Past Life Martyred Saints
Encyclopedia
Past Life Martyred Saints is the debut studio album
by American singer-songwriter Erika M. Anderson
(also known as EMA), former lead singer of the noise-folk band Gowns, released in the United States
on May 10, 2011, under the label Souterrain Transmissions. After disbanding, Anderson began working on material for a solo act, but she endured many failed attempts to successfully record before finally receiving an offer from an independent record label. The album is noted for showcasing Anderson's vulnerability, lyrically dealing with themes of self-mutilation, drug use, and unsuccessful relationships.
Past Life Martyred Saints debuted to critical praise from contemporary music critics for both its emotional depth and raw pain. The album yielded three singles; however, each one failed to enter any charts upon release. Subsequently, the album achieved little chart success, entering solely on the Billboard Top Heatseekers
chart at number twenty-one in the United States. Anderson toured with other various music acts during the latter part of 2011 to promote the album.
. After holding recording sessions in Anderson's home in South Dakota
, the group released its first record, Red State, in 2007. Gowns continued to tour and record, releasing its third album, Broken Bones, in 2009.
On February 5, 2010, Anderson announced via her blog the official disbandment of Gowns. In the announcement, Anderson wrote "We were tapping into some very raw emotions, and I'm ultimately proud of the risks we took. In spite of anything else, I feel like we were honest, and I feel like we were brave."
, but received few responses, leading her into a depression. However, before she decided to return from West Oakland to her parents' basement in South Dakota, she received a contract offer from indie label Souterrain Transmissions to record a solo album.
The songs "Marked" and "Butterfly Knife" were written while Gowns was still touring and were thus the first to be completed for the album. Anderson recalled being in a "hallucinatory state" when writing "Marked" and completed the recording for it in a single take. Her Nordic ancestry inspired the creation of "Grey Ship" The last song Anderson recorded was "Redstar", which featured vocals from her sister. The title of the record was derived from Anderson's ex-boyfriend's brother, who jokingly held a belief that he was a martyred saint in a past life.
, Anderson cited rock musician
Lou Reed
as the model for her songwriting style on Past Life Martyred Saints. J. Edward Keyes of Rolling Stone
attributes the "wintry layers of sound and startling left turns" in the album to Anderson developing her lyrical technique while simultaneously editing avant-garde videos. Some professional music critics have classified the record as being primarily folk-noise, while also containing notable rock elements. Many songs on the album contain moments of Anderson gasping for air between lyrics, which Ad Mehta from the online publication One Thirty BPM
described as being "intimate, dramatic, and potent."
The second track from the album, and the second single released, was "California", a song which contains themes of alienation and displacement. It was lauded by critics and noted by some as its highlight track. Luke Winkie from musicOMH
commended the song for its lyricism, calling it "a brooding, broken anthem for the strung-out hearts of the world" in which "Anderson unravels line after line of crushing imagery." It featured a simplistic music video, with Anderson standing in front of a screen that juxtaposed images of both violence and beauty. "Milkman", the fourth track, was the final single released from the record. It was accompanied by a music video featuring Anderson green screen-ed into various collages, which David Bevan from Pitchfork
described as being "psychedelic" and "video game-like".
"Coda', the fifth track, is a blues-influenced song that lyrically deals with romantic obsession. The sixth track, "Marked", deals with physical abuse. It features both raspy vocals and repetition, which some critics felt heightened the song's themes of fragility and desperation. "Butterfly Knife", the eighth track, has been noted as being more direct rock
when compared to other songs on the album. The song lyrically deals with self-mutilation and was inspired by Anderson's own youth. It received very positive reviews from critics, with Paul Schrodt from Slant Magazine
referring to it as one of the record's best moments.
, which led to noteworthy buzz on blogging websites. Subsequently, news of the album's release was propelled. On July 26, Anderson announced that she would embark on a promotional tour across North America and Europe in the fall of 2011. Anderson headlined certain venues, as well as toured with alternative
band Ganglians and chillwave
musical project Washed Out
, and opened for the rock bands CSS, MEN
, and Wild Beasts
on various dates.
