Raft (album)

Last updated

Raft
Raft (album).jpg
Studio album by
Mike Cooper
Released7 July 2017 (2017-07-07)
Length37:06
Label Room40
Mike Cooper chronology
Sky Songs
(2016)		Raft
(2017)		Tropical Gothic
(2018)

Raft is a solo studio album by English guitarist Mike Cooper. It was released on 7 July 2017 through Room40. [1] It received generally favorable reviews from critics. [2]

Contents

Background

Raft is specifically inspired by the sailors Vital Alsar and William Wills. [3] A music video was released for the song "Raft 21 – Guayaquil to Tully". [4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 74/100 [2]
Review scores
SourceRating
Pitchfork 6.8/10 [5]
Record Collector Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Spectrum CultureStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Tiny Mix Tapes Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic , Raft received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 74 out of 100 from 6 critic scores. [2]

Will Neibergall of Tiny Mix Tapes stated, "In a changing and frustrating world where everything solid seems to fall into aqueous mixture, Mike Cooper is still afloat, his guitar tied tightly to his lap with patch cords, so talented as always at finding another raft." [8] He added, "[Raft] may seem conceptually like a retrospective or statement of purpose, and it holds up nicely as a portrait, but it should also be considered a refinement, wading further away from readymade images of the tropics and into the depth of the traveler's imagination." [8] Andy Beta of Pitchfork commented that "Glints of old country blues, slack-key guitarist Gabby Pahinui, Fripp & Eno's (No Pussyfooting) , or the KLF's Chill Out might all come to mind, but if Cooper's varied and voluminous catalog tells us anything, these are all just tributaries flowing into the man's particular ocean of sound." [5]

Accolades

Year-end lists for Raft
PublicationListRankRef.
Crack The Top 100 Albums of 2017
40
[9]

Track listing

Raft track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Raft 21 – Guayaquil to Tully"4:06
2."Raft 37 – Las Balsas"12:12
3."Raft 28 – Vital Alsar"2:47
4."Raft 33 – Malama Honua (To Care for Our Earth)"4:08
5."Raft 29 – Honey Hunters"5:19
6."Raft 36 – Age Unlimited"3:48
7."Raft 27 – Guayaquil to Ballina"4:41
Total length:37:06

References

  1. ↑ Jensen, Fred (25 April 2017). "Mike Cooper announces new album Raft, premieres video for "Raft 21 Guayaquil to Tully"". Tiny Mix Tapes . Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 "Raft by Mike Cooper". Metacritic . Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  3. ↑ "Mike Cooper, "Raft"". Brainwashed . 29 April 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  4. ↑ Mitchell, Tony (3 July 2017). "Mike Cooper – Raft (Room40)". Cyclic Defrost . Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  5. 1 2 Beta, Andy (17 July 2017). "Mike Cooper: Raft". Pitchfork . Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  6. ↑ Grady, Spencer (18 July 2017). "Raft | Mike Cooper". Record Collector . Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  7. ↑ Bromfield, Daniel (8 August 2017). "Mike Cooper: Raft". Spectrum Culture. Archived from the original on 13 August 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 Neibergall, Will. "Mike Cooper - Raft". Tiny Mix Tapes . Retrieved 9 May 2025.
  9. ↑ "The Top 100 Albums of 2017". Crack . 4 December 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2025.

Further reading

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