No Shape
2017 studio album by Perfume Genius
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
No Shape is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Perfume Genius, released on May 5, 2017, through Matador Records as the follow-up to Too Bright (2014).[2]
- Zeitgeist
- Boulevard
- Desirée Ind.
- (Los Angeles, CA)
| No Shape | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 5, 2017 | |||
| Recorded | October–December 2016 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Experimental pop[1] | |||
| Length | 43:14 | |||
| Label | Matador | |||
| Producer | Blake Mills | |||
| Perfume Genius chronology | ||||
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| Singles from No Shape | ||||
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Background
Hadreas was featured on the cover of the March–April 2017 issue of The Fader, which included a lengthy feature on Hadreas and his work on the next album.[3] In the weeks following the article, Hadreas posted a number of video and audio clips teasing new music. On March 21, 2017, Hadreas announced his fourth studio album No Shape and released the first single "Slip Away", which was accompanied by a music video directed by frequent Björk collaborator Andrew Thomas Huang.[4] The single was designated "Best New Track" by Pitchfork.[5] On April 19, Hadreas released another single from the album called "Go Ahead" during a live Twitter Q&A with fans. On May 9, 2017, Perfume Genius released the video for "Die 4 You", directed by Floria Sigismondi.
Reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.1/10[6] |
| Metacritic | 84/100[7] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| The A.V. Club | B+[9] |
| The Guardian | [10] |
| The Irish Times | [11] |
| Mojo | [12] |
| The Observer | [13] |
| Pitchfork | 8.8/10[14] |
| Q | [15] |
| Rolling Stone |  [16] |
| Vice | A−[17] |
Accolades
| Publication | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Independent | The 30 best albums of 2017 | 4 |
|
| NME | NME's Albums of the Year 2017 | 24 |
|
| NPR | The 50 Best Albums of 2017 | 6 |
|
| Pitchfork | The 50 Best Albums of 2017 | 16 |
|
| Pitchfork | The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s | 70 |
|
| Stereogum | The 50 Best Albums of 2017 | 4 |
|
| Uncut | Albums of the Year | 70 |
|
| Vinyl Me, Please | The 30 Best Albums of 2017 | 16 |
The album received a Grammy Award nomination for “Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical” at the 60th Annual Grammy Awards.[26] Additionally, it was noted as one of the works designated under producer Blake Mills’ nomination for “Producer of the Year, Non-Classical.”
Track listing
All tracks are written by Mike Hadreas, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Otherside" | 2:40 | |
| 2. | "Slip Away" | 2:45 | |
| 3. | "Just Like Love" | 3:14 | |
| 4. | "Go Ahead" |
| 2:53 |
| 5. | "Valley" | 3:09 | |
| 6. | "Wreath" | 4:26 | |
| 7. | "Every Night" | 2:47 | |
| 8. | "Choir" | 2:28 | |
| 9. | "Die 4 You" |
| 3:32 |
| 10. | "Sides" (featuring Weyes Blood) |
| 4:52 |
| 11. | "Braid" | 2:58 | |
| 12. | "Run Me Through" | 4:44 | |
| 13. | "Alan" | 2:46 | |
| Total length: | 43:14 | ||
Personnel
Performance
- Mike Hadreas – vocals (all tracks), piano (1, 7), synthesizer (3, 8, 12), Wurlitzer (9, 11), trumpet noises (9), congregation vocals (1)
- Blake Mills – piano (1, 2, 5, 6, 11, 12), synthesizer (1-4, 6, 7, 9, 12, 13), vocals (1, 6), marimba (2), guitars (2–6, 9, 10, 12), drums (2–4, 9, 10), percussion (2–4, 6, 9), tablas (3), bass (3–6, 10), baritone guitar (3), Marxophone (3), programming (4, 6), Mellotron (5), guitarron (7, 9, 12), organ (10, 11), kora (11), celeste (12), Omnichord (12), woodwinds (12), congregation vocals (1)
- Stuart Johnson – drums (2), percussion (2, 4), cymbals (3, 9),
- Rob Moose – violin (3–5, 7–10), viola (3–5, 7, 9, 10), string arrangements (3–5, 7, 9, 10)
- Alan Wyffels – backing vocals (6), synthesizer (7, 10), vocals (9, 13), Rhodes piano (12), piano (13)
- Natalie Mering – vocals (10, 11)
- Pino Palladino – bass (12)
- Chris Dave – drums (12), percussion (12)
- Shawn Everett – synthesizer (13)
- Joseph Lorge – congregation vocals (1)
- Clay Blair – congregation vocals (1)
- Becca Luce – congregation vocals (1)
- Chris Doerr – congregation vocals (1)
Production
- Blake Mills – production
- Shawn Everett – engineering, mixing
- Joseph Lorge – engineering
- Clay Blair – studio assistance
- Omar Yakar – studio assistance
- Brendan Dekora – studio assistance
- Patricia Sullivan – mastering
- Inez and Vinoodh – artwork
- Mike Zimmerman – design
Charts
| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia Hitseekers (ARIA)[27] | 12 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[28] | 30 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[29] | 116 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA)[30] | 90 |
| New Zealand Heatseekers Albums (RMNZ)[31] | 9 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP)[32] | 40 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[33] | 80 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[34] | 96 |
| US Billboard 200[35] | 185 |