The Expanding Flower Planet
2015 studio album by Deradoorian
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The Expanding Flower Planet is the first studio album by Deradoorian, a former member of Dirty Projectors.[1] It was released on Anticon on August 21, 2015.[2] Co-produced with Kenny Gilmore, it features contributions from Jeremy Hyman, Michael Lockwood, Niki Randa, and Arlene Deradoorian.[3] The title of the album comes from a Chinese mandala tapestry that hung in Deradoorian's studio.[4]
| The Expanding Flower Planet | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 21, 2015 | |||
| Genres | ||||
| Length | 46:16 | |||
| Label | Anticon | |||
| Producers |
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| Deradoorian chronology | ||||
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Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 78/100[5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [6] |
| The A.V. Club | B[7] |
| Consequence of Sound | B−[8] |
| Exclaim! | 8/10[9] |
| The Guardian | [10] |
| MusicOMH | [11] |
| Pitchfork | 8.0/10[4] |
| PopMatters | [12] |
| The Skinny | [13] |
| Spin | 6/10[14] |
At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, The Expanding Flower Planet received an average score of 78, based on 17 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[5]
Alex McCown of The A.V. Club gave the album a grade of B, saying, "Despite most songs consisting of little more than a simple drum beat, bass, and some synths buffeting Deradoorian's soaring and layered vocal tracks, it wouldn't be accurate to call the arrangements spare."[7] Daniel Sylester of Exclaim! gave the album an 8 out of 10 and said, "On The Expanding Flower Planet, Deradoorian melds atmospheric dance beats with world music melodies, crafting a sound reminiscent of early Sinéad O'Connor."[9]
Daniel Paton of MusicOMH gave the album 4 stars out of 5 and said, "Deradoorian has demonstrated here that she is a confident, mature and distinctive artist."[11] John Paul of PopMatters gave the album 8 stars out of 10 and called it "a confident declaration of independence from a vital artist operating at the top of her creative game."[12]
The Skinny placed it at number 47 on the "50 Best Albums of 2015" list.[15]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Beautiful Woman" | 3:31 |
| 2. | "Expanding Flower Planet" | 4:26 |
| 3. | "Violet Minded" | 5:33 |
| 4. | "Komodo" | 4:38 |
| 5. | "Your Creator" | 5:40 |
| 6. | "The Invisible Man" | 4:54 |
| 7. | "Dark Lord" | 2:56 |
| 8. | "Ouneya" | 4:58 |
| 9. | "The Eye" | 3:36 |
| 10. | "Grow" | 6:04 |
| Total length: | 46:16 | |
Personnel
Credits adapted from liner notes.
- Angel Deradoorian – vocals, drums, guitar, bass guitar, banjo, synthesizer, flute, piano, production, recording, mixing, layout, design
- Kenny Gilmore – guitar, synthesizer, production, recording, mixing
- Arlene Deradoorian – vocals
- Niki Randa – vocals
- Jeremy Hyman – drums
- Michael Lockwood – drums
- Sonny Diperri – mixing
- Dave Cooley – mastering
- Daniel Higgs – cover artwork
- Brian DeRan – other artwork
- Bryant Rutledge – layout, design