| Atlas | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 4, 2014 | |||
| Recorded | June–November, 2013 [1] | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 38:18 | |||
| Label | Domino | |||
| Producer | Tom Schick | |||
| Real Estate chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Atlas | ||||
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Atlas is the third studio album by the American indie rock band Real Estate, released on March 4, 2014, on Domino Records. [2] It was their first album recorded with the drummer Jackson Pollis and keyboard player Matt Kallman, and the last with the lead guitarist and founding member Matt Mondanile.
After touring for the album Days was finished, in late 2012 Real Estate took a break. While guitarist Mondanile and bass guitarist Alex Bleeker worked on their respective solo projects, lead singer and guitarist Martin Courtney married and was busy writing songs, which was something that he had started while touring. The band then spent winter and spring working on songs, taking up a total of eight to nine months on songwriting before recording commenced. [3] In mid-2012 and throughout 2013, the band featured new material in their shows. [4]
A friend of Real Estate suggested the album be produced by Jim O'Rourke, [5] an idea which intrigued the band since they were fans of his work on Wilco's seminal album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot , and felt that his production style would fit with the "clean record" that they wanted to make. [3] As the band was certain that working together would be unlikely given O'Rourke's enigmatic nature, [6] their label proposed working with Tom Schick instead. Schick had co-produced Wilco's most recent album, The Whole Love , and was also the house engineer at The Loft, Wilco's studio in Chicago, Illinois. Since Wilco would be on tour, they gave Real Estate permission to record at the studio and use their gear, the first time for any band without Wilco's presence. [7]
After mostly recording Days as a three-piece of Courtney, Mondanile and Bleeker, the addition of drummer Jackson Pollis – who had played with Real Estate since 2011 – enabled them to record basic tracks live as opposed to overdubbing tracks one by one. [8] Before recording started, the band decided to add more sophisticated keyboard parts to be played by someone more proficient. Jonah Maurer, who joined Real Estate along with Pollis for the Days tour and performed several of the new songs live during his time in the band, had moved on to join Titus Andronicus. [9] As a result, they recruited Matt Kallman, formerly of Girls, and had him write his own parts with a little direction. [3] [10] At one point, Wilco leader Jeff Tweedy visited the studio to witness the band recording several takes of a song that received glowing enthusiasm from him, but ultimately did not make the album. [11]
The album was recorded over the summer and fall of 2013 at The Loft in Chicago and the Magic Shop in New York City. [12] The album was also mixed at the Magic Shop. The album was subsequently mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound in New York City with the bonus tracks being mastered by Joe Lambert at Joe Lambert Mastering.
The artwork for the album comes from a mural painted by the Polish artist Stefan Knapp for the former department store chain Alexander's in Paramus, New Jersey.
The mural has since been disassembled following the close of Alexander's and the Bergen Museum of Art & Science's purchase of the mural. While various suggestions to the non-profit organization concerning its potential location have amassed, the mural was only recently put on display in Paterson, New Jersey, at the Art Factory in June 2015. The mural has yet to find a replacement location. The Valley Hospital in Paramus will display sections of this mural in future.
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.4/10 [13] |
| Metacritic | 78/100 [14] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [15] |
| The A.V. Club | C+ [16] |
| The Guardian |  [17] |
| Mojo | [18] |
| NME | 8/10 [19] |
| The Observer | [20] |
| Pitchfork | 8.8/10 [21] |
| Q | [22] |
| Rolling Stone |  [23] |
| Spin | 7/10 [24] |
Atlas received widespread acclaim 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 78, based on 33 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". [14] The album was recognized as one of The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far by Pitchfork in August 2014. [25]
The album debuted at number 34 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. [26]
All tracks are written by Martin Courtney, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Had to Hear" | 4:51 | |
| 2. | "Past Lives" | 4:33 | |
| 3. | "Talking Backwards" | 3:08 | |
| 4. | "April's Song" | Matthew Mondanile | 3:32 |
| 5. | "The Bend" | 5:12 | |
| 6. | "Crime" |
| 3:16 |
| 7. | "Primitive" | 4:15 | |
| 8. | "How Might I Live" | Alex Bleeker | 2:28 |
| 9. | "Horizon" | 3:11 | |
| 10. | "Navigator" | 3:36 | |
| Total length: | 38:18 | ||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "The Chancellor" | 3:47 |
| 12. | "Recreation" | 3:44 |
| Total length: | 45:49 | |
Technical
Design
| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA) [27] | 66 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [28] | 73 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [29] | 172 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [30] | 67 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA) [31] | 36 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [32] | 60 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [33] | 43 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC) [34] | 7 |
| US Billboard 200 [35] | 34 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard) [36] | 6 |
Wilco is an American rock band based in Chicago. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo after singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently during its first decade, with only singer Jeff Tweedy and bassist John Stirratt remaining from the original incarnation. Since early 2004 the lineup has been unchanged, consisting of Tweedy, Stirratt, guitarist Nels Cline, multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone, keyboard player Mikael Jorgensen, and drummer Glenn Kotche. Wilco has released thirteen studio albums, a live double album, and four collaborations: three with Billy Bragg and one with the Minus 5.
