You Follow Me

Last updated

You Follow Me
You Follow Me.jpg
Studio album by
Released28 May 2007
Recorded2006 at Electrical Audio Studios
Genre Alternative rock
Length31:18
Label FatCat Records
Producer Steve Albini
Nina Nastasia chronology
On Leaving
(2006)
You Follow Me
(2007)
Outlaster
(2010)

You Follow Me is a collaborative studio album between American singer-songwriter Nina Nastasia and Australian drummer Jim White. The album was released in Europe and Australia on 28 May 2007, and in the United States and Canada on 14 August 2007 (see 2007 in music) and was the second Nastasia album released by independent British label FatCat Records. This is Nastasia's fifth studio release overall.

Contents

Jim White is arguably known best as the drummer for Australian rock trio The Dirty Three, but he had long been closely associated with innumerable other alternative rock acts, often spending years at a time recording and/or touring extensively with the likes of Bonnie Prince Billy, Cat Power, Bill Callahan / Smog, PJ Harvey and Nick Cave, among others; yet this is the only album to bear his name as a leading artist.

A non-album single, "What She Doesn't Know", was released in both 7" vinyl and digital download formats on 25 February 2008, in support of the album.

Recording and production

Despite being released the year after On Leaving , You Follow Me was in fact the first of these two albums to be recorded. Nastasia and White first discussed the possibility of recording a collaborative album while the pair were touring Russia with violinist Dylan Willemsa in support of Run to Ruin ; the intention being to record an entire album where Nastasia's voice and acoustic guitar would be supported throughout solely by White's drumming. [1]

Prior to work officially commencing with Steve Albini at Electrical Audio Studios, White and Nastasia, along with her longtime companion Kennan Gudjonsson, rented a rehearsal space where they quickly recorded multiple takes of each song. Gudjonsson and White would then both return to their home editing stations to subject each recorded track to an arduous process of selection and editing, in effect creating a rough demo of a song by piecing together individual sections of different takes. This process would need to be repeated several times, however, as Nastasia explained, "Jim would play around with different things. He's a very intuitive player, and he could interpret the song differently every time. He sometimes went by the dynamics in the guitar, other times he'd instigate the dynamic change. And he wanted it to be very precise, very specific. He didn't want to improvise." These demos were later used as guide tracks when recording started with Steve Albini. [2]

"Our Discussion" was originally recorded with Boom Bip for his 2005 album Blue-Eyed in the Red Room, where it appeared under its original title of "The Matter (Of Our Discussion)." Nastasia commented that her original collaboration with Boom Bip "[...] ended up not really working as intended. He sent me some songs and was saying, "Why don't you write lyrics over them?" And even though it was beautiful music, I couldn't figure out what to do with any of it. And I didn't have time to figure it out. I already had "Our Discussion" finished so I just sent him that. He did his version of the instrumental — he remixed it — and I really liked it, but we had played it before [as a band] and Jim and I [wanted to] record it [for You Follow Me]." [1]

Nastasia later expressed some dissatisfaction with the album, stating that "some of those songs I felt like I really wanted to hear how they would have sounded on record with a full band. I mean, I like how they turned out, but I've played some of those songs with a full band since [the record was released], and I just... I don't like to re-record a song. I just feel like I should write another one." [1]

Track listing

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Drowned in Sound Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Pitchfork Media (8.6/10) [5]
PopMatters Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Slant Magazine Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [7]
Spin Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Tiny Mix Tapes Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [9]

All songs written and composed by Nina Nastasia.

  1. "I've Been Out Walking" – 3:18
  2. "I Write Down Lists" – 3:15
  3. "Odd, Said the Doe" – 3:12
  4. "The Day I Would Bury You" – 2:55
  5. "Our Discussion" – 3:05
  6. "In the Evening" – 2:26
  7. "There Is No Train" – 2:26
  8. "Late Night" – 4:00
  9. "How Will You Love Me" – 3:24
  10. "I Come After You" – 3:17

Release history

RegionDateLabelFormatCatalog #
Europe /
Australia
28 May 2007 FatCat Records CDFATCD53
Vinyl FATLP53
US /
Canada
14 August 2007CDFATCD53
VinylFATLP53

Credits and personnel

Related Research Articles

PJ Harvey English musician and singer-songwriter

Polly Jean Harvey is an English singer, songwriter and musician. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments.