Associated Acts
chart. However, it only spent a total of two weeks on the chart.
, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album holds a score of 82/100, indicating "Critical acclaim", based on twenty-two reviews. Heather Phares from Allmusic reserved praise for the album, feeling that it "will win Andersen new fans as well as thrill longtime ones." Priya Elan from NME also responded positively to the album, commenting that "her perceptive glare is intense and unrelenting. A new, added tunefulness makes this a much-welcome Exile In Nihilist-ville." Ian Mathers of PopMatters
awarded the record a nine out of ten, feeling that "EMA's work is simultaneously some of the most interesting I've heard in years, and jaggedly alive, the furthest thing from any sort of academic exercise."
Many critics awarded praise for the album's raw and powerful emotions. James Skinner of Drowned in Sound
commended the record for its feeling of "naked emotion on display." Skinner further commented on the album, stating it "certainly isn’t a unanimously easy listen (that much should be clear from its title alone), but themes like those of ‘Butterfly Knife’ are leavened by that ever-present defiance." Nick Neyland from Pitchfork
lauded the album, calling it "a fiercely individual record, made by a musician with a fearless and courageous approach to her art. Crucially, the desire to let such raw emotion out in song never feels forced." Paul Schrodt of Slant Magazine
observed that "Rock music is not an uncommon way to deal with pain, either for the people who make it or for those who listen to it, but it's rare when those raw emotions translate into a record as focused and accomplished as EMA's debut". Ad Mehta from One Thirty BPM
gave the record high marks, stating "With fresh, sonically adventurous juxtapositions, and bold, honest lyrics, [Anderson] engages the listener in an intense, emotional journey.
Ryan Stewart from The Phoenix
commented that the record "is more focused and confident than the work of many of Andersen's peers. It's likely we've not even heard her best yet. And even if not, this is pretty sweet as is. Theon Weber from The Village Voice
concluded that "[Anderson] has a huge talent for drama--when to build, when to break, when to whisper or coo or yell, when to camp a while in a looping melody and when to move on--and the album's 37 minutes feel majestic and unhurried." Luke Winkie of musicOMH
praised Anderson for her "brilliant, visceral talent for stormy melodies and untouchable lyrical knack" and concluded that the album contained "some of the most stirring lyrical turns of the year." Laura Studarus, a writer from Under the Radar
, described the album as "a skittering trip through the displaced troubadour’s disjointed existence. Rachel Harris from Clash
feels that the record "will leave you bewitched and bewildered." Benjamin Boles from NOW
described the album as "not always the most comfortable thing to listen to, but like the proverbial car crash, it’s hard to tear yourself away." Andrew Baer of No Ripcord
found the album to be "an overall cohesive success", but he felt that the record owed its "quality to the unwavering confidence of [Anderson's] delivery, both musically and lyrically."
Despite the high amount of praise, various international publications, particularly the British music press, had mixed feelings towards the record. Andy Gill from The Independent
felt that most of the album's material didn't live up to its opening track. Andrew Perry of The Daily Telegraph
praised the record for its emotional depth, but felt that Anderson's style was similar to that of other artists. Patrik Wirén of the Swedish
newspaper Metro International
also awarded the album three out of five stars, calling it a "primitive recording". However, Wirén concluded his review on a rather positive note, finding Anderson to be promising.
magazine included the record among thirty-three others in its mid-year list of the best albums of 2011, commenting that Anderson "unleashes everything from tinnitus-inducing, reverb-soaked guitar drones to light-as-air acoustic ditties and pseudo-industrial bangers. But it's her emotionally raw confessionals that bind these nine tracks." NME
also included the record in its mid-year list.
The album was included in several publications' year-end lists. Pitchfork
included the record in its catalog of Best New Albums, commenting that "Anderson's music has the power to plummet to the depths and drag you right down there with her." Anthony Carew from About.com
named it the fourth best album of 2011. British music magazine The Fly
placed the album thirty-seventh in its list of Top 50 Albums of 2011
Technical
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American singer-songwriter Erika M. Anderson
Erika M. Anderson
Erika M. Anderson is a singer/songwriter from South Dakota. She was originally in Drone Folk band Gowns, and she went solo in 2011 releasing her debut album Past Life Martyred Saints, which received positive reviews on Pitchfork, Drowned In Sound and the NME...
