Agora (Fennesz album)
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| Agora | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 29 March 2019 | |||
| Recorded | August–September 2018[1] | |||
| Studio | Kaiserstudios (Vienna)[1] | |||
| Length | 47:06 | |||
| Label | Touch | |||
| Fennesz chronology | ||||
| ||||
Agora is a solo studio album by Austrian musician Christian Fennesz under the mononym Fennesz.[2] It was released on 29 March 2019 through Touch.[3] It received universal acclaim from critics.[4]
Agora is Fennsz's first solo studio album since Bécs (2014).[5] It was recorded after he had temporarily lost a proper studio space and moved his gear back to a bedroom in his flat.[6] He created the album on headphones, using minimal equipment.[7] The album's title comes from an ancient Greek marketplace.[8]
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 81/100[4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [9] |
| Exclaim! | 7/10[10] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 8/10[11] |
| Pitchfork | 8.5/10[12] |
| Resident Advisor | 4.1/5[13] |
| Spectrum Culture | 3.75/5[14] |
According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Agora received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 81 out of 100 from 10 critic scores.[4]
Paul Simpson of AllMusic stated, "The unpolished feel of Agora is a bit striking for a Fennesz release, but it's clearly just as carefully considered as his other albums, and makes a welcome addition to his catalog."[9] Jack Bray of The Line of Best Fit commented that "Agora is hypnotic, transient and valuable and a rarity which although oppressive at times ultimately delivers on a promise as tangible as it is striking."[11] Mark Richardson of Pitchfork stated, "Each of the four tracks has its own dramatic arc, some subtle and some utterly titanic, and the record as a whole has a cumulative force only possible when those are stacked one atop the other."[12] He added, "there's something special about Agora in how it integrates the immediate pleasure of his pop influences with the patience of his extended works."[12]
Accolades
| Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| BrooklynVegan | BrooklynVegan's Top 50 Albums of 2019 | 34 |
|
| Pitchfork | The 50 Best Albums of 2019 | 8 |
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "In My Room" | 12:28 |
| 2. | "Rainfall" | 11:57 |
| 3. | "Agora" | 12:09 |
| 4. | "We Trigger the Sun" | 10:28 |
| Total length: | 47:06 | |
Personnel
Credits adapted from liner notes.[1]
- Katharina Caecilia Fennesz – vocals (2)
- Mira Waldmann – vocals (3)
- Manfred Neuwirth – field recording (3)
- Denis Blackham – mastering
- Jon Wozencroft – photography, design
