The Only Place

Last updated
The Only Place
Theonlyplace.jpg
Studio album by
Best Coast
ReleasedMay 15, 2012 (2012-05-15)
Recorded2011–12
Studio Capitol Studio B (Hollywood)
Genre
Length34:20
Label Mexican Summer
Producer Jon Brion
Best Coast chronology
Crazy for You
(2010)		The Only Place
(2012)		 Fade Away
(2013)
Singles from The Only Place
  1. "The Only Place"
    Released: March 26, 2012
  2. "Why I Cry"
    Released: April 17, 2012
  3. "Do You Love Me Like You Used To"
    Released: November 9, 2012

The Only Place is the second studio album by American indie rock duo Best Coast, released on May 15, 2012 by Mexican Summer. Produced by Jon Brion, the album was recorded at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, California. The album was primarily inspired by the upheaval following the unexpected success of Crazy for You . To this end, the duo attempted to distance themselves from the lo-fi aesthetic of their first release by working with producer Jon Brion. Recorded at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, The Only Place was inspired by 1960s country music and Fleetwood Mac.

Contents

The record received generally favorable reviews from music critics, although many reviewers were divided in their reception of the record's polished sound.

Background

Following the release of the band's debut album, Crazy for You (2010), the band embarked upon an extensive touring schedule, which subsequently inspired the lyrical content of The Only Place. Cosentino felt that her life had dramatically changed in the two years following its release, having never spent so much time away from home. [3] Alongside the quick, thunderous success came an intense level of scrutiny, vocal Internet haters and venom from selected critics, some of whom viewed Cosentino's material as anti-feminist. [4] Crazy for You and its sound, "simple and pungent songs […] toying with 1950s and ’60s melodic structures," had become something of a touchstone for Best Coast and adopted by several other bands. Cosentino hid her vocals behind layers of reverb and distortion, which was an extension of her onstage anxiety. As a result, Cosentino desired to take their sophomore record in a completely different direction. [5]

Recording and production

The Only Place was recorded at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, known for its history with Frank Sinatra and The Beach Boys. Capitol Records sunset.jpg
The Only Place was recorded at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, known for its history with Frank Sinatra and The Beach Boys.

The Only Place was recorded at Capitol Records Studio B in Los Angeles, California. [6] Cosentino and Bruno felt the production process for The Only Place was marked by a level of seriousness. While previous recording sessions were marked by goofing off and drinking, the duo took their sophomore effort more seriously and strove to create a different sound. [7] Cosentino was reluctant to make her lyrics completely honest, but was inspired by Drake's Take Care to take a chance. "I’m going to make this record like a rapper would make it, or at least how Drake would make it," she found. [5] Cosentino felt being more honest and relatable could better connect the listener. [3] The record was inspired by traditional country music, which was listened to frequently during its production. Cosentino wanted to create a "weird spin on '60s country stuff like Loretta Lynn, Dusty Springfield [and] Patsy Cline." [7] The duo also cited the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac as influences for the record. Cosentino jokingly compared the production process of The Only Place to Fleetwood Mac's Rumours (1977): "It was very epic for us. Except our studio experience was not doing cocaine until five in the morning; it was eating guacamole until five in the morning. And we had parking spaces." [1]

The duo had a desire to create a record that "nobody was going to call lo-fi," and Bruno reached out to his former boss, producer/composer Jon Brion, known for his work on Kanye West's Late Registration (2005). [1] Bruno had worked as Brion's personal assistant nearly a decade prior; the partnership clicked when the producer sat in on keyboards during a February 2011 Best Coast gig in L.A. [8] The decision to work with producer Jon Brion was an effort to bring polish to the mixes. Brion, who admired Crazy for You and its production, largely hoped to stay out of the way during sessions, only hoping to bring out Cosentino's vocals and hear the low-end of mixes more. Brion noted that the duo "were curious to not use the reverb thing as a crutch." [5] Brion equipped the duo with vintage analog gear, and attempted to make great use of the studio's Les Paul-designed reverb chambers. [8] Brion noted that Cosentino and Bruno "have a secret language," and he merely suggested a few different guitars. [1]

Music and artwork

Title track The Only Place has been described as a "summery, jangly love letter to California" that is "bigger in sound and scope" than Crazy for You. [3] The cover illustration, a brown bear (the state animal) embracing the state of California, is a modified version of the artwork on the sheet music for the state song, "I Love You, California" (1913). [6]

Music video

The band released a music video for the song, "The Only Place" in June, 2012. The video was directed by Ace Norton and featured Cosentino and Bruno representing California driving with their top down, playing on the sand, make blended beverages out of fruit. [9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 66/100 [10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11]
The A.V. Club B− [12]
NME 4/10 [2]
Pitchfork 6.2/10 [13]
Spin 8/10 [14]

