| Weather Alive | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 23 September 2022 | |||
| Length | 45:43 | |||
| Label | Partisan | |||
| Producer | Beth Orton | |||
| Beth Orton chronology | ||||
| ||||
Weather Alive is the eighth studio album by English singer-songwriter Beth Orton. The album was released on 23 September 2022 by Partisan Records.
Orton began work on Weather Alive after buying a used upright piano from a dealer at Camden Market in London for £300 (US$350) and creating songs by playing notes around the instrument. In an interview with The New York Times , Orton said of that creation process: "No matter where you touch [the piano], it just has these resonances [...] Little ghosts of other chords just keep ringing out and you're like, "Oh, that speaks of another melody, and that speaks of another feeling." [1] In a press release following the album's announcement on 31 May 2022, Orton described the album as "a sensory exploration that allowed for a connection to a consciousness that I was searching for." [2]
The album's title track was released as the first single on 31 May 2022. Reviewing for Pitchfork , Sam Sodomsky described Orton's vocal performance as "broken and determined, cresting in a chorus that flows with the emotional cadence of an old soul song." [3]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 85/100 [4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| musicOMH |  [6] |
| Pitchfork | 8.7/10 [7] |
| PopMatters | 8/10 [8] |
| The Telegraph | [9] |
Upon release, Weather Alive received acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 based on reviews from mainstream publications, the album has a score of 85, based on twelve reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". [4]
In the review for PopMatters , Evan Sawdey wrote that the album "unabashedly feels like the record [Orton] needed to make now, and we all feel more Alive because of it." [8] Sam Sodomsky of Pitchfork called it "the best work" of Orton's career, describing it as "soothing, immersive, and self-produced, it conjures a dreamlike atmosphere with songs that spiral out into the ether". [7] Reviewing the album for The Telegraph , Neil McCrommik stated that, "Orton digs so deeply into her own personal spaces and memories that what she finds there is unique. Middle-aged discontent has rarely sounded so lovely." [9]
Describing the album in a review for AllMusic, Marcy Donelson declared that, "Weather Alive nestles into a comparatively hushed, atmospheric blend of acoustic and electronic timbres that's meticulous and nebulous at once." The reception for the album was more muted in a review for MusicOMH , where writer Ben Devlin claimed that some of the "arrangements can feel a little staid" but that overall they don't "keep Weather Alive from being an engrossing listen especially as Orton dominates the proceedings so expertly." [6]
All tracks are written by Beth Orton
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Weather Alive" | 7:05 |
| 2. | "Friday Night" | 5:34 |
| 3. | "Fractals" | 5:20 |
| 4. | "Haunted Satellite" | 4:37 |
| 5. | "Forever Young" | 5:40 |
| 6. | "Lonely" | 4:24 |
| 7. | "Arms Around a Memory" | 5:44 |
| 8. | "Unwritten" | 7:19 |
| Total length: | 45:43 | |
Credits for Weather Alive adapted from Tidal. [10]
| Chart (2022) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Physical Albums (ARIA) [11] | 91 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [12] | 81 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [13] | 8 |
| UK Albums (OCC) [14] | 27 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC) [15] | 4 |
Elizabeth Caroline Orton is an English musician, known for her "folktronica" sound, which mixes elements of folk and electronica. She was initially recognised for her collaborations with William Orbit, Andrew Weatherall, Red Snapper and the Chemical Brothers in the mid-1990s. Her UK/US first solo album, Trailer Park, received much critical acclaim in 1996. Orton developed a devoted audience with the release of the BRIT Award-winning album Central Reservation (1999) and the 2002 UK top 10 album, Daybreaker. Her 2006 album, Comfort of Strangers, was followed by a break during which Orton gave birth to her daughter and collaborated with the British guitarist Bert Jansch. Orton returned with Sugaring Season in 2012, which moved towards a purer acoustic sound, followed by a return to electronic music with Kidsticks, released in 2016.
Comfort of Strangers is English singer-songwriter Beth Orton's fourth studio album, the follow-up to 2002's Daybreaker. The album was recorded in just two weeks at New York's Sear Sound studio in the spring of 2005, with musician and composer Jim O'Rourke as producer. It features Orton on guitar, piano and harmonica with O'Rourke on bass, piano and marimba and the American percussionist Tim Barnes on drums.
Daybreaker is the third album by singer-songwriter Beth Orton released in 2002 on Heavenly Records and the Astralwerks Records label. The album reached #40 in US and #8 in UK. Mojo Magazine called the album "her best to date...". Q Magazine was not excited about the album: "Tortoise-pace strumming and a crippling shortage of choruses produce only torpor". The album earned Orton a nomination at the BRIT Awards for Best British Female Singer as well as Best Album at the Q Awards.
