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Mirage Rock

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Mirage Rock
Studio album by
Band of Horses
ReleasedSeptember 18, 2012 (2012-09-18)
RecordedSunset Sound Studios, California
GenreAlternative rock
Length45:17
LabelColumbia
ProducerGlyn Johns
Band of Horses chronology
Infinite Arms
(2010) 		Mirage Rock
(2012) 		Why Are You OK
(2016)
Singles from Mirage Rock
  1. "Knock Knock"
    Released: July 10, 2012
  2. "Slow Cruel Hands of Time"
    Released: September 5, 2012
  3. "Feud"
    Released: November 26, 2012

Mirage Rock is the fourth studio album by Band of Horses and was released on September 18, 2012 on Columbia Records.[1] Produced by Glyn Johns, the album was preceded by the single, "Knock Knock".[2]

While the album was initially met with generally favorable reviews, the band and fans alike have since become quite critical of it, with Bridwell admitting Mirage Rock to be stilted and insincere.[3] Songs from the album have been rarely performed since the album's promotional tour.[4]

Pre-release

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In April 2012, lead singer, Ben Bridwell, revealed that Band of Horses' fourth studio album was scheduled for release in late 2012, with production by Glyn Johns.[5] In June 2012, via Facebook and YouTube, the band shared a video preview of a new song, "Dumpster World," and confirmed a September 2012 release for the album.[6]

On July 10, 2012, the fourth album's title was confirmed as Mirage Rock, and the track listing and artwork were also unveiled. Bridwell has stated that there is no such place as Mirage Rock and explained that the name "is a total piss take."[7] Prior to the official launch of Mirage Rock on September 18, "Knock Knock" and "Slow Cruel Hands of Time" were released as previews of the album. On September 10, 2012, the entire album was streamed on both the Band of Horses SoundCloud page and the official website.[8]

Just prior to the album's release, the track "Mirage Rock" was made available on the internet. Although this is billed as the "title track" it does not appear on the regular version of the album, but is one of five tracks on the deluxe edition of Mirage Rock. These five tracks were recorded at the Sonic Ranch studios in Texas.[9]

Recording

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Bridwell explained that Johns recorded Mirage Rock with both "analogue and live" technology, with the album having "a looser vibe than our previous records." He described the album as "haphazard...loose and raw at times...letting our hair down," with "more humour" and a "celebratory vibe."[10]

Reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic68/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[12]
The A.V. ClubB−[13]
Exclaim!3/10[14]
The Guardian[15]
NME8/10[16]
Paste8.6/10[17]
Pitchfork4.0/10[18]
Q[19]
Spin4/10[20]
Rolling Stone[21]

Mirage Rock has received generally favourable reviews. It currently has an aggregate score of 68 out of 100 from 29 professional reviews on the Metacritic website.[11]

The album was ranked number 50 on American Songwriter's and number 19 on Rolling Stone's lists of the top 50 albums of 2012.[22] Rolling Stone said, "They conjure the embroidered-blue-jean countryrock of The Eagles (whose first LPs were helmed by Johns) and spike it with punk noise and a 21st-century bloodshot optimism."[23]

The album debuted at number 13 on the Billboard 200,[24] number 4 on the Alternative Albums chart and number 7 on the Rock Albums chart,[25] selling around 24,000 copies in the first week. It has sold 75,000 copies in the United States as of May 2016.[26]

The single "Knock Knock" was a minor hit in Belgium, reaching number 73 in the singles chart.[27] The follow-up single "Slow Cruel Hands of Time" peaked at number 68.[28]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Knock Knock"Bridwell and Bill Reynolds3:58
2."How to Live"Bridwell and Reynolds3:27
3."Slow Cruel Hands of Time"Bridwell3:50
4."A Little Biblical"Bridwell and Reynolds2:54
5."Shut-In Tourist"Bridwell and Tyler Ramsey4:09
6."Dumpster World"Bridwell3:43
7."Electric Music"Bridwell and Reynolds3:32
8."Everything's Gonna Be Undone"Ramsey3:19
9."Feud"Bridwell2:56
10."Long Vows"Bridwell3:43
11."Heartbreak on the 101"Bridwell, Reynolds and Ramsey4:01
Bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."Ego Nightmare" (iTunes bonus track)Bridwell3:26

Sonic Ranch Sessions

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The deluxe version of the album includes an EP, titled Sonic Ranch Sessions. It was recorded in El Paso, Texas at Sonic Ranch Studio and produced by the band.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Mirage Rock"Bridwell 
2."Irmo Bats"Bridwell 
3."Relly's Dream"Bridwell and Ryan Monroe 
4."Catalina"Bridwell and Ramsey 
5."Bock"Bridwell 

