Complete Mountain Almanac

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Complete Mountain Almanac
A series of tiny, circular paintings on a cream background
Studio album by
Complete Mountain Almanac
ReleasedJanuary 27, 2023 (2023-01-27)
StudioStudio Saint Germain, Paris, France
Genre
Length46:33
LanguageEnglish
LabelBella Union
Producer

Complete Mountain Almanac is the 2023 debut album by Complete Mountain Almanac, an Americana supergroup. The concept album, built around each song telling the story of a month,[2] has garnered critical praise.

Reception[edit]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Complete Mountain Almanac received "" based on a weighted average score of positive out of 100 from seven critic scores.[3] Editors at AllMusic rated this album 4 out of 5 stars, with critic Timothy Monger writing this "is a deeply nuanced record of layers and unseen details that only reveal themselves with time".[4] In Loud and Quiet, Tristan Gatward rated this album an 8 out of 10, calling it "a means of greeting even the smallest, most passing experience with importance", with "humanity", a "commitment to uncertainty" and music that "never falls into melodrama", as a "testament to its creators".[5] Mojo's Keiron Tyler called this release "delicate yet powerful, and utterly compelling" and gave it 4 out of 5 stars.[6] At musicOMH, Ben Hogwood scored this release 4.5 out of 5 stars, writing that "the album has a rarefied beauty, a gentle but marked intensity, that makes itself immediately known to the listener".[7] Writing for No Ripcord, David Coleman rated this release an 8 out of 10, exhorting readers to listen with headphones, as this is "a superficially pretty album, but you’ll need to afford it your full attention to unearth its full charms and appreciate its emotional depth".[8] At Sputnikmusic, Sunnyvale gave Complete Mountain Almanac 4.3 out of 5 cautioning that it "probably isn’t a release with the greatest possible appeal across a broad swath of listeners" due to its genre's nicheness and "not-so-vague “hippie” vibes which will repel a certain type of music fan".[9] Nigel Williamson of Uncut gave this album an 8 out of 10, calling it "an intense juxtaposition of the intimate and the universal framed in beguiling chamber-folk arrangements".[1] Editors at AllMusic included this on their list of favorite folk and Americana albums of 2023.[10]

Track listing[edit]

All music written by Rebekka Karijord and all lyrics by Jessica Dessner.

  1. "January" – 4:33
  2. "February" – 5:10
  3. "March" – 3:03
  4. "April" – 4:01
  5. "May" – 3:59
  6. "June" – 5:07
  7. "July" – 2:40
  8. "August" – 3:43
  9. "September" – 4:34
  10. "October" – 3:03
  11. "November" – 3:18
  12. "December" – 3:22

Personnel[edit]

Complete Mountain Almanac

Additional personnel

  • Pauline DeLassus – vocals
  • Aaron Dessner – bass guitar, guitar, keyboards, programming, mixing at Long Pond, production
  • Bryce Dessner – guitar, piano, string arrangement, production
  • Jon Ekstrand – synthesizer
  • Maria Holmstrom – vocals
  • Luke Jarvis – layout design
  • Joe Lambert – mastering
  • Benjamin Lanz – horn
  • Baptiste Leroy – assistant engineering
  • Jon Low – mixing
  • Bastien Lozier – engineering
  • Malmö Symphony Orchestra – orchestra
  • Jonas Nydesjo – conducting

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Williamson, Nigel (February 2023). "New Albums". Uncut. p. 26. ISSN 1368-0722.
  2. ^ Thomson, Graeme (October 25, 2023). "Complete Mountain Almanac reveal the creative process of their self-titled album". Features > Interviews. Uncut. ISSN 1368-0722.
  3. ^ "Complete Mountain Almanac by Complete Mountain Almanac Reviews and Tracks – Metacritic". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. n.d. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  4. ^ Monger, Timothy (n.d.). "Complete Mountain Almanac – Complete Mountain Almanac". AllMusic. RhythmOne. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  5. ^ Gatward, Tristan (February 7, 2023). "Complete Mountain Almanac". Reviews. Loud and Quiet. ISSN 2049-9892. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  6. ^ Tyler, Kieron (February 2023). Bulley, Jenny (ed.). "Filter Albums". Mojo Filter. Mojo. No. 352. p. 92. ISSN 1351-0193.
  7. ^ Hogwood, Ben (January 27, 2023). "Complete Mountain Almanac – Complete Mountain Almanac". Album Reviews. musicOMH. ISSN 2516-6220. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  8. ^ Coleman, David (February 2, 2023). "Complete Mountain Almanac: Complete Mountain Almanac". Music Reviews. No Ripcord. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  9. ^ Sunnyvale (January 23, 2023). "Review: Complete Mountain Almanac – Complete Mountain Almanac". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved October 23, 2023.
  10. ^ "Favorite Folk & Americana Albums". AllMusic. RhythmOne. n.d. Retrieved December 14, 2023.

External links[edit]