| Myopia | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 21 February 2020 | |||
| Recorded | 2017–2020 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 39:50 | |||
| Label | Strange Harvest Limited | |||
| Agnes Obel chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Myopia | ||||
| ||||
Myopia is the fourth studio album by Danish singer-songwriter Agnes Obel. It was released on 21 February 2020 by production studio Strange Harvest Limited. Three tracks were released as singles prior to the main release: "Island of Doom", "Broken Sleep" and "Parliament of Owls".
Obel explained the meaning of Myopia: "For me Myopia is an album about trust and doubt. Can you trust yourself or not? Can you trust your own judgments? Can you trust that you will do the right thing? Can you trust your instincts and what you are feeling? Or are your feelings skewed?" [1]
In the album, Obel puts a feeling of quiet and gentleness in her music, continuing on from the German concept of Gläserner Bürger, the "citizen of glass", which was the guiding concept of her previous album. [2] The album contains a new sense of solitude instrumentalism and vocals, as well as departing from her upbeat early albums. [3] Obel stated the album was sparked by a struggle to escape her “own tunnel vision”.
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 6.9/10 [4] |
| Metacritic | 74/100 [5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [6] |
| Financial Times | [7] |
| The Independent | [8] |
| musicOMH | [9] |
| No Ripcord | 7/10 [10] |
| PopMatters |   [11] |
| Pitchfork | 7.1/10 [12] |
| Tom Hull – on the Web | B+ (  ) [13] |
Myopia was met with generally positive reviews. [5] The Independent reviewer Elisa Bray described it as "an album to experience alone, and there's a comfort to being pulled into Myopia's contemplative, isolating territory". [8] Michael Sumsion from PopMatters said Obel's "ethereal and ornate sound channels" traditional forms of jazz, classical, and folk music through "crepuscular flecks of art-pop, trip-hop, and electronica to dazzling effect". [11] Similarly, Pitchfork 's Ashley Bardhan applauded the record's "ghostly, moody chamber pop" as "a new peak for her lush melancholy". [12] Less enthusiastic was Financial Times critic Ludovic Hunter-Tilney, who found Obel's "pensive nocturnes" admirable but lamented how "the music rarely changes tempo" and "could do with more drama, less gracefulness". [7]
All tracks are written by Agnes Obel
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Camera's Rolling" | 4:44 |
| 2. | "Broken Sleep" | 4:55 |
| 3. | "Island of Doom" | 5:29 |
| 4. | "Roscian" | 2:17 |
| 5. | "Myopia" | 5:16 |
| 6. | "Drosera" | 2:27 |
| 7. | "Can't Be" | 3:26 |
| 8. | "Parliament of Owls" | 2:30 |
| 9. | "Promise Keeper" | 4:29 |
| 10. | "Won't You Call Me" | 4:17 |
| Total length: | 39:50 | |
| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [14] | 19 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [15] | 11 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [16] | 6 |
| Danish Albums (Hitlisten) [17] | 11 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [18] | 15 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [19] | 9 |
| Polish Albums (ZPAV) [20] | 39 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP) [21] | 33 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [22] | 15 |
| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [23] | 33 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [24] | 5 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [25] | 34 |
| Chart (2020) | Position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [26] | 186 |
Valleys of Neptune is a posthumous compilation album by the American rock musician Jimi Hendrix. Released in the United States on March 9, 2010, the album was promoted as having "12 previously unreleased studio recordings", including the title track, "one of the most sought after of all of Hendrix's commercially unavailable recordings".
Agnes Caroline Thaarup Obel is a Danish singer, songwriter, and musician based in Berlin.
Hardcore Will Never Die, but You Will is the seventh studio album by Scottish post-rock band Mogwai, released on 14 February 2011 by Rock Action Records.
Philharmonics is the debut studio album by Danish singer-songwriter Agnes Obel. It was released on 17 September 2010 by PIAS. The album received positive reviews from both Danish and international music critics. Philharmonics peaked at number one in Denmark and Belgium, and charted inside the top ten in France and the Netherlands. The album has sold 450,000 copies in Europe. The album includes the singles "Riverside", "Just So", and "Brother Sparrow".
Aventine is the second studio album by Danish singer-songwriter Agnes Obel, released on 30 September 2013 by PIAS Recordings. The album received positive reviews from music critics. It was also a commercial success, charting inside the top 40 of the charts in nine countries.
Illuminate is the second studio album by Canadian singer and songwriter Shawn Mendes. It was released on September 23, 2016, through Island Records. It is a follow-up to his debut album Handwritten (2015). Musically, the album contains music genres pop, rock and blues. The album debuted atop the US Billboard 200 and the Canadian Albums Chart. It was preceded by the lead single "Treat You Better", which reached the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. This album was supported by the Illuminate World Tour, which began in March 2017.