<i>Rid of Me</i> 1993 studio album by PJ Harvey

Rid of Me is the second studio album by English singer-songwriter and musician PJ Harvey. It was released by Island Records in May 1993, approximately one year after the release of her critically acclaimed debut album Dry. It marked a departure from Harvey's previous songwriting, being more raw and aggressive than its predecessor.

Shellac (band) American rock band

Shellac is an American noise rock band from Chicago, Illinois, composed of Steve Albini, Bob Weston and Todd Trainer and formed in 1992. Their music genre has been classified as post-hardcore and math rock, but they describe themselves as a "minimalist rock trio."

Steve Albini is an American musician, audio engineer and music journalist, whose many recording projects have exerted an important influence on independent music since the 1980s. Most of his projects from 1997 onwards were recorded at the Electrical Audio studios in Chicago. Albini is occasionally credited as a record producer, though he dislikes the term to describe his work, preferring the term "recording engineer" when credited, and refuses to take royalties from bands recording in his studio, as he feels it would be unethical to do so.

<i>Surfer Rosa</i> 1988 studio album by Pixies

Surfer Rosa is the debut studio album by the American alternative rock band Pixies, released in March 1988 on the British label 4AD. It was produced by Steve Albini. Surfer Rosa contains many of the elements of Pixies' earlier output, including Spanish lyrics and references to Puerto Rico. It includes references to mutilation and voyeurism alongside experimental recording techniques and a distinctive drum sound.

<i>In Utero</i> 1993 studio album by Nirvana

In Utero is the third and final studio album by American rock band Nirvana, released on September 13, 1993, by DGC Records. After breaking into the mainstream with their second album, Nevermind (1991), Nirvana hired Steve Albini to record In Utero, seeking a more complex, abrasive sound.

The Jesus Lizard American alternative rock band

The Jesus Lizard is an American rock band formed in 1987 in Austin, Texas and based in Chicago, Illinois. They were "a leading noise rock band in the American independent underground…[who] turned out a series of independent records filled with scathing, disembowelling, guitar-driven pseudo-industrial noise, all of which received positive reviews in underground music publications and heavy college-radio play."

Steve Albini American record engineer and rock musician

Steve Albini is an American musician, record producer, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman and Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He is the founder, owner and principal engineer of Electrical Audio, a recording studio complex in Chicago. In 2018, Albini estimated that he had worked on several thousand albums over his career. He has worked with acts such as Nirvana, Pixies, the Breeders, PJ Harvey, and former Led Zeppelin members Jimmy Page and Robert Plant.

Bryan Charles Hollon, better known by his stage name Boom Bip, is an American record producer and musician. He is one half of Neon Neon along with Gruff Rhys. He is based in Los Angeles, California.

Nina Nastasia American folk singer-songwriter (born 1966)

Nina Maria Nastasia is an American folk singer-songwriter. A native of Los Angeles, she first came to prominence in New York City in 2000 after Radio 1 disc jockey John Peel began giving her debut album, Dogs, airplay. The album earned Nastasia a cult following, and was re-released in 2004. Her fifth studio album release, You Follow Me (2007), was a collaboration with Australian drummer Jim White of Dirty Three.

Pedro Yanowitz American musician

Peter Yanowitz, also known as Pedro Yanowitz, is an American musician, songwriter, and visual artist. Yanowitz was the original drummer of The Wallflowers, and for Natalie Merchant on her first three solo records Tigerlily, Ophelia, and Live in Concert. He also played drums for Money Mark, the Black Sabbath tribute band Hand of Doom with Melissa Auf der Maur, and with Nina Nastasia, on her album Dogs. Other artists Yanowitz has played drums with include: Yoko Ono, Allen Ginsberg, and Wilco. Yanowitz was also the bass player, songwriter, and producer for the band Morningwood. Currently, Yanowitz is the drummer of Exclamation Pony with Ryan Jarman, peter also performed as 'Schlatko', the drummer of The Angry Inch in the Tony award winning Broadway musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch, starring Neil Patrick Harris, Andrew Rannells, Michael C. Hall, John Cameron Mitchell, Darren Criss, and Taye Diggs.

