Homeland is the seventh studio album by Laurie Anderson, released in 2010. A loose concept album about life in the United States, it was her first album of new material since 2001's Life on a String.
| Homeland | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 22, 2010 | |||
| Recorded | 2007–2010 | |||
| Studio | Masterdisk (New York City) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 66:00 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Laurie Anderson chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Homeland | ||||
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The record was produced by Anderson, Lou Reed and Roma Baran. Anderson began touring the project in late 2007. The album was originally slated for release in 2008. Because the project kept changing in form, the release was pushed back several times. The final release in 2010 was a two-disc set consisting of a CD of music and a DVD.
The song "Only an Expert" was released as a 12" vinyl single on May 18, 2010. A song titled "Pictures and Things" was the single's B-side.[1]
The album's last track "Flow" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance in 2011.
The heavily eyebrowed, mustachioed character is named Fenway Bergamot.
Critical reception edit
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.3/10[2] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Drowned in Sound | 8/10[4] |
| Los Angeles Times | [5] |
| musicOMH | [6] |
| Pitchfork | 8.3/10[7] |
| PopMatters | [8] |
| Rolling Stone |  [9] |
| Slant Magazine | [10] |
| Robert Christgau |  [11] |
The Wire magazine said that Homeland "reminds us why Anderson, now in her sixties, is the (modulated) voice of America's conscience."[12]
Margaret Wappler of The Los Angeles Times wrote of the album, "'Homeland' isn't so much an album as it is a poetic capturing of the still moments of a restless mind".[5]
Track listing edit
All tracks are written by Laurie Anderson, except where noted
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Transitory Life" | 6:52 | |
| 2. | "My Right Eye" | 4:58 | |
| 3. | "Thinking of You" | 4:12 | |
| 4. | "Strange Perfumes" | 4:45 | |
| 5. | "Only an Expert" | 7:26 | |
| 6. | "Falling" |
| 3:20 |
| 7. | "Another Day in America" | 11:24 | |
| 8. | "Bodies in Motion" | 7:10 | |
| 9. | "Dark Time in the Revolution" | 5:14 | |
| 10. | "The Lake" | 5:39 | |
| 11. | "The Beginning of Memory" | 2:45 | |
| 12. | "Flow" | 2:14 | |
| Total length: | 65:59 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Lost Art of Conversation" | 3:50 |
| 14. | "Only an Expert" (Tech Support Glitch Mix) | 3:19 |
| Total length: | 73:08 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Homeland: The Story of the Lark" | 41:00 |
| 2. | "Laurie's Violin" | 7:00 |
| Total length: | 48:00 | |
Personnel edit
- Laurie Anderson – vocals, keyboards, percussion, violin (on tracks 3, 7, 12), radio (9)
- Peter Scherer – keyboards
- Rob Burger – keyboards (2-5, 8, 9), orchestron (2-3, 8), accordion (3, 4, 9, 10), marxophone (4)
- Eyvind Kang – viola
- Tuvan group Chirgilchin (Aidysmaa Koshkendey, Igor Koshkendey, Mongoun-Ool Ondar) – vocals (1, 11), igil (1)
- Lou Reed – additional percussion (2), guitar (5)
- Anohni – vocals (4), background vocals (7)
- Shahzad Ismaily – percussion (4)
- Kieran Hebden – keyboards (5)
- Omar Hakim – drums (5)
- Skúli Sverrisson – bass (7, 9), guitar (8)
- Ben Wittman – drums, percussion (7)
- John Zorn – alto saxophone (8, 11)
- Lolabelle – piano (8)
- Joey Baron – drums (9)
- Mario J. McNulty – percussion (11)
- Technical
- Produced by Laurie Anderson with Lou Reed and Roma Baran
- Engineered by Laurie Anderson, Patrick Dillett, Mario J. McNulty and Marc Urselli
- Mixed by Mario J. McNulty
- Mastered by Scott Hull at Masterdisk, New York, NY
- Andrew Zuckerman - cover photography
DVD
- Directed by Braden King
- Produced by Katie Stern Truckstop Media
Charts edit
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | German Albums Chart | 62 |
| 2010 | Greek Album Charts | 41 |
References edit
- ^ Only an Expert by Laurie Anderson
- ^ "Homeland by Laurie Anderson reviews". AnyDecentMusic?.
- ^ Jurek, Thom. "Homeland - Laurie Anderson". AllMusic.
- ^ Kinchin-Smith, Sam (July 1, 2010). "Album Review: Laurie Anderson - Homeland". Drowned in Sound.
- ^ a b Wappler, Margaret (June 21, 2010). "Album review: Laurie Anderson's 'Homeland'". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Harvey, Darren (June 21, 2010). "Laurie Anderson - Homeland". musicOMH.
- ^ Howe, Brian (June 21, 2010). "Laurie Anderson: Homeland Album Review". Pitchfork.
- ^ Hart, Ron (June 14, 2010). "Laurie Anderson: Homeland". PopMatters.
- ^ Walters, Barry (June 22, 2010). "Homeland". Rolling Stone.
- ^ Henderson, Eric (July 22, 2010). "Review: Laurie Anderson, Homeland". Slant Magazine.
- ^ Christgau, Robert. "Album: Laurie Anderson: Homeland".
- ^ The Wire Magazine, UK, June 2010
- ^ "Homeland (Deluxe Version) by Laurie Anderson on Apple Music". Apple Music.