Ninth (Peter Murphy album)

Last updated

Ninth
Peter Murphy Ninth.jpg
Studio album by
Peter Murphy
Released7 June 2011
Genre Alternative rock, gothic rock
Length46:03
Label Nettwerk
Producer David Baron
Peter Murphy chronology
Unshattered
(2004)		Ninth
(2011)		 Lion
(2014)
Singles from Peter Murphy
  1. "I Spit Roses"
    Released: 2011
  2. "Seasaw Sway"
    Released: 2011
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 65/100 [1]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
The A.V. Club C [3]
Consequence of Sound Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [4]
PopMatters 7/10 [5]
The Phoenix Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [6]

Ninth is the ninth solo album, and eighth studio album, by English musician Peter Murphy. Produced by David Baron, the album was released on 7 June 2011 on Nettwerk Records. [7] The first single from the album was "I Spit Roses" coupled with "The Prince & Old Lady Shade", which was released 22 March 2011. [8] The second single, "Seasaw Sway", was also released in 2011. [9] [10]

Contents

Background

Speaking with the Los Angeles Times about the album, Murphy said "The whole intention was to really reference that spark and crackle of people playing together in a room. It's about time I reclaimed my legacy . . . It's going 'OK, this is how it's done.' You don't have to spend three years and $4 million on an album. Listen to this. It's full of swagger and immediacy." [11] Speaking with Wired News Murphy described the album as "a continuation of the Go Away White trajectory, it has testosterone pouring out of it. At the same time, it's as beautiful as any female siren." [12]

Critical reception

Upon its release, Ninth received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 65, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 9 reviews. [1] The Allmusic review by David Jeffries awarded the album 4 stars stating "It's all put together in a right-sized package, too, with no filler to speak of, then wrapped in warm production from David Baron, who finds the proper balance of shadows and light. "The Godfather of Goth" sounds like the genre's savior here, coming on strong with those Bowie-sized aspirations and nailing that attractive Nosferatu-meets-Art-School style." [2] Writing for PopMatters, critic Maria Schurr said "Ninth has a few overindulgently drony moments, but for the most part it is a virile return to form." [5] Consequence of Sound critic David Buchanan said "the album's music lingers in a sonic age when Joy Division still reigned supreme." [4] Critic Jeff Miers said "The first thing you notice about the album is the visceral power of the recording, which producer David Baron has configured as both fittingly modern and timelessly post-rock." in a review for the Buffalo News of New York. [13] Michael Christopher of The Phoenix stated: "Ninth provides a dose of gloom so savory it would bring tears of overwrought emotion to the eyes of contemporaries like Robert Smith and Andrew Eldritch, though it's not exactly a nostalgia trip — more like grown-up melancholy with an aggressive rock streak." while also describing the album as "a striking return to form." [6]

Nevertheless, Jason Heller of The A.V. Club had a mixed opinion on the album, commenting: "Where his menace once oozed, though, it now hiccups." [3] Mojo also described the album as "his most conventional and, frankly, dull album, pursuing a plodding take on alt rock, in the uninteresting middle ground between early U2 and Stiltskin, with occasional dashes of doom-lite." [1]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Peter Murphy; all music composed by Peter Murphy and David Baron, except where noted.

  1. "Velocity Bird" – 2:53
  2. "Seesaw Sway" – 4:15
  3. "Peace To Each" – 3:40
  4. "I Spit Roses" – 4:03
  5. "Never Fall Out" (Murphy, Paul Statham) – 4:09
  6. "Memory Go" – 4:03
  7. "The Prince & Old Lady Shade" – 4:44
  8. "Uneven & Brittle" (Murphy, Mark Gemini Thwaite) – 4:48
  9. "Slowdown" – 3:51
  10. "Secret Silk Society" – 4:09
  11. "Crème de la Crème" – 5:28

Personnel

Additional musicians
Technical personnel

Chart positions

Album
Charts (2011)Peak
position
US Billboard Independent Albums [14] 38
US Billboard Tastemaker Albums [15] 20

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Peter Murphy - Ninth". Metacritic . Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  2. 1 2 Jeffries, David. Ninth at AllMusic. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  3. 1 2 Heller, Jason (14 June 2011). "Peter Murphy: Ninth". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  4. 1 2 Buchanan, David (7 June 2011). "Album Review: Peter Murphy – Ninth". Consequence of Sound . Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  5. 1 2 Schurr, Maria (6 June 2011). "Peter Murphy: Ninth". Pop Matters . Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  6. 1 2 Christopher, Michael (29 June 2011). "Peter Murphy - Ninth". The Phoenix . Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  7. ↑ Graff, Gary (2 March 2011). "Bauhaus' Peter Murphy to Release 'Ninth' Solo Album in June". Billboard . Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  8. ↑ "Peter Murphy – I Spit Roses" at Discogs
  9. ↑ Maider, Ted (20 September 2011). "Peter Murphy – "Seesaw Sway"". Consequence of Sound . Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  10. ↑ "Peter Murphy – Seasaw Sway". Discogs . Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  11. ↑ Appleford, Steve (23 May 2011). "Peter Murphy premieres new track, talks influence, 'gothlings,' spiritualism, and Bauhaus". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  12. ↑ Thill, Scott (7 July 2010). "You're Welcome, Bauhaus Howler Tells Twilight Vamps". Wired News . Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  13. ↑ Miers, Jeff (27 May 2011). "Album Review: Peter Murphy – Ninth". Buffalo News . Retrieved 8 June 2011.
  14. ↑ "Peter Murphy - Independent Albums chart". Billboard . Retrieved 16 April 2014.
  15. ↑ "Peter Murphy - Tastemaker Albums chart". Billboard . Retrieved 16 April 2014.
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