| Aa | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 18, 2016 | |||
| Recorded | 2014–2016 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 33:27 | |||
| Label | LuckyMe | |||
| Producer |
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| Baauer chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Aa | ||||
Aa (pronounced "double a" [1] [2] [3] ) is the debut studio album by American record producer Harry Rodrigues, under his alias Baauer, released by LuckyMe on March 18, 2016. It has guest features by Future, G-Dragon, Leikeli47, M.I.A., Novelist, Pusha T, Rustie, Tirzah and TT the Artist.
That song ["Harlem Shake"] gave me the opportunity to travel the world. The whole world. And in doing so learnt more about music than I could have ever imagined. But more so than anything I discovered, what makes a sound special to me is its imperfections, its peculiarities. I spent the last couple years trying to get all of those imperfections into one record, and I think finally it makes sense.
- Rodrigues, 2016 [3]
After Rodrigues' debut single, "Harlem Shake", spawned numerous Internet memes, he stated that "it became corny and annoying as fuck". [4] He also stated: "I didn't want to be an EDM producer and I still don't want to be". [5]
The album is named after Rodrigues' stage name, Baauer. [6] [7] He said: "I have two A's in my name, and also the first release I did on LuckyMe was ß, so this is gonna be Aa and in the future I'll do a U, and then ER". [7]
Rodrigues recorded the album in Glasgow, Japan and the United Arab Emirates [8] for "at least two years". [6]
Aa is an electronic, [9] trap, [10] bass [11] and hip hop [10] [12] album. It is also influenced by M.I.A. and tribal music. [8] [12]
The artwork was designed by Jonathan Zawada and Dominic Flannigan. [13] [14] It depicts a tree rising from an upturned motorcycle helmet, which is a reference to the "Harlem Shake" music videos. [8]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.4/10 [15] |
| Metacritic | 76/100 [16] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [17] |
| Clash | 5/10 [18] |
| Consequence of Sound | B [11] |
| Exclaim! | 9/10 [19] |
| The Guardian | [20] |
| Pitchfork | 7.3/10 [9] |
| Q | [16] |
| Resident Advisor | 3.3/5 [21] |
| Rolling Stone Australia | [22] |
| The Skinny | [12] |
At review aggregate site Metacritic, Aa has an average score of 76 out of 100, based on 11 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [16]
| Publication | Accolade | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Billboard | 10 Best Dance/Electronic Albums of 2016 [23] | 9 |
| Complex | 50 Best Albums of the Year [24] | 35 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Church" | 1:45 |
| 2. | "GoGo!" | 3:14 |
| 3. | "Body" | 3:31 |
| 4. | "Pinku" | 2:05 |
| 5. | "Sow" | 3:11 |
| 6. | "Day Ones" (featuring Novelist and Leikeli47) | 2:51 |
| 7. | "Good & Bad" | 1:09 |
| 8. | "Way from Me" (featuring Tirzah) | 3:17 |
| 9. | "Temple" (featuring M.I.A. and G-Dragon) | 3:05 |
| 10. | "Make It Bang" (featuring TT the Artist) | 3:20 |
| 11. | "Kung Fu" (featuring Pusha T and Future) | 2:34 |
| 12. | "Church Reprise" (featuring Rustie) | 1:32 |
| 13. | "Aa" | 1:15 |
| Total length: | 33:27 | |
| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA) [27] | 52 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [28] | 11 |
| US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard) [29] | 3 |
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