Obsidian is the second studio album by American electronic musician Baths, released on May 28, 2013 by Anticon.[1] The album was preceded by the single "Miasma Sky" released on March 6, 2013.[2]
| Obsidian | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 28, 2013 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 43:16 | |||
| Label | Anticon | |||
| Producer | Baths | |||
| Baths chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Obsidian | ||||
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Obsidian received generally positive acclaim from critics and gained a title of "best new music" by Pitchfork.[1] It also peaked at number fifteen and sixteen on Billboard's Top Dance/Electronic Albums and Heatseekers Albums respectively.[3][4]
Background edit
Will Wiesenfield started work on some tracks of Obsidian before his debut album Cerulean. During touring and promotion of his first album, he became seriously ill with a serious case of E. coli. Wiesenfield said he "got really sad and sort of felt this momentum to try and make this darker record". He commented that behind the music, "there’s a very distorted, raw state of mind" and explained that "it's this dichotomy. It's pop music, but it’s tragic and dark.”[5]
Critical reception edit
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.4/10[6] |
| Metacritic | 76/100[7] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| Clash | 8/10[9] |
| Consequence of Sound |  [10] |
| DIY | 7/10[11] |
| Exclaim! | 9/10[12] |
| Fact | [13] |
| PopMatters |   [14] |
| Pitchfork | 8.6/10[1] |
| Slant Magazine | [15] |
| Sputnikmusic | 4.0/5[16] |
Obsidian received positive reviews from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 76, based on 22 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[17] Ian Cohen of Pitchfork praised the album saying "the gregarious and genial Wiesenfeld has created a more subversive work by getting uncomfortably close to pop."[18] Vincent Pollard rated the album 9 out of 10, while writing in his review that "Obsidian is a gorgeous suite of electronic pop songs that will draw you in and stay with you for days on end."[12] Slant Magazine described the music on the album as IDM.[15] PopMatters's Robin Smith stated that Obsidian is a "self-sufficient synth-pop record in the vein of the Postal Service’s Give Up, ploughing through its songs and laying his beats as paths for stories."[14]
Track listing edit
All tracks are written by Will Wiesenfeld
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Worsening" | 4:26 |
| 2. | "Miasma Sky" | 4:34 |
| 3. | "Ironworks" | 4:40 |
| 4. | "Ossuary" | 3:52 |
| 5. | "Incompatible" | 4:40 |
| 6. | "No Eyes" | 4:14 |
| 7. | "Phaedra" | 4:52 |
| 8. | "No Past Lives" | 3:40 |
| 9. | "Earth Death" | 4:34 |
| 10. | "Inter" | 3:50 |
| Total length: | 43:16 | |
Charts edit
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Top Dance/Electronic Albums[3] | 15 |
| Heatseekers Albums[4] | 16 |
Personnel edit
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Obsidian.[19]
Musicians edit
|
Technical personnel edit
Artwork edit
|
References edit
- ^ a b c Cohen, Ian (May 28, 2013). "Baths: Obsidian". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
- ^ Minsker, Evan (March 6, 2013). "Baths Announces New Album Obsidian, Shares Track "Miasma Sky", Tours With the Postal Service". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
- ^ a b "Baths - Chart history - Top Dance/Electronic Albums". Billboard. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
- ^ a b "Baths - Chart history - Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
- ^ Reese, Nathan (May 29, 2013). "Baths, After the Eruption - Interview Magazine". Interview. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
- ^ "Obsidian by Baths reviews". AnyDecentMusic?.
- ^ "Obsidian Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
- ^ Phares, Heather. "Obsidian - Baths". Allmusic.com. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
- ^ French, Matthew (May 22, 2013). "Baths - Obsidian". Clash. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
- ^ Geffen, Sasha (May 29, 2013). "Album Review: Baths – Obsidian". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
- ^ Young, Martyn (June 30, 2013). "Baths - Obsidian". DIY. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
- ^ a b Pollard, Vincent (May 24, 2013). "Baths - Obsidian". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
- ^ Kelly, Chris (May 31, 2013). "Obsidian Review". Factmag.com. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
- ^ a b Smith, Robin (May 29, 2013). "Baths: Obsidian - PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
- ^ a b Liedel, Kevin (May 27, 2013). "Baths: Obsidian". Slantmagazine.com. Retrieved June 3, 2013.
- ^ indigonowhere (April 29, 2013). "Baths - Obsidian (album review 2)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
- ^ "Obsidian – Baths". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
- ^ Cohen, Ian (May 28, 2013). "Baths: Obsidian". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
- ^ Obsidian (liner notes). Baths. Anticon. 2013. ABR0138.
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