Stratosphere (Duster album)

Last updated

Stratosphere
Duster - Stratosphere front cover.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 24, 1998 (1998-02-24)
Studio Avast! Recording Company (Seattle, Washington)
Mountain (San Jose, California)
Low Earth Orbit (San Jose, California)
Genre
Length
  • 53:52 (CD)
  • 49:20 (LP)
Label Up
Producer Duster, Phil Ek
Duster chronology
Stratosphere
(1998)
Contemporary Movement
(2000)

Stratosphere is the debut studio album by American slowcore band Duster. The album was released February 24, 1998, on the Up Records label in the United States.

Contents

The album was primarily written and recorded by members Clay Parton and Canaan Dove Amber, with Jason Albertini contributing drums to three tracks. The band subsequently released the Contemporary Movement album in 2000, and the album was reissued as part of the Capsule Losing Contact box set in March 2019.

Cover

The album's cover is a photograph taken from a November 1970 issue of Life taken by Sam Ehrlich in Alberta, Canada. [3]

Reception and legacy

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [4]
Pitchfork 8.6/10 [5]

On its release, Pitchfork wrote a favorable review of Stratosphere, comparing the band to Galaxie 500 and My Bloody Valentine. [5] The Olympian 's Tucker Peteril wrote that, while somewhat derivative of other bands, Stratosphere was "a joy to listen to", occupying "the outer realms of catchy minimal guitar and drum instrumentals, somewhere between space rock and slo-mo". [6] Paul Primrose of The Rocket was similarly favorable: "This is, as the title suggests, an album about leaving predictable confines and traveling, flying and floating into new spaces". [7] :28 AllMusic initially gave the album 3 stars out of 5 but later changed their rating to a perfect score. [8] [9] [4] Their review compares the band to Pavement, Seely, and Sonic Youth and calls "Echo, Bravo" the "highlight of the record". [4]

In the years following its release, Stratosphere developed a cult following among online message boards. [8] [10] The album has since been cited as an influence on artists and bands such as Ricky Eat Acid, Peaer, Girlpool, Hovvdy, Ovlov, and Alex G. [8] In 2019, the album was reissued by The Numero Group as part of the box-set Capsule Losing Contact . [10]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Clay Parton and Dove Amber

No.TitleLength
1."Moon Age"1:06
2."Heading for the Door"3:08
3."Gold Dust"2:06
4."Topical Solution"5:01
5."Docking the Pod"1:51
6."The Landing"2:43
7."Echo, Bravo"4:32
8."Constellations"3:43
9."The Queen of Hearts"4:20
10."Two Way Radio"0:19
11."Inside Out"2:21
12."Stratosphere"6:58
13."Reed to Hillsborough"4:01
14."Shadows of Planes"1:50
15."Earth Moon Transit"4:24
16."The Twins / Romantica"3:43
17."Sideria"1:48
Total length:53:52

Personnel

Duster

Technical

Related Research Articles

Slowcore, also known as sadcore, is a subgenre of indie rock characterised by subdued tempos with typically minimalist instrumentation alongside solemn and melancholic lyrical performances.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Built to Spill</span> American indie rock band

Built to Spill is an American indie rock band that formed in Boise, Idaho, in 1992. Centered on lead vocalist and guitarist Doug Martsch, the only permanent member, Built to Spill has released nine full-length albums since its inception.

<i>Naïve</i> (album) 1990 studio album by KMFDM

Naïve is the fourth studio album by German industrial band KMFDM, released on November 15, 1990, by Wax Trax! Records. It was recorded following KMFDM's return from their first visit to the United States and subsequent tour with Ministry. It was also the first record they released after signing directly to Wax Trax! Records.

<i>Pink Flag</i> 1977 studio album by Wire

Pink Flag is the debut album by the English rock band Wire, released in December 1977. The album was critically acclaimed on release, and has since been highly influential; today it is regarded as a landmark in the development of post-punk music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Go! Team</span> British band

The Go! Team are an English indie rock band from Brighton, England. The band initially began as a solo project conceived by Ian Parton; however, after the unexpected success of the Go! Team's debut album, Thunder, Lightning, Strike, Parton recruited band members to play for live performances and subsequent albums. Musically, the band combines indie rock and garage rock with a mixture of funk and Bollywood soundtracks, double Dutch chants, old school hip hop and distorted guitars. Their songs are a mix of live instrumentation and samples from various sources. The band's vocals also vary between performances: while live vocals are handled mostly by lead vocalist Ninja, vocals on record also feature sampled and guest voices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Marshall Tucker Band</span> American Southern rock band

The Marshall Tucker Band is an American rock band from Spartanburg, South Carolina. Noted for incorporating blues, country and jazz into an eclectic sound, the Marshall Tucker Band helped establish the Southern rock genre in the early 1970s. While the band had reached the height of its commercial success by the end of the decade, it has recorded and performed continuously under various line-ups for 50 years. Lead vocalist Doug Gray remains the only original member still active with the band.

<i>Jolene</i> (album) 1974 studio album by Dolly Parton

Jolene is the thirteenth solo studio album by American entertainer Dolly Parton. It was released on February 4, 1974, by RCA Victor. The title track, "Jolene", tells the tale of a housewife confronting a beautiful seductress who she believes is having an affair with her husband. It became Parton's second solo number-one country single; it also was a moderate pop hit for her, and also did well in the United Kingdom. Since the introduction of downloads to the Official Chart in 2005, it has amassed 255,300 downloads and 6.68 million streams. It has been covered by numerous performers.