<i>Dogs</i> (Nina Nastasia album) 2000 studio album by Nina Nastasia

Dogs is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Nina Nastasia. It was originally released in 2000 by the New York City-based independent label Socialist Records, and re-released in 2004 by Touch and Go Records. Engineered and produced by Steve Albini, the album gained notoriety after BBC radio disc jockey John Peel championed it, giving it frequent airplay on Radio 1.

<i>The Blackened Air</i> 2002 studio album by Nina Nastasia

The Blackened Air is the second album by American singer-songwriter Nina Nastasia. It was released in 2002 by Touch and Go Records. The album was recorded almost completely live, with the band set up in a semi-circle in one corner of the studio, over a six-day period in 2001 at Steve Albini's Electrical Audio Studios in Chicago. The final track, "That's All There Is", was held over from sessions for her debut, Dogs.

<i>Run to Ruin</i> 2003 studio album by Nina Nastasia

Run to Ruin is the third album by American singer-songwriter Nina Nastasia. It was recorded by Steve Albini at Black Box studio in Noyant-la-Gravoyère, France and at Looking Glass studio in New York. Released in 2003 by Touch and Go Records, it received universal critical acclaim according to Metacritic with a composite rating of 85, ranking 29th among the best albums of 2003.

<i>On Leaving</i> 2006 studio album by Nina Nastasia

On Leaving is the fourth album by American singer-songwriter Nina Nastasia. It was released on September 11, 2006, on Fat Cat Records. It was recorded by Steve Albini and produced by Nastasia, Kennan Gudjonsson, and Albini. The album received generally favorable reviews; Allmusic considered the album a "deeply poetic record." Stylus Magazine commented the album was "full bodied and masterful, overshadowing many big-footed leading ladies’ recent folk releases." Pitchfork Media found it "difficult to hear Nastasia pull back to a songwriter-with-guitar style."

Jim White (drummer) Australian musician

Jim Ronald White is an Australian drummer, songwriter, and producer. In 1992 he formed Dirty Three, an instrumental rock band, with fellow mainstays Warren Ellis on violin; and Mick Turner on guitar. In Dirty Three, White sometimes shares songwriting duties with Ellis and Turner.

What She Doesnt Know 2008 single by Nina Nastasia

"What She Doesn't Know" is a 7-inch single by American singer-songwriter Nina Nastasia, released on February 25, 2008 by Fat Cat Records. The vinyl was limited to 500 copies worldwide.

<i>Outlaster</i> 2010 studio album by Nina Nastasia

Outlaster is the sixth studio album recorded by American singer-songwriter Nina Nastasia. It was released on June 7, 2010, internationally and June 22, 2010, in the United States by Fat Cat Records.

<i>Attack on Memory</i> 2012 studio album by Cloud Nothings

Attack on Memory is the second studio album and third LP overall by Cloud Nothings. It was released on January 24, 2012 by Carpark Records and was engineered by Steve Albini at his Electrical Audio studio in Chicago. The album is the first to include frontman Dylan Baldi's live band as full-time members and co-writers, and has been noted for its heavier sound and darker songs, a sharp turn from the power pop of previous releases.

Blue Eyed in the Red Room is the second solo studio album by Boom Bip. It was released through Lex Records on March 8, 2005. It features guest appearances from Gruff Rhys and Nina Nastasia.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Nina Nastasia – Features" CokeMachineGlow.com. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  2. Matt LeMay's interview with Nina Nastasia, posted April 1, 2008 Pitchfork.com. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
  3. Jurek, Thom. "AllMusic Review". Rovi Corporation . Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  4. Lewis, Sam (9 October 2007). "Drowned In Sound Review". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 29 October 2010. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  5. LeMay, Matt (1 August 2007). "Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork Media . Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  6. Raper, Dan (2 September 2007). "PopMatters Review". PopMatters . Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  7. Cinquemani, Sal (2 August 2007). "Slant Review". Slant Magazine . Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  8. Beta, Andy. "Spin Review". Spin Media LLC. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  9. Gurney, Dave. "Tiny Mix Tapes Review". Tiny Mix Tapes . Retrieved 2 November 2011.