X: The Godless Void and Other Stories

X: The Godless Void and Other Stories is the tenth studio album by Austin, Texas alternative rock outfit ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, released January 17, 2020 on Dine Alone Records.

X: The Godless Void and Other Stories
Studio album by
Released17 January 2020
Recorded2018–2019
StudioMosaic Sound Collective
Scary American
The Library Studios Nashville
The Henhouse Studio[1]
Genre
Length50:10
Label
ProducerCharles Godfrey, Conrad Keely
...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead chronology
IX
(2014)
X: The Godless Void and Other Stories
(2020)
XI: Bleed Here Now
(2022)

Background

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Recording for the album started in 2018, after Conrad Keely returned to the US after five years in Cambodia, and took place at four different studios.[2] Two studios based in Austin (Charles Godfrey's own Scary American and The Mosaic Sound Collective) and two studios in Nashville (The Library Studios and The Henhouse Studio) were used for recording.[1] The album was announced on November 14, 2019, along with the track list, the release date, an accompanying tour, and the first single "Don't Look Down."[2][3][4] It was widely noted that this would be their tenth studio album released in the year of the band's 25th Anniversary.[2][3][4] X: The Godless Void and Other Stories also marks a return to the band's original personnel with Jason Reece and Conrad Keely acting as the only official members of the group, with all other recording musicians present only as supporting members.[5]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic80/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [7]
The Austin Chronicle     [8]
DIY     [9]
Exclaim!7/10[10]
Kerrang!4/5[11]
Pitchfork7.8/10[5]
PopMatters8/10[12]
Rolling Stone     [13]

Reviews for X: The Godless Void and Other Stories were largely positive upon release, with a Metacritic average of 80/100, indicating generally favorable reviews.

Track listing

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X: The Godless Void and Other Stories track listing
No.TitleLength
1."The Opening Crescendo"2:53
2."All Who Wander"4:53
3."Something Like This"4:35
4."Into the Godless Void"3:57
5."Don't Look Down"4:41
6."Gone"4:04
7."Children of the Sky"4:37
8."Who Haunts the Haunter"5:30
9."Eyes of the Overworld"1:46
10."Gravity"3:45
11."Blade of Wind"5:41
12."Through the Sunlit Door"3:48
Total length:50:10

Personnel

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...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead

Additional musicians

  • Aaron Blount – guitar
  • Will Courtney – backing vocals (track 10)
  • Autry Fulbright II – bass guitar
  • Jamie Miller – drums, percussion (tracks 1, 2, 4, 8 and 12)
  • Krystal Morris – vocal percussion (sampling) (track 1)
  • Cully Symington – drums (tracks 1, 2, 3 and 5)

Production

Charts

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Sales chart performance for X: The Godless Void and Other Stories
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[14] 67
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[15] 19
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[16] 83

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead – X: The Godless Void And Other Stories". AllMusic. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c "…And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead Preview New Album With 'Don't Look Down'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead Announce New Album, Share Song: Listen". Pitchfork. 14 November 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead mark 25th anniversary with new album, share "Don't Look Down": Stream". Consequence of Sound. 14 November 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Berman, Stuart (January 24, 2020). "...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead: X: The Godless Void And Other Stories". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  6. ^ "X: The Godless Void And Other Stories – ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead". Metacritic. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  7. ^ Phares, Heather. "X: The Godless Void And Other Stories – ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead". AllMusic. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  8. ^ Ramirez, Alejandra (February 21, 2020). "...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead – X: The Godless Void And Other Stories". Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  9. ^ Goggins, Joe (January 17, 2020). "...AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD – X: THE GODLESS VOID AND OTHER STORIES". DIY. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  10. ^ Klemp, Kevin (January 14, 2020). "...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead – X: The Godless Void And Other Stories". Exclaim!. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  11. ^ Brannigan, Paul (February 5, 2020). "ALBUM REVIEW: …AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD – X: THE GODLESS VOID AND OTHER STORIES". Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  12. ^ Blum, Jordan (January 13, 2020). "...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead: X: The Godless Void And Other Stories". PopMatters. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  13. ^ "...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead – X: The Godless Void And Other Stories". Metacritic. January 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2020.
  14. ^ "Austriancharts.at – ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead – X - The Godless Void and Other Stories" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  15. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead – X: The Godless Void and Other Stories" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  16. ^ "Swisscharts.com – ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead – X - The Godless Void and Other Stories". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 20, 2020.