Bounty (album)

Last updated

Bounty
Iamamiwhoami - bounty.png
Studio album by
Released3 June 2013 (2013-06-03)
Recorded2010–2011
Genre
Length43:22
Label
Director Robin Kempe-Bergman
Producer Claes Björklund
Iamamiwhoami chronology
Kin
(2012)
Bounty
(2013)
Blue
(2014)

Bounty (stylised in all lowercase) is the second studio album by Swedish audiovisual project iamamiwhoami, led by singer and songwriter Jonna Lee. Originally produced and released as a series of singles throughout 2010 and 2011, it was later released as an album on 3 June 2013 on Lee's label To whom it may concern. and distributed by Cooperative Music. The first music video from Bounty, titled "B", was released on 14 March 2010 on iamamiwhoami's YouTube channel, after which followed "O", "U-1", "U-2", "N", "T" and "Y". Digital singles were released shortly after each music video is uploaded to YouTube. The titles collectively formed the word "bounty". While it was assumed that these songs solely consisted of Bounty's track listing, in 2011 two more singles and music videos, "; John" and "Clump", were released and were not confirmed as belonging to Bounty until June 2012 when iamamiwhoami's YouTube channel grouped them into a playlist named Bounty along with the previous tracks mentioned.

Contents

On 4 December 2012, iamamiwhoami's label website To whom it may concern. was updated with a note on the front page which stated "20130603 – iamamiwhoami; bounty", forecasting a physical release of the Bounty series. This was confirmed on the very next day when the "Release" section of the website displayed Bounty's album cover art, along with its track listing. Aside from a digital release, the album was released in two physical formats—a CD and DVD bundle and an LP and DVD bundle.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 71/100 [1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Consequence of Sound C+ [3]
DIY 6/10 [4]
Drowned in Sound 7/10 [5]
musicOMH Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]

Bounty received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 71, based on seven reviews. [1] Heather Phares of AllMusic wrote that "there's a lot to enjoy" on the album, adding that "bounty was made to create mystique and interest, and it still does that even after iamamiwhoami's secret wasn't one anymore." [2] Aaron Payne of musicOMH lauded the album as "wonderfully idiosyncratic" and viewed it as "an album to be continually surprised by, for those who already know it as well as those who don't, especially if it's given the chance to perform on video as well as vinyl." [6]

Sasha Geffen of Consequence of Sound opined, "As spectacular as the visuals are, the project's core is the music", calling Bounty "a lively collection of electro-pop that does lots with its limited palette." [3] Jon Clark of Drowned in Sound commented, "It may be somewhat on the lofty, artistic side, but bounty manages somehow to avoid ostentation; it is largely elegant, grounded and rewarding." [5] Julia Sachs of Slug implied that "with their dreamy vocals and experimental pop sound, iamamiwhoami deliver an album that will please many different types of music lovers. [7] In a mixed review, Tom Watts of DIY described the album as "a joyful exploration of synthy soundscapes and haunting vocals", but concluded that "bounty is a record that, whilst great to vibe out to, kind of feels a little stitched together piecemeal." [4]

Promotion

As with Kin, the group embarked upon a worldwide tour in order to promote the album, including their first North American performances.

DateCityCountryEvent
Europe
19 May 2013 Barcelona SpainRazzmatazz
30 May 2013 London England Electric Brixton
1 June 2013 Dublin IrelandForbidden Fruit Festival
30 June 2013 Moscow Russia Park Live Festival
12 July 2013 Trenčín Slovakia Pohoda
19 July 2013 Gräfenhainichen GermanyMelt! Festival
21 July 2013 Southwold England Latitude Festival
18 August 2013 Gdańsk PolandSoundrive Festival
22 September 2013 Oakdale United StatesSymbiosis Gathering
24 September 2013 Brooklyn Brooklyn Masonic Temple

Track listing

All lyrics written by Jonna Lee; all tracks written by Lee and Claes Björklund.