(also known as EMA), former lead singer of the noise-folk band Gowns, released in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on May 10, 2011, under the label Souterrain Transmissions. After disbanding, Anderson began working on material for a solo act, but she endured many failed attempts to successfully record before finally receiving an offer from an independent record label. The album is noted for showcasing Anderson's vulnerability, lyrically dealing with themes of self-mutilation, drug use, and unsuccessful relationships.
Past Life Martyred Saints debuted to critical praise from contemporary music critics for both its emotional depth and raw pain. The album yielded three singles; however, each one failed to enter any charts upon release. Subsequently, the album achieved little chart success, entering solely on the Billboard Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...
chart at number twenty-one in the United States. Anderson toured with other various music acts during the latter part of 2011 to promote the album.
Background
In 2006, Anderson shaped the noise-folk band Gowns with former Mae Shi member and then-boyfriend Ezra Buchla. The duo, along with the former drummer of Mae Shi, Corey Fogel, relocated to San Francisco, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. After holding recording sessions in Anderson's home in South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, the group released its first record, Red State, in 2007. Gowns continued to tour and record, releasing its third album, Broken Bones, in 2009.
On February 5, 2010, Anderson announced via her blog the official disbandment of Gowns. In the announcement, Anderson wrote "We were tapping into some very raw emotions, and I'm ultimately proud of the risks we took. In spite of anything else, I feel like we were honest, and I feel like we were brave."
Conception
After Gowns disbanded, Anderson began putting songs together for a solo project. Anderson took many attempts to meet with record labels about the possibility of recording an extended playExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, but received few responses, leading her into a depression. However, before she decided to return from West Oakland to her parents' basement in South Dakota, she received a contract offer from indie label Souterrain Transmissions to record a solo album.
The songs "Marked" and "Butterfly Knife" were written while Gowns was still touring and were thus the first to be completed for the album. Anderson recalled being in a "hallucinatory state" when writing "Marked" and completed the recording for it in a single take. Her Nordic ancestry inspired the creation of "Grey Ship" The last song Anderson recorded was "Redstar", which featured vocals from her sister. The title of the record was derived from Anderson's ex-boyfriend's brother, who jokingly held a belief that he was a martyred saint in a past life.
Music
Style and lyrics
In an interview with The Village VoiceThe Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
, Anderson cited rock musician
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
Lou Reed
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
as the model for her songwriting style on Past Life Martyred Saints. J. Edward Keyes of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
attributes the "wintry layers of sound and startling left turns" in the album to Anderson developing her lyrical technique while simultaneously editing avant-garde videos. Some professional music critics have classified the record as being primarily folk-noise, while also containing notable rock elements. Many songs on the album contain moments of Anderson gasping for air between lyrics, which Ad Mehta from the online publication One Thirty BPM
One Thirty BPM
One Thirty BPM is a New York-based online publication providing reviews, news, media, interviews, features, and more from both the independent and mainstream spheres of the music world...
described as being "intimate, dramatic, and potent."
Songs
"The Grey Ship", the record's opening track, was chosen as the lead single and was released on February 18, 2011. Over its length, the song shifts in style several times, containing both a folk-influenced introduction and a midsection devoid of musical instrumentation. When explaining the composition of the song, Anderson stated "I wanted ‘Grey Ship’ to change fidelity in the middle of the song. I imagined it being like when Dorothy opens the door to Oz and the whole world turns from black and white to technicolour." The song received positive reviews from the media, with one reviewer referring to it as "A slow burning, seven-minute track, filled with eerie harmonies, slide-guitar, and arrhythmic percussion," where "Anderson tests the limits of sorrow—and finds glory in the gloom."The second track from the album, and the second single released, was "California", a song which contains themes of alienation and displacement. It was lauded by critics and noted by some as its highlight track. Luke Winkie from musicOMH
MusicOMH
musicOMH is a United Kingdom-based website which publishes independent reviews, featues and interviews from across all musical genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B.-History:...
