Tales of a GrassWidow

Last updated

Tales of a GrassWidow
TalesofaGrassWidow.png
Studio album by
CocoRosie
ReleasedMay 27, 2013 (2013-05-27)
Genre Indie pop, indie folk, folktronica
Length59:56
Label City Slang, Republic of Music
Producer
CocoRosie chronology
Grey Oceans
(2010)		Tales of a GrassWidow
(2013)		 Heartache City
(2015)
Singles from Tales of a GrassWidow
  1. "Gravediggress"
    Released: February 19, 2013 [1]
  2. "After the Afterlife"
    Released: April 2, 2013 [2]

Tales of a GrassWidow, sometimes stylized as Tales of a Grasswidow, is the fifth studio album by American musical group CocoRosie. It was released by independent record labels City Slang and Republic of Music on May 27, 2013 in the United Kingdom and May 28th, 2013 in the United States. [3] [4] [5] The album's sound has been described as "indie pop" and "indie folk". [6]

Contents

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 75/100 [7]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Clash 8/10 [9]
Consequence of Sound C+ [10]
The Line of Best Fit 6.5/10 [11]
MusicOMH Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [12]
The Observer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Pitchfork 6.7/10 [14]
PopMatters Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [15]

Tales of a GrassWidow received generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 75, based on 18 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [7]

The Guardian's Phil Mongredien gave the album a rating of 3 out of 5 stars, praising the versatility of Bianca Casady's vocals ("at times childlike, an instant later carrying the emotional heft of Billie Holiday") but stating that "too much of the material … is content to merely sit in the background, not something from which they usually suffer". [16] In a review for music blog GoldFlakePaint, Lee Adcock stated that Tales of a GrassWidow's best moments "are its most minimal ones", describing "Broken Chariot" as the "most captivating" and "only intimate" track on the album, and suggesting that while "the production is even crisper" and the "techno beats are even more prominent", much of Tales of a GrassWidow is "crowded with incongruous ideas" and "just snatches of abstract poetry, all striking at certain verses, but perplexing when strung together". [17]

In a review for Pitchfork , assigning the album a rating of 6.7 out of 10, Brian Howe described Tales of a GrassWidow as "remarkably straightforward" and "remarkably pleasant" in comparison to CocoRosie's previous records, noting the "practical songwriting, with refreshingly natural vocals and themes that tend toward the soapy and sentimental". Howe praised the "sleek Valgeir Sigurðsson production", the "juiced-up piano and synth bounce" of the track "After the Afterlife", the "velvety Mesoamerican flutes" of the track "Broken Chariot", and the "folksy … cracked brightness" of the track "Roots of My Hair", opining that the album "feels like a long-held transgressive impulse spending its last momentum, beneficially redirecting energy into more direct emotional appeals". [18]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Sierra Rose Casady and Bianca Leilani Casady, and former member Gaël Alfred Rakotondrabé where noted.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."After the Afterlife"Gaël Alfred Rakotondrabé3:03
2."Tears for Animals*" 5:18
3."Child Bride" 4:18
4."Broken Chariot" 2:14
5."End of Time"Gaël Alfred Rakotondrabé3:20
6."Harmless Monster"Gaël Alfred Rakotondrabé3:07
7."Gravediggress" 5:26
8."Far Away" 4:36
9."Roots of My Hair" 5:58
10."Villain" 4:19
11."Poison" / "Devil's Island" 18:18
Total length:59:56

*Not to be confused with the track "Tearz for Animals", featuring British singer Anonhi, from CocoRosie's 2012 double-sided single "We Are On Fire".

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.

Charts

ChartPeak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [19] 49
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [20] 49
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [21] 64
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [22] 99
French Albums (SNEP) [23] 27
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [24] 47
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [25] 43

Related Research Articles

<i>Heathen Chemistry</i> 2002 studio album by Oasis

Heathen Chemistry is the fifth studio album by English rock band Oasis. It was released on 1 July 2002 by Big Brother Recordings. It is the first Oasis album recorded with guitarist Gem Archer and bassist Andy Bell, who both joined the band after work on previous album Standing on the Shoulder of Giants had been completed. It would also prove to be last album to feature the band's longtime drummer, Alan White, who left in early 2004, with Noel Gallagher claiming White's commitment to the band was not adequate.

<i>Dont Believe the Truth</i> 2005 studio album by Oasis

Don't Believe the Truth is the sixth studio album by English rock band Oasis. It was released on 30 May 2005 by Big Brother Recordings. It reached number one in the UK Albums Chart with first week sales of 237,865, and is the 32nd fastest selling album ever in the UK. The album entered the US charts at number 12, with 65,000 copies sold in the first week, the highest any Oasis album had reached there since 1997's Be Here Now, although its chart stay was brief. Don't Believe the Truth went triple platinum in the UK in the first week of 2006, and in the US has sold more than 200,000 copies.

