Sodomsky described Orton's vocal performance as "broken and determined, cresting in a chorus that flows with the emotional cadence of an old soul song."[3]
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 85/100[4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| musicOMH |  [6] |
| Pitchfork | 8.7/10[7] |
| PopMatters | 8/10[8] |
| The Telegraph | [9] |
Upon release, Weather Alive received acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 based on reviews from mainstream publications, the album has a score of 85, based on twelve reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[4]
In the review for PopMatters, Evan Sawdey wrote that the album "unabashedly feels like the record [Orton] needed to make now, and we all feel more Alive because of it."[8] Sam Sodomsky of Pitchfork called it "the best work" of Orton's career, describing it as "soothing, immersive, and self-produced, it conjures a dreamlike atmosphere with songs that spiral out into the ether".[7] Reviewing the album for The Telegraph, Neil McCrommik stated that, "Orton digs so deeply into her own personal spaces and memories that what she finds there is unique. Middle-aged discontent has rarely sounded so lovely."[9]
Describing the album in a review for AllMusic, Marcy Donelson declared that, "Weather Alive nestles into a comparatively hushed, atmospheric blend of acoustic and electronic timbres that's meticulous and nebulous at once." The reception for the album was more muted in a review for MusicOMH, where writer Ben Devlin claimed that some of the "arrangements can feel a little staid" but that overall they don't "keep Weather Alive from being an engrossing listen especially as Orton dominates the proceedings so expertly."[6]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Beth Orton
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Weather Alive" | 7:05 |
| 2. | "Friday Night" | 5:34 |
| 3. | "Fractals" | 5:20 |
| 4. | "Haunted Satellite" | 4:37 |
| 5. | "Forever Young" | 5:40 |
| 6. | "Lonely" | 4:24 |
| 7. | "Arms Around a Memory" | 5:44 |
| 8. | "Unwritten" | 7:19 |
| Total length: | 45:43 | |
Personnel
editCredits for Weather Alive adapted from Tidal.[10]
- Beth Orton – primary artist, composer, production, engineering
- Greg Calbi – mastering
- Craig Silvey – mixing
- Dani Bennett-Spragg – mixing engineering
- Fabio Senna – engineering
- Francine Perry – engineering
- Eliot Lee Hazel – creative director, artwork
- Aaron Mitchell – packaging design
Charts
edit| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Physical Albums (ARIA)[11] | 91 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[12] | 81 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[13] | 8 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[14] | 27 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[15] | 4 |
References
edit- ^ Pareles, Jon (21 September 2022). "How a Sooty Old Piano Helped Beth Orton Reach a New Creative Peak". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
- ^ "Beth Orton Announces New Album Weather Alive, Shares Title Track: Listen". Stereogum. 31 May 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
- ^ Sodomsky, Sam (31 May 2022). "Beth Orton: 'Weather Alive'". Pitchfork. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
- ^ a b "Weather Alive by Beth Orton Review and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
- ^ Donelson, Marcy (23 September 2022). "Beth Orton – Weather Alive | Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
- ^ a b Devlin, Ben (23 September 2022). "Beth Orton – Weather Alive | Album Reviews". musicOMH. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
- ^ a b Sodomsky, Sam (26 September 2022). "Beth Orton: Weather Alive Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
- ^ a b Sawdey, Evan (22 September 2022). "Beth Orton: Weather Alive (Album Review)". PopMatters. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
- ^ a b McCormick, Neil; Johnston, Kathleen; Madden, Emma; Ahmed, Narzra; Woods, Cat (23 September 2022). "Beth Orton brings beauty to middle-age, Jake Blount is a revelation – the week's best albums". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
- ^ "Credits / Weather Alive / Beth Orton – TIDAL". Tidal. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
- ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 3 October 2022". The ARIA Report. No. 1700. Australian Recording Industry Association. 3 October 2022. p. 8.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Orton Beth – Weather Alive" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 October 2022.