commended the song for its lyricism, calling it "a brooding, broken anthem for the strung-out hearts of the world" in which "Anderson unravels line after line of crushing imagery." It featured a simplistic music video, with Anderson standing in front of a screen that juxtaposed images of both violence and beauty. "Milkman", the fourth track, was the final single released from the record. It was accompanied by a music video featuring Anderson green screen-ed into various collages, which David Bevan from Pitchfork
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
described as being "psychedelic" and "video game-like".
"Coda', the fifth track, is a blues-influenced song that lyrically deals with romantic obsession. The sixth track, "Marked", deals with physical abuse. It features both raspy vocals and repetition, which some critics felt heightened the song's themes of fragility and desperation. "Butterfly Knife", the eighth track, has been noted as being more direct rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
when compared to other songs on the album. The song lyrically deals with self-mutilation and was inspired by Anderson's own youth. It received very positive reviews from critics, with Paul Schrodt from Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
referring to it as one of the record's best moments.
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Anderson.Promotion
Leading up to its release, the record was marketed minimally. After the album's distribution, Anderson received high praise and honors from various music publications, including the annual "Artist to Watch" from Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
, which led to noteworthy buzz on blogging websites. Subsequently, news of the album's release was propelled. On July 26, Anderson announced that she would embark on a promotional tour across North America and Europe in the fall of 2011. Anderson headlined certain venues, as well as toured with alternative
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Ganglians and chillwave
Chillwave
Chillwave, sometimes also referred to as glo-fi, is a genre of music whose artists are often characterized by their heavy use of effects processing, synthesizers, looping, sampling, and heavily filtered vocals with simple melodic lines....
musical project Washed Out
Washed Out
Washed Out is the stage name of the American chillwave musician Ernest Greene .-Career:In June 2009, Greene graduated with a Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of South Carolina and was unable to find a job as a librarian...
, and opened for the rock bands CSS, MEN
MEN (band)
MEN is a Brooklyn-based band and art/performance collective that focuses on the energy of live performance and the radical potential of dance music...
, and Wild Beasts
Wild Beasts
Wild Beasts are an indie rock band from Kendal in Cumbria. They released their first single, "Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants", on Bad Sneakers Records in November 2006, and subsequently signed to Domino Records. They have released three acclaimed albums, Limbo, Panto in 2008, Two Dancers in...
on various dates.
Promotional tour
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America | |||
| September 8, 2011 | Portland Portland, Oregon Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States... |
United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
Holocene |
| Europe | |||
| September 13, 2011 | Brighton Brighton Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain... |
United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
Green Door Store |
| September 14, 2011 | London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... |
Cargo | |
| September 15, 2011 | Bristol Bristol Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007... |
The Thekla | |
| September 16, 2011 | Manchester Manchester Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater... |
Centre for Deaf Studies | |
| September 17, 2011 | Leffinge Middelkerke Middelkerke is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders, on the North Sea, west of Ostend. The municipality comprises the towns of Leffinge, Lombardsijde, Mannekensvere, Middelkerke proper, Schore, Sint-Pieters-Kapelle, Slijpe, Westende and Wilskerke. On January 1, 2006... |
Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... |
Leffinge Festival |
| September 18, 2011 | Tilburg Tilburg Tilburg is a landlocked municipality and a city in the Netherlands, located in the southern province of Noord-Brabant.Tilburg municipality also includes the villages of Berkel-Enschot and Udenhout.... |
Netherlands Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... |
Incubate Incubate (festival) Incubate is a multidisciplinary arts festival in Tilburg, the Netherlands. On June 16, the festival changed it name into Incubate after a request by the Austin, US based festival SXSW to change its name. Between 2005 and 2008 the festival was called ZXZW.... |
| September 20, 2011 | Amsterdam Amsterdam Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population... |
Paradiso Paradiso (Amsterdam) Paradiso is an iconic rock music venue and cultural center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.-History:It is housed in a converted former church building that dates from the nineteenth century and that was used until 1965 as the meeting hall for a liberal Dutch religious group known as the "Vrije... |
|
| September 21, 2011 | Munich Munich Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat... |
Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