According to aggregate website Metacritic, based on 34 professional reviews, the album currently holds an average score of 66 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [10] In his review for Spin , Jon Young writes "The Only Place delivers riveting drama in a rousing pop package, with Brion rescuing Best Coast from the fuzzed-out, lo-fi indie template, cleaning up their sound and enhancing the potential for mainstream appeal exponentially without diminishing their artistic credibility", and awarded the album 8 out of a possible 10. [14] Negative reviews seemed to have focused on Cosentino's lyricism. Ben Hewitt, writing for NME , gave The Only Place 4 out of a possible 10. He stated, "The swoonsome charm of Best Coast’s debut, Crazy For You, was in its feel-good slacker vibes rather than its invention, but here they’re going through the motions...with mechanical jangly pop and the wince-inducing triteness of Cosentino’s lyrics." [2] Mark Richardson, writing for Pitchfork Media, gave The Only Place 6.2 out of a possible 10. He ended his review by describing the album as "...a grinding sense of marks being hit while inspiration is in short order." [13] Evan Rytlewski, writing for The A.V. Club , gave The Only Place a B−. He noted that, "Cosentino has strengthened her voice and revealed real emotional range. Maybe on album No. 3 she’ll start practicing some new rhyme schemes, too." [12]

The album was listed at number 14 on Rolling Stone 's list of the top 50 albums of 2012, saying "With less reverb-y guitar haze to hide behind, her voice comes into its own as one of indie rock's mightiest." [15]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Bethany Cosentino

No.TitleLength
1."The Only Place"2:40
2."Why I Cry"2:17
3."Last Year"3:33
4."My Life"2:12
5."No One Like You"3:02
6."How They Want Me to Be"3:52
7."Better Girl"2:54
8."Do You Love Me Like You Used To"3:16
9."Dreaming My Life Away"3:22
10."Let's Go Home"2:35
11."Up All Night"4:37
Digital deluxe edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
12."Mean Girls"3:40
13."Angsty"2:53
Total length:40:53
Australian edition bonus tracks [16]
No.TitleLength
12."Angsty"2:53
13."Storms" (Fleetwood Mac cover; written by Stevie Nicks)4:14
14."How They Want Me to Be" (original demo)3:47
Total length:45:14

Personnel

Best Coast

Additional musicians

Recording personnel

Artwork

Charts

Chart (2012)Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA) [17] 65
Irish Albums (IRMA) [18] 86
Irish Independent Albums (IRMA) [18] 12
Scottish Albums (OCC) [19] 58
UK Albums (OCC) [20] 55
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [21] 7
US Billboard 200 [22] 24
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [23] 5
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard) [24] 6
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [25] 10

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooks & Dunn</span> American country music duo

Brooks & Dunn is an American country music duo consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, both of whom are vocalists and songwriters. The duo was founded in 1990 through the suggestion of songwriter and record producer Tim DuBois. Before their formation, both members were solo recording artists, having charted two solo singles apiece in the 1980s. Brooks also released an album for Capitol Records in 1989 and wrote hit singles for other artists.

<i>St. Elsewhere</i> (album) 2006 album by Gnarls Barkley

St. Elsewhere is the debut studio album by American soul duo Gnarls Barkley. It was released on April 24, 2006, in the United Kingdom, where it debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, and on May 9, 2006, in the United States, although it was available for purchase one week earlier as a digital download in the US iTunes Store. St. Elsewhere debuted at No. 20 on the US Billboard 200, and peaked at No. 4. It topped the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart for 39 non-consecutive weeks in 2006 and 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eli Young Band</span> American country music band

Eli Young Band is an American country music band composed of members who met while students at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas: Mike Eli, James Young (guitar), Jon Jones, and Chris Thompson (drums). They released their self-titled debut album in 2002, followed by the Carnival records release Level in 2005. Their third album, Jet Black & Jealous, was released in 2008 by Universal South Records. A second major-label album, Life at Best, was released in 2011 by Republic Nashville, with 10,000 Towns following in early 2014. The band has charted eight times on the Billboard country charts, with four of their singles having reached No. 1: "Crazy Girl", which was the top country song of 2011 according to Billboard Year-End, along with "Even If It Breaks Your Heart", "Drunk Last Night", and "Love Ain't".

<i>Safe Trip Home</i> 2008 studio album by Dido

Safe Trip Home is the third studio album by Dido. It was released in the United Kingdom on 17 November 2008. The album features collaborations and production with Jon Brion, her brother Rollo Armstrong, Brian Eno, Mick Fleetwood, Citizen Cope and Questlove. The album was the 44th best-selling album worldwide of 2008, according to IFPI.