Sugaring Season is English singer-songwriter Beth Orton's fifth studio album, her first new work for six years. It was recorded in Portland, Oregon at the studio of producer Tucker Martine. It is her first release for the ANTI- record label with whom she signed in 2010. In 2014 it was awarded a silver certification from the Independent Music Companies Association, which indicated sales of at least 20,000 copies throughout Europe.
Marks to Prove It is the fourth and final studio album released by the English band The Maccabees released on 31 July 2015 through Fiction Records. Upon release, it reached number one in the UK Album chart. In North America a digital version was made available through Communion Records with a physical release to follow at a later date.
So There is the fourth studio album by Ben Folds and the yMusic Ensemble, released on September 11, 2015. The album includes eight chamber pop songs and one piano concerto performed with the Nashville Symphony.
Beach Music is the sixth studio album by American musician Alex G, released on October 9, 2015, through Domino Recording Company, his first album under the label.
The Weather is the seventh studio album by Australian psychedelic rock band Pond. It was released on 5 May 2017 by Marathon Artists. As with previous Pond albums, it is also produced by former member and Tame Impala frontman Kevin Parker. It features 10 tracks, led by its first single "Sweep Me Off My Feet".
Out in the Storm is the fourth studio album by Katie Crutchfield's band Waxahatchee, released on July 14, 2017 through Merge. It features her sister Allison Crutchfield on keyboards and percussion, as well as Katie Harkin, Katherine Simonetti, and Ashley Arnwine. Dinosaur Jr./Sonic Youth producer John Agnello recorded the album live. The album was released digitally, on vinyl and compact disc.
Rocket is the seventh studio album by American musician Alex G, released on May 19, 2017, through Domino Recording Company.
"Spent the Day in Bed" is a song by English singer-songwriter Morrissey. It was produced by Joe Chiccarelli. The song was released via BMG Rights Management on 19 September 2017 as the lead single from Morrissey's upcoming eleventh solo studio album, Low in High School (2017), and a free download when pre-ordering the album. A 7" vinyl single with a live cover version of "Judy Is a Punk" by The Ramones on the b-side was released on 27 October 2017.
In the Rainbow Rain is the ninth studio album by American indie band Okkervil River. The album was released on ATO Records on April 27, 2018.
"Venice Bitch" is a song by American singer and songwriter Lana Del Rey. It was released on September 18, 2018, through Polydor and Interscope Records, as the second single from her sixth studio album, Norman Fucking Rockwell! (2019). The song was written and produced by Del Rey and Jack Antonoff. The song was met with unanimous praise from music critics and was ranked by numerous publications amongst the best songs of the year and decade. The song title references Venice, Los Angeles.
Two Hands is the fourth studio album by the American band Big Thief, released through 4AD on October 11, 2019. The album comes five months after the release of the band's third studio album, U.F.O.F., and is described as its "earth twin". It was preceded by the singles "Not" and "Forgotten Eyes".
House of Sugar is the eighth studio album by American musician Alex G, released on September 13, 2019, through Domino Recording Company.
The Ascension is the eighth studio album by American musician Sufjan Stevens. It was released through Asthmatic Kitty on September 25, 2020. The record was influenced by a range of artists, particularly Ariana Grande and her 2018 song "Thank U, Next".
Ignorance is the fifth studio album by Canadian band the Weather Station. It was released worldwide on February 5, 2021 through Fat Possum Records in the United States, and a small part through Next Door Records in Canada. The album's lead single "Robber" was released on October 14, 2020.
Good Woman is the fourth studio album by the English band the Staves. It was released on 5 February 2021 by Atlantic Records UK in the UK and Nonesuch Records worldwide.
11:11 is the fifth studio album by Pinegrove, released through Rough Trade Records on January 28, 2022. The album was produced by the band's frontman, singer-songwriter Evan Stephens Hall, as well as guitarist Sam Skinner. It is the final album to feature drummer Zack Levine, who left the band in April 2023. For their next effort, the group eschewed their typical home settings for a proper studio for the first time, aiming for a less restrained approach to recording. To this end, they enlisted their first outside collaborator to mix the album—Chris Walla, best known for his work with Death Cab for Cutie.
Átta is the eighth studio album by Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós, released through Von Dur and BMG Rights Management on 16 June 2023. It is their first studio album in 10 years, following Kveikur (2013), and is their first since 2012's Valtari to feature keyboardist Kjartan Sveinsson, who rejoined the band in 2022. The seven-minute lead single "Blóðberg" was released on 12 June 2023 alongside its music video, directed by Johan Renck. Physical editions of the album were released on 1 September 2023. The band embarked on a tour from June to August 2023 backed by a 41-piece orchestra, during which they debuted songs from the album.