Reflection is the twenty-seventh solo studio album by Brian Eno, released on New Year's Day 2017 on Warp Records. It is a piece of generative ambient music produced by Eno, which plays indefinitely via an app, modulating its output at different times of the day. A pre-recorded version of the album is available on CD and vinyl, which runs for 54 minutes. Digital streaming versions of the album update on a seasonal basis. It was nominated for the 2017 Grammy Award for Best New Age Album and was released to a positive acclaim by critics.
Prisoner is the sixteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter Ryan Adams. It was released on February 17, 2017. The album is Adams' first album of original material since his 2014 album, Ryan Adams, and was preceded by the singles "Do You Still Love Me?", "To Be Without You", and "Doomsday".
The Afterlove is the fifth studio album by the English singer James Blunt, released on 24 March 2017 through Atlantic Records. To promote the album, Blunt embarked on The Afterlove World Tour in August 2017.
So Good is the second studio album and the first international album by Swedish singer Zara Larsson, released on 17 March 2017 through TEN Music Group and Epic Records. Scheduled to be released in May 2016 and then again, in January 2017, the album was delayed to change and update several tracks.
Gang Signs & Prayer is the debut studio album by British rapper Stormzy. It was released on 24 February 2017 independently through #Merky Records while being distributed by ADA of Warner Music Group. It is Stormzy's first major commercial release, following the Dreamers Disease EP (2014). The album features guest appearances from fellow MCs Wretch 32, Ghetts and J Hus, along with singers Kehlani, Raleigh Ritchie and MNEK. It features production from Fraser T. Smith and Sir Spyro, among others.
Cigarettes After Sex is the debut studio album by American ambient pop band Cigarettes After Sex. It was released on June 9, 2017, by Partisan Records and received positive reviews from critics.
Red Pill Blues is the sixth studio album by American band Maroon 5. It was released on November 3, 2017, through 222 and Interscope Records. This is the band's first release to feature multi-instrumentalist Sam Farrar, as an official member after he became a touring member in 2012, and also the last album to feature bassist Mickey Madden as a member, before his departure from the band in 2020, which means this is their only album featured as 7-piece band to date. The title of the album refers to the science fiction term of taking the red pill or the blue pill, which originated from the 1999 sci-fi film The Matrix. The album is the follow-up to their fifth studio album V and features guest appearances from Kendrick Lamar, Julia Michaels, SZA, ASAP Rocky, LunchMoney Lewis and Future.
Staying at Tamara's is the second studio album by English singer-songwriter George Ezra. It was released on 23 March 2018. The album reached number one in the UK as well as the top ten of several other countries including Australia and New Zealand. The album includes the singles "Paradise" and "Shotgun", which peaked at number two and number one on the UK Singles Chart, respectively.
? is the second studio album by American rapper and singer XXXTentacion and his last studio album to be released before his murder. It was released on March 16, 2018, by Bad Vibes Forever, Caroline Distribution, and Capitol Music Group. It succeeds the release of his debut studio album 17 (2017) and the extended play A Ghetto Christmas Carol (2017). The album was primarily produced by frequent collaborator John Cunningham, and includes guest appearances from PnB Rock, Travis Barker, Joey Badass, Matt Ox, Rio Santana, Judah, and Carlos Andrez.
Lost & Found is the debut studio album by English singer Jorja Smith. It was released on 8 June 2018 by FAMM, with distribution from The Orchard. Writing and recording for the album took place over five years in London and Los Angeles. The sessions featured contributions from producers such as Jeff Kleinman, Michael Uzowuru, Tom Misch, Maaike Lebbing, among others.
The Prodigal Son is a 2018 studio album, the sixteenth to be released by American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ry Cooder. The album was released on May 11, 2018, by Concord and Perro Verde record labels. The record also produced two singles.
All That Reckoning is an album by the Canadian alt-country band Cowboy Junkies, released in 2018. The album features eleven new songs to focus on "empty hearts, empty nests, lost paths, lost lives, and all the reckoning that brings about the end of things, and the beginnings of something else. [The] songs are about reckoning on a personal level and reckoning on a social level," as stated by Michael Timmins.
Citizen of Glass is the third studio album by Danish singer-songwriter Agnes Obel, released on 21 October 2016 by PIAS Recordings. Four tracks were selected as singles: "Familiar", "Golden Green", "It's Happening Again", and "Stretch Your Eyes". Obel launched a European tour at the end of October 2016, followed by a North American tour in February 2017.
Heavy Is the Head is the second studio album by British rapper Stormzy. It was released on 13 December 2019 through #Merky Records and Atlantic Records UK. The album features collaborations with Aitch, Burna Boy, Ed Sheeran, Headie One, H.E.R., and Yebba.