Album credits

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Charts

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Chart Peak
Australian Albums Chart[29] 21
Austrian Albums Chart[29] 61
Belgian Flanders Albums Chart[29] 27
Belgian Wallonia Albums Chart[29] 115
Danish Albums Chart[29] 9
Dutch Albums Chart[29] 55
German Albums Chart[29] 72
Irish Albums Chart[30] 20
New Zealand Albums Chart[29] 21
Norwegian Albums Chart[29] 9
Spanish Albums Chart[29] 24
Swedish Albums Chart[29] 15
Swiss Albums Chart[29] 35
UK Albums Chart[31] 20
US Billboard 200[32] 13
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[33] 4
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[34] 7
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[35] 5
US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)[36] 8

References

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  1. ^ Kane, Tyler "Band of Horses announce new album Mirage Rock" Archived 2012-07-13 at the Wayback Machine Paste - July 10, 2012
  2. ^ Stephen Thompson (24 August 2012). "First Watch: Band Of Horses, 'Knock Knock'". npr music. NPR. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
  3. ^ Doyle, Patrick (10 June 2016). "Band of Horses' Ben Bridwell on Embracing 'Wack-Ass Style'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  4. ^ "Band of Horses Album Statistics - setlist.fm". setlist.fm. Retrieved 1 October 2016.
  5. ^ Blanton, Kristen "Watch Band of Horses Perform New Track Long Vows" Paste - April 18, 2012
  6. ^ Nelson, Michael Preview Band Of Horses "Dumpster World" Stereogum - June 22, 2012
  7. ^ Marchese, David "Band of Horses Get Back in the Saddle For New Mirage Rock" Spin - August 2, 2012
  8. ^ Battan, Carrie "Stream Band of Horses' New Album Mirage Rock" Pitchfork - September 10, 2012
  9. ^ "BAND OF HORSES AND THIS AIN'T NO MIRAGE" recordstoreday.com - September 14, 2012
  10. ^ Straw, David "Band of Horses - Interview September 2012" Contactmusic.com - September 2012
  11. ^ a b "Mirage Rock - Band of Horses" Metacritic
  12. ^ Wilkinson, James "Band of Horses - Mirage Rock" Allmusic - September 17, 2012
  13. ^ Inman, Davis "Band of Horses - Mirage Rock" The A.V. Club - September 18, 2012
  14. ^ Carlick, Stephen (October 28, 2012). "Band of Horses Mirage Rock". Exclaim!. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  15. ^ Hann, Michael "Band of Horses: Mirage Rock – review" The Guardian - September 13, 2012
  16. ^ Wright, Lisa (September 14, 2012). "Band Of Horses - 'Mirage Rock'". NME. Archived from the original on September 21, 2012. Retrieved March 17, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  17. ^ Reed, Ryan "Band of Horses - Mirage Rock" Paste - September 18, 2012
  18. ^ Hyden, Steven (September 19, 2012). "Band of Horses: Mirage Rock Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  19. ^ "Mirage Rock - Band of Horses" Metacritic (Q Magazine - October 2012 edition, P93)
  20. ^ Cavalieri, Nate "Band of Horses - Mirage Rock" Spin - September 21, 2012
  21. ^ Dolan, Jon (September 25, 2012). "Mirage Rock". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  22. ^ "American Songwriter’s Top 50 Albums Of 2012" American Songwriter - December 4, 2012
  23. ^ "19 - Band of Horses, Mirage Rock" Rolling Stone - December 5, 2012
  24. ^ "The Billboard 200". Billboard. October 6, 2012.
  25. ^ "Rock Albums Albums". Billboard. October 6, 2012. Archived from the original on 2016-12-03. Retrieved 2020-04-21.
  26. ^ "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on May 5, 2016.
  27. ^ "Band of Horses - Knock Knock" Ultratop
  28. ^ "Band of Horses - Slow Cruel Hands of Time" Ultratop
  29. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Mirage Rock Ultratop entry - Ultratop
  30. ^ "TOP 75 ARTIST ALBUM, WEEK ENDING 20 September 2012" GFK Chart Track
  31. ^ "Band Of Horses"(Link redirected to OCC website) Chart Stats
  32. ^ "Band of Horses Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  33. ^ "Band of Horses Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard.
  34. ^ "Band of Horses Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.
  35. ^ "Band of Horses Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard.
  36. ^ "Band of Horses Chart History (Vinyl Albums)". Billboard.
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