Varmints (album)

Last updated

Varmints
Varmintsalbum.jpg
Studio album by
Released4 March 2016 (2016-03-04)
Genre Electronic [1]
Length47:26
Label Moshi Moshi
Anna Meredith chronology
Jet Black Raider
(2013)
Varmints
(2016)
Anno
(2018)

Varmints is the debut studio album by the Scottish composer and electronica musician Anna Meredith, released on 4 March 2016 on Moshi Moshi. The album won Scottish Album of the Year Award in 2016. [2]

Contents

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.8/10 [3]
Metacritic 84/100 [4]
Review scores
SourceRating
DIY Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]
The Line of Best Fit 8/10 [6]
Loud and Quiet 8/10 [1]
MusicOMH Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [7]
Pitchfork 8.4/10 [8]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Spectrum CultureStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [10]
Uncut 8/10 [11]

In a highly positive review for Pitchfork , Laura Snapes awarded Varmints with the website's "Best New Music" label, writing: "[Anna Meredith's] first wholly independent project reveals her to be one of the most innovative minds in modern British music: She wears her obvious theoretical grounding lightly and never lets it obstruct her ecstatic quest for new ideas and deranged stimuli. And Varmints is a knockout, the kind that makes you see cartoon stars." [8]

Accolades

PublicationAccoladeYearRankRef.
Pitchfork The 20 Best Experimental Albums of 20162016
The Quietus Albums of the Year 20162016
49
The Skinny Top 50 Albums of 20162016
17
The Wire Top 50 Releases of 20162016
17

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Nautilus"5:30
2."Taken"4:50
3."Scrimshaw"4:43
4."Something Helpful"3:13
5."R-Type"4:42
6."Dowager"5:22
7."The Vapours"6:33
8."Honeyed Words"3:17
9."Last Rose"3:31
10."Shill"2:47
11."Blackfriars"2:58

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bat for Lashes</span> English musician (born 1979)

Natasha Khan, known professionally as Bat for Lashes, is an English singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. She has released six studio albums: Fur and Gold (2006), Two Suns (2009), The Haunted Man (2012), The Bride (2016), Lost Girls (2019), and The Dream of Delphi (2024). She has received three Mercury Prize nominations. Khan is also the vocalist for Sexwitch, a collaboration with the rock band Toy and producer Dan Carey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Meredith</span> Musical artist

Anna Howard Meredith is a Scottish composer and performer of electronic and acoustic music. She is a former composer-in-residence with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and former PRS/RPS Composer in the House with Sinfonia ViVA.

<i>Kaputt</i> (album) 2011 studio album by Destroyer

Kaputt is the ninth album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer. It was released on January 25, 2011, by Merge Records and Dead Oceans Records. The album was leaked towards the end of 2010. The vinyl edition of the album features bonus material on side three written largely by frequent Destroyer collaborator Ted Bois. This material is also included in the European CD version of the album credited as 'The Laziest River'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azealia Banks discography</span> Hip hop recording artist discography

American rapper Azealia Banks has released one studio album, two extended plays (EPs), three mixtapes, twenty-six singles and twelve promotional singles. At the age of seventeen in November 2008, Banks adopted the stage name Miss Bank$ and signed to XL Recordings. However, she ended the contract with the label quickly afterwards due to conflicting ideas. In 2009, Banks released several songs onto the internet for free download, including "Gimme a Chance" and "Seventeen". Following her departure from XL Recordings, Banks dropped her stage name, opting to use her legal name, Azealia Banks.

<i>m b v</i> 2013 studio album by My Bloody Valentine

m b v is the third studio album by Irish-English rock band My Bloody Valentine, self-released on 2 February 2013. Produced by the band's vocalist and guitarist Kevin Shields, m b v was the band's first full-length release of original material since Loveless (1991), over two decades earlier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angel Olsen</span> American musician

Angel Olsen is an American singer-songwriter from St. Louis, Missouri who lives in Asheville, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Haxan Cloak</span> British musician (born 1985)

Bobby Krlic, known by his stage name The Haxan Cloak, is a British composer, artist, music producer and musician.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olga Bell</span> American-Russian musician (born 1983)

Olga Bell is an American musician, music producer, composer, and singer-songwriter. She was born in Moscow, Russia, raised in Anchorage, Alaska and is currently based in Brooklyn, New York. A classically trained pianist and self-taught electronic music producer, she has worked in a wide range of genres, including classical, electronic pop, and Russian folk. Best known for Край (Krai), a tribute to her Russian heritage, and Diamonite, an album she produced with Gunnar Olsen and Jason Nazary under the moniker BELL, she has also played in Chairlift and Dirty Projectors and collaborated with Tom Vek under the name Nothankyou. In 2016, Bell released her third studio album Tempo.

<i>Ultimate Care II</i> 2016 studio album by Matmos

Ultimate Care II is the tenth studio album by experimental electronic music duo Matmos, released on February 19, 2016 on Thrill Jockey.

