Songs of the Unforgiven
Songs of the Unforgiven | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 12, 2004 | |||
Recorded | Sacred Heart Studios, Duluth, Minnesota | |||
Genre | Folk rock | |||
Length | 40:28 | |||
Label | Deep Fried Records | |||
Producer | Scott Harding | |||
Crash Test Dummies chronology | ||||
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Singles from Songs of the Unforgiven | ||||
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Songs of the Unforgiven is the eighth studio album recorded by Crash Test Dummies, released in 2004.
Background
Almost immediately after recording Puss 'n' Boots, Brad Roberts, Ellen Reid and Dan Roberts proceeded to prepare recording the follow-up, with Roberts acknowledging he went "through this phase where I was extremely prolific and I wrote like three records worth of material in a space of months."
The band pursued a decisively raw, acoustic, stripped-down sound for Songs of the Unforgiven, and turned to the Internet in search of a recording studio that featured a pipe organ. By Googling "recording studios" plus "pipe organ", the first result revealed Sacred Heart Studios in Duluth, Minnesota: a church originally constructed in 1894 that was later abandoned and eventually restored and turned into a venue for concerts. Having discovered Sacred Heart Recording Studio included a 1493-pipe, Felgemaker pipe-organ, the band drove to Duluth and recorded the album the following January.
The album is decidedly apocalyptic thematically, featuring lyrics replete with Biblical references and imagery. Other unconventional instruments appear on the record, including the harp and kettle drums.
Suzzy Roche (of female vocal group "The Roches" fame) provides vocals on the album's three sonnets.
Reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
Winnipeg Sun | [2] |
The album resulted in the band receiving their best reviews since
Track listing
All tracks are written by
Personnel
- Brad Roberts – vocals, acoustic guitar on "There Is No Final Winner"
- Ellen Reid – backing vocals
- Dan Roberts – bass guitar
- Suzzy Roche – backing vocals, vocals on "Sonnet 1," "There Is No Final Winner," and "Sonnet 3"
- on "The Beginning of the End"
- Scott Harding – acoustic and electric guitars, cymbals on "Sonnet 1," vibraphone on "Everlasting Peace," backing vocals on "Is the Spell Really Broken?"
- Andrew Hall – upright bass
- Drew Glackin – acoustic guitar, lap steel guitar, bass guitar, resonator guitar on "There Is No Final Winner," tremolo bass on "Sonnet 3"
- Jane Scarpantoni – cello
- David Mansfield – banjo, violin
- Park Stickney – harp
- Mimi Parker – drumson "The Unforgiven Ones"
- Alan Sparhawk – electric guitaron "Come Down to the Sinkhole"
- Todd McMillon – church bell on "The Beginning of the End"
References
- ^ Allmusic. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
- ^ a b Sterdan, Darryl. "Crash Test Dummies: Songs of the Unforgiven > Review". Winnipeg Sun. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
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