All About Chemistry

Last updated

All About Chemistry
Semisonic - All About Chemistry (Blue Cover).jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 13, 2001
StudioSeedy Underbelly Studio, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Genre Alternative rock, power pop
Length51:41
Label MCA
Producer Semisonic, Dan Wilson
Semisonic chronology
Feeling Strangely Fine
(1998)
All About Chemistry
(2001)
You're Not Alone
(2020)
Singles from All About Chemistry
  1. "Chemistry"
    Released: January 8, 2001
  2. "Get a Grip"
    Released: 2001
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 69/100 [1]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
The A.V. Club Positive [3]
Chicago Tribune Average [4]
Dotmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Entertainment Weekly A− [6]
NME 3/10 [7]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [1]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Spin 5/10 [1]
Wall of Sound60/100 [9]

All About Chemistry is the third studio album by American rock band Semisonic, released on March 13, 2001, through MCA Records. With this release, the band failed, at least in America, to capitalize on the momentum it had generated with the song "Closing Time" from their previous album, Feeling Strangely Fine . This had a softer edge than Feeling Strangely Fine and was not as popular with the fans. By 2002, the album had sold 58,000 copies, [10] and its poor sales partially led to the band going on an unofficial hiatus.[ citation needed ] However, it has a five star rating by Q Magazine . The track "Chemistry" was featured on the soundtrack for 40 Days and 40 Nights .

Contents

The song "One True Love" was co-written by the band's singer/guitarist, Dan Wilson and music legend Carole King. The song "Get a Grip" is an ode to masturbation. The title track was included on the album "Nolee Mix" which was released to promote the My Scene dolls.

The special edition of the album features cover art with orange (or pink in the UK) fluid in the vials instead of the blue fluid of the original. It includes two bonus tracks, "Girlfriend" and "Ordinary Life"; instead of being tacked onto the end, they appear between "Get a Grip" and "Surprise."

Critical reception

Q listed All About Chemistry as one of the best 50 albums of 2001. [11]

Track listing

All songs written by Dan Wilson, except where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Chemistry" 4:08
2."Bed" 4:05
3."Act Naturally" 3:42
4."She's Got My Number" 5:02
5."Follow" 3:44
6."Sunshine & Chocolate" 3:35
7."Who's Stopping You?" John Munson, Wilson3:06
8."I Wish" 7:56
9."One True Love"Wilson, Carole King 3:51
10."Get a Grip" 3:35
11."Surprise" 3:48
12."El Matador" Jacob Slichter 5:08

Charts

Chart (2001)Peak
position
Canadian Albums Chart 125
U.S. Billboard 200 103

Personnel

Guest musicians

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Critic Reviews for All About Chemistry". Metacritic . Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  2. Allmusic review
  3. Rabin, Nathan (February 13, 2001). "Semisonic: All About Chemistry". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  4. Kot, Greg (April 15, 2001). "Train Drops of Jupiter (Columbia); Semisonic All About Chemistry (MCA)". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  5. Browne, Nichola (March 1, 2001). "Semisonic - 'All About Chemistry' (MCA)". Dotmusic. Archived from the original on June 27, 2001. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  6. Tucker, Ken (March 16, 2001). "All About Chemistry Review". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on September 8, 2007. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  7. Segal, Victoria (March 6, 2001). "NME Album Reviews - Semisonic : All About Chemistry". NME . Retrieved December 22, 2011.
  8. Moon, Tom (March 16, 2001). "Semisonic: All About Chemistry". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on July 26, 2008.
  9. Wright, Anders. "All About Chemistry". Wall of Sound. Archived from the original on March 30, 2001. Retrieved April 3, 2013.
  10. Archive-David-Basham. "Got Charts? Sympathy For Mariah, 2001's Biggest Flops, Nine Inch Nails' Chart Algebra". MTV News. Archived from the original on July 29, 2022. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  11. "The Best 50 Albums of 2001". Q. December 2001. pp. 60–65.