Dark Bird Is Home
| Dark Bird Is Home | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 12 May 2015 | |||
| Genre | Folk | |||
| Length | 41:53 | |||
| Language | English | |||
| Label | Dead Oceans | |||
| Producer | Kristian Matsson | |||
| The Tallest Man on Earth chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Dark Bird Is Home | ||||
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Dark Bird Is Home is the fourth LP by The Tallest Man on Earth. It was released on CD, digital and vinyl on May 12, 2015 through the label Dead Oceans.[1] The album is the first in his discography to feature a full band playing on almost every track.
Background[edit]
The songs of the album were recorded in various countries, studios, and barns, and are said to "carry a weather-worn quality, some dirt and some grit."[2] BJ Burton announced via his Instagram page that production on the album had begun in July 2014 and concluded in September 2014.[3][4] The album is said to be Matsson's most personal and direct piece of work, inspired by the death of a close family member and by the divorce from his wife, singer-songwriter Amanda Bergman.[5][6] A trailer for the album was released on February 10, 2015, with Matsson proclaiming that "this is not the end, this is fine".[7]
Critical reception[edit]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 75/100[8] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [9] |
| The A.V. Club | B−[10] |
| Consequence of Sound | B+[11] |
| Drowned in Sound | 8/10[12] |
| Exclaim! | 8/10[13] |
| The Guardian | [14] |
| Mojo | [15] |
| Paste | (8.5/10)[16] |
| PopMatters | 8/10[17] |
| Pitchfork | 6.7/10[18] |
| Q | [15] |
Dark Bird Is Home received positive reviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 75, based on 21 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[8]
Commercial performance[edit]
The album debuted in the United States at No. 1 on Folk Albums, No. 8 on Top Rock Albums, and No. 67 on Billboard 200, with 8,000 sold in its first week.[19]
Track listing[edit]
All tracks are written by Kristian Matsson
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fields of Our Home" | 4:29 |
| 2. | "Darkness of the Dream" | 5:02 |
| 3. | "Singers" | 3:09 |
| 4. | "Slow Dance" | 3:39 |
| 5. | "Little Nowhere Towns" | 3:30 |
| 6. | "Sagres" | 5:15 |
| 7. | "Timothy" | 4:19 |
| 8. | "Beginners" | 3:16 |
| 9. | "Seventeen" | 4:09 |
| 10. | "Dark Bird Is Home" | 5:05 |
| Total length: | 41:53 | |
Personnel[edit]
- Kristian Matsson – banjo, bass guitar, clarinet, drums, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, harmonica, alto horn, omnichord, pedal steel guitar, percussion, piano, synthesizer, tape machine, tom-tom drum, vocals, backup vocals
- Oskar Bond – piano
- BJ Burton – engineer, mixing, producer
- C.J. Camerieri – french horn, trumpet
- Bird Coulter – piano
- Dan Huiting – bass guitar
- Mike Lewis – bass guitar, piano, soprano saxophone, saxophone, synthesizer
- Huntley Miller – mastering
- Niclas Nordin – drums, percussion
- Mike Noyce – electric guitar, viola, violin, vocals, backup vocals
- Mats Winkvist – bass guitar
- Cameron Wittig – photography
Charts[edit]
| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[20] | 98 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[21] | 69 |
| US Folk Albums (Billboard)[22] | 1 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[23] | 8 |
| US Billboard 200[24] | 67 |
References[edit]
- ^ "The Tallest Man on Earth Returns With New Album Dark Bird Is Home". Pitchfork.
- ^ "The Tallest Man on Earth | ryman.com". Archived from the original on 2015-02-26. Retrieved 2015-02-26.
- ^ "BJ Burton on Instagram: "this happening with @spkmatsson"". Instagram.
- ^ "BJ Burton on Instagram: "end of chapter with the best man on earth"". Archived from the original on 2015-02-27. Retrieved 2015-02-27.
- ^ "Album announced". deadoceans.com. 2015. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
- ^ Gallagher, Caitlin (May 11, 2015). "Q&A: The Tallest Man on Earth's 'Dark Bird Is Home' Was Almost 'Too Personal'". Spin.
- ^ "The Tallest Man On Earth – 'Dark Bird Is Home' (Album Trailer)". YouTube. 2015-02-10. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
- ^ a b "Dark Bird Is Home – The Tallest Man on Earth". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ^ "Dark Bird Is Home – The Tallest Man on Earth". Allmusic. 2015-05-12. Retrieved 2015-05-21.
- ^ "Bigger isn't better for The Tallest Man On Earth". Music.
- ^ Corcoran, Nina (2015-05-06). "Album Review: The Tallest Man on Earth – Dark Bird Is Home". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2015-05-21.
- ^ Langham, Matt. The Tallest Man on Earth – Dark Bird Is Home Archived 2015-05-18 at the Wayback Machine. Drowned in Sound. 07 May 2014. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
- ^ Sylvester, Daniel (2015-05-12). "The Tallest Man on Earth – Dark Bird Is Home". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2015-05-21.
- ^ Sullivan, Caroline. The Tallest Man on Earth: Dark Bird Is Home review – a sumptuous drivetime cocoon of soft rock. The Guardian. 07 May 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
- ^ a b "Dark Bird Is Home by The Tallest Man on Earth" – via www.metacritic.com.
- ^ Prado, Ryan J. (May 12, 2015). "The Tallest Man on Earth: Dark Bird Is Home: Music Reviews". Paste. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ^ Whitelock, Ed. The Tallest Man on Earth: Dark Bird Is Home. PopMatters. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
- ^ Larson, Jeremy D.. The Tallest Man on Earth: Dark Bird Is Home. Pitchfork Media. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
- ^ Emily White (May 21, 2015). "X Ambassadors' 'Renegades' Rises, Tallest Man on Earth Debuts on Rock Charts". Billboard.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (16 May 2015). "ARIA Albums: Ed Sheeran X Returns To Number 1". Noise11. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
- ^ "Tallest Man on Earth | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
- ^ "The Tallest Man on Earth Chart History (Top Americana/Folk Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ "The Tallest Man on Earth Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ "The Tallest Man on Earth Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