Atomic Cafe |
| September 22, 2011 | Berlin Berlin Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union... |
Festsaal Kreuzberg | |
| September 23, 2011 | Hamburg Hamburg -History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808... |
Reeperbahn Festival | |
| September 24, 2011 | Cologne Cologne Cologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the... |
Gebäude 9 | |
| September 25, 2011 | Frankfurt Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010... |
Offenbach | |
| September 27, 2011 | Kufstein Kufstein Kufstein is a city in Tyrol, Austria, located along the river Inn, in the lower Inn valley, near the border with Bavaria, Germany, and is the site of a post World War II French sector United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration Displaced Persons camp.Kufstein is the second largest city... |
Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... |
TBA |
| September 28, 2011 | Vienna Vienna Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre... |
Badeschiff Badeschiff The Badeschiff is a floating public swimming pool in Berlin, the capital city of Germany. Situated in the East Harbour section of the River Spree, the Badeschiff allows citizens to swim in a sanitary environment near the river... |
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| September 29, 2011 | St. Gallen St. Gallen St. Gallen is the capital of the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. It evolved from the hermitage of Saint Gall, founded in the 7th century. Today, it is a large urban agglomeration and represents the center of eastern Switzerland. The town mainly relies on the service sector for its economic... |
Switzerland Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition.... |
Theater St. Gallen Theater St. Gallen The Theater St. Gallen is a performing arts center for opera, musical, ballet, and theatre in St. Gallen, Switzerland, and considered to be the oldest professional theatre in Switzerland.... |
| September 30, 2011 | Dudigan | Bad Bonn | |
| October 1, 2011 | Brussels Brussels Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union... |
Belgium | Orangerie |
| North America | |||
| October 7, 2011 | Seattle | United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
Neptune |
| October 8, 2011 | Vancouver Vancouver Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,... |
Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
Biltmore Cabaret |
| October 11, 2011 | Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, California Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946... |
United States | Rio Theatre |
| October 12, 2011 | San Francisco | The Independent | |
| October 13, 2011 | Los Angeles Los Ángeles Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants... |
Echoplex Echoplex (venue) Echoplex is a live music venue located in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It is owned and operated by the same people as The Echo, and the two are considered sister venues... |
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| October 14, 2011 | San Diego | The Casbah | |
| October 15, 2011 | Phoenix Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data... |
The Crescent Ballroom | |
| October 21, 2011 | Philadelphia | Union Transfer | |
| October 22, 2011 | New York New York City New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and... |
Webster Hall Webster Hall Webster Hall is a nightclub located at 125 East 11th Street, between Third and Fourth Avenues, near Astor Place, in Manhattan, New York City. Built in 1886, its current incarnation was opened by the Ballinger Brothers in 1992... |
|
| October 23, 2011 | Boston Boston Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had... |
Paradise Rock Club Paradise Rock Club The Paradise Rock Club, formerly known as the Paradise Theater, is a small music venue in Boston, Massachusetts which opened on September 22, 1977... |
|
| October 24, 2011 | Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution.... |
9:30 Club 9:30 Club Foo Fighters Promise to come back to D.C. and play the 9:30 ClubNightclub 9:30 is a nightclub and concert venue in Washington, D.C. Originally located at 930 F Street, NW, Washington, D.C., in the 1970s it was called the "Atlantis Club", and hosted primarily rock, New Wave, and punk bands... |
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| October 26, 2011 | Athens Athens, Georgia Athens-Clarke County is a consolidated city–county in U.S. state of Georgia, in the northeastern part of the state, comprising the former City of Athens proper and Clarke County. The University of Georgia is located in this college town and is responsible for the initial growth of the city... |
40 Watt Club 40 Watt Club The 40 Watt Club is a music venue in Athens, Georgia. Along with CBGB's, the Whisky a Go Go, and selected others, it was instrumental in launching American punk rock and "New Wave music."... |
|
| October 28, 2011 | Dallas | House of Blues House of Blues House of Blues is a chain of 13 live music concert halls and restaurants in major markets throughout the United States. House of Blues first location was in Cambridge's Harvard Square. It was opened in 1992 by Isaac Tigrett, co-founder of Hard Rock Cafe, and Dan Aykroyd, star of The Blues Brothers... |
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| October 29, 2011 | Houston | ||
| October 30, 2011 | Austin Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in... |
La Zona Rosa | |
Associated Acts
- This concert features Anderson co-headlining with Ganglians.
