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Acetone (album)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Acetone
Studio album by
Released1997
Length56:58
LabelVapor[1]
ProducerAcetone, Scott Campbell
Acetone chronology
If You Only Knew
(1996)
Acetone
(1997)
York Blvd.
(2000)

Acetone is an album by the American band Acetone, released in 1997.[2][3] It was the band's first album for Neil Young's Vapor Records; Acetone's previous label, Vernon Yard, had declared bankruptcy.[4]

The band supported the album by opening for Spiritualized on its North American tour.[5]

Production

[edit]

The album was produced by Scott Campbell and Acetone.[6] The band already had songs worked out prior to the recordings sessions, concluding that trying to write songs in the studio had been a mistake during the sessions for their previous album, If You Only Knew.[7] The band was chiefly influenced by jazz and country, and realized that the album's songs would be performed at a faster tempo in a live setting; they also rejected "sadcore" and "slowcore" labels.[8]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[10]
The Guardian[11]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[6]
Pitchfork9.2/10[12]
The Times8/10[13]

Stuart Berman of Pitchfork wrote that "[Richie] Lee's lyric sheet may have been filled with dejection ... but he always sang as if he was looking you in the eyes."[14] A later review by the website's Grayson Haver Currin called the album "focused and intentional in a way the band had never been, sorting through the suffering of survival with tenderness and intensity."[12] The Times declared that "Mark Lightcap's country-tinged guitars are simply gorgeous."[13] The Manchester Evening News dubbed the band "so laid-back they make JJ Cale seem uptight by comparison."[15]

Noting that Acetone "belong somewhere in the slowcore/sadcore area," The Sunday Times thought that "their music isn't just unhurried, it's completely indifferent to the passing of time."[16] The Guardian praised the "homespun, half-speed ballads."[11] The San Antonio Express-News deemed the album "atmospheric pop with a hint of guitar twang and the feeling of a slow-motion undertow".[17]

AllMusic thought that the album "finds the trio sinking deeper into a well of despair, with nothing but sparse guitar pickings, cracked vocals, and shambling rock figures to help."[9] MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide wrote: "Alternately draining and invigorating, the sheer listlessness of songs such as 'Might as Well' and 'Good Life' is resuscitated by the drunk and confident stare of jazz-bar reflection."[6]

Track listing

[edit]
Acetone track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Every Kiss"3:58
2."All the Time"3:46
3."Germs"4:44
4."Might as Well"4:14
5."Shobud"6:46
6."All You Know"5:37
7."Good Life"3:52
8."Dee"4:30
9."Waltz"5:37
10."Another Minute"3:55
11."So Slow"3:45
12."Chew"6:14
Total length:56:58

Personnel

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  • Steve Hadley – drums
  • Richie Lee – vocals, bass
  • Mark Lightcap – guitar, vocals

References

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  1. ^ "Acetone – 1992–2001". Uncut. September 18, 2017. Archived from the original on September 13, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  2. ^ "Acetone Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2021-09-13. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
  3. ^ Saraceno, Christina (August 3, 2001). "Acetone's Richie Lee Dies at 34". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  4. ^ Mehle, Michael (April 24, 1998). "Sleep Rockers California's Acetone Makes Waves with Hushed, Unhurried Sound". Rocky Mountain News. p. 18D.
  5. ^ Beckley, Fred (December 8, 1997). "It Was a Lulled House at the Trocadero". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. C7.
  6. ^ a b c MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 7.
  7. ^ "Acetone". The Charlotte Observer. 5 Dec 1997. p. 16E.
  8. ^ Lambert, Yon (27 Feb 1998). "L.A. trio Acetone loves lazy paces". Weekend. The State. Columbia. p. 13.
  9. ^ a b "Acetone". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2021-09-13. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
  10. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1. Muze. p. 33.
  11. ^ a b Cox, Tom (February 20, 1998). "Acetone Acetone". The Guardian. p. T18.
  12. ^ a b Currin, Grayson Haver (November 18, 2023). "Acetone Acetone". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  13. ^ a b Connolly, Paul (February 28, 1998). "New album releases". Metro. The Times. p. 11.
  14. ^ "Acetone: 1992-2001". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 2021-09-13. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
  15. ^ Taylor, Paul (27 Feb 1998). "Acetone Acetone". Manchester Evening News. p. 21.
  16. ^ Edwards, Mark (February 22, 1998). "Acetone". Culture. The Sunday Times. p. 20.
  17. ^ Beal Jr., Jim (May 15, 1998). "Crunch time". San Antonio Express-News. p. 20H.