Production
Following the departure of previous bass player Kevin Rutmanis, Oddfellows features new band member Trevor Dunn on bass. Dunn had previously worked with singer Mike Patton in the bands Mr. Bungle and Fantômas. [2] The album was recorded over six days in Easy Eye Sound Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, and produced by Collin Dupuis and the band. Dupuis had previously worked with the band The Black Keys, whose singer Dan Auerbach owns Easy Eye Sound. [3] Cartoonist Ivan Brunetti has provided the album's cover artwork. [4]
Drummer John Stanier has described the band as "the absolute simplest, most professional ensemble I have ever been involved with, by far". [5] The band planned to meet and rehearse for a week before recording the album, but upon getting together again, Patton experienced a death in the family which resulted in him leaving for several days. The band eventually reconvened to rehearse for what Stanier recalls as "a day and a half". [5] Denison felt positively about the process of recording in Nashville, finding that the cheaper studio costs meant he could allow his compositions to "gestate" for longer during his writing process. [5]
Fifteen tracks were recorded for the album, [4] thirteen of which were included on its release. [1] Spin magazine's Christopher R. Weingarten has described the record as featuring a mix of genres, including "groany, smoky, Morricone-jazz" and "the types of epic, majestic choruses that Patton diehards might remember from the final Faith No More LP, Album of the Year ". [2] Denison has described the album's sound as just being that of "a rock band", adding "I think we’re a very clever, intense sort of spooked-out, dangerous rock band, but still a rock band". [6]
Release
Oddfellows was released on January 29, 2013, through Ipecac Recordings, [2] the label owned by Patton. [3] The album had been completed for several months by this point, but its release date was moved back as the band's members did not have time to promote an earlier release. [6] To support the album's release, the band played at the Voodoo Experience music festival in New Orleans, Louisiana in October 2012; [7] and the Austin, Texas Fun Fun Fun Fest, [4] along with several tour dates in the United States in October and November. [2]
The band initially announced the release of "Waratorium" as a seven-inch record as part of Record Store Day's "Black Friday" event on November 23, 2012; [8] eventually releasing "Stone Letter" instead. The single featured illustrations by Brunetti, and was released as a digital download on December 4, 2012. Its accompanying music video was directed by Vincent Forcier, using concert footage from Tomahawk's 2012 concerts. [9] Another music video was also made for the title track. [10] [11]
Oddfellows debuted at number sixteen on the UK Rock Chart album countdown on February 9, 2013, spending one week in the chart. [12] In the United States, Oddfellows recorded positions in several of Billboard magazine's charts—reaching a peak position of 69 on the Billboard 200, 12 on the Alternative Albums listings, second place on the Hard Rock Albums chart, and ninth on the Independent Albums chart. [13] Oddfellows also reached chart positions in Australia, Belgium and Finland. The album reached number 37 on the ARIA Charts, [14] 137 in the Ultratop countdown, [15] and 26 in The Official Finnish Charts. [16]
Reception
Oddfellows has received mostly positive reviews since its release. Review aggregation website Metacritic lists the album as having an average rating of 79 out of 100, based on twenty reviews. [17]
Writing for AllRovi, Jason Lymangrover rated the album four stars out of five. Lymangrover praised both Dunn's bass playing and Patton's vocals, and felt that the album was "a welcome return to form", similar in sound to their 2001 debut album. [1] Jason Heller of The A.V. Club awarded the album an "A−". Heller felt that Oddfellows featured "tighter songs and sturdier structures" than the band's previous work, which he considered comparable to that of a jam band. [18] Drowned in Sound's Kev Eddy scored Oddfellows eight out of ten, comparing it favorably to the work of Patton's earlier band Faith No More. Eddy felt that the album was less experimental than previous Tomahawk records, but that its restraint was positive and accessible. [21] Paige Camisasca of Revolver magazine scored the album four out of five, calling it a "surprising, thoroughly consistent return-to-form". [24] Camiscasca considered "Stone Letter", "Waratorium" and "I.O.U." to be the album's highlights, and earmarked it as "the first contender for hard-rock album of the year". [24]