<i>Thunder, Lightning, Strike</i> 2004 studio album by The Go! Team

Thunder, Lightning, Strike is the debut studio album by English band The Go! Team. It was initially released on label Memphis Industries on 13 September 2004, but was reworked to avoid legal issues with samples, and re-released in October 2005.

<i>The Grateful Dead</i> (album) 1967 studio album by Grateful Dead

The Grateful Dead is the debut studio album of Grateful Dead. It was released by Warner Bros. Records in March 1967. According to the biographies of both bassist Phil Lesh and drummer Bill Kreutzmann, the band released the album as San Francisco's Grateful Dead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duster (band)</span> American indie rock band

Duster is an American indie rock band from San Jose, California that was formed in 1996. The group has consisted of multi-instrumentalists Clay Parton, Canaan Dove Amber, and Jason Albertini for most of its history; Albertini left the band in 2022. Duster were closely associated with the burgeoning slowcore and space rock revival movements during the 1990s.

<i>I Could Live in Hope</i> 1994 studio album by Low

I Could Live in Hope is the debut studio album by American indie rock band Low. It was released on February 18, 1994, on Vernon Yard Recordings.

Helvetia was an indie rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 2005. The name Helvetia is a personification of Switzerland, the childhood home of bandleader and primary songwriter Jason Albertini.

<i>Frigid Stars LP</i> 1991 studio album by Codeine

Frigid Stars LP is the debut album by American indie rock band Codeine. It was released in February 1991 on Glitterhouse in Europe and in May 1991 on Sub Pop in the United States. The album was released to generally positive reviews and is regarded as being one of the pioneering albums in the slowcore genre.

<i>Barely Real</i> 1992 EP by Codeine

Barely Real is the 1992 extended play (EP) by the American indie rock band Codeine. After releasing their previous album Frigid Stars LP in 1990, the group accepted an invitation from the quartet Bastro to tour in Europe in 1991. Following the tour, the group was invited to record a single for Sub Pop Singles Club and attempted to record their follow-up album The White Birch in 1992. The recording sessions proved to be disastrous for the group since they found themselves often with unusable tracks over several different studios. As Codeine could not record enough material for a full-length album, they decided to release what tracks they had as an EP.

<i>Contemporary Movement</i> 2000 studio album by Duster

Contemporary Movement is the second studio album by American slowcore band Duster. The album was released in 2000 on Up Records.

<i>Semicircle</i> (album) 2018 studio album by The Go! Team

Semicircle is the fifth studio album by English band The Go! Team. It was released on 19 January 2018 by Memphis Industries. Vocals on the album were provided by band members Ninja and Maki, with guest vocals from the Detroit Youth Choir, Julie Margat, Darenda Weaver, and Amber Arcades. Brass was provided by the Neon Saints Brass Band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horse Jumper of Love</span> American indie rock band

Horse Jumper of Love is an American indie rock band from Boston, Massachusetts.

<i>Duster</i> (Duster album) 2019 studio album by Duster

Duster, known colloquially as Cat Album, is the third studio album by American rock band Duster. The album was released December 13, 2019 by Muddguts Records in the United States; the first Duster album to not be released under the Up Records label. Duster was also the first studio album released by the band in 19 years since the release of Contemporary Movement in 2000.

<i>Capsule Losing Contact</i> 2019 compilation album by Duster

Capsule Losing Contact is a compilation box set by the American slowcore band Duster. It was released by The Numero Group as part of the 200 Line series on March 22, 2019, and compiles the four previous Duster releases, Stratosphere,Contemporary Movement, Transmission, Flux and 1975, as well as numerous singles, demos and unreleased material. The album is named after the song of the same name on the third disc.

<i>Together</i> (Duster album) 2022 studio album by Duster

Together is the fourth studio album by American indie rock band Duster. The album was surprise-released on April 1, 2022 by The Numero Group. It is the band's first release after the departure of drummer Jason Albertini. The album is described as an "exploration of comfortable, interplanetary goth". The album was also the first non-archival release for the Numero Group.

References

  1. Rosean, Samuel (January 31, 2019). "The Beginner's Guide To: Slowcore". Drowned in Sound . Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  2. Huguenor, Mike (January 23, 2019). "San Jose Legends Duster Play the Ritz". Metroactive . Retrieved October 14, 2021.
  3. "LIFE". November 13, 1970.
  4. 1 2 3 Tim, Sendra. "Stratosphere – Duster". AllMusic . Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  5. 1 2 Richard-San, Mark. "Duster: Stratosphere". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on February 16, 2001. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  6. Peteril, Tucker (May 1, 1998). "Jenny Mae's second CD full of wry, honest stories". The Olympian: 12 via Newspapers.com.
  7. Staff writers (March 25, 1998). "Reviews". The Rocket (274). Seattle: 26, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 35 via Newspapers.com.
  8. 1 2 3 "The Low-Key Legacy Of Duster, Your Favorite Indie Band's Favorite Indie Band". Stereogum. February 23, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
  9. "Stratosphere - Duster : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic . November 14, 2012. Archived from the original on November 14, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
  10. 1 2 Richardson, Mark (February 22, 2019). "Back to the Stratosphere: How the Rarest Music in the World Comes Back". The Ringer. Retrieved June 10, 2023.

Further reading