<i>Puberty 2</i> 2016 studio album by Mitski

Puberty 2 is the fourth studio album by American indie pop singer-songwriter Mitski, released on June 17, 2016, the first release through Dead Oceans. It was produced by longtime collaborator Patrick Hyland. Upon its release, Puberty 2 received widespread acclaim from music critics, with many praising Mitski's emotional delivery and lyrically complex themes, which include longing, love, depression, alienation and racial identity. The album was preceded by the lead single "Your Best American Girl" on March 1, 2016, alongside the announcement of the album, and the second single "Happy" on May 3, 2016. A music video for "A Burning Hill" was released on October 11, 2016, followed by a tour covering North American and Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Japanese Breakfast</span> American indie pop band

Japanese Breakfast is an American indie pop band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania formed in 2013. The project is fronted by vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter Michelle Zauner, alongside Peter Bradley (guitar), Deven Craige (bass) and Craig Hendrix.

<i>Stranger in the Alps</i> 2017 studio album by Phoebe Bridgers

Stranger in the Alps is the debut studio album by American musician Phoebe Bridgers, released on September 22, 2017 by Dead Oceans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Joanie</span> British punk band

Big Joanie is a British punk band formed in London in 2013. Its members are Stephanie Phillips and Estella Adeyeri. Founding drummer Chardine Taylor-Stone left the band in 2023. After a few singles and EPs they released their first album in 2018 with Thurston Moore and Eva Prinz's Daydream Library Series, and have since signed to Kill Rock Stars in the U.S.

<i>Grid of Points</i> 2018 studio album by Grouper

Grid of Points is the eleventh studio album by the American musician Liz Harris under the stage name Grouper. It was released in the United States on April 27, 2018, by Kranky.

<i>Working Class Woman</i> 2018 studio album by Marie Davidson

Working Class Woman is the fourth solo studio album by French-Canadian musician Marie Davidson. It was released on Ninja Tune on 5 October 2018.

<i>Fibs</i> (album) 2019 studio album by Anna Meredith

Fibs is the second full-length studio album by the British composer and electronica musician Anna Meredith, released on 25 October 2019 on Moshi Moshi. It was nominated for the 2020 Mercury Prize.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arabesque (Coldplay song)</span> 2019 song by Coldplay

"Arabesque" is a song by British rock band Coldplay from their eighth studio album Everyday Life. It was released on 24 October 2019, along with the single "Orphans", and appears on the first side of the album Sunrise. The song features vocals by Belgian singer Stromae, horn sections by Nigerian musician Femi Kuti, and oud contributions from Palestinian group Le Trio Joubran.

<i>Fatigue</i> (album) 2021 studio album by LRain

Fatigue is the second record by Brooklyn-based experimental musician Taja Cheek, under the moniker of L'Rain. It is her first recording with record label Mexican Summer. Fatigue builds on Cheek's experimental compositional approach, drawing from an eclectic collection of genres and employing field recording elements. Instrumentally, it has help from twenty collaborators, who lend the record clavinet, saxophone, and more.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Verity Susman</span> English musician, composer

Verity Susman is an English songwriter, composer, singer and multi-instrumentalist. She is best known as a founding member and the frontwoman of the English indie rock band Electrelane.

<i>False Lankum</i> 2023 studio album by Lankum

False Lankum is the fourth studio album by Irish folk music group Lankum, released on 24 March 2023 through Rough Trade Records. It received positive reviews from critics and peaked at number two on the Irish Albums Chart. The album was shortlisted for the 2023 Mercury Prize and appeared on several best-of lists for 2023 albums.

References

  1. 1 2 Thompson, James F. (26 February 2016). "Anna Meredith – Varmints". Loud and Quiet . Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  2. "Anna Meredith's Varmints awarded Scottish Album of the Year". BBC . 30 June 2016. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  3. "Varmints by Anna Meredith reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  4. "Reviews for Varmints by Anna Meredith". Metacritic . Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  5. Connick, Tom (4 March 2016). "Anna Meredith – Varmints". DIY . Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  6. Rindner, Grant (29 February 2016). "Anna Meredith's jaw-dropping debut avoids genre limitations by reinventing them". The Line of Best Fit . Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  7. Bemrose, Bekki (1 March 2016). "Anna Meredith – Varmints". MusicOMH . Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  8. 1 2 Snapes, Laura (7 March 2016). "Anna Meredith: Varmints". Pitchfork . Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  9. Segal, Victoria (May 2016). "Anna Meredith: Varmints". Q (358): 112.
  10. Beaudoin, Jedd (15 March 2016). "Anna Meredith: Varmints". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved 30 November 2019.
  11. Martin, Gavin (May 2016). "Anna Meredith: Varmints". Uncut (228): 76.
  12. "The 20 Best Experimental Albums of 2016". Pitchfork . 9 December 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  13. "The Quietus Albums of the Year 2016". The Quietus . 6 December 2016. Retrieved 6 December 2016.
  14. "Top 50 Albums of 2016". The Skinny . 1 December 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  15. "Listen to The Wire's Top 50 Releases of 2016". The Wire . 1 December 2016. Retrieved 3 November 2017.