Sing Sing Death House is the second studio album by the American punk rock band The Distillers, released in 2002 on Hellcat Records. The song "Seneca Falls" was featured in the game Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 and is a reference to the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848.
| Sing Sing Death House | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 29, 2002 | |||
| Recorded | April 2001 | |||
| Studio | Westbeach Recorders, Hollywood, CA | |||
| Genre | Punk rock | |||
| Length | 28:43 | |||
| Label | Hellcat | |||
| Producer | The Distillers | |||
| The Distillers chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Kerrang! | [2] |
| Rolling Stone | (favorable)[3] |
Recording and production edit
Sing Sing Death House was recorded in a week. Production was rushed as the band was supposed to have the album completed within two weeks. However, after their engineer disappeared during the recording sessions, the band was forced to rush the album to meet deadlines. Following its completion, Epitaph delayed its release for nine months.[4]
Composition and lyrics edit
The lyrics on Sing Sing Death House are more direct than on the band's self-titled debut album. This came about due to criticism of the album's nonsensical lyrics in a review written by The Village Voice,[5] which greatly affected Brody. Brody called the review "scathing and hilarious and life-altering", but was grateful for the review's honesty. [6]
Critical reception edit
Andrew Bregman from AllMusic noted the album is "a story with an uncharacteristic ending that punks born of squalor can rise up and create music as impassioned and relatively positive as this", also calling it "authentic". In a 2003 piece called "Bands to Watch," Tim Kenneally from Spin wrote, "the band conjures the spirit of ’77 with razor-bladeriffery while [Brody] shouts about urban blight, school shootings, and her troubled youth".[7]
Track listing edit
All tracks written by Brody Dalle except where noted.
- "Sick of it all" – 3:10
- "I am a Revenant" – 3:28
- "Seneca Falls" – 3:01
- "The young crazed Peeling" – 3:16
- "Sing Sing Death House" – 1:43
- "Bullet & the Bullseye" – 1:12
- "City of Angels" – 3:29
- "Young Girl" – 2:42
- "Hate me" (Dalle, Mazzola) – 1:10
- "Desperate" – 1:22
- "I understand" – 1:47
- "Lordy Lordy" – 2:19
Personnel edit
- Brody Dalle – guitar, vocals
- Casper Mazzola – guitar, vocals
- Andy Outbreak – drums
- Ryan Sinn – bass, vocals
Production
- The Distillers – producers
- Donnell Cameron – engineer
- Dave Carlock – engineer
- Kevin Guarnieri – engineer, mixing
- Brett Gurewitz – engineer, mixing
- Brody Dalle – artwork
- Andy Outbreak – artwork
- C.F. Martin – layout design, construction
- Paul Miner – layout design, construction
- Knowles Allen – photography
Charts edit
| Chart (2002) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Top Independent Albums | 29 |
References edit
- ^ AllMusic review
- ^ Alexandra, Rae (February 2, 2002). "Trouble Brewing | Albums". Kerrang! (889). EMAP: 50. ISSN 0262-6624.
- ^ "The Distillers: Sing Sing Death House : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 18, 2007. Retrieved August 12, 2007.
- ^ "Distillers' punk comes equipped with fangs". The Morning Call. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
- ^ "So this Guy walks into a Bar..." The Village Voice. December 12, 2000. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
- ^ Garber-Paul, Elisabeth; Garber-Paul, Elisabeth (October 30, 2020). "Brody Dalle on the Distillers' Debut at 20: 'I Was Trying to Find My Sea Legs'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
- ^ "Bands To Watch: The Distillers | SPIN". Spin. July 23, 2003. Archived from the original on November 19, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
External links edit
- Sing Sing Death House at AllMusic. Retrieved November 14, 2016.