No.TitleLength
1."B"3:29
2."O"6:37
3."U-1"2:39
4."U-2"3:41
5."N"4:35
6."T"4:39
7."Y"6:37
8."; John"6:39
9."Clump"4:27

Notes

Personnel

Credits adapted from To whom it may concern. website. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonna Lee (singer)</span> Swedish musician (born 1981)

Jonna Emily Lee is a Swedish singer, songwriter, record producer and visual director. Lee is the creator and artist of audiovisual online project iamamiwhoami who since 2009 have released their audiovisual series online, gathering a huge online following. Since her first solo album, she has collaborated with music producer and artist Claes Björklund who is also a member of iamamiwhoami. In 2017, Lee started using the moniker ionnalee for her new solo project. In February 2018 she released her debut solo album, Everyone Afraid to Be Forgotten. With the album she also created her own world tour co funded by her fans via Kickstarter. The tour sold out their venues all over the world during 2018. ionnalee remixed Moby's "The Ceremony of Innocence" which was released in December 2018, and in February, her sophomore solo album Remember the Future was announced with the release date 31 May 2019.

iamamiwhoami Swedish singer-songwriter

iamamiwhoami is an electronic music and audiovisual project led by Swedish singer-songwriter Jonna Lee in collaboration with producer Claes Björklund. Since 2009, the project has released a series of audiovisual works on their YouTube channel, which has garnered an international following. Visual collaborators include Swedish director Robin Kempe-Bergman and the visual collective Wave, which comprises Lee and cinematographer John Strandh, along with former member Agustín Moreaux.

<i>Kin</i> (iamamiwhoami album) 2012 album by iamamiwhoami

Kin is the debut studio album by Swedish audiovisual project iamamiwhoami, led by singer and songwriter Jonna Lee. It was released on 11 June 2012 on Lee's label To whom it may concern. and distributed by Cooperative Music. Formats include digital, CD, LP and DVD. The album's lead single "Sever" was released digitally on 15 February 2012, followed by the release of each of the album's tracks once every fortnight throughout the spring of 2012. The physical DVD of Kin contains all the music videos which play together as a 45-minute film.

<i>Secondhand Rapture</i> 2013 studio album by MS MR

Secondhand Rapture is the debut studio album by American duo MS MR, released on May 14, 2013 by Columbia Records. The album was written and produced by MS MR with additional production and mixing done by Tom Elmhirst. The album features the singles "Hurricane", "Fantasy" and "Think of You". Secondhand Rapture peaked at number 116 on the Billboard 200 and sold 3,500 copies during its first week. To promote the record, the band toured across North America.

<i>Rave Tapes</i> 2014 studio album by Mogwai

Rave Tapes is the eighth studio album by Scottish post-rock band Mogwai, released on 20 January 2014 on Rock Action Records in the UK, and the following day in the USA on Sub Pop. The album was released on vinyl, MC, CD, high resolution digital download and as part of a limited edition box set. In the first week of release the album charted at number 10 in the UK Album Charts and number 2 in the Scottish Album Charts. An EP of unreleased tracks from the Rave Tapes sessions along with remixes of three tracks was released on 1 December 2014 on Rock Action titled Music Industry 3. Fitness Industry 1..

<i>Angel Guts: Red Classroom</i> (album) 2014 studio album by Xiu Xiu

Angel Guts: Red Classroom is the ninth studio album by Xiu Xiu, released on February 4, 2014. It was released in the US via Polyvinyl Records and in the UK via Bella Union. The album was recorded in the Los Angeles home studio of lead vocalist Jamie Stewart, and in the Dallas, Texas studio of producer John Congleton.

<i>Blue</i> (iamamiwhoami album) 2014 album by iamamiwhoami

Blue is the third studio album by Swedish audiovisual project iamamiwhoami, led by singer and songwriter Jonna Lee. It was released on 7 November 2014 on Lee's label To whom it may concern. The album was announced on 8 July 2014 through a trailer on YouTube, and on the same day, it was made available for pre-order on To whom it may concern.'s website. Blue was musically produced by Claes Björklund and visually directed by Swedish collective Wave, with costume design by Mathieu Mirano.

<i>Concert in Blue</i> 2015 live album by iamamiwhoami

Concert in Blue is an in-studio live performance installation, also released as film, by Swedish audiovisual project iamamiwhoami, led by singer-songwriter Jonna Lee. It was released on 2 September 2015 in both physical and digital formats. The album was announced on 30 April 2015 through the website of Lee's label, To whom it may concern, and on the same day, it was made available for pre-order via the same website. The live show of Concert In Blue was recorded on 29 April 2015. The concert also sees the release of the first new iamamiwhoami song since 2014, titled "The Deadlock", which was the first single released from the album on 2 September 2015.

<i>Let It Be You</i> (album) 2016 studio album by Joan As Police Woman and Benjamin Lazar Davis

Let It Be You is a collaborative studio album by Joan As Police Woman and Benjamin Lazar Davis, released on October 21, 2016 by Reveal Records. The release was preceded by the single "Broke Me in Two". Music videos were released for "Broke Me in Two" and "Overloaded", both featuring comedian Fred Armisen. The duo followed the release by a UK tour.

