| Stranger Things | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 18 June 2001 | |||
| Recorded | Dreamhouse Studios, Brittania Row | |||
| Genre | Electropop | |||
| Length | 50:49 | |||
| Label | Blue Star Music / XIII BIS Records | |||
| Producer | Jóhann Jóhannsson | |||
| Marc Almond chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Stranger Things | ||||
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Stranger Things is the eleventh solo studio album by the British singer/songwriter Marc Almond. It was released by Blue Star Music, in conjunction with XIII BIS Records, on 18 June 2001.
According to an article in Billboard magazine, the sound of Stranger Things "finds a middle ground between the spare gothic synth-pop of Open All Night and the orchestral grandeur of 1991's Tenement Symphony . [1] Almond employed the services of Jóhann Jóhannsson, Icelandic multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer, to produce the album. Jóhannsson also plays most of the instruments, with some assistance from other musicians from Iceland, and is responsible for many of the arrangements. The tracks "Come Out" and "Love in a Time of Science" were originally written by Jóhannsson's band Dip, the latter of which had previously been recorded and released as the song "Telepathy" by Icelandic singer Emiliana Torrini on her 1999 album Love in the Time of Science . [1]
The German version of the album contains the bonus track "Amo Vitam", featuring and written by the German band Rosenstolz. This follows a prior collaboration where Almond sang guest vocals on the Rosenstolz single "Total Eclipse" .
The first pressings of both the English and the German versions came in an embossed jewel case.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
| entertainment.ie | [3] |
| Record Collector | [4] |
| Hot Press |   [5] |
| The Guardian | [6] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [7] |
Critics generally liked the album but with reservations. The sound of the album has been described by Allmusic as "dreamy and swooning" and states that Almond "sounds in absolutely excellent voice". [2] The Guardian doesn't fully concur with this point of view, allowing that whilst the production lends the album a "veneer of lush sophistication" it "has done little to alleviate the worst of Almond's voice". [6] Another review agrees that the "production is lush and most of the songs sweep by with grace and style" whilst conceding that "Almond's voice is definitely an acquired taste". [3]
| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [8] | 63 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC) [9] | 18 |
Here Today, Tomorrow Next Week! is the second studio album by Icelandic alternative rock band the Sugarcubes, released in September 1989 through Elektra Records. A version of the album sung in Icelandic titled Illur Arfur! was released as well, with the same English track listing, under the name of Sykurmolarnir. The album reached number 70 on the US Billboard 200, number 15 on the UK Albums Chart and number one on the UK Indie Albums chart. The album was not as well received by critics as their critically acclaimed debut album, Life's Too Good, and was criticized for Einar's greater vocal contribution.
Anne Jennifer Dudley is a British composer, keyboardist, conductor and pop musician. She was the first BBC Concert Orchestra's Composer in Association in 2001. She has worked in the classical and pop genres, as a film composer, and was one of the core members of the synth-pop band Art of Noise. In 1998, Dudley won an Oscar for Best Original Musical or Comedy Score for The Full Monty. In addition to over twenty other film scores, in 2012 she served as music producer for the film version of Les Misérables, also acting as arranger and composing some new additional music.
Peter Mark "Marc" Almond is an English singer best known from the synth-pop/new wave duo Soft Cell and for his distinctive soulful voice and androgynous image. He has also had a diverse career as a solo artist. His collaborations include a duet with Gene Pitney on the 1989 UK number one single "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart". Almond's career spanning over four decades has enjoyed critical and commercial acclaim, and he has sold over 30 million records worldwide. He spent a month in a coma after a near-fatal motorcycle accident in 2004 and later became a patron of the brain trauma charity Headway.
Jóhann Gunnar Jóhannsson was an Icelandic composer who wrote music for a wide array of media including theatre, dance, television, and film. His work is stylised by its blending of traditional orchestration with contemporary electronic elements.
Love in the Time of Science is the third album by Icelandic singer-songwriter Emilíana Torrini. It was her first album to be released internationally.
Rosenstolz was a German pop duo from Berlin that was active between 1991 and 2012 and had chart hits in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The duo consisted of singer AnNa R. and musician Peter Plate, who occasionally provided vocals. Rosenstolz achieved major chart success after the nineties, with five studio albums going to No. 1 in the German albums chart. Although the duo split up to pursue separate music careers, they left open the possibility of a future reunion.
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The Stars We Are is the fourth studio album by British singer/songwriter Marc Almond. It was released in September 1988, reaching number 41 on the UK Albums Chart, and 144 on the US Billboard 200 album chart. It is Almond's highest selling solo album in both countries and was certified silver by the BPI. The Stars We Are includes the singles "Tears Run Rings", "Bitter Sweet", "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" and "Only the Moment".
"Total Eclipse" / "Die schwarze Witwe" is a double A-side single released in 2001 by German pop duo Rosenstolz, featuring guest singers Marc Almond and Nina Hagen. The single reached No. 22 in the German singles chart.
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The discography of the English singer, songwriter and recording artist Marc Almond consists of music recorded since the late 1970s. He has recorded as a solo artist and with several other groups, these include Soft Cell, Marc & the Mambas, The Willing Sinners and Flesh Volcano. He has also worked with Michael Cashmore, and has contributed to numerous one-off releases with a variety of artists.
The discography of Rosenstolz, a German pop duo from Berlin, includes 12 studio albums and at least 40 singles, released between 1992 and 2012. The band also released a number of live albums, six compilation albums and video albums.
Kassengift is the seventh studio album by German pop duo Rosenstolz, released in 2000 by Polydor Records. The album was the first Rosenstolz album to reach No. 1 in the German albums chart and includes "Amo Vitam", a song sung entirely in Latin that reached the top 20 of the German singles chart.
Alles Gute is a compilation album by German pop duo Rosenstolz, featuring a selection of songs from the early part of the band's career during the nineties. Following its initial release in 1998 by Polydor Records, the album reached No. 10 in the German albums chart. The album was later re-released in 2001 with a bonus CD containing newer songs.
Open All Night is the tenth solo studio album by the British singer-songwriter Marc Almond. It was released by Blue Star Music in March 1999.
Stardom Road is the thirteenth solo studio album by the British singer/songwriter Marc Almond. It was released by Sanctuary Records on 4 June 2007.
The Dancing Marquis is the eighteenth solo studio album by the British singer/songwriter Marc Almond. It was released by Strike Force Entertainment / Cherry Red Records on 16 June 2014.
Love Streams is the eighth studio album by Canadian electronic music musician Tim Hecker, released on April 8, 2016 on 4AD and Paper Bag Records. The album was recorded throughout 2014 and 2015 at Greenhouse Studios in Reykjavík, Iceland, where parts of Hecker's last two albums Virgins (2013) and Ravedeath, 1972 (2011) were recorded.
