Black Dog in My Path
| Black Dog In My Path | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 12 October 2018 | |||
| Studio | Wherever Audio, Philadelphia | |||
| Length | 38:06 | |||
| Label | Double Double Whammy | |||
| Producer | Kyle Gilbride, Maryn Jones | |||
| Yowler chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Black Dog In My Path | ||||
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Black Dog In My Path is the second album by American musician Yowler. It was released on 12 October 2018 on record label Double Double Whammy.
Background and release
[edit]Yowler is the stage name of musician Maryn Jones. Jones is lead singer and songwriter of All Dogs, was a bassist and vocalist for Saintseneca, and self-released two solo albums under their own name in 2008 and 2012.[1] In 2015 Jones released The Offer, their debut album as Yowler.[2] Shortly afterwards they moved from Columbus, Ohio to Philadelphia.[3]
Black Dog In My Path was recorded in Philadelphia, with contributions from Jones' friends and label-/bandmates Kyle Gilbride (Swearin'), Matt O'Conke (Saintseneca), Catherine Elicson (All Dogs, Empath), and Michael Cantor (The Goodbye Party).[4] The album was released by Double Double Whammy on 12 October 2018; the tracks "WTFK" and "Angel" were released as singles.[4]
The tracks "Holy Fire" and "No" were written around the same time as Yowler's debut, and "(Holidays Reprise)" is a direct reference to a track from that album. Jones spent two years writing the rest of the album.[5]
The title of the album refers to the folkloric black dog Moddey Dhoo, which Jones came across while reading about their Manx ancestry, and which they described as "a warning and a protection to not go where you shouldn't go, don't go to the sad dark place."[4]
Themes
[edit]Jones was raised a mormon, and their decision to leave the church is explored in the lyrics of some tracks, and through their use of religious imagery.[3] The opening line of single "Angel" is a variation of the first line of the hymn Amazing Grace,[3] and Jones told Stereogum that the song is "a celebration of coming to personal realizations and having experiences with people that informed those realizations", and that they intentionally chose it to open the album because it is joyful.[4]
Mental health is also a theme of the album. Jones told Vice that "a lot of the songs on the record are about really hard things, whether it's easy to tell or not."[3] They described the song "Where Is My Light" as being about "going through a period of pretty intense isolation and regret and feeling really hurt by people."[4] Jones also described the dynamics of the album, from love song "Petals" to darker "WTFK" (which Pitchfork said "evokes early Black Sabbath"[6]), as being "reminiscent of the human experience...especially when you're dealing with distress and mental illness."[3]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| ACRN.com (Staff) | 6.5/10[7] |
| New Noise |   [8] |
| Pitchfork | 7.6/10[9] |
| punknews.org (Staff) |  [10] |
Sasha Geffen of Pitchfork rated the album 7.6/10, and described single "Angel" as an "elegant little folk-rock track that unfurls like a poem."[9][11] Magnet called the album "a must hear."[12]
Cailtin White of Uproxx wrote that compared to their debut, "the sonic textures of Black Dog In My Path are far more expansive."[5]
Track listing
[edit]All songs written by Maryn Jones.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Angel" | 03:29 |
| 2. | "Holy Fire" | 03:45 |
| 3. | "Sorrow" | 03:56 |
| 4. | "Where Is My Light?" | 05:30 |
| 5. | "Awkward" | 02:32 |
| 6. | "Aldebaran" | 02:32 |
| 7. | "WTFK" | 02:54 |
| 8. | "(Holidays Reprise)" | 02:00 |
| 9. | "No" | 02:59 |
| 10. | "Petals" | 02:54 |
| 11. | "Grizzly Bear II" | 02:02 |
| 12. | "Spirits & Sprites" | 03:27 |
| Total length: | 38:06 | |
Personnel
[edit]- Maryn Jones – guitar, bass, casio, vocals
- Kyle Gilbride – guitar, bass, synth, keyboard, percussion, vocals
- Matt O'Conke – drums on tracks 1, 2 and 4
- Catherine Elicson – clarinet on tracks 8 and 9, bass on tracks 1 and 11
- Michael Cantor – bowed guitar on track 9, vocals on tracks 1 and 3, cello on track 2
Technical
- Maryn Jones, Kyle Gilbride – production
- Josh Bonati – mastering
- Chelsea Dirck – photography
References
[edit]- ^ "maryn jones on Bandcamp", marynjones.bandcamp.com, archived from the original on 2024-04-28, retrieved 2024-04-28
- ^ Sasha Geffen (2015-03-10), "The Offer (review)", pitchfork.com, Pitchfork, retrieved 2024-04-28
- ^ a b c d e Colin Joyce (2018-10-10), "Yowler's Tumultuous New Album Is One of 2018's Best Indie Rock Records", vice.com, Vice, retrieved 2024-04-27
- ^ a b c d e Gabriela Tully Claymore (2018-08-20), "Yowler's Maryn Jones Finds Faith In Herself", stereogum.com, Stereogum, retrieved 2024-04-27
- ^ a b Caitlin White (2018-10-15), "How Maryn Jones Created The Electrified Hymns Of Yowler's 'Black Dog In My Path'", uproxx.com, Uproxx, retrieved 2024-04-28
- ^ Sasha Geffen (2018-08-09), "WTFK – Yowler", pitchfork.com, Pitchfork, retrieved 2024-04-27
- ^ Maria Lubanovic (2018-10-17), "Album Review: Yowler – Black Dog In My Path", acrn.com, retrieved 2024-04-28
- ^ Cameron Carr (2018-10-12), "Album Review – Yowler: Black Dog In My Path", newnoisemagazine.com, New Noise Magazine, archived from the original on 2024-04-27, retrieved 2024-04-27
- ^ a b Sasha Geffen (2018-10-17), "Black Dog in My Path (review)", pitchfork.com, Pitchfork, retrieved 2024-04-27
- ^ "Black Dog In My Path (review)", punknews.org, 2018-10-10, retrieved 2024-04-27
- ^ Sophie Kemp (2018-09-05), "Angel – Yowler", pitchfork.com, Pitchfork, retrieved 2024-04-27
- ^ "Essential New Music: Yowler's "Black Dog In My Path"", magnetmagazine.com, Magnet, 2018-10-18, retrieved 2024-04-28