MG (album)

Last updated

MG
Martin Gore - MG.png
Studio album by
MG
Released27 April 2015 (2015-04-27)
RecordedMarch 2014 – February 2015
StudioElectric Ladyboy (Santa Barbara)
Genre Electronic
Length54:11
Label Mute
Producer Martin Gore
MG chronology
Counterfeit²
(2003)		MG
(2015)		 The Third Chimpanzee
(2021)

MG is the second solo studio album by English musician and Depeche Mode member Martin Gore, and the first to include self-penned material rather than cover-versions. It was released on 27 April 2015 by Mute Records and consists of sixteen electronic instrumentals. [1] A music video for "Europa Hymn", directed by M-I-E and incorporating illustrations by Jan L. Trigg, was released to YouTube in February 2015.

Contents

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic? 6.6/10 [2]
Metacritic 70/100 [3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Exclaim! 6/10 [5]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
musicOMH Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Pitchfork 7.2/10.0 [8]
PopMatters 7/10 [9]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Record Collector Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [10]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [11]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, MG received an average score of 70, based on 12 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [3]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Martin Gore.

No.TitleLength
1."Pinking"2:20
2."Swanning"2:57
3."Exalt"4:15
4."Elk"2:01
5."Brink"3:03
6."Europa Hymn"3:15
7."Creeper"3:26
8."Spiral"3:59
9."Stealth"4:16
10."Hum"4:09
11."Islet"3:15
12."Crowly"4:15
13."Trysting"3:16
14."Southerly"4:00
15."Featherlight"2:26
16."Blade"3:08
Total length:54:11
MG Remix EP
MGEP 2.jpg
EP by
MG
Released9 October 2015 (2015-10-09)
RecordedApril–September 2015
StudioVarious
Genre Electronic
Length35:29
Label Mute
Producer Martin Gore

MG Remix EP

Martin Gore announced a remix EP, available on double 12” vinyl and digital download via Mute. The EP includes remixes by Andy Stott, Virgil Enzinger and Christoffer Berg, alongside two previously unreleased tracks. In association with BitTorrent, Gore also launched a remix competition for the track “Featherlight”. The winning remix is included on the digital release of Gore's EP. MG, released on Mute in April 2015 marks the first solo instrumental album from Depeche Mode's Martin Gore. Described by Pitchfork as “a careful sculpting of electricity and air”, the album creates an absorbing and emotional sonic landscape. The deadline for submission was August 21, with a winning remix announced August 31.

MG Remix EP disc
No.TitleLength
1."Europa Hymn" (Andy Stott remix)7:02
2."Brink" (Virgil Enzinger remix)5:32
3."Pinking" (Christoffer Berg remix)8:44
4."De Nada"4:30
5."Gifting"4:31
6."Featherlight" (Mantra Of Machines remix)5:10
Total length:35:29

Studio equipment

According to interviews with Martin Gore published in Electronic Musician (July 2015), Keyboard Magazine (July 2015) as well as video-interview on his official website, Gore mentioned some instruments (mainly synthesizers, modular synthesizer systems, drum machines) and other equipment he used in the album recording:

and other equipment.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of MG. [12]

Charts

Chart (2015)Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [13] 37
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [14] 108
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [15] 68
French Albums (SNEP) [16] 90
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [17] 7
Scottish Albums (OCC) [18] 71
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [19] 28
UK Albums (OCC) [20] 50
UK Dance Albums (OCC) [21] 13
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [22] 7
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard) [23] 1
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [24] 27

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References

  1. ↑ Reed, Ryan (2 March 2015). "Depeche Mode Founder Martin Gore Preps New Instrumental LP". Rolling Stone . Wenner Media . Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 "MG by Martin Gore reviews | Any Decent Music". AnyDecentMusic? . Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Critic Reviews for MG". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  4. ↑ Simpson, Paul. "MG - MG". AllMusic . Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  5. ↑ Sylvester, Daniel (24 April 2015). "MG". Exclaim! . Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  6. ↑ Jonze, Tim (23 April 2015). "Martin Gore: MG review – free-range techno and synth soundscapes". The Guardian . Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  7. ↑ Hogwood, Ben (1 May 2015). "Martin Gore – MG (Mute) UK". musicOMH . Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  8. ↑ Sherburne, Phillip (29 April 2015). "MG: MG". Pitchfork Media . Retrieved 26 May 2015.
  9. ↑ BERGSTROM, JOHN (4 May 2015). "MG: MG". PopMatters . Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  10. ↑ Smith, Phil. "MG - MG". Record Collector . Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  11. ↑ Grow, Kory (20 May 2015). "Martin Gore: MG". Rolling Stone . Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  12. ↑ MG (CD liner notes). Martin Gore. Mute Records. 2015. CDSTUMM381.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – MG – MG" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  14. ↑ "Ultratop.be – MG – MG" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  15. ↑ "Ultratop.be – MG – MG" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  16. ↑ "Lescharts.com – MG – MG". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  17. ↑ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  18. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  19. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – MG – MG". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  20. ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  21. ↑ "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  22. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  23. ↑ "MG Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  24. ↑ "MG Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
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