Little Machines | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 19, 2014 | |||
Recorded | 2013 - March 2, 2014 Los Angeles, CA Vancouver, BC [1] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 38:33 50:09 (with bonus tracks) | |||
Label | Warner Bros. | |||
Producer | ||||
Lights chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Little Machines | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [2] |
Idolator | [3] |
Popmatters | 4/10 [4] |
Rock Sound | 7/10 [5] |
Little Machines is the third studio album by Canadian electropop singer-songwriter Lights, released on September 19, 2014, through Warner Bros. Records. It was preceded in July 2014 by the release of its lead single "Up We Go", which debuted on the Canadian Hot 100 at number 84. In October 2014, Little Machines debuted on the Canadian Albums Chart at number five, and on the US Billboard 200 at number 34. [6] [7] The album sold 8,500 copies in its first week in Canada. [8] On March 15, 2015, 'Little Machines' won the 'Pop Album of the Year' award at the 2015 Juno Awards. [9] The album title comes from a lyric in the song "Running with the Boys".
After promoting the acoustic version of her second studio album, Siberia, in 2013, Lights returned to the studio to work on new material. On Little Machines, Lights was inspired by bold female artists including Björk, Kate Bush, and Patti Smith, while also wanting to remain accessible. [10] Critics have noted the more lighthearted nature of lead single "Up We Go" in comparison to the grittier, more experimental dubstep-pop of Siberia, which is indicative of the sonic direction of the album as a whole. [11] [12]
In an interview with Billboard , Lights explained that while she felt like taking risks on Siberia, Little Machines was more about creating great "incredible songs that everyone can sing along to and lyrically latch onto" and then putting them together as an album. [10] Working with producer Drew Pearson and Mark "Spike" Stent, Lights captured a "timeless electronic sound" and found herself lyrically gravitating towards themes of nostalgia and naivety. [1] Lights has described the album as "a triumph after a hard dry spell" and "a complete journey, from front to back", noting that during the recording process she found herself "[turning] to poetry, art and female songwriting legends ... and just enjoying [herself] again." [1]
Lights recorded the album while pregnant with her first child and noted that for certain songs she had to alter the way she sang due to her diaphragm muscles tightening. [13] She recorded the vocals to the song "Muscle Memory" while in the early stages of labor which required her to take multiple breaks. [13]
Little Machines was made available for pre-order on July 22, 2014, with lead single "Up We Go" also available for purchase at that time. [14] The announcement came after a ten-day countdown on Lights' official social media pages. [12] To promote the album, Lights toured in the US during the fall, starting October 24 in Portland, Maine. [14]
"Up We Go" was released to digital retailers and Canadian radio on July 22, 2014. [14] It was serviced to modern rock radio in the United States on September 9. [15] It debuted at No. 84 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 for the week of August 9, and at No. 42 on the Canada CHR/Top 40 airplay chart for the week of September 13. [16] [17] The official music video premiered September 3. [18]
"Running with the Boys" was released as the second countdown single on September 9, 2014. [10] It was subsequently serviced to Canadian radio in January 2015 as the second official single off the album. [19] The music video debuted January 30, 2015. [20]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Portal" | Lights Poxleitner | 4:28 |
2. | "Running with the Boys" |
| 4:12 |
3. | "Up We Go" |
| 2:51 |
4. | "Same Sea" |
| 3:28 |
5. | "Speeding" |
| 3:27 |
6. | "Muscle Memory" |
| 3:37 |
7. | "Oil and Water" |
| 3:12 |
8. | "Slow Down" |
| 3:24 |
9. | "Meteorites" |
| 3:22 |
10. | "How We Do It" | Poxleitner | 3:05 |
11. | "Don't Go Home Without Me" | Poxleitner | 3:27 |
Total length: | 38:33 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
12. | "Child" |
| 3:49 |
13. | "Lucky Ones" (featuring Beau Bokan) | Poxleitner | 3:36 |
14. | "From All Sides" |
| 4:11 |
Total length: | 50:09 |
Credits and personnel for Little Machines: [22]
Chart (2014) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canadian Albums (Billboard) [24] | 5 |
US Billboard 200 [25] | 34 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [26] | Gold | 40,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Country | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Australia | September 19, 2014 | Standard · Deluxe | Warner Bros. Records | [27] |
Ireland | [28] | |||
New Zealand | [29] | |||
United Kingdom | September 22, 2014 | [30] | ||
Canada | September 23, 2014 | LIGHTS Music · Universal Music Canada | [31] | |
United States | Warner Bros. Records | [21] |
American singer Christina Aguilera has released nine studio albums, two extended plays (EPs), six compilation albums, one soundtrack album, 54 singles, and 17 promotional singles. To date, Aguilera has sold around 90 to 100 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling female music artist of all time. Billboard ranked Aguilera as the 37th Greatest Hot 100 Women of All Time and the 44th Greatest Billboard 200 Women of All Time. In the United States alone, Aguilera has sold 18.3 million albums. Through the RIAA she has 16.5 million certified albums units and 10 million certified digital singles units. Aguilera is recognized as the 20th best-selling artist of the 2000s. She has also achieved 10 number one hits on Billboard's Dance Club Songs. In the United Kingdom, Aguilera has sold over 3.3 million albums and 6.1 million singles.
