Telluric (album)
| Telluric | ||||
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| Studio album by Matt Corby | ||||
| Released | 11 March 2016 | |||
| Genre |
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| Length | 45:17 | |||
| Label | Mercury Records, Universal Music Australia, Atlantic Records, Elektra Records | |||
| Producer | Dann Hume, Matt Corby | |||
| Matt Corby chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Telluric | ||||
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Telluric is the debut studio album by Australian singer-songwriter Matt Corby. The album was released on 11 March 2016.[1]
Background
Corby spent the past few years in home studios all over the world, In order to do that and get closer to the sounds he was hearing in his head, the 25-year-old isolated himself for six months in Tweed River, receiving visitors only every few weeks or so; a period he said "was kinda fun; challenging at times."
The bulk of that time saw the guitarist and pianist picking up new instruments and learning from scratch.
"I bought a drumkit and borrowed peoples' basses ... I just wanted to get to a point where I could groove with myself on each instrument. I didn't really use any electronic elements; I wanted to be able to just get my playing to the level where it did sound like a real drummer playing in a session, doing interesting things..."
For his next, slightly-less-remote creative stop: Matt rented a house in the NSW town of Berry, recording material with producer Dann Hume and Henrickson while continuing to work solo style.
A lot of what ended up on Telluric - the gospel-tinged 'Monday', oozing '70s jams 'Sooth Lady Wine' and 'Knife Edge' - is the sound of Corby alone in Berry but spliced and merged with touches of his backing band from sessions recorded at Melbourne's Sing Sing Studios.
"It might be the verse of one song will be entirely me - just bass, drums, guitar, maybe piano - and then the whole band breaks out in the chorus as a unified thing." [2]
He originally wrote his debut album two years ago in Los Angeles, but disliked the results and scrapped it. His aim was to become self-sufficient in every aspect of the recording process and salvage his confidence, which had reached rock bottom. He wanted to know he was good enough to make his debut record. Corby explained; "I recorded an album two years ago that I didn't like. For a lot of reasons I wouldn't release it. It took me a year and a half to clear my head of everything that happened, accept my failures, reboot and have the balls to do it again."[3]
Corby added, "The idea that through nature and human activity we are all connected. It's the concept that runs through the record."[4]
The album was announced in October 2015, at the same time he released the first single, "Monday".[5] "Sooth Lady Wine" was released as an 'instant grat' track in December 2015. "Knife Edge" was released as a promo single in February 2016.
American artist Gary Burden created the Album Cover, saying; "This cover art conveys a person experiencing, literally diving into, a theory of the telluric world. A force that, in theory, we are all effected by, all day, every day. The realistic feet are literally being drawn into the world of this seventeenth century painting and wading across the mythic fields of Earthbound cosmic energy connected directly to the mythic deep Universe".
Matt spoke about Gary saying; “My management sent Gary Burden an interview of mine. We ended up having this conversation on the phone. He is a legend. We had a huge conversation about the state of the world and creativity. He’s on such a similar level to me in so many ways. When he asked what to make for this album, he said do you have any direction for the artwork, I just said ‘telluric’, I know you’ll be inspired. He said that he had a transcending experience when listening to Monday.”
Critical reception
Telluric has received positive reviews from critics. On Metacritic, the album has a score of 77 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[6]
Will Carroll, writing for Radsound, described Corby as a "unique and talented presence in modern music" and described the album as "an impressive debut" that is "warm, lush and so very listenable".[7]
Saby Reyes-Kulkarni from Paste Magazine gave the album an 8.9 rating and said: "Corby, Hume and the band (whose contributions here cannot be overstated) have come up with a fresh, resplendent take on soul music. Spiked with muted touches of rock and other intangibles, Telluric establishes Corby as far more than a genre stylist and even stamps him as a visionary to watch right out of the gate."[8]
Gareth Hipwell from Rolling Stone Australia gave the album 3 stars and describes the album as "a fraught exercise in self-realisation" and "a cohesive effort."[9]
Q Magazine gave a score of 80 out of 100 and said the album "is more Will Oldham than Will Young, with hints of Bon Iver, John Martyn and the Buckleys. The best of a beguiling bunch comes last."[6]
Entertainment Weekly in its February 12th issue described the song "Sooth Lady Wine" as "Groovy '70s choogle from Down Under, served with an extra side of Steely Dan."
Mojo gave the album a score of 60 out of 100 and described the production as "dense, grainy and atmospheric, with Corby's layered vocals to the fore."[6]
John Bell of The Line of Best Fit gave the album a rating of 8.5 and wrote, "His perfectionism has done him proud, as Telluric is a masterful glimpse into the mind of a man who has much to say, and who says it beautifully."[10]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Belly Side Up" |
|
4:05 |
| 2. | "Monday" |
|
4:08 |
| 3. | "Knife Edge" |
|
3:43 |
| 4. | "Oh Oh Oh" |
|
3:49 |
| 5. | "Wrong Man" |
|
4:14 |
| 6. | "Sooth Lady Wine" |
|
4:36 |
| 7. | "Do You No Harm" |
|
3:45 |
| 8. | "We Could Be Friends" |
|
3:16 |
| 9. | "Why Dream" |
|
3:28 |
| 10. | "Good to Be Alone" |
|
5:01 |
| 11. | "Empires Attraction" |
|
4:58 |
| iTunes bonus tracks | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 12. | "Brother" | Corby | 4:12 |
| 13. | "Resolution" |
|
4:16 |
Charts
| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[11] | 1 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[12] | 61 |
| Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[13] | 66 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[14] | 4 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[15] | 33 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[16] | 36 |
See also
References
- ↑ "Telluric by Matt Corby". iTunes Australia. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ↑ https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/musicnews/s4421135.htm. Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ "Matt Corby – Telluric". JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ↑ "Matt Corby Announces Debut Album ‘Telluric’, Shares New Song ‘Sooth Lady Wine’". Music Feeds. 11 December 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2016.
- ↑ http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/musicnews/s4322989.htm
- 1 2 3 "Telluric by Matt Corby". Metacritic. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
- ↑ http://www.radsound.co.uk/album-review-telluric-matt-corby/
- ↑ http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2016/03/matt-corby-telluric-review.html
- ↑ http://rollingstoneaus.com/reviews/post/matt-corby-telluric/3348
- ↑ http://www.thelineofbestfit.com/reviews/albums/matt-corby-telluric
- ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Matt Corby – Telluric". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Matt Corby – Telluric" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Matt Corby – Telluric" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Matt Corby – Telluric". Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
- ↑ http://lista.vg.no/liste/topp-40-album/2/dato/2016/uke/11
- ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 March 2016.