CocoRosie American musical group

CocoRosie is an American musical group formed in 2003 by sisters Sierra Rose "Rosie" and Bianca Leilani "Coco" Casady. The group's music has been described as folktronica, freak folk and "New Weird America", and incorporates elements of pop, blues, opera, electronica, avant-garde, and hip hop. The group has released seven studio albums, La Maison de Mon Rêve (2004), Noah's Ark (2005), The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn (2007), Grey Oceans (2010), Tales of a GrassWidow (2013), Heartache City (2015), and Put the Shine On (2020), and two EPs, Beautiful Boyz (2004) and Coconuts, Plenty of Junk Food (2009). They released their sixth album Heartache City on their own record label, Lost Girl Records.

<i>Drawing Restraint 9</i> (album) 2005 soundtrack album by Björk

The Music from Matthew Barney's Drawing Restraint 9 is a soundtrack created by Björk in collaboration with her then-partner Matthew Barney for his film of the same title. For this project Björk traveled to Japan to study ancient Japanese music. Several tracks are made with the sound of the shō, a Japanese instrument which contains 16 various reeds; the shō performances are from Mayumi Miyata, one of the world's greatest shō players. She also appears in the film, playing her instrument. The song "Holographic Entrypoint" features a Noh score and vocal performance by Shiro Nomura. Björk brought "Nameless" back from her 2003 tour, and, with the help of Leila Arab, looped and edited it to create the track "Storm". Alternative folk singer Will Oldham is featured on the first track, "Gratitude", singing a letter from a Japanese fisherman to General Douglas MacArthur set to a melody by Matthew Barney. Björk's vocals feature only on the tracks "Bath", "Storm", and "Cetacea". "Gratitude", "Shimenawa" and "Cetacea" feature harp player Zeena Parkins, who previously collaborated with Björk on her 2001 album Vespertine. "Hunter Vessel" was later re-used on her album Volta for the tracks "Vertebræ by Vertebræ" and "Declare Independence". The track "Storm" was featured in the 2012 video game Spec Ops: The Line.

<i>Noahs Ark</i> (album) 2005 studio album by CocoRosie

Noah's Ark is the second studio album by American musical group CocoRosie, released by Touch and Go Records on September 13, 2005. The album features collaborations with various musicians, including Anohni, Devendra Banhart, and Spleen.

<i>The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn</i> 2007 studio album by CocoRosie

The Adventures of Ghosthorse and Stillborn is the third studio album by American musical group by CocoRosie, released by Touch and Go Records on April 10, 2007.

God Has a Voice, She Speaks Through Me

"God Has a Voice, She Speaks Through Me" is a single by American music group CocoRosie, released by Touch and Go Records on May 13, 2008. Touch and Go initially produced 3,000 pieces on vinyl, which included an untitled B-side track consisting of noises and distorted singing. On July 8, 2008, the label began releasing 7" picture disc versions of the single. Since 2012, the single has been sold only on digital platforms.

<i>Coconuts, Plenty of Junk Food</i> 2009 EP by CocoRosie

Coconuts, Plenty of Junk Food is an EP by American musical group CocoRosie, released on June 3, 2009. The EP was self-released and only available to be bought at CocoRosie’s 2009 Summer Tour. It has been described as art pop, electronica, experimental, rock, folk rock, folktronica, freak folk, hip hop, and indie.

<i>Grey Oceans</i> 2010 studio album by CocoRosie

Grey Oceans is the fourth studio album by American musical group CocoRosie, released by Sub Pop on April 30, 2010.

<i>Soulbook</i> 2009 studio album by Rod Stewart

Soulbook is the 25th studio album by Rod Stewart. Like his previous five albums, Soulbook features Stewart singing old material; for this album he sings classic material from Motown and the soul genre. It was released on 17 October 2009 and was produced by Steve Tyrell, Steven Jordan and Chuck Kentis.

Lemonade (CocoRosie song)

"Lemonade" is a single by experimental band CocoRosie, released on April 17, 2010, from their album Grey Oceans. The B-side of the CD contains a cover of the Beach Boys' song "Surfer Girl". While both sisters of CocoRosie wrote the single, the music for the album was also contributed to by keyboardist/composer Gael Rakotondrabe.

<i>Nothing but the Beat</i>

Nothing but the Beat is the fifth studio album by French DJ and record producer David Guetta, released on 26 August 2011. Released as a double album, the first disc features collaborations with artists from the R&B, hip hop and pop worlds such as Lil Wayne, Taio Cruz, Nicki Minaj, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, Afrojack, Chris Brown, Flo Rida, Usher, Jennifer Hudson, Dev, Timbaland, Jessie J and Sia. Also making appearances are will.i.am, Akon and Ne-Yo, all three of whom previously collaborated with Guetta on his fourth studio album, One Love. In comparison, the second disc features purely instrumental tracks. The album is also Guetta's first album not to feature long-time collaborator Chris Willis on vocals. Critical reviews of the album were mixed.

<i>Believe</i> (Justin Bieber album) 2012 studio album by Justin Bieber

Believe is the third studio album by Canadian singer Justin Bieber, released on June 15, 2012, by Island Records. Looking to transition from the teen pop styles of his two-piece debut effort My World (2009) and My World 2.0 (2010), Bieber opted to create a follow-up record that featured more prominent elements of dance-pop and contemporary R&B. As executive producers, mentor Usher and manager Scooter Braun enlisted collaborators including Darkchild, Hit-Boy, Diplo and Max Martin with the intention of creating a mature-sounding project.