<i>Diamonds & Dirt</i> 1988 studio album by Rodney Crowell

Diamonds & Dirt is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell, released in 1988. His fifth studio album, it was his second release for Columbia Records. The album was his most successful, achieving RIAA gold certification. All five of its singles reached Number One on the Billboard country charts, setting a record for the most Number One hits from a country album. In order of release, they were "It's Such a Small World", "I Couldn't Leave You If I Tried", "She's Crazy for Leavin", "After All This Time", and a cover of Buck Owens' "Above and Beyond ".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruno Mars</span> American musician (born 1985)

Peter Gene Hernandez, known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer-songwriter. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for singing in a wide range of musical styles, including pop, R&B, funk, soul, reggae, disco, and rock. Mars is accompanied by his band, the Hooligans, whose members are also backup singers and dancers. In 2021, Mars and fellow singer Anderson .Paak formed the musical superduo Silk Sonic.

The Smeezingtons were an American songwriting and record production team consisting of Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence, and Ari Levine formed in 2009. The Smeezingtons were established in Los Angeles, California; the trio primarily served as the producers for the singles and albums of Mars, with additional work for diverse range of artists. Eventually, the trio split, and Mars and Lawrence formed a successor production trio with Christopher Brody Brown called "Shampoo Press & Curl".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Best Coast</span> American surf pop band

Best Coast is an American rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 2009, currently on hiatus. The band consisted of songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Bethany Cosentino and guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno. Cosentino, a former child actress, began writing music as a teenager and was formerly a member of the experimentalist drone group Pocahaunted. After a brief stint at college in New York City, Cosentino returned to the West Coast and began recording lo-fi demos with Bruno, whom she met in the Los Angeles music scene.

<i>Crazy for You</i> (Best Coast album) 2010 studio album by Best Coast

Crazy for You is the debut studio album by American indie rock duo Best Coast, released July 27, 2010 by Mexican Summer. The album was recorded by singer-songwriter Bethany Cosentino and her musical partner Bobb Bruno. It was produced, engineered, and mixed by Lewis Pesacov of Fool's Gold and Foreign Born. The album was released after a series of EPs that brought the band to underground notoriety with songs such as "The Sun Was High " and "When I'm with You", the latter being included in this release as a bonus track. The album artwork was created by David Rager and includes Cosentino's late cat Snacks, alongside many references to the state of California. The lyrics deal mostly with romance and relationships, with Cosentino describing them to Pitchfork Media as "about weed and my cat and being lazy a lot." The album was made available for streaming on July 12 at Urban Outfitters. Crazy for You was well received by music critics.

<i>Blues Deluxe</i> 2003 studio album by Joe Bonamassa

Blues Deluxe is the third studio album by American blues-rock musician Joe Bonamassa. Recorded at Unique Recording Studios in New York City.

<i>Unorthodox Jukebox</i> 2012 studio album by Bruno Mars

Unorthodox Jukebox is the second studio album by American singer and songwriter Bruno Mars. It was released on December 7, 2012, by Atlantic Records and was made available to listen to in its entirety for a week before its release. It serves as the follow-up to Mars' debut record Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010). Mars' writing and production team, the Smeezingtons, composed the whole record and worked with several past collaborators, Jeff Bhasker and Supa Dups, while enlisting new producers, such as Mark Ronson and Emile Haynie, and no guest vocalists.

<i>Fade Away</i> (Best Coast EP) 2013 EP by Best Coast

Fade Away is the sixth extended play (EP) by American indie rock duo Best Coast. It was released on October 22, 2013, on frontwoman Bethany Cosentino's label Jewel City. Produced by Wally Gagel, the EP was recorded at Wax Ltd's studios, and was inspired by musical acts like Mazzy Star, Patsy Cline, and My Bloody Valentine. Cosentino wrote the song "Fear of My Identity" about "having an existential crisis" after using the sedative Ambien.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brothers Osborne</span> American country music group

Brothers Osborne is an American country music duo consisting of brothers TJ Osborne and John Osborne. Born in Deale, Maryland, the duo signed a recording contract with EMI Records Nashville in 2012 and began releasing music the following year. Their 2015 song "Stay a Little Longer" became a top five hit on the Billboard Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts, and their success led to the release of their debut studio album titled Pawn Shop the same year. Since then, Brothers Osborne have released the albums Port Saint Joe (2018), Skeletons (2020), and Brothers Osborne (2023).

<i>Band of Brothers</i> (Willie Nelson album) 2014 studio album by Willie Nelson

Band of Brothers is the 63rd studio album by country music singer-songwriter Willie Nelson. The album marks Nelson's return to writing after sixteen years, with nine out of the fourteen tracks being new original songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Best Coast discography</span>

American rock duo Best Coast has released four studio albums, two live albums, seven extended plays, 24 singles, and 15 music videos. Formed in Los Angeles in 2009, the band consists of singer, songwriter, and guitarist Bethany Cosentino and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno.

