A Badly Broken Code

Last updated
A Badly Broken Code
Dessa A Badly Broken Code cover.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJanuary 19, 2010 (2010-01-19)
Genre
Length47:19
Label Doomtree
Producer
Dessa chronology
False Hopes
(2005)
A Badly Broken Code
(2010)
Castor, the Twin
(2011)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The A.V. Club A− [1]
Robert Christgau A− [2]
HipHopDX 4/5 [3]
Tiny Mix Tapes Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]

A Badly Broken Code is the debut studio album by Dessa, a member of Minneapolis indie hip hop collective Doomtree. It was released by Doomtree Records in 2010.

Contents

The album title comes from a line in the poem "Nostalgia" by American poet Billy Collins. [5]

Reception

Jakob Dorof of Tiny Mix Tapes gave the album 4 stars out of 5, saying, "The result is likely one of the best hip-hop songs you'll hear this year, let alone from the rare type of MC that manages to be white, female, and supremely talented all in one." [4]

The A.V. Club listed it as the 20th best album of 2010. [6] In 2010, City Pages listed it as the "Best Local Album of the Past 12 Months". [7]

The track "The Bullpen" was frequently used as walk out music at rallies by Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar during her 2020 Democratic presidential primaries campaign.

Track listing

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Children's Work"MK Larada3:12
2."Poor Atlas" Dessa 1:38
3."The Crow" Lazerbeak 3:38
4."Dixon's Girl"MK Larada2:43
5."Mineshaft II" Cecil Otter 3:41
6."The Chaconne" (featuring Matthew Santos) Paper Tiger 4:42
7."Matches to Paper Dolls"Big Jess3:31
8."Go Home"Paper Tiger3:32
9."Seamstress"MK Larada3:59
10."Dutch"Lazerbeak3:20
11."The Bullpen"Paper Tiger2:36
12."Momento Mori"
  • MK Larada
  • Dessa
2:18
13."Crew"Paper Tiger2:56
14."Alibi"Paper Tiger3:03
15."Into the Spin"
  • Andrew 'Ronin' Lucas
  • Dessa
2:35

Charts

ChartPeak
position
US Heatseekers Albums ( Billboard ) [8] 13
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums ( Billboard ) [9] 48
US Rap Albums ( Billboard ) [10] 22

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References

  1. Koski, Genevieve (February 23, 2010). "Dessa: A Badly Broken Code". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on February 25, 2010. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  2. Christgau, Robert. "CG: Dessa". Robert Christgau . Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  3. Tardio, Andres (February 1, 2010). "Dessa - A Badly Broken Code". HipHopDX . Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  4. 1 2 Dorof, Jakob. "Dessa - A Badly Broken Code". Tiny Mix Tapes . Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  5. Walsh, Makena (March 29, 2011). "Breaking The Code: A Q&A With Indie Rap Songstress Dessa". The Creators Project. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  6. "The best music of 2010". The A.V. Club . December 8, 2010. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  7. "A Badly Broken Code by Dessa - Best Local Album of the Past 12 Months". City Pages . 2010. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  8. "Dessa - Chart history - Heatseekers Albums". Billboard . Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  9. "Dessa - Chart history - Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard . Retrieved April 4, 2016.
  10. "Dessa - Chart history - Rap Albums". Billboard . Retrieved April 4, 2016.