Spin magazine's Grayson Currin rated Oddfellows seven out of ten, finding that it "presents a tide of ideas, information, and intrigue". [25] Currin felt that the album attempted to blend both art rock and mainstream rock sounds, but was more successful when aiming solely for experimentation—finding "I Can Almost See Them" and "A Thousand Eyes" to be examples of this. [2] Consequence of Sound writer Len Comaratta awarded Oddfellows three stars out of five, finding that Dunn's bass playing improves the band's sound without altering it radically. [19] Comaratta felt that the album rewarded patient listeners but did not provide memorable hooks or melodies, and compared its "laid back" sound to that of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. [19]
Cole Waterman of PopMatters awarded the album a score of eight out of ten, finding the record to be the group's "most accessible by far". [23] Waterman described the album's composition as "catchy", finding it to be an appropriate response to the band's previous album Anonymous; he also highlighted the "absurdist" tone of the record's lyrics—pointing out "South Paw" and "Waratorium" as particular examples of this. [23] Pitchfork Media's Paul Thompson scored Oddfellows 6.8 out of ten, considering it "Tomahawk's most straightforward, stripped-down release to date". [22] Thompson considered the group's main dynamic to consist of Denison's compositions and Patton's vocals, finding that bass player Dunn "hangs back here, ably holding down the low end without overasserting himself". [22] Thompson also debated the effect that the album's short germination period had on its overall composition, believing that the brief recording time lent the record "a feeling that, whenever you get these guys in the same room, this music [...] just comes tearing out". [22]
Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before September 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist/rhythm guitarist Roddy Bottum and drummer Mike Bordin are the longest-remaining members of the band, having been involved since its inception. The band underwent several early lineup changes, and some major changes later. The lineup of Faith No More consists of Gould, Bordin, Bottum, lead guitarist Jon Hudson, and vocalist/lyricist Mike Patton.
Michael Allan Patton is an American singer, producer, film composer and voice actor, best known as the lead vocalist of the alternative metal band Faith No More. Noted for his vocal proficiency, diverse singing techniques, wide range of projects, style-transcending influences, eccentric public image and contempt for the music industry, Patton has earned critical praise and influenced many contemporary singers. Patton is also co-founder and lead vocalist of Mr. Bungle, and has played with Tomahawk, Fantômas, Moonchild Trio, Kaada/Patton, Dead Cross, Lovage, Mondo Cane, and Peeping Tom. Consistent collaborators through his varied career include avant-garde jazz saxophonist John Zorn, hip hop producer Dan the Automator and classical violinist Eyvind Kang.
Mr. Bungle is an American experimental rock band formed in Eureka, California, in 1985. Having gone through many incarnations throughout their career, the band is best known for music created during their most experimental era. During this time, they developed a highly eclectic style, cycling through several musical genres, often within the course of a single song, including heavy metal, avant-garde jazz, ska, disco, and funk, which is further enhanced by lead vocalist Mike Patton's versatile singing style. This period also saw the band utilizing unconventional song structures and samples; playing a wide array of instruments; dressing up in masks, jumpsuits, and other costumes; and performing a diverse selection of cover songs during live performances.
The Jesus Lizard is an American rock band formed in 1987 in Austin, Texas and based in Chicago, Illinois. They were "a leading noise rock band in the American independent underground…[who] turned out a series of independent records filled with scathing, disembowelling, guitar-driven pseudo-industrial noise, all of which received positive reviews in underground music publications and heavy college-radio play."
Fantômas is an American heavy metal supergroup formed in 1998 in California. It features vocalist Mike Patton, drummer Dave Lombardo (ex-Slayer), guitarist Buzz Osborne (Melvins) and bassist Trevor Dunn. The band is named after Fantômas, a supervillain featured in a series of crime novels popular in France before World War I and in film, most notably in the '60s French movie series.
Ivan Brunetti is an Italian and American cartoonist and comics scholar based in Chicago, Illinois.
Duane Denison is an American guitarist best known for work with the avant-garde rock band The Jesus Lizard. He is also a founding member of super-group Tomahawk.