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Wilco, released on April 23, 2002. Recording sessions for the album began in late 2000. These sessions, which were documented for the film I Am Trying to Break Your Heart, were marred by conflicts including a switch in drummers and disagreements among the band members and engineers about songs. Despite this, the album would be mostly completed in early 2001. The album showcased a more atmospheric and experimental sound than the band's previous work, and has been described as art rock and indie rock by music critics. It was the band's first album with drummer Glenn Kotche, and last with multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Jay Bennett.
A Ghost Is Born is the fifth studio album by the American rock band Wilco, released on June 22, 2004, by Nonesuch Records. It features singer Jeff Tweedy on lead guitar more than any previous Wilco album. The band streamed the album online free, and offered a five-song EP to purchasers.
Jeffrey Scot Tweedy is an American musician, singer songwriter, author, and record producer best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist of the band Wilco. Tweedy, originally from Belleville, Illinois, began his music career in high school with his band The Plebes along with Jay Farrar, also in the band. It became the alternative country band Uncle Tupelo.
Sky Blue Sky is the sixth studio album by the American rock band Wilco, released on May 15, 2007 by Nonesuch Records. Originally announced on January 17, 2007 at a show in Nashville, Tennessee, it was the band's first studio album with guitarist Nels Cline and multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone. Before its release, the band streamed the entire album on its official website and offered a free download of "What Light".
Wilco (The Album) is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Wilco, released on June 30, 2009, by Nonesuch Records. Prior to release, Wilco streamed the album on their website. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Americana Album.
Real Estate is an American indie rock band from Ridgewood, New Jersey, United States, formed in 2008. The band is currently based in Brooklyn, New York, and consists of Martin Courtney, Alex Bleeker, Matt Kallman (keyboards), Julian Lynch (guitar), and Sammi Niss (drums).
Real Estate is the debut album by American indie rock band Real Estate, released on November 17, 2009 on Woodsist.
Martin Courtney IV is an American musician and the frontman of the American indie rock band Real Estate.
Matthew Anthony Mondanile is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American indie rock band Real Estate, with whom he recorded three studio albums, and for his solo music project Ducktails.
The Flower Lane is the fourth studio album by the American indie rock project Ducktails, released on January 28, 2013 on Domino. Co-produced by Matt Mondanile and Al Carlson, The Flower Lane was the first Ducktails album to be recorded in a full studio environment.
Alexander William Bleeker is an American musician. He is best known as the bassist and occasional lead vocalist of the indie rock band Real Estate, with whom he has recorded six studio albums. He is also the frontman and primary recording artist of the indie rock band Alex Bleeker and the Freaks, with who he has recorded three studio albums.
Many Moons is the debut solo album by Martin Courtney, the frontman of the American indie rock band Real Estate, released on October 30, 2015 on Domino Records.
Schmilco is the tenth studio album by the American rock band Wilco, released on September 9, 2016, by dBpm Records. Wilco announced the album on July 19, 2016, and released two songs, "Locator" and "If I Ever Was a Child". The album's announcement came a little more than a year after their previous studio album, Star Wars.
In Mind is the fourth studio album by American indie rock band Real Estate, released on March 17, 2017, on Domino Records. It is the band's first album since founding member Matt Mondanile's departure, and the first with his replacement as lead guitarist, Julian Lynch.
Together at Last is the first solo album by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy. It was released on June 23, 2017 by dBpm Records. It marks the first release of a proposed retrospective series titled Loft Acoustic Sessions that will see Tweedy revisit songs from Wilco's catalog, as well as from his Golden Smog and Loose Fur side projects.
Ode to Joy is the eleventh studio album by the American rock band Wilco, released on October 4, 2019, by dBpm Records. The release has received positive reviews.
The Main Thing is the fifth studio album by the American indie rock band Real Estate, released on February 28, 2020 on Domino Records. The album was produced by Kevin McMahon, who had previously worked with the band on their second album, Days (2011).
Cruel Country is the twelfth studio album by the American rock band Wilco, released on May 27, 2022, by dBpm Records. A double album, Cruel Country sees the band fully embracing their country music leanings. It was supported with the release of two singles: "Falling Apart " and "Tired of Taking It Out on You". On release, the album received critical acclaim and debuted at number 190 on the US Billboard 200.
Daniel is the sixth studio album by the American indie rock band Real Estate, released on February 23, 2024, on Domino. Produced by Daniel Tashian, the album was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, and is the band's first with drummer Sammi Niss, who joined the band in 2020.
