| The Kid | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 6, 2017 | |||
| Studio | Touchtheplants (Glendale, California) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 51:35 | |||
| Label | Western Vinyl | |||
| Producer | Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith | |||
| Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Kid is the sixth studio album by American electronic musician Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith. It was released on October 6, 2017 by Western Vinyl. It's a concept album about the human life cycle and was described by the artist as "a journey from birth to death", while Smith depicts the four stages of life in the tracks of The Kid. [1] [2]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.6/10 [3] |
| Metacritic | 82/100 [4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| The A.V. Club | A [6] |
| Exclaim! | 9/10 [7] |
| The Guardian | |
| Mixmag | 8/10 [9] |
| Pitchfork | 8.1/10 [10] |
| Record Collector | |
| Resident Advisor | 4.0/5 [12] |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Uncut | 8/10 [13] |
The Kid received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 82, based on 18 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim". [4] Sasha Geffen of Pitchfork described The Kid as the most accessible album of Smith to date and stated that the artist "extracts as much joy as possible from the sadness." [10] While rating the album 4 out of 5, AllMusic's Paul Simpson called "The Kid "a stunning work of highly advanced kaleidoscopic new age pop, and is easily Smith's best and most accessible release to date," stating that it "builds on Ears' seamless fusion of synthetic and organic sounds, combining the fluid tones of her preferred instrument, the Buchla Music Easel, with other synthesizers, such as the rare EMS Synthi 100." [5]
Christopher R. Weingarten praised the album declaring that the artist "paints an even lusher world using cosmic swoops, squelches and lots of her highly processed vocals. Sounds don’t align with the rhythms, and Smith’s voice is awash in alien echoes." [1] In a highly positive review, Kelsey J. Waite of The A.V. Club rated the album grade "A", while writing that the album "reaches a career high as the synthesist and composer ponders her existence, tracing the life cycle through four distinct stages" and opined that it is "truly an album to experience beginning to end." [6] The music on the album has been described by critics as electronic, [14] avant-garde, [1] and "analogue psychedelia." [8]
All tracks are written by Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Am a Thought" | 1:53 |
| 2. | "An Intention" | 4:00 |
| 3. | "A Kid" | 5:04 |
| 4. | "In the World" | 3:00 |
| 5. | "I Am Consumed" | 0:54 |
| 6. | "In the World, but Not of the World" | 3:57 |
| 7. | "I Am Learning" | 3:15 |
| 8. | "To Follow & Lead" | 4:48 |
| 9. | "Until I Remember" | 4:23 |
| 10. | "Who I Am & Why I Am Where I Am" | 5:20 |
| 11. | "I Am Curious, I Care" | 3:44 |
| 12. | "I Will Make Room for You" | 4:58 |
| 13. | "To Feel Your Best" | 6:19 |
Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Kid. [15]
| Publication | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| AllMusic | Best of 2017 | N/A | |
| Best Electronic Albums | |||
| Bandcamp | Top 20 Albums of 2017 | 8 | |
| Bleep | Top Ten Albums of 2017 | 6 | |
| Fact | Top 50 Albums | 20 | |
| NME | Albums of The Year 2017 | 48 | |
| Spin | Top 50 Albums | 21 | |
| The Vinyl Factory | Top 50 Albums of 2017 | 17 |
Ambient music is a genre of music that emphasizes tone and atmosphere over traditional musical structure or rhythm. It is often "peaceful" sounding and lacks composition, beat, and/or structured melody. It uses textural layers of sound that can reward both passive and active listening and encourage a sense of calm or contemplation. The genre is said to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual", or "unobtrusive" quality. Nature soundscapes may be included, and the sounds of acoustic instruments such as the piano, strings and flute may be emulated through a synthesizer.
Suzanne Ciani is an American musician, sound designer, composer, and record label executive who found early success in the 1970s, with her electronic music and sound effects for films and television commercials. Her career has included works with quadraphonic sound. She has been nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Age Album five times. Her success with electronic music has her dubbed "Diva of the Diode" and "America's first female synth hero".

"Cryin'" is a power ballad by American hard rock band Aerosmith. It was written by Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Taylor Rhodes, and released by Geffen Records on June 29, 1993, as the second US single from their 11th studio album, Get a Grip (1993). The single reached numbers 12 and 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100, ending the year at number 60 overall. It is one of their most successful hits in Europe, reaching number one in Norway, number three in Iceland, Portugal, and Sweden, and number 17 on the UK Singles Chart. The song went gold in the United States for selling over 500,000 copies. Its music video, directed by Marty Callner, features Alicia Silverstone, Stephen Dorff and Josh Holloway.

Your Future Our Clutter is an album by the Fall, released in the UK on 26 April 2010. It is the group's twenty-seventh studio album, and their first for independent record label Domino. The album was recorded at Chairworks Studios, Castleford and 6db Studio, Salford. Publicity for the record describes it as the group's "most rampant, most forward moving, bone shaking best." The album had previously been referred to as Our Future Your Clutter.