Tomahawk is an American rock supergroup. They formed in 1999 when singer/keyboardist Mike Patton met guitar player Duane Denison and the pair started swapping tapes with the intention of collaborating. Denison then recruited drummer John Stanier (Helmet), while Patton invited bass player Kevin Rutmanis (Melvins/ex-Cows). The group recorded three albums and toured extensively from 2000–2007 then went on extended hiatus, and reformed in 2013 with Trevor Dunn replacing Rutmanis.
The Director's Cut is the second studio album by American musical supergroup Fantômas. The album is a collection of cover versions of themes from horror films and television series, performed in a variety of different musical styles. The album was released on July 9, 2001, through Ipecac Recordings, a record label co-owned by the band's vocalist, Mike Patton.
California is the third studio album by American experimental rock band Mr. Bungle. It was released on July 13, 1999, through Warner Bros.
Tomahawk is the debut studio album by American experimental rock band Tomahawk. Recorded after a meeting between vocalist Mike Patton and guitarist Duane Denison, the album features members of Faith No More, The Jesus Lizard, Helmet and Melvins. The band toured with Tool in support of the record.
Mit Gas is the second studio album by the musical supergroup Tomahawk. It was released on May 6, 2003, through Ipecac Recordings, the record label owned by vocalist Mike Patton. Mit Gas charted in several countries, reaching the top 20 in Norway's VG-lista and the United States' Billboard Independent Albums charts.
Blue Bell Knoll is the fifth studio album by Scottish alternative rock band Cocteau Twins, released on 19 September 1988 by 4AD. This was the band's first album to receive major-label distribution in the United States, as it was originally licensed by Capitol Records from 4AD for North American release. After a period of being out of print while 4AD reclaimed the American distribution rights for their back catalogue, the album was remastered by guitarist Robin Guthrie and reissued in 2003. Vocalist Elizabeth Fraser named the album after a peak in southern Utah called Bluebell Knoll.
Anonymous is the third studio album by the musical supergroup Tomahawk. It was released on June 19, 2007, through Ipecac Recordings, the record label owned by the band's vocalist Mike Patton. Anonymous charted in Australia, Norway and the United States.
Mondo Cane is a 2010 album by Mike Patton. Featuring a forty-member orchestra and fifteen-piece backing band, the album contains a series of cover versions of 1950s and 1960s Italian pop music. Patton conceived of the album while living in Bologna, and became attracted to music he heard on the radio featuring pop singers backed by orchestras.
Mike Patton is an American singer, best known for providing lead vocals for Faith No More along with Mr. Bungle, Fantômas, Peeping Tom, Tomahawk, Lovage and more. In addition to recording and working with these bands, he has also been involved in many side projects and collaborations. Patton is most frequently known as a vocalist, but has also produced, played various musical instruments, has composed soundtracks, done voice over work and has done some acting.
Nine Lashes is an American Christian rock band from Birmingham, Alabama formed in 2006. They independently released their first album, Escape, in 2009 before Trevor McNevan of Thousand Foot Krutch brought them to the attention of Tooth & Nail Records. Upon signing to the label, the band recorded their second album World We View and released it on February 14, 2012. The album sold well, making several Billboard charts. The band released their third album, From Water to War on January 21, 2014. After a change in direction, the band released their fourth album, the electronica and Christian rock styled Ascend on March 11, 2016.
Stone Letter is a single by the American supergroup Tomahawk. It was released on vinyl and as a digital download on November 23, 2012. The song appears on Tomahawk's fourth album Oddfellows.
M.E.A.T. is a single released by the US musical group Tomahawk. It is a collection of two previously unreleased tracks from the Oddfellows recording session. It was first released on vinyl format on May 23, 2014 and was released digitally on June 4, 2014.
Tonic Immobility is the fifth studio album by musical supergroup Tomahawk. Released after an eight-year gap following their previous record, Tonic Immobility was preceded by the singles "Business Casual" and "Dog Eat Dog". Described by guitar player Duane Denison as "an escape from the realities of the world", Tonic Immobility has been well received critically, particularly for its diverse-sounding songs, and has charted in several countries including Australia, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
