| Outrage! Is Now | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 8, 2017 | |||
| Studio | Barefoot Recording Studio, Los Angeles | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 36:34 | |||
| Label | Last Gang | |||
| Producer | Eric Valentine | |||
| Death from Above chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Outrage! Is Now | ||||
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Outrage! Is Now is the third studio album by Canadian rock duo Death from Above. It was released on September 8, 2017, through Last Gang Records. [4] The album was produced by Eric Valentine. [5]
The band began writing new material shortly after the release of their second album The Physical World in 2014. The band briefly stayed at frontman Jesse F. Keeler's farm outside Toronto and experimented with ideas, slowly figuring out the direction of a new record. [5] The duo considered recording/producing the album themselves and heading in a more stripped down punk direction akin to their first record, however, as the songs evolved they decided this was the wrong direction to take. [6] Due to the two members living in different cities, the two carried on the writing process disconnected and sending each other their ideas. [7] Free from the pressure of making a new album after 10 years, the pair felt that the band belonged to them again rather than the fans and that they were free to make something different to fit the larger rooms they were playing. [5] The band hired producer Eric Valentine, impressed with his diverse production credits including Smash Mouth, Third Eye Blind and Queens of the Stone Age. The band believed that working with him would allow the band to break out of their comfort zone and not repeat the sound of their first two albums. In an interview with Revolver , Keeler stated "those initial things that you do that work, you try them the next time. That's the learning process. But at a certain point you can get to where the things that you're doing are you going through the motions and not you being a part of the actual moment and almost ignoring the person you're being that way for." [8]
For the songs on the album the band took influence from events in their personal lives as well as the socio-political state of the world. The song 'Never Swim Alone' features references to American Idol , YouTube as well as Buddhism. [9] The song "Moonlight" is about Sebastien Grainger being jumped and assaulted while on tour. "It was one of those situations where you become extremely peaceful because you think 'This is it,' but also there was this overwhelming sense of 'I don't want to die, I don't want to die.'" [10]
On June 6, 2017, the band released the first single from the album "Freeze Me" alongside the announcement that they were removing the "1979" from their name and now going under the name of "Death from Above." [11] The album was officially announced on August 15 alongside the release of the single "Never Swim Alone." Alongside its release the band stated that the "record is very much the result of the environment and experiences of the last five years. If we didn't have struggle, life would be really fucking boring. These songs are a anti-boredom manifesto." [12]
The album cover for Outrage! Is Now is based on black-and-white posters displayed by John Lennon and Yoko Ono that read "WAR IS OVER! If You Want It", [13] part of a campaign launched ahead of Lennon and Ono's 1971 single "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)".
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 65/100 [14] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [15] |
| Clash |   [16] |
| Classic Rock |  [17] |
| Consequence of Sound | C [18] |
| The Independent | [19] |
| The Line of Best Fit | [20] |
| Pitchfork Media | 7.3/10 [21] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | [22] |
Outrage! Is Now received generally positive reviews from music critics. On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 65, based on 16 reviews. [14] Some of the most positive reviewers believe the album to be their best to date, however others believed the album to pale in comparison to their debut. Clash Magazine praised the band's progression away from the sound of their first two records believing that the album found "them actually enjoying the process of writing and experimenting with the potent formula they concocted back at the start of the millennium." [16] Many praised the band's influence from classic rock and heavy metal drawing comparisons to David Bowie, Def Leppard, Guns N' Roses and Black Sabbath. [19] [15] [18]
Many critics were mixed towards the band's adoption of social commentary rather than "their penchant for bruised and bruising love songs", with Consequence of Sound 's Tyler Clark describing it as being "packed with all the insight and nuance of a Facebook comments section." [18] In a negative review, Leah B. Levinson of Tiny Mix Tapes stated that "the shallow cynicism and apathy that animates so many of its songs are under-interrogated by its writers, instead finding form as a pessimist's non-committal, inconclusive pouting." Levinson also described the album as "regurgitative, calculated, and industry-tested" and criticised its use of production gimmicks. [22]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Nomad" | 4:10 |
| 2. | "Freeze Me" | 3:18 |
| 3. | "Caught Up" | 4:30 |
| 4. | "Outrage! Is Now" | 3:32 |
| 5. | "Never Swim Alone" | 2:34 |
| 6. | "Moonlight" | 3:10 |
| 7. | "Statues" | 4:36 |
| 8. | "All I C Is U & Me" | 3:00 |
| 9. | "NVR 4EVR" | 3:50 |
| 10. | "Holy Books" | 3:49 |
| Total length: | 36:34 | |
Adapted from AllMusic credits section and Discogs. [23] [24]
Death from Above
Additional musicians
| Other credits
|
| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums (Billboard) [25] | 20 |
| US Top Album Sales (Billboard) [26] | 59 |
John Winston Ono Lennon was an English singer, songwriter and musician. He gained worldwide fame as the founder, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the Beatles. His work included music, writing, drawings and film. His songwriting partnership with Paul McCartney remains the most successful in history as the primary songwriters in the Beatles.
Yoko Ono is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking.
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band is the debut solo studio album by English musician John Lennon. Backed by the Plastic Ono Band, it was released by Apple Records on 11 December 1970 in tandem with the similarly titled album by his wife, Yoko Ono. At the time of its issue, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band received mixed reviews overall, but later came to be widely regarded as Lennon's best solo album.