Truant / Rough Sleeper is the sixth extended play by British electronic music producer Burial. It was digitally released by Hyperdub on 14 December 2012, with a vinyl and CD release following on 17 December 2012.

1999 is the debut mixtape by American rapper Joey Bada$$. It was released independently as a free digital download on June 12, 2012. The mixtape is a tribute to 1990s East Coast hip hop, featuring boom bap production and lyrical themes reflecting Joey's experiences as a teenager in Brooklyn. The mixtape incorporates elements of jazz rap, conscious hip hop, and old school hip hop. The mixtape contains guest appearances from fellow Pro Era members Capital STEEZ, CJ Fly, and Chuck Strangers, as well as T'nah Apex. Production was handled primarily by various members of Pro Era, including Chuck Strangers and Kirk Knight, along with established producers like Lord Finesse, MF DOOM, and J Dilla. Videos were released for the tracks "Hardknock", "Survival Tactics", "FromdaTomb$", and "Waves". The mixtape's cover art features a childhood photo of Joey Bada$$, emphasizing the youthful perspective presented in the lyrics. 1999 was widely acclaimed by music critics and is considered Joey Bada$$'s breakthrough project.

In Conflict is the fourth full-length album by Canadian indie rock artist Owen Pallett, released May 27, 2014 on Domino Records and Secret City Records. The album features English ambient musician Brian Eno, who plays guitar and synthesizers as well as providing vocals. It was released on standard vinyl and CD as well as a limited edition double heavyweight LP. It was recorded by Mark Lawson. Canadian and Japanese special editions include exclusive bonus tracks.

Caracal is the second studio album by English electronic music duo Disclosure. It was released on 25 September 2015 by PMR Records and Island Records, and serves as a follow-up to their debut album, Settle (2013). Five official singles were released from the album: "Holding On", "Omen", "Jaded", "Magnets" and "Nocturnal", with three promotional singles also being released: "Bang That", "Willing and Able" and "Hourglass".

Vega Intl. Night School is the third album by American electronic music band Neon Indian. It was released on October 16, 2015, by Mom + Pop Music. The album title was an intentional nod to Alan Palomo's other music project, titled Vega, for which he produced only a single EP. Noticing that ideas from Neon Indian and Vega were merging, Palomo decided to combine the two projects into one and retire the use of the Vega moniker.

Product is the debut compilation by English electronic music producer Sophie. It was released by Numbers on 27 November 2015. The 8 tracks on Product appeared as singles released from 2013 to 2015. The album was made available in "silicon bubble cases", and its release coincides with the launch of a line of apparel and a "silicon product" resembling a sex toy.
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith is an American composer, performer and producer, originally from the Pacific Northwest and currently based in Los Angeles. Her work prominently employs Buchla modular synthesizers. She received acclaim for her albums Ears (2016) and The Kid (2017). She has collaborated with Suzanne Ciani and Emile Mosseri.

Masseduction is the fifth studio album by American musician St. Vincent, released on October 13, 2017, through Loma Vista Recordings. The album peaked at number 10 on the Billboard 200, becoming her first top ten album in the United States. The album was widely praised and was the fourth-most mentioned in critics' year-end lists for 2017. At the 61st Annual Grammy Awards, Masseduction won the award for Best Recording Package and Best Rock Song for its title track, and was also nominated for the Best Alternative Music Album.

Kid Kruschev is an EP by American noise pop duo Sleigh Bells. It was released on November 10, 2017 through Torn Clean.

Bicep is the self-titled debut album by electronic music duo Bicep, released on Ninja Tune on 1 September 2017.

Age Of is the eighth studio album by American electronic producer Oneohtrix Point Never, released on June 1, 2018, on Warp Records. Recorded over two years, it is the first Oneohtrix Point Never album to prominently feature Daniel Lopatin's own vocals. The album was accompanied by the MYRIAD tour, which premiered as a "conceptual concertscape" in 2018 at the Park Avenue Armory and ended its run in 2019.

Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides is the debut studio album by English recording artist and producer Sophie and the only one to be released during her lifetime. It was released on 15 June 2018, through Transgressive, Future Classic and Sophie's own label, MSMSMSM. The title may be a mondegreen of the phrase "I love every person's insides". The album was Sophie's second full-length release after the singles collection Product (2015).

Raw Silk Uncut Wood is a mini-album by Berlin-based American electronic musician Laurel Halo, released on July 13, 2018, through Latency Recordings. It consists of six ambient instrumental tracks.

Soil is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Serpentwithfeet. It was released on June 8, 2018, by Secretly Canadian and Tri Angle.

Power is the debut studio album by American electronic musician Lotic. It was released on July 13, 2018, by Tri Angle.

Ears is a 2016 album by American composer Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, released on the independent label Western Vinyl. The album pairs Smith's use of analog synthesizer with organic instrumentation and vocals. It received acclaim from music critics, and was included on year-end lists by Pitchfork, NPR Music, and Resident Advisor.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)