- These concerts feature Anderson supporting Wild Beasts.
- This concert features Anderson co-headlining with Washed Out.
- These concerts feature Anderson supporting CSS and MEN.
Commercial performance
Due to its minimal promotion, Past Life Martyred Saints failed to debut on any charts; however, a couple of weeks after its release, it entered and peaked at number twenty-one on the US Billboard Top HeatseekersTop Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...
chart. However, it only spent a total of two weeks on the chart.
Critical response
Past Life Martyred Saints received general acclaim from professional music critics upon its release. According to MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album holds a score of 82/100, indicating "Critical acclaim", based on twenty-two reviews. Heather Phares from Allmusic reserved praise for the album, feeling that it "will win Andersen new fans as well as thrill longtime ones." Priya Elan from NME also responded positively to the album, commenting that "her perceptive glare is intense and unrelenting. A new, added tunefulness makes this a much-welcome Exile In Nihilist-ville." Ian Mathers of PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
awarded the record a nine out of ten, feeling that "EMA's work is simultaneously some of the most interesting I've heard in years, and jaggedly alive, the furthest thing from any sort of academic exercise."
Many critics awarded praise for the album's raw and powerful emotions. James Skinner of Drowned in Sound
Drowned in Sound
DrownedinSound.com or DiS is a UK based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway . The site is an editorially independent music website.-History:...
commended the record for its feeling of "naked emotion on display." Skinner further commented on the album, stating it "certainly isn’t a unanimously easy listen (that much should be clear from its title alone), but themes like those of ‘Butterfly Knife’ are leavened by that ever-present defiance." Nick Neyland from Pitchfork
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
lauded the album, calling it "a fiercely individual record, made by a musician with a fearless and courageous approach to her art. Crucially, the desire to let such raw emotion out in song never feels forced." Paul Schrodt of Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
observed that "Rock music is not an uncommon way to deal with pain, either for the people who make it or for those who listen to it, but it's rare when those raw emotions translate into a record as focused and accomplished as EMA's debut". Ad Mehta from One Thirty BPM
One Thirty BPM
One Thirty BPM is a New York-based online publication providing reviews, news, media, interviews, features, and more from both the independent and mainstream spheres of the music world...
gave the record high marks, stating "With fresh, sonically adventurous juxtapositions, and bold, honest lyrics, [Anderson] engages the listener in an intense, emotional journey.
Ryan Stewart from The Phoenix
The Phoenix (newspaper)
The Phoenix is the name of several alternative weekly newspapers published in the United States by Phoenix Media/Communications Group of Boston, Massachusetts including the Boston Phoenix, the Providence Phoenix, the Portland Phoenix and the now-defunct Worcester Phoenix...
commented that the record "is more focused and confident than the work of many of Andersen's peers. It's likely we've not even heard her best yet. And even if not, this is pretty sweet as is. Theon Weber from The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
concluded that "[Anderson] has a huge talent for drama--when to build, when to break, when to whisper or coo or yell, when to camp a while in a looping melody and when to move on--and the album's 37 minutes feel majestic and unhurried." Luke Winkie of musicOMH
MusicOMH
musicOMH is a United Kingdom-based website which publishes independent reviews, featues and interviews from across all musical genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B.-History:...
praised Anderson for her "brilliant, visceral talent for stormy melodies and untouchable lyrical knack" and concluded that the album contained "some of the most stirring lyrical turns of the year." Laura Studarus, a writer from Under the Radar
Under the Radar (magazine)
Under the Radar is an American magazine that bills itself as "The solution to music pollution" and features interviews with accompanying photo-shoots. Each issue includes opinion and commentary of the Indie music scene as well as reviews on books, DVDs and albums.Items are reviewed based on a...