The discography of Stars, a Canadian indie pop band, consists of nine studio albums, two remix albums, six extended plays, one video album and eighteen singles.
The Glee cast has released sixteen soundtrack albums, six compilation albums and eleven extended plays (EPs), containing 754 different performances of an individual song or a mashup of two or more songs in a single performance. Of the performances on the various albums and EPs, 460 were also released as singles. Glee features on-screen performance-based musical numbers, most of which are cover versions of popular songs, with genres ranging from R&B and pop to country and show tunes. The cast consists of fifteen main characters; some actors were cast following Broadway theatre experience while others were required to audition to prove singing and dancing capabilities. Recordings of performances on the show are sold as singles the week of broadcast, available for download.
The discography of American rapper and record producer B.o.B consists of seven studio albums, five compilation albums, three extended plays (EPs), 26 mixtapes, 51 singles, 14 promotional singles, and 76 music videos.
"DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love" is a song by American singer Usher, featuring guest vocals from American rapper Pitbull, who co-wrote the song with the producers Shellback and Max Martin, with additional writing from Savan Kotecha. It was released to digital download on July 12, 2010, and sent to radio on August 18, 2010, as the first single from Usher's EP, Versus EP, which is an extension of his sixth studio album, Raymond v. Raymond. An electronic dance track with a Europop style, the song puts emphasis on its chorus, and follows the chord progression of Gm-F-E♭. It received mixed to positive reviews from critics, who favored its production and Usher's vocals, but criticized the song's lack of originality.
Canadian singer and songwriter Lights has released six studio albums, three acoustic albums, eight extended plays, 39 singles, and 30 music videos. Lights began her career as a songwriter, penning songs for the television series Instant Star. She released a self-titled EP in 2008 on the independent record label Underground Operations. Two singles, "Drive My Soul" and "February Air", were released from the EP: "Drive My Soul" reached number 18 on the Canadian singles chart and was certified gold by Music Canada (MC).
Lace Up is the debut studio album by American rapper Machine Gun Kelly. It was released on October 9, 2012, by Bad Boy Records and Interscope Records. Puff Daddy, who served as the executive producer on the album, enlisted the guest appearances from Cassie, DMX, Planet VI and Avenged Sevenfold; as well as the production that was provided by Alex da Kid, JP Did This 1 and J.R. Rotem, among others. The album was supported by four singles: "Wild Boy" featuring Waka Flocka Flame, "Invincible" featuring Ester Dean, and "Hold On " featuring Young Jeezy, along with a promotional single, "Stereo" featuring Alex Fitts.
Future History is the second studio album by American singer Jason Derulo, released on September 16, 2011. As the executive producer of the album, Derulo collaborated with several record producers, including DJ Frank E, The Fliptones, The Outerlimits, Emanuel Kiriakou, RedOne, Jai Marlon and frequent collaborator J.R. Rotem, among others.
"We Run the Night" is a song by Australian DJ and recording artist Havana Brown, written and produced by Cassie Davis and Snob Scrilla of production duo More Mega. It was released for digital download on by Island Records as Brown's debut single. The song was included on the EP When The Lights Go Out as well as Brown's debut studio album Flashing Lights.