Sean Taro Ono Lennon is a British-American musician, songwriter, and producer. He is the son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and half-brother to Julian Lennon. Over the course of his career, he has been a member of the bands Cibo Matto, The Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, The Claypool Lennon Delirium and his parents' group Plastic Ono Band. He has released two solo albums: Into the Sun (1998) and Friendly Fire (2006). He has produced numerous albums for various artists, including Black Lips and the Plastic Ono Band.
Imagine is the second solo studio album by English musician John Lennon, released on 9 September 1971 by Apple Records. Co-produced by Lennon, his wife Yoko Ono and Phil Spector, the album's elaborate sound contrasts the basic, small-group arrangements of his first album, John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970), while the opening title track is widely considered to be his signature song.
Double Fantasy is the fifth studio album by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and the final one to feature Lennon before his death. Released in November 1980 on Geffen Records, the album marked Lennon's return to recording music full-time, following his five-year hiatus to raise his son Sean. Recording sessions took place at the Hit Factory in New York City between August and October 1980. The final album features songs from both Lennon and Ono, largely alternating between the two in its track listing. Other tracks recorded by Lennon from the sessions were compiled by Ono for release on Milk and Honey in 1984.
Lennon–McCartney was the songwriting partnership between English musicians John Lennon (1940–1980) and Paul McCartney of the Beatles. It is widely considered one of the greatest, best known and most successful musical collaborations ever by records sold, with the Beatles selling over 600 million records worldwide as of 2004. Between 5 October 1962 and 8 May 1970, the partnership published approximately 180 jointly credited songs, of which the vast majority were recorded by the Beatles, forming the bulk of their catalogue.
The Plastic Ono Band were a rock band formed by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in 1969 for their collaborative and solo projects based on their 1968 Fluxus conceptual art project of the same name.
"Come Together" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song is the opening track on the band's 1969 album Abbey Road and was also released as a double A-side single with "Something". The song reached the top of the charts in the United States and Australia but peaked at No. 4 in the United Kingdom.
Death from Above 1979 is a Canadian rock duo consisting of bassist Jesse F. Keeler and drummer and vocalist Sebastien Grainger from Toronto, Ontario, formed in 2001. The band released their debut album, You're a Woman, I'm a Machine, in 2004 and broke up in 2006. They reformed in 2011 and released their second album, The Physical World, in 2014. Since then the band has released 2 more albums, Outrage! Is Now in 2017 and Is 4 Lovers in 2021.
"Cold Turkey" is a song written by English singer-songwriter John Lennon, released as a single in 1969 by the Plastic Ono Band on Apple Records, catalogue Apples 1001 in the United Kingdom, Apple 1813 in the United States. It is the second solo single issued by Lennon and it peaked at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 14 on the UK Singles Chart. The song's first appearance on an album was Live Peace in Toronto 1969 where the song had been performed live on 13 September 1969 with Lennon reading the lyrics off a clip-board.
Fly is the second album by Yoko Ono, released in 1971. A double album, it was co-produced by Ono and John Lennon. It peaked at No. 199 on the US charts.
Approximately Infinite Universe is the third solo album by Yoko Ono, released in early 1973 on Apple Records. A double album, it represents a departure from the experimental avant garde rock of her first two albums towards a more conventional pop/rock sound, while also dabbling in feminist rock. It peaked at number 193 in the United States. The 1997 CD reissue on Rykodisc added two acoustic demos of songs from this era, that were later released on 1981's Season of Glass. It was released again by Rykodisc in 2007.
Sebastien Alexandre Grainger is a Canadian singer and musician, best known as drummer and singer of the alternative rock duo Death from Above and the singer and guitarist for his band Sebastien Grainger & the Mountains. He is part owner of Giant Studios in Toronto, Ontario with Jimmy Shaw of Metric.
"Imagine" is a song by the English rock musician John Lennon from his 1971 album of the same name. The best-selling single of his solo career, the lyrics encourage listeners to imagine a world of peace, without materialism, without borders separating nations and without religion. Shortly before his death, Lennon said that much of the song's lyrics and content came from his wife, Yoko Ono, and in 2017 she received cowriting credit.
"Don't Worry Kyoko (Mummy's Only Looking for A Hand in the Snow)" is a song by Yoko Ono that was originally released by Plastic Ono Band in October 1969 as the B-side of the "Cold Turkey" single, and was later released on Ono's 1971 album Fly. Several live versions have been released, including on Plastic Ono Band's Live Peace in Toronto 1969 and the John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band With Elephant's Memory album Some Time in New York City in 1972. An early version was titled "Mum's Only Looking for Her Hand in the Snow". It has been covered by several other artists.
"Death of Samantha" is a song written by Yoko Ono and first released on her 1973 album Approximately Infinite Universe. It was also released as a single, backed by "Yang Yang". It has also been covered by a number of artists, including Boy George, Hermine Demoriane and Porcupine Tree.
"Now or Never" is a song written by Yoko Ono that was first released on her 1973 album Approximately Infinite Universe. It was also the lead single off the album, backed by "Move on Fast." A remixed version of "Move on Fast" was later released as a single and reached #1 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.
Is 4 Lovers is the fourth studio album by Canadian rock duo Death from Above 1979. The album was released on March 26, 2021, through Universal Music Canada.
This song makes a little bit of sense with Outrage! Is Now, because that album cover was based on a poster for [John Lennon and Yoko Ono's] 'War Is Over (If You Want It).'
