MMXII (Killing Joke album)
MMXII | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 2 April 2012 | |||
Recorded | 2011 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Industrial metal, post-punk | |||
Length | 50:47 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | Killing Joke | |||
Killing Joke chronology | ||||
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Singles from MMXII | ||||
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MMXII ("2012" in Roman numerals) is the fourteenth studio album by English post-punk band Killing Joke, released on 2 April 2012 by Spinefarm Records, distributed worldwide by Universal Music Group.
Recording and production
We don't know if we're all gonna be here next year, we really don't. So let's celebrate!
—Jaz Coleman[1]
Following up the 2010 release of
Content
Music
This year is about getting our collective dreams in order, restoring the biosphere, the idea of well-being as opposed to economic growth, the idea of partnership and co-creation with fellow human beings, moving away from national boundaries and more towards what Schiller and Beethoven were saying in some of their work.
MMXII is a dense and dark end-of-time album that explores the 2012 phenomenon with political, anti-establishment and forward-looking themes, which is also able to find moments of optimism and hope, and positive light in the fields of environmentalism, reforestation, permaculture[5] and the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.[3][4] The industrial rock album's compositions are characterized by Walker's guitar riffs, Youth's warm and vibrant bass guitar, Fergusson's impeccable timing and by Coleman's sweet harmonies mixed with rants.[6]
The opening track of the album, "Pole Shift", is about environmental concerns and the possibility and the need of a potentially
'Rapture' is the way I perceive a Killing Joke concert – it's a spiritual experience for myself to get into that state of grace... music is the theme of mantra. I'm not into organized religion at all, but I've always liked what Fela Kuti did in Nigeria, playing music like it was a temple. Maybe we will evolve into a time where we will be performing for ritualistic and spiritual reasons alone and not for monetary reasons?
—Jaz Coleman[7]
"Rapture", the third track on the album and the first song that was made available for free listening, is Coleman's vision of Killing Joke's concerts, comparing them to a spiritual experience. The song, arranged in the
The lead single and sixth track of the album, "In Cythera" is an optimistic
Album cover
The album cover was designed by graphic artist and Killing Joke's long-time collaborator Mike Coles.[3] It depicts the profile of a skull and a machine both suspended in the air, and a devastated landscape in the background.
Release
A track from the album, "Rapture", was made available for listening in February 2012.
MMXII was released as a
Reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 75/100[13] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Classic Rock | [14] |
Drowned in Sound | [8] |
Kerrang! | [15] |
Mojo | [16] |
Rolling Stone | [17] |
Sputnikmusic | [18] |
Terrorizer | [19] |
MMXII was very well received by critics. Tom Bryant in the March issue of the UK-based music magazine Kerrang! rated MMXII described it as an "[a]pocalyptic death disco from seminal post-punks".[15] British magazine Classic Rock in its March issue gave the album a rating of 9 out of 10, stating that "[i]t's the end of the world as we know it. But what a way to go."[14]
The music website Sputnikmusic described it as "an end-of-times album full of carnage, disarray, paranoia... and just a little bit of hope", depicting MMXII as an album that "marks one of Killing Joke's greatest achievements, dating all the way back to their inception in 1978."[18] Dom Gourlay of the UK-based music webzine Drowned in Sound wrote: "[t]he sound of a band still in their creative prime, MMXII is everything Killing Joke have proclaimed themselves to be these past three-and-a-half decades, and fifteen albums on is just as incisive and coarse as their debut."[8]
Track listing
All tracks are written by
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Pole Shift" | 8:56 |
2. | "Fema Camp" | 5:02 |
3. | "Rapture" | 4:15 |
4. | "Colony Collapse" | 5:04 |
5. | "Corporate Elect" | 4:00 |
6. | "In Cythera" | 4:29 |
7. | "Primobile" | 4:44 |
8. | "Glitch" | 4:48 |
9. | "Trance" | 6:09 |
10. | "On All Hallow's Eve" | 3:21 |
Total length: | 50:52 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
11. | "New Uprising" | 6:09 |
Personnel
- Killing Joke
- Jaz Coleman – vocals, synthesizer, production, cover design
- Kevin "Geordie" Walker – guitar, production, cover design
- Martin "Youth" Glover– bass guitar, synthesizer, production, cover design
- Paul Ferguson – drums, production, cover design
- Technical
- Clive Goddard – recording engineer, mixing
- Tom Dalgety – recording engineer, programming, mixing
- Michael Rendall – recording engineer
- Reza Udhin – engineering, programming
- Mike Coles – cover design
Charts
Chart (2012) | Peak position |
---|---|
Finnish Album Chart | 9[20] |
French Albums Chart | 134[21] |
UK Albums Chart | 44[12] |
References
- ^ Perry, Andrew (9 March 2012). "Killing Joke, Roundhouse | New Music Reviews, News & Interviews | The Arts Desk". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
- ISBN 978-1912587407.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "New Killing Joke Album '2012' | Killing Joke". killingjoke.com. 7 February 2012. Archived from the original on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g Dunn, David (8 March 2012). "No Joke Without Fire – The Star". The Star. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
- ^ a b Hodgson, Peter (29 February 2012). "Crunch! – February 29, 2012 | Beat Magazine". Beat. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
- ^ a b Morgan, John (2 April 2012). "Killing Joke MMXII". sonicshocks.com. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
- ^ a b c d Adams, Gregory (7 February 2012). "Killing Joke Announce '2012' LP". Exclaim!. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g Gourlay, Dom (10 April 2012). "Album Review: Killing Joke – MMXII / Releases / Releases // Drowned in Sound". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
- OCLC 72808636. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
- ^ "Killing Joke – In Cythera – YouTube". YouTube. 6 March 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
- ^ "In Cythera | Killing Joke". killingjoke.com. 8 March 2012. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
- ^ a b "Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
- ^ "Reviews for MMXII [2012] by Killing Joke – Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
- ^ a b "[MMXII review]". Classic Rock. March 2013.
- ^ a b Bryant, Tom (March 2012). "Apocalyptic Death Disco from Seminal Post-Punks". Kerrang!.
- ^ Perry, Andrew (March 2012). "That's 2012 in Real Numbers. Jaz Coleman's Crew in Fierce Fettle". Mojo.
- ^ Cardin, Isabelle (March 2012). "Jaz Coleman et consorts en mode calendrier perpétuel". Rolling Stone (French ed.) (in French).
- ^ a b "Review: Killing Joke – MMXII | Sputnikmusic". Sputnikmusic. 2 April 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
- ^ "Killing Joke MMXII". Terrorizer. March 2012.
- ^ "Finnishcharts.com – Killing Joke – MMXII". finnishcharts.com. Retrieved 23 February 2015.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – Killing Joke – MMXII". lescharts.com (in French). Retrieved 23 February 2015.