In Prism is Polvo's fifth studio album, and their first since 1997's Shapes. It was recorded by Brian Paulson and was released on Merge Records on September 8, 2009.[11] The track "Beggar's Bowl" was streamed online.[12]
| In Prism | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 8, 2009 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock, math rock, progressive rock | |||
| Length | 49:22 | |||
| Label | Merge Records | |||
| Producer | Brian Paulson, Polvo | |||
| Polvo chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 79/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| The A.V. Club | B+[4] |
| The Boston Globe | [3] |
| Filter | 74%[1] |
| Pitchfork Media | 8.1/10[5] |
| PopMatters |   [6] |
| Spin | [7] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | [9] |
| Tom Hull | B+( )[10] |
| Under the Radar | [8] |
Reception edit
In Prism received a Metacritic score of 79 based on 14 reviews, indicating a generally favorable critical reception. Jason Lymangrover of AllMusic writes: "Polvo's first studio album since 1997's Shapes, 2009's In Prism is a solid return to mathy form. Although 12 years is a long hiatus, it's hardly noticeable that time has passed, with the exception of a few machinery and personnel updates [...] Along with getting mathy and ultra-precise, the band takes the opposite approach and elongates passages, stretching songs into psychedelic space rock territory and surpassing the eight-minute mark on several occasions. As an album, In Prism may not quite live up to the explosiveness of Today's Active Lifestyles -- it's more like the calmer (and produced) Shapes. But even if it's not their best ever, it's a valid comeback that should appease longing fans." Despite a middling score, John Everheart of Under the Radar called it "a sprawling, psychedelic masterwork, rife with knotty tangles of discordance and serpentine riffs." Stuart Berman of Pitchfork wrote: "In Prism could be the first Polvo album where the melodies leave as lasting an impression as the noise around them, with Bowie tapping into a more guileless mode of expression that rarely revealed itself before."
Track listing edit
- "Right the Relation" - 5:36
- "D.C. Trails" - 6:57
- "Beggar's Bowl" - 5:01
- "City Birds" - 5:21
- "Lucia" - 8:15
- "Dream Residue/Work" - 5:48
- "The Pedlar" - 3:37
- "A Link in the Chain" - 8:47
Personnel edit
Polvo are credited as the primary artists & producers. The remaining credits are adapted from AllMusic:
- Chris Eubank - Cello
- River Guerguerian - Percussion
- Brian Paulson - Engineer, Mixing, Producer
- Alan Douches - Mastering
- Julian Dreyer - Assistant Engineer
- Michael Klayman - Photography
- Ashley Worley - Photography
- Gordon Zacharias - Photography
References edit
- ^ a b "In Prism by Polvo" – via www.metacritic.com.
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ "Polvo, 'In Prism'". Boston.com – via The Boston Globe.
- ^ "Polvo: In Prism". Music. 8 September 2009.
- ^ "Polvo: In Prism". Pitchfork.
- ^ "Polvo: In Prism". PopMatters. September 9, 2009.
- ^ "SPIN". September 2009.
- ^ Everhart, John. "In Prism". www.undertheradarmag.com.
- ^ "Polvo - in Prism | MUSIC REVIEWS | Tiny Mix Tapes". Archived from the original on 2009-09-14. Retrieved 2016-05-29.
- ^ "Tom Hull: Grade List: Polvo".
- ^ "Pitchfork: Polvo Sign to Merge for Reunion Album". pitchfork.com. Archived from the original on June 11, 2009.
- ^ "Premiere: Polvo: "Beggar's Bowl" | News". Pitchfork. 2009-06-18. Retrieved 2012-02-24.