Drawing the Target Around the Arrow | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | January 19, 2017 | |||
Recorded | 2012–2016 [1] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 60:41 | |||
Label | Pannonica | |||
Producer | Caroline Polachek | |||
CEP chronology | ||||
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Drawing the Target Around the Arrow is the second album by American singer-songwriter and producer Caroline Polachek, her only one under the name CEP. It is Polachek's first release since the breakup of her band Chairlift just one month prior. The project was released on January 19, 2017 by Pannonica, (an imprint of Bella Union), as a surprise album. The album was announced by a tweet on January 18, and the album was released as a free download the next day. [3] The album was promoted with a concert at National Sawdust with a twelve-person vocal choir. [4]
Drawing the Target Around the Arrow differs from Polachek's earlier work in that it consists solely of minimal instrumental tracks. Polachek crafted the album using raw sine waves, as she had been growing bored of how "genre-specific" music had become and wanted to strip it down to its basic parts. She was also drawn to the idea of creating "useful" music to wake up or do work to. The album's title comes from 18th century Jewish Lithuanian preacher Dubno maggid, in explaining how he comes up with his fables. As Polachek summarized, "It's about honoring your impulses and working with what you have in front of you." [4]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Pitchfork | 7.0/10 [1] |
Thea Ballard of Pitchfork called the composition "generally unobtrusive, and the individual tracks often run together" and that "perhaps the most satisfying aspect of this release is its definitively non-linguistic form of expression". [1]
All tracks are written by and produced by Caroline Polachek. [5]
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Lilian's Pavilion" | 2:57 |
2. | "Doves" | 1:37 |
3. | "Hive Dream" | 2:05 |
4. | "Borg Pillow" | 5:36 |
5. | "Low Tide" | 3:52 |
6. | "Water" | 1:53 |
7. | "Up the Flagpole" | 4:07 |
8. | "Missed Exit" | 2:14 |
9. | "Black Background" | 2:27 |
10. | "Vertical Sunset" | 2:22 |
11. | "Valley Hum" | 4:24 |
12. | "Singalong" | 5:12 |
13. | "It Can Wait" | 3:19 |
14. | "Pupil" | 5:32 |
15. | "Window Seat" | 3:23 |
16. | "Sleeping Fish" | 2:52 |
17. | "Verge of Crying" | 2:24 |
18. | "You Are Here" | 3:36 |
Total length: | 60:41 |
Chairlift was an American synth-pop band formed by Caroline Polachek and Aaron Pfenning. They formed the band in 2005 while living in Boulder, Colorado, and Patrick Wimberly joined them when they moved to Brooklyn, New York, in 2007. The three released their debut album Does You Inspire You in 2008. Pfenning left the band in 2010, and the new duo released two more albums—2012's Something and 2016's Moth—before announcing the end of Chairlift in December 2016.
Héloïse Adélaïde Letissier, known professionally as Christine and the Queens and Redcar, or occasionally simply Chris, is a French singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Nantes, he started learning piano at the age of four and found inspiration in one of London's clubs while studying. Letissier released a series of extended plays (EPs) throughout 2011–2013.
Caroline Elizabeth Polachek is an American singer, producer, and songwriter. Raised in Connecticut, Polachek cofounded the indie pop band Chairlift while studying at the University of Colorado. The duo emerged from the late-2000s Brooklyn music scene with the sleeper hit "Bruises". In 2014, she released her first solo project, Arcadia, as Ramona Lisa. Under CEP, she released Drawing the Target Around the Arrow in 2017.
Jonathan Patrick Wimberly is an American record producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer and mixing engineer best known as being one-half of the synth-pop duo Chairlift. The band parted ways in 2017 so Wimberly and former bandmate Caroline Polachek could focus on their careers as producers/songwriters.
Alexander Guy Cook is an English music producer and the head of the UK record label PC Music. Cook released his first solo singles in 2014. He has also collaborated with PC Music artists such as Hannah Diamond, GFOTY, EASYFUN, Danny L Harle and felicita. He formed the one-off project QT with musician Sophie and performance artist Hayden Dunham, producing the 2014 single "Hey QT".
Hayden Frances Dunham is a performance artist, designer, singer, songwriter and DJ. They grew up in Austin, Texas and attended the Gallatin School of Individualized Study at NYU.