"This City" is a song by American musician Patrick Stump from his debut solo album Soul Punk (2011), released on Island Records. A remix featuring rapper Lupe Fiasco was released as the album's first single. After finishing his album, Stump decided to re-write Soul Punk after coming up with "This City".
When the Lights Go Out EP is a five-song EP by Australian DJ and recording artist Havana Brown. It was released for digital download on 17 July 2012 by Island Records Australia as Brown's first EP. The Australian version of the EP includes five new songs, while the US version includes the international remix of "We Run the Night" featuring American rapper Pitbull. The track, being Brown's debut single, written by Cassie Davis and Snob Scrilla, and produced by RedOne, was released in September 2011 and became her first US top 40 hit, reaching number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100. The EP peaked at number 16 on the ARIA Singles Chart and was certified platinum.
"Flashing Lights" is a song by Australian DJ and recording artist Havana Brown for her first studio album of the same name (2013). The recording was written by Brown, Nadir Khayat, John Mamann, Jean Claude Sindres, Yohanne Simon and Teddy Sky and produced by RedOne. It was released as the album's lead single on 23 August 2013 by Island Records Australia as a digital download. Official remixes were digitally released on 13 September 2013. The theme of the "Flashing Lights" is about a toxic relationship.
Bodyparts is the third studio album by Canadian electronic music band Dragonette, self-released on September 22, 2012 by Dragonette, Inc.. The album was nominated for Dance Recording of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2013.
Trouble is the second studio album by English singer Teddy Sinclair under the name Natalia Kills. It was released on 3 September 2013 by Cherrytree Records through will.i.am Music Group and Interscope. Recording for the album started in early 2012 and took place in Los Angeles and New York. During that time, Sinclair was accompanied by producers including Jeff Bhasker, who served as Trouble's executive producer and handled the production, instrumentation and songwriting.
5 Seconds of Summer is the debut studio album by Australian pop rock band 5 Seconds of Summer. It was released by Capitol Records on 27 June 2014 in Europe and on 22 July 2014 in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The album was supported by four singles: "She Looks So Perfect", "Don't Stop", "Amnesia", and "Good Girls". Musically, the album is rooted in the pop-punk, pop-rock and power-pop genres. Before the album's release, the band was the opening act for One Direction in from 2013-2015 on three of their concert tours. To promote the album, 5 Seconds of Summer embarked on their first global headlining tour, entitled Rock Out with Your Socks Out Tour, between May and September 2015.
"Up We Go" is a song recorded by Canadian electropop artist Lights for her third studio album, Little Machines (2014). Written by Lights in collaboration with songwriter-producer Tawgs Salter, the song was released July 22, 2014 via LIGHTS Music as the lead single from the album. In the United States, it was released to modern rock radio through Warner Bros. Records on September 9, 2014.
"No Guns Allowed" is a song by American rapper Snoop Lion featuring Canadian rapper Drake and singer Cori B. Was released on April 4, 2013 as the third single of his twelfth studio album Reincarnated, with the record labels Berhane Sound System, Vice Records, Mad Decent and RCA.
"When Love Hurts" is a song recorded by American recording artist JoJo that was intended for her third studio album, Mad Love (2016), and is included on her "tringle" extended play (EP), III. (2015). The song was written by Ammar Malik, Benny Blanco, Daniel Omelio, Jason Evigan, creative team "The XX" and Ryn Weaver, while Blanco and Evigan also handled the production. "When Love Hurts" was the first song from the tringle to be promoted to radio via Atlantic Records. An official remix package was released on October 2, 2015. The song officially impacted Mainstream radio in the U.S. on November 17, 2015.
"Hollow" is a song recorded by the American singer and songwriter Tori Kelly for the reissue of her first studio album, Unbreakable Smile (2015). It was first released to digital retailers on 19 October 2015 as the album's third official single before impacting American contemporary hit radio on 3 November 2015, and as the lead single from the reissue. Cowritten by Kelly with the singer-songwriters Hayley Warner, Zac Poor, Lindsey Jackson, and Thom Macken, the song was produced by Adam Anders and Peer Åström. "Hollow" has been certified Platinum in Kelly's home country.
Kiara Saulters, known professionally as Kiiara, is an American singer and songwriter from Wilmington, Illinois. She is currently signed to Atlantic Records. Her 2015 single "Gold" peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She is also known for contributing vocals to Linkin Park's 2017 single "Heavy".