<i>Glad Rag Doll</i> (album) 2012 studio album by Diana Krall

Glad Rag Doll is the eleventh studio album by Canadian singer Diana Krall, released on October 2, 2012, by Verve Records. Produced by T Bone Burnett, the album covers mainly jazz tunes from the 1920s and 1930s, mostly from Krall's father's collection of 78-rpm records.

<i>The Lumineers</i> (album) 2012 studio album by the Lumineers

The Lumineers is the debut studio album by American rock band the Lumineers. The album was released in the United States on April 3, 2012, and contains the singles "Ho Hey", "Stubborn Love" and "Submarines". The album peaked at number 2 on the Billboard 200 chart.

<i>At Least for Now</i> 2015 studio album by Benjamin Clementine

At Least for Now is the debut studio album by English musician, singer, and poet Benjamin Clementine. It was released through Behind Records in France on 12 January 2015. The album was recorded after Clementine gained critical acclaim with his two previous EPs. Clementine returned to London in the new year to record his album, just as his career was starting to take off. He moved to Kensington High Street with a friend he had met in Tuscany then went back to Edmonton for a period of time until At Least for Now was completed. The album won the 2015 Mercury Music Prize.

<i>Heartache City</i> 2015 studio album by CocoRosie

Heartache City is the sixth studio album by American musical group CocoRosie. It was released by CocoRosie's own record label, Lost Girl Records, on September 18, 2015. The album is described by music webzine The Line of Best Fit as a freak folk album in which "the tracks all share a strong backbone of hip hop and afro-beat".

<i>Wallflower</i> (Diana Krall album) 2015 studio album by Diana Krall

Wallflower is the twelfth studio album by Canadian singer Diana Krall, released on February 3, 2015, by Verve Records. The album was produced by David Foster. The album's supporting tour, Wallflower World Tour, began in Boston on February 25, 2015.

<i>Bottle It In</i> 2018 studio album by Kurt Vile

Bottle It In is the eighth studio album by American musician Kurt Vile, released on October 12, 2018 through Matador Records. It features contributions from Kim Gordon, Cass McCombs, Stella Mozgawa of Warpaint, and Mary Lattimore.

<i>Put the Shine On</i> 2020 studio album by CocoRosie

Put the Shine On is the seventh studio album by American musical group CocoRosie, released by Marathon Artists on March 13, 2020.

References

  1. ↑ "Gravediggress - Single by CocoRosie". Apple Music . Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  2. ↑ "After the Afterlife - Single by CocoRosie". Apple Music . Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  3. ↑ "CocoRosie - Tales Of A GrassWidow". City Slang. January 27, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  4. ↑ Britt, Thomas (June 5, 2013). "CocoRosie: Tales of a GrassWidow". PopMatters. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  5. ↑ Sully, George (May 8, 2013). "CocoRosie – Tales of a Grass Widow | Album Review | The Skinny". www.theskinny.co.uk. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  6. ↑ "CocoRosie - Tales Of A Grasswidow". Discogs. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  7. 1 2 "Tales of a Grass Widow by CocoRosie". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  8. ↑ Phares, Heather. "Tales of a GrassWidow - CocoRosie". AllMusic . Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  9. ↑ James, Gareth (May 25, 2013). "CocoRosie - Tales Of A GrassWidow". Clash . Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  10. ↑ Flynn, Katherine (May 29, 2013). "CocoRosie – Tales of a GrassWidow". Consequence of Sound . Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  11. ↑ Cottingham, Christian (May 29, 2013). "CocoRosie – Tales of a GrassWidow". The Line of Best Fit . Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  12. ↑ Clarke, Helen (May 24, 2013). "CocoRosie – Tales Of A GrassWidow". MusicOMH . Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  13. ↑ Mongredien, Phil (May 26, 2013). "CocoRosie: Tales of a GrassWidow – review". The Observer . Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  14. ↑ Howe, Brian (May 29, 2013). "CocoRosie: Tales of a GrassWidow". Pitchfork . Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  15. ↑ Britt, Thomas (June 5, 2013). "CocoRosie: Tales of a GrassWidow". PopMatters . Archived from the original on October 9, 2013. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  16. ↑ Mongredien, Phil (May 25, 2013). "CocoRosie: Tales of a GrassWidow – review". the Guardian. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  17. ↑ Adcock, Lee (May 13, 2013). "Review | Cocorosie ~ Tales of a GrassWidow". GoldFlakePaint. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  18. ↑ Howe, Brian (May 29, 2013). "CocoRosie: Tales of a GrassWidow". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – CocoRosie – Tales Of A Grass Widow" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  20. ↑ "Ultratop.be – CocoRosie – Tales Of A Grass Widow" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Ultratop.be – CocoRosie – Tales Of A Grass Widow" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  22. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – CocoRosie – Tales Of A Grass Widow" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Lescharts.com – CocoRosie – Tales Of A Grass Widow". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  24. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – CocoRosie – Tales Of A Grass Widow" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  25. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – CocoRosie – Tales Of A Grass Widow". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.