Wander/Wonder

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Wander/Wonder
Wander.Wonder.jpg
Studio album by
Balam Acab
ReleasedAugust 29, 2011 (2011-08-29)
Genre Electronic [1]
Length36:44
Label Tri Angle
Producer Alec Koone
Balam Acab chronology
See Birds
(2010)		Wander/Wonder
(2011)		Child Death
(2015)

Wander/Wonder is the debut studio album by American record producer Alec Koone under the pseudonym Balam Acab. [2] It was released on August 29, 2011, through Tri Angle. [3] It received generally favorable reviews from critics. [4]

Contents

Background

Balam Acab's Alec Koone recorded Wander/Wonder in the house where he grew up. [5] The album includes Creative Commons-licensed recordings that he found online. [5] He mixed the album with Sam Haar of Blondes. [6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 76/100 [4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Beats Per Minute 87% [8]
Cokemachineglow 72% [9]
Fact Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [10]
The Phoenix Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Pitchfork 8.2/10 [12]
Resident Advisor 4/5 [13]
Slant Magazine Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [14]
Tiny Mix Tapes Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [15]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic , Wander/Wonder received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 76 out of 100 from 14 critic scores. [4]

Andrew Graham of The Phoenix described the album as "a fully fleshed-out record, with enticing dimension and its own subtle meanings." [11] Mark Richardson of Pitchfork commented that "its primary concern is simple aesthetic beauty, the way a small and specific combination of sounds, carefully arranged but given room to breathe, can have a deep emotional impact." [12] Heather Phares of AllMusic stated, " See Birds was just five songs long, but it covered more musical territory; by contrast, Wander/Wonder is an exercise in depth, a flowing suite of mermaid's lullabies that turn seductive." [7] She added, "Though it's a very different journey than See Birds, Wander/Wonder is another testament to Koone's abilities as a sensitive and evocative producer." [7]

Kevin Liedel of Slant Magazine commented that "Any abiding temptation to throw Wander/Wonder into the witch-house pile stems directly from Koone's reliance on chunky, creeping drum machines, but drowsy percussion is where the similarities end." [14] He added, "Balam Acab's sound is more dream than dread, a patchwork of sleepy instrumentation, elfin vocal samples, and sound effects meant to evoke the watery clockwork of a seafloor vista." [14] Will Ryan of Beats Per Minute stated, "Vocal fragments are turned into helium-voiced singers and the movements and peaks in the tracks push Acab's emotional affect to a startling degree, not to mention well beyond simple melodic proficiency." [8] Andrew Ryce of Resident Advisor described the album as "the kind of record that can pull you into its emotional undertow from the minute those helium angels start singing." [13]

Accolades

Year-end lists for Wander/Wonder
PublicationListRankRef.
Beats Per Minute The Top 50 Albums of 2011
37
Fact The 50 Best Albums of 2011
37
The Wire Top 50 Releases of 2011
17
XLR8R Best Releases of 2011
4

Track listing

All tracks are written by Alec Koone.

Wander/Wonder track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Welcome"5:10
2."Apart"3:00
3."Motion"4:03
4."Expect"4:46
5."Now Time"4:07
6."Oh, Why"4:11
7."Await"4:46
8."Fragile Hope"6:31
Total length:36:44

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes. [20]

Charts

Chart performance for Wander/Wonder
Chart (2011)Peak
position
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums ( Billboard ) [21] 20

References

  1. ↑ "AllMusic's Favorite Electronic Albums of 2011". AllMusic . December 20, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  2. ↑ Phares, Heather. "Balam Acab". AllMusic . Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  3. ↑ Breihan, Tom (June 8, 2011). "Balam Acab Announces Debut Album". Pitchfork . Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 "Wander/Wonder by Balam Acab". Metacritic . Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  5. 1 2 Cooper, Duncan (August 23, 2011). "GEN F: Balam Acab". The Fader . Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  6. ↑ Nagurney, E. (June 10, 2011). "Balam Acab announces debut LP just in time for you to pull out your old 2010 witch house gear". Tiny Mix Tapes . Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 Phares, Heather. "Wander/Wonder - Balam Acab". AllMusic . Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  8. 1 2 Ryan, Will (August 31, 2011). "Album Review: Balam Acab – Wander / Wonder". Beats Per Minute . Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  9. ↑ Goerner, P.M. (September 12, 2011). "Balam Acab: Wander/Wonder". Cokemachineglow . Archived from the original on September 25, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  10. ↑ Gunn, Tam (September 2, 2011). "Balam Acab: Wander / Wonder". Fact . Archived from the original on October 28, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  11. 1 2 Graham, Andrew (September 27, 2011). "Balam Acab | Wander/Wonder". The Phoenix . Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  12. 1 2 Richardson, Mark (August 29, 2011). "Balam Acab: Wander / Wonder". Pitchfork . Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  13. 1 2 Ryce, Andrew (August 30, 2011). "Balam Acab - Wander / Wonder". Resident Advisor . Archived from the original on January 16, 2014. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  14. 1 2 3 Liedel, Kevin (August 15, 2011). "Review: Balam Acab, Wander/Wonder". Slant Magazine . Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  15. ↑ Savage, Rowan. "Balam Acab - Wander/Wonder". Tiny Mix Tapes . Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  16. ↑ "The Top 50 Albums of 2011 (page 2)". Beats Per Minute . December 15, 2011. Archived from the original on December 3, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  17. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums of 2011 (page 2)". Fact . November 30, 2011. Archived from the original on October 21, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  18. ↑ "2011 Rewind Chart: Top 50 Releases of the Year". The Wire . December 2012. Archived from the original on July 2, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  19. ↑ "XLR8R's Best of 2011: Releases, Part Two". XLR8R . December 22, 2011. Archived from the original on April 18, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  20. ↑ Balam Acab (2011). Wander/Wonder (CD booklet). Tri Angle.
  21. ↑ "Top Dance/Electronic Albums". Billboard . September 17, 2011. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
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