<i>World Eater</i> 2017 studio album by Blanck Mass

World Eater is the third studio album by British musician Benjamin John Power, under his musical project Blanck Mass. It was released on 3 March 2017 by Sacred Bones Records.

<i>Okovi</i> 2017 studio album by Zola Jesus

Okovi is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Zola Jesus. It was released on September 8, 2017 by Sacred Bones Records. The album was written in Danilova's hometown in Wisconsin, where she retreated after dealing with depression and dark times experienced by her close friends.

<i>Everyone Afraid to Be Forgotten</i> 2018 studio album by ionnalee

Everyone Afraid to Be Forgotten is the third studio album by Swedish singer Jonna Lee. It is her first album under the moniker ionnalee. The album was released on 16 February 2018 via Lee's own record label To whom it may concern. and distributed by Kobalt. It was preceded by seven singles that were released throughout 2017 and early 2018: "Samaritan", "Not Human", "Simmer Down", "Gone", "Dunes of Sand", "Joy" and "Work".

<i>Remember the Future</i> (Jonna Lee album) 2019 studio album by ionnalee

Remember the Future is the fourth studio album by Swedish singer Jonna Lee. It was released on 31 May 2019 by her own record label To whom it may concern. It has spawned the lead single "Open Sea" released on 8 February 2019, "Some Body" released on 26 April 2019 and "Remember the Future" released on 24 May 2019. It features contributions from her iamamiwhoami collaborator, Claes Björklund, as well as Röyksopp, Zola Jesus and Jennie Abrahamson.

<i>Vol. 4: Slaves of Fear</i> 2019 studio album by Health

Vol. 4: Slaves of Fear is the fourth studio album by American noise rock band Health. It was released on February 8, 2019 through Loma Vista Recordings. The album was largely praised by critics.

<i>Soil</i> (album) 2018 studio album by Serpentwithfeet

Soil is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Serpentwithfeet. It was released on June 8, 2018, by Secretly Canadian and Tri Angle.

<i>Put the Shine On</i> 2020 studio album by CocoRosie

Put the Shine On is the seventh studio album by American musical group CocoRosie, released by Marathon Artists on March 13, 2020.

<i>Modern Anxiety</i> 2020 studio album by Josef Salvat

Modern Anxiety is the second studio album by Australian singer and songwriter Josef Salvat. It was released on 15 May 2020 through Sony Music, succeeding his 2016 debut album Night Swim.

<i>In Concert</i> (iamamiwhoami album) 2010 live album by iamamiwhoami

In Concert is the first live audiovisual performance installation by Swedish audiovisual project iamamiwhoami, and also their first full-length release. The performance video was streamed on the website of the project's independent label, To whom it may concern., on 16 November 2010, and released as a digital album on 4 December, the same year, the project's one-year anniversary. For the project's seven-year anniversary, in 2016, the film was made available for download and streaming, and released on DVD on 17 April 2017.

<i>Sketchy</i> (album) 2021 studio album by Tune-Yards

Sketchy is the fifth studio album by American indie pop band Tune-Yards. It was released on March 26, 2021, through 4AD.

<i>Be Here Soon</i> (iamamiwhoami album) 2022 studio album by iamamiwhoami

Be Here Soon is the fourth studio album by Swedish audiovisual project iamamiwhoami, consisting of singer and songwriter Jonna Lee and record producer Claes Björklund. It was released on 3 June 2022 on Lee's label To whom it may concern. It is the first studio album from the project in eight years.

References

  1. 1 2 "bounty by Iamamiwhoami Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic . Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  2. 1 2 Phares, Heather. "bounty – iamamiwhoami". AllMusic . Retrieved 20 June 2013.
  3. 1 2 Geffen, Sasha (17 June 2013). "iamamiwhoami – bounty". Consequence of Sound . Retrieved 20 June 2013.
  4. 1 2 Watts, Tom (2013). "iamamiwhoami – bounty". DIY . Archived from the original on 24 June 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
  5. 1 2 Clark, Jon (12 June 2013). "iamamiwhoami – bounty". Drowned in Sound . Archived from the original on 15 June 2013. Retrieved 20 June 2013.
  6. 1 2 Payne, Aaron (2013). "iamamiwhoami – bounty". musicOMH . Retrieved 20 June 2013.
  7. Sachs, Julia (4 June 2013). "Review: Iamamiwhoami – Bounty". Slug . Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  8. "iamamiwhoami; bounty". To whom it may concern.