| IX (...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead album) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 17 October 2014 | |||
| Recorded | Sonic Ranch | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 47:37 (standard edition) 73:07 (deluxe edition) | |||
| Label | Richter Scale Superball Music | |||
| Producer | Chris "Frenchie" Smith | |||
| ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead chronology | ||||
| ||||
IX is the ninth studio album by the Austin, Texas alternative rock rock band ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, released October 17, 2014, on Superball Music.
Jason Reece explained in an interview that the band was going for a record consisting of many instrumental tracks. Several instrumentals were written, but ended up writing songs that "had a more personal lyrical bent", departing from the last album's very aggressive and political lyrics. As for the sound, it was inspired by Slave Ambient and Lost in the Dream , both records by The War on Drugs: "This layered Krautrock kind of vibe. We were thinking of Echo And The Bunnymen, Ocean Rain. These dense and bigger sounding albums. We were kind of into some 80’s music, Psychedelic Furs. Which is funny cause we’re not really a band that’s into the new wave sound, I don’t think we’ve ever made an 80’s sounding record. That’s kind of what we were jamming out to, the early 80’s sounds. Going for more of a Peter Gabriel thing, where you don’t use any cymbals, heavy toms and stuff like that were sort of the things we were kind of touching upon." [1]
 | This section needs expansionwith: Summary of reviews. You can help by adding to it. (December 2014) |
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 75/100 [2] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [3] |
| Clash | 7/10 [4] |
| Consequence of Sound | B− [5] |
| DIY | [6] |
| Exclaim! | 7/10 [7] |
| NME | 8/10 [8] |
| Pitchfork Media | 7.2/10 [9] |
| PopMatters | 7/10 [10] |
| The Skinny | [11] |
| Sputnikmusic | 3/5 [12] |
Reviews for IX were mostly positive upon release, with an Metacritic average of 75/100, indicating generally favorable reviews.
A review in Pitchfork stated,
While the band may have struggled in the past to reconcile their post-hardcore roots with their art-rock ambitions*,* more often than not, "IX" marks the spot. [13]
In MXDWN , Elliot Greiner wrote,
For a band that started out in post-punk and somehow wandered into the feathery territory of art-rock, "IX" is a mediocre answer to a career’s worth of solid material. While not terrible, it is a far shot from all right, and an even farther shot from (some of) what they’ve put out in the past. [14]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Doomsday Book" | 3:32 |
| 2. | "Jaded Apostles" | 4:05 |
| 3. | "A Million Random Digits" | 3:08 |
| 4. | "The Lie Without a Liar" | 3:22 |
| 5. | "The Ghost Within" | 3:15 |
| 6. | "The Dragonfly Queen" | 2:57 |
| 7. | "How to Avoid Huge Ships" | 4:47 |
| 8. | "Bus Lines" | 6:09 |
| 9. | "Lost in the Grand Scheme" | 7:26 |
| 10. | "Like Summer Tempests Came His Tears" | 3:42 |
| 11. | "Sound of the Silk" | 5:18 |
| Total length: | 47:37 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Keep Warm Fire" | 2:27 |
| 13. | "Feelings and How to Destroy Them" | 3:30 |
| Total length: | 53:34 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Tao of the Dead Part III" I. "Gods We Really Are" | 19:27 |
| Total length: | 1:13:07 | |
| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [16] | 168 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [17] | 63 |
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Slint was an American rock band from Louisville, Kentucky, formed in 1986, after the dissolution of two local bands, Squirrel Bait and Maurice. The band consisted of Brian McMahan, David Pajo (guitar), Britt Walford, Todd Brashear, and Ethan Buckler. Though little known during their original run, they have retrospectively gained a cult following and critical acclaim as one of the pioneers of post-rock and math rock.
...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, are an American alternative rock band from Austin, Texas, formed in 1994. The band's earliest stable lineup consisted of Conrad Keely, Jason Reece, Kevin Allen and Neil Busch, though for most of the band's history Keely and Reece were the core members with other musicians serving for varying lengths of time. Trail of Dead had a cult following and were known for their energetic and protracted live performances. Between 1998 and 2023, the band released eleven studio albums and five EPs along with one live album and twenty-two singles. The artwork for all of the albums was created by Keely using various media. This artwork has recurring mythical and historical themes.
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Conrad Keely is a musician, artist, and writer known primarily as the lead singer for the American rock band ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead.
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The Century of Self is the sixth studio album by ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead.
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Tao of the Dead is the seventh studio album by Texas rock band ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. The first single, "Summer of All Dead Souls", was posted on Spin.com on November 11, 2010, and later on SoundCloud. The digital single released officially on November 29. The album released on CD digipak format, including a limited edition two-disc booklet with 30 minutes of bonus music.
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Lost Songs is the eighth studio album by Austin, Texas art rock outfit ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, released October 22, 2012 on Superball Music.
Reflektor is the fourth studio album by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire, released on October 28, 2013, through Sonovox Records internationally and Merge Records in the United States. A double album, it was recorded between 2011 and 2013 at studios in Montreal, Jamaica, and Louisiana. It was co-produced by LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy, regular Arcade Fire producer Markus Dravs, and the band themselves.
To Be Kind is the thirteenth studio album by American experimental rock band Swans, released on May 12, 2014. It was released as a triple LP, a double CD, and a two-CD deluxe edition that includes a live DVD of performances from Hellfest Open Air Festival, Pitchfork Music Festival and Primavera Sound Festival, as well as a digital download. Critical reception of the album was very positive, continuing a string of well-received albums from the band. The album peaked at number 37 on US Billboard 200, and debuted at number 38 on the UK Albums Chart. Both are the highest chartings that Swans had ever achieved on a studio album and it is the first time that the band cracked the top 40 in both countries.
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