Never Were the Way She Was | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | April 28, 2015 | |||
Studio | End of the World (Vermont) | |||
Genre | Experimental, avant-garde jazz, ambient | |||
Length | 42:51 | |||
Label | Constellation | |||
Colin Stetson chronology | ||||
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Sarah Neufeld chronology | ||||
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Never Were the Way She Was is a collaborative album by Colin Stetson and Sarah Neufeld,released on April 28,2015 by Constellation Records. It was recorded live in the studio without the use of overdubs or loops [1] at the End of the World studio in Vermont. [2] Neufeld and Stetson had first met in 2006 when Neufeld's Bell Orchestre shared a bill with Antibalas,who Stetson was playing with. [2] The two artists had previously collaborated on the soundtrack to the 2013 film Blue Caprice . [3] The album received favorable reviews and won a Juno Award.
Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 81/100 [4] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Drowned in Sound | 8/10 [5] |
NME | 7/10 [6] |
Pitchfork | 7.7/10 [7] |
Spin | 7/10 [3] |
At Metacritic,which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics,Never Were the Way She Was received an average score of 81,based on 19 reviews,indicating "universal acclaim". [4] AllMusic reviewer Thom Jurek said that the album was too short,commenting that the songs "last only as long as they hold interest for the players,though they all create a real desire for more in the listener - which is no complaint at all." [1] Alexander Tudor of Drowned in Sound called the album a "triumph for instrumental music" and said that Stetson and Neufeld "work perfectly;long may they continue to work together." [5] NME reviewer Cian Traynor said that the pairing was "seamless" and that the album contained "expertly controlled energy" which "unfolds like a well-crafted score to an imagined film." [6] Harley Brown of Spin called it a "cohesive meditation on the legacy of avant-garde greats" and said it was "an essential part of Stetson and Neufeld's own impressive canons." [3] In his review for Pitchfork,Jayson Greene said the album was an "implicit reminder of the things that can be done with two instruments and two hands." [7]
Never Were the Way She Was won the 2016 Juno Award for Instrumental Album of the Year. [8] The album was also longlisted nominee for the 2015 Polaris Music Prize. [9]
All tracks are written by Colin Stetson and Sarah Neufeld
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Sun Roars Into View" | 7:37 |
2. | "Won't Be a Thing to Become" | 3:24 |
3. | "In the Vespers" | 6:01 |
4. | "And Still They Move" | 2:56 |
5. | "With the Dark Hug of Time" | 6:33 |
6. | "The Rest of Us" | 6:30 |
7. | "Never Were the Way She Was" | 8:12 |
8. | "Flight" | 1:38 |
Total length: | 42:51 |
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Never Were the Way She Was at Discogs (list of releases)