Daniel Jack Eisner Harle is a British music producer and composer who records under the name Danny L Harle. He was formerly signed to the London-based PC Music label and is a member of Dux Content with A. G. Cook. He has produced, composed, and remixed music for a number of artists; most prominently, he executive produced Caroline Polachek's 2019 album Pang and 2023 album Desire, I Want to Turn Into You. He released his debut album Harlecore (2021) through the label Mad Decent, featuring collaborations with Polachek, Hudson Mohawke, and Lil Data.
Alexandra Drewchin, known professionally as Eartheater, is an American multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer and vocalist. Born in Pennsylvania to a Russian father and an English mother, she is currently based in Queens and has been performing since 2009. Her music has been released on independent labels Hausu Mountain and PAN.
Arcadia is the debut album by American singer-songwriter and producer Caroline Polachek, her only one under the name Ramona Lisa. It was released on April 15, 2014 through Terrible Records in North America, Bella Union imprint Pannonica in Europe and Japan, and Mistletone in Australia and New Zealand. The album was promoted by the singles "Arcadia", "Backwards and Upwards", and "Dominic".
Dominik Dvorak, known by their stage name felicita, is an English record producer and DJ based in London. They came to prominence through early collaborations with Nabihah Iqbal, Palmistry and Sophie. In 2014, they released the Frenemies EP with Gum Artefacts on digital platforms and vinyl.
"Door" is a song by American singer-songwriter and producer Caroline Polachek from her third studio and major-label debut album Pang. It was released as the lead single from the album on June 19, 2019. Polachek's imprint label under The Orchard is called Perpetual Novice after a line in "Door". The song is the first release by Polachek under her own name, having previously released music under "Ramona Lisa", "CEP", and as part of the band "Chairlift". The song was written and produced by Polachek, Dan Nigro and Jim-E Stack and Danny L Harle. "Door" was released alongside a psychedelic-inspired music video.
Pang is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter and producer Caroline Polachek, the first under her own name. It was released by Sony Music, The Orchard, and Polachek's imprint Perpetual Novice on October 18, 2019. The album received critical acclaim from and was placed on several critics' year-end lists, topping Dazed's list. Commercially, Pang peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart and number 40 on the Independent Albums chart, making it Polachek's first charting solo album.
The discography of American singer-songwriter and producer Caroline Polachek consists of four studio albums, one remix album, one instrumental album, two extended plays, 13 singles, and seven promotional singles. Polachek previously released music under the names Ramona Lisa and CEP, before releasing her debut album under her real name in 2019. She also issued three albums as a member of the band Chairlift, from 2008 to 2016.
Magic Oneohtrix Point Never is the ninth studio album by American electronic producer Daniel Lopatin, under his alias Oneohtrix Point Never, released on October 30, 2020, via Warp. The album draws on a psychedelic radio aesthetic strongly inspired by Magic 106.7, the mondegreen namesake of Lopatin's project, and was recorded during COVID-19 lockdowns, between March and July 2020.
"New Shapes" is a song by English singer Charli XCX, featuring French singer Christine and the Queens and American singer Caroline Polachek. It was released on 4 November 2021 as the second single from XCX's fifth studio album, Crash (2022). The song has been described as an '80s-inspired synth-pop, indie pop, and electro-funk track.
Crash is the fifth studio album by British singer Charli XCX, released on 18 March 2022. It was her last album to be released under her record contract with Asylum Records. Charli announced the album title, release date, and artwork on 4 November 2021. Her website was also updated with information about the album's 2022 tour. The album was preceded by the four singles "Good Ones", "New Shapes" featuring Christine and the Queens and Caroline Polachek, "Beg for You" featuring Rina Sawayama, "Baby" and two promotional singles, "Every Rule" and "Used to Know Me", the latter released as the fifth single in April 2022.
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Clearing is the debut studio album of multidisciplinary artist Hayden Dunham, under their musical alias Hyd. It was released on November 11, 2022, via PC Music. The album was many years in the making, with songs being premiered live as far back as 2018. Material from the album was recorded on Spanish island Lanzarote, which Hyd has stated served as strong inspiration for the album's natural and environmental themes and soundscapes. The album features contributions from the late Sophie, as well as A. G. Cook, Jónsi, and Caroline Polachek, among others.
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