, described the album as "a skittering trip through the displaced troubadour’s disjointed existence. Rachel Harris from Clash
Clash (magazine)
Clash is a popular music and fashion magazine based in the United Kingdom. Its magazine title is published 12 times a year. It has a circulation of around 40,000....
feels that the record "will leave you bewitched and bewildered." Benjamin Boles from NOW
NOW (magazine)
Now is a free weekly newspaper in Toronto, Canada. It was first printed on September 10, 1981 by Michael Hollett and Alice Klein. Now is an alternative weekly mixing arts and entertainment news with political coverage....
described the album as "not always the most comfortable thing to listen to, but like the proverbial car crash, it’s hard to tear yourself away." Andrew Baer of No Ripcord
No Ripcord
No Ripcord is an online music and film magazine based in Sheffield, England.-History:The website was originally created in April 1999 by editor-in-chief David Coleman and A.M. Booth...
found the album to be "an overall cohesive success", but he felt that the record owed its "quality to the unwavering confidence of [Anderson's] delivery, both musically and lyrically."
Despite the high amount of praise, various international publications, particularly the British music press, had mixed feelings towards the record. Andy Gill from The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
felt that most of the album's material didn't live up to its opening track. Andrew Perry of The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
praised the record for its emotional depth, but felt that Anderson's style was similar to that of other artists. Patrik Wirén of the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
newspaper Metro International
Metro International
Metro International is a Swedish media company based in Luxembourg that publishes the Metro newspapers. Metro International's advertising sales have grown at a compound annual growth rate of 41% since launch of the first newspaper edition in 1995. It is a freesheet, meaning that distribution is...
also awarded the album three out of five stars, calling it a "primitive recording". However, Wirén concluded his review on a rather positive note, finding Anderson to be promising.
Accolades
SpinSpin (magazine)
Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...
magazine included the record among thirty-three others in its mid-year list of the best albums of 2011, commenting that Anderson "unleashes everything from tinnitus-inducing, reverb-soaked guitar drones to light-as-air acoustic ditties and pseudo-industrial bangers. But it's her emotionally raw confessionals that bind these nine tracks." NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
also included the record in its mid-year list.
The album was included in several publications' year-end lists. Pitchfork
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
included the record in its catalog of Best New Albums, commenting that "Anderson's music has the power to plummet to the depths and drag you right down there with her." Anthony Carew from About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
named it the fourth best album of 2011. British music magazine The Fly
The Fly (magazine)
The Fly is a free music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom. The magazine is published by the HMV owned MAMA Group.The magazine started as a listings leaflet in Camden, north London, for the Barfly music venue on Chalk Farm Road...
placed the album thirty-seventh in its list of Top 50 Albums of 2011
Personnel
Additional performers- Nicole K. Anderson – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, guitar, vocals - Ezra Buchla – keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
, vocals - Aaron Davis – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Corey Fogel - percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
- Leif Shackelford – keyboards, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, viola - Zev3 - bass guitar, tambourineTambourineThe tambourine or marine is a musical instrument of the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zils". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though some variants may not have a head at all....
Technical
- Erika M. Anderson – composingMusical compositionMusical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
, engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
, mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
, productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music... - Will Rahilly – layout
- Sarah Register – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
- Leif Shackelford – mixing, production
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
21 |
Release history
| Country | Date | Label |
|---|---|---|
| United States | May 10, 2010 | Souterrain Transmissions |
External links
- Past Life Martyred Saints at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
- Past Life Martyred Saints at ReviewReviewA review is an evaluation of a publication, a product or a service, such as a movie , video game, musical composition , book ; a piece of hardware like a car, home appliance, or computer; or an event or performance, such as a live music concert, a play, musical theater show or dance show...