L'Rain (album)
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| L'Rain | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 15, 2017 | |||
| Genre | Experimental | |||
| Label | Astro Nautico | |||
| Producer |
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| L'Rain chronology | ||||
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L'Rain is the debut studio album by experimental musician Taja Cheek, who performs as L'Rain.[1][2] The album was released in 2017 by New York City-based label Astro Nautico[3][4] and included in best-of-year lists by publications including Pitchfork[5] and Bandcamp Daily.[6] The album cover is an image of Cheek's forearm, which is tattooed "L'Rain"; she chose the name after her mother, Lorraine, died during the making of the record.[2]
L'Rain features Andrew Lappin on guitars, Alex Goldberg on drums and percussion, Jeremy Powell on saxophone, and TV on the Radio's Kyp Malone on backing vocals.[7] Cheek composed and performs vocals, keyboards, synthesizers, guitar, bass, samples, and percussion on the album,[8] which she co-produced with Lappin.[7]
L'Rain has been recognized as an experimental album drawing on many traditions and genres;[5][1] reviewers have identified the work's style and influences as including free jazz, ambient, noise music, and disco;[3] R&B, post-punk, and avant-garde rock;[1] shoegaze, psychedelic, hip hop, and outsider music;[7] jazz, electronic music, and dream pop;[8] soul and folk;[6] and more.
L'Rain often layers and loops her vocals, and her work frequently features samples from her collection of hundreds of field recordings, some pitch-shifted or otherwise manipulated beyond recognition.[2] She has spoken in interviews about her work's tendency to evade[2] or reject[1] categorization, and in an interview following the debut's release said, "I would hope that people would find elements of gospel, 90s r&b, and different genres of 'experimental music' (for lack of a better term) in my music, but I generally try to remain as illegible as possible. There is power in remaining indiscernible. I like to exist in a liminal space."[9]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Pitchfork | 6.8/10[3] |
Jay Balfour for Pitchfork assessed L'Rain with general positivity, calling it "a beautiful, untidy conduit of [Cheek's] grieving."[3]
Year-end lists
| Publication | List | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Pitchfork | The 20 Best Experimental Albums of 2017 | #17[5] |
| Bandcamp Daily | The Best Albums of 2017 | #10[6] |
