Album (Girls album)
2009 studio album by Girls
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Album is the debut studio album by the American band Girls. It was released September 22, 2009, on True Panther Sounds.[1]
| Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 22, 2009 | |||
| Genres | Indie pop, indie rock, surf rock, jangle pop, dream pop | |||
| Length | 44:17 | |||
| Label | True Panther Sounds | |||
| Producer | Chet "JR" White | |||
| Girls chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Album | ||||
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Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 7.5/10[2] |
| Metacritic | 80/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| The A.V. Club | B+[4] |
| The Guardian | [5] |
| Mojo | [6] |
| MSN Music (Consumer Guide) | A−[7] |
| NME | 9/10[8] |
| Pitchfork | 9.1/10[9] |
| Q | [10] |
| Rolling Stone |  [11] |
| Uncut | [12] |
Initial critical response to Album was extremely positive. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 80, based on 22 reviews.[1] Tom Breihan of Pitchfork writes, "Album is mostly sunny Beach Boys pastiche, but it's not the kajillionth indie attempt at orchestral Pet Sounds majesty. Rather, it's simple and forthright early Beach Boys stuff: compact guitar-jangles, sha-la-la harmonies, muffled heartbeat drums. It sounds great."[9] Jason Lymangrover of AllMusic states, "As a whole, everything's relaxed and dreamy, perfectly matching the '70s aesthetic of their videos: washed out with overexposed sun streaks and a Crayola watercolor palette."[3] Will Dean of The Guardian says, "The duo combine deceptively simple chords and patterns with hazy walls of feedback, Californian pop melodies, surf guitars and Owens's dozy vocal style – which sounds like he's answering a question you asked him yesterday. The result is glorious."[5]
Accolades
Album was awarded the fifth spot on Spin magazine's best albums of 2009 list[13] and tenth on Pitchfork's "The Top 50 Albums of 2009" list.[14] Pitchfork also awarded it "Best New Music" upon release.[9]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Christopher Owens, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lust for Life" | 2:25 |
| 2. | "Laura" | 4:51 |
| 3. | "Ghost Mouth" | 3:11 |
| 4. | "God Damned" | 2:17 |
| 5. | "Big Bad Mean Motherfucker" | 2:15 |
| 6. | "Hellhole Ratrace" | 6:56 |
| 7. | "Headache" | 4:00 |
| 8. | "Summertime" | 5:39 |
| 9. | "Lauren Marie" | 4:58 |
| 10. | "Morning Light" | 2:36 |
| 11. | "Curls" | 2:08 |
| 12. | "Darling" | 2:59 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Solitude" | 3:44 |
| 14. | "Life in San Francisco" | 2:21 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "Solitude" | 3:44 |
| 14. | "Oh Boy!" | 2:41 |
| 15. | "Life in San Francisco" | 2:21 |
| 16. | "End of the World" (writers: Arthur Kent, Sylvia Dee) | 3:35 |
Personnel
Adapted from the album liner notes.
- Chet "JR" White – producer, bass guitar
- Tom Marzella – drums (track 10)
- Garett Godard – drums (tracks 2, 3, 5, 12)
- Myles Benham Cooper – beach sounds (track 7)
- Christopher Owens – cover art, girls photos
- Sandy Kim – band photography
- John Goodmansos – mixing
- John Golden – mastering
Charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[15] | 136 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[16] | 24 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[17] | 3 |
As of 2012 the album has sold 50,000 copies in United States according to Nielsen SoundScan.[18]
Release history
| Country | Date | Label | Format | Catalogue # |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | September 22, 2009 | True Panther Sounds | CD | TRUE-010 |
| LP | TRUE-010-1 | |||
| United Kingdom | September 28, 2009 | Fantasytrashcan | CD | FANTASY003 |
| LP | FANTASY003LP | |||
| Australia | October 10, 2009 | Pod/Inertia | CD (with 2 bonus tracks) | PODCD0735 |
| Japan | October 21, 2009 | Turnstile/Fantasytrashcan | CD (with 4 bonus tracks) | YRCG-90027 |
| Brazil | June 28, 2010 | Lab 344 | CD (with 2 bonus tracks) | 5051083047111 |