<i>California Nights</i> (Best Coast album) 2015 studio album by Best Coast

California Nights is the third studio album by American rock duo Best Coast. It was released on May 1, 2015, by Harvest Records. It was produced by Wally Gagel, who also produced the duo's 2013 EP Fade Away.

<i>Always Tomorrow</i> (album) 2020 studio album by Best Coast

Always Tomorrow is the fourth studio album by American rock duo Best Coast. It was released through Concord Music on February 21, 2020. It is the band's first studio album in five years. The singles "For the First Time", "Everything Has Changed" and "Different Light" preceded the album's release. The band began a tour in February 2020 in support of the album.

<i>Circles</i> (Mac Miller album) 2020 studio album by Mac Miller

Circles is the sixth and final studio album by American rapper Mac Miller, released posthumously on January 17, 2020, through REMember Music and Warner Records. Circles was being worked on by Miller before his death in September 2018 and was created as a companion piece to his fifth studio album, Swimming (2018). Production was completed by Jon Brion.

<i>Show Pony</i> 2020 EP by Orville Peck

Show Pony is the first extended play by South African country music artist Orville Peck, and a companion to his debut studio album Pony. Announced by Peck as a bridge between Pony and the next full-length album, it was released on August 14, 2020 by Columbia Records, making his debut major-label release. It received positive reviews from critics.

<i>An Evening with Silk Sonic</i> 2021 studio album by Silk Sonic

An Evening with Silk Sonic is the debut studio album by American musical superduo Silk Sonic, composed of American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars and fellow singer and rapper Anderson .Paak. It was released by Aftermath Entertainment and Atlantic Records on November 12, 2021. Silk Sonic recruited American musician Bootsy Collins, who came up with the name for Mars and Paak's duo, for narration and American record producer D'Mile to compose the album. Recording sessions for An Evening with Silk Sonic took place from early 2020 to mid-2021 at Shampoo Press & Curl Studios.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Phoebe Reilly (July 9, 2012). "Best Coast and Wavves: Feel Good Inc". Spin . Retrieved April 21, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 "NME Album Reviews; Best Coast - The Only Place". NME . 25 May 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 Rebecca Nicholson (May 11, 2012). "Best Coast are back and this time they mean business". The Guardian . Retrieved April 21, 2013.
  4. ↑ Kai Flanders (May 10, 2012). "The Branding of Best Coast". LA Weekly . Retrieved April 21, 2013.
  5. 1 2 3 Jon Carimanica (May 16, 2012). "No More Reverb: Full-Throttle for Best Coast". The New York Times . Retrieved April 21, 2013.
  6. 1 2 The Only Place (liner notes). Best Coast. US: Mexican Summer. 2012. MEX 109.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. 1 2 Brian Line (April 1, 2013). "Q&A: Best Coast's Bethany Cosentino talks old-school country, confessional songwriting, and bench pressing". Baltimore City Paper . Archived from the original on April 3, 2013. Retrieved April 21, 2013.
  8. 1 2 Matt Diehl (January 20, 2012). "Dusty Springfield, Dolly Parton Inspire Best Coast Follow-Up". Rolling Stone . Retrieved April 21, 2013.
  9. ↑ Pelly, Jenn (June 14, 2012). "Video: Best Coast: "The Only Place"". PitchforkMedia. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  10. 1 2 "Reviews for The Only Place by Best Coast - Metacritic". Metacritic. CBS Interactive . Retrieved 2015-08-04.
  11. ↑ Sendra, Tim. "The Only Place - Best Coast — Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network . Retrieved 2015-08-04.
  12. 1 2 "Best Coast: The Only Place; Musical Work Review, The A.V. Club". The A.V. Club . 14 May 2012.
  13. 1 2 Richardson, Mark (2012-05-16). "Review: Best Coast: The Only Place". Pitchfork . Retrieved 2015-08-04.
  14. 1 2 Young, Jon (2012-05-12). "Best Coast, 'The Only Place' (Mexican Summer)". Spin . Retrieved 2015-08-04.
  15. ↑ "50 Best Albums of 2012: Best Coast, 'The Only Place'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2014-04-08.
  16. ↑ "Only Place, The (+3 Bonus Tracks)". JB Hi-Fi . Retrieved May 5, 2012.
  17. ↑ "ARIA Top 100 Albums – Week Commencing 28th May 2012" (PDF). ARIA Charts. Australian Web Archive. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-06-15. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  18. 1 2 "Top 20 Indie Individual Artist Albums". Irish Recorded Music Association. May 17, 2012. Archived from the original on May 11, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Best Coast | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  21. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Best Coast Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  23. ↑ "Best Coast Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Best Coast Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
  25. ↑ "Best Coast Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
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.