We're New Here
We're New Here | ||||
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Richard Russell | ||||
Gil Scott-Heron chronology | ||||
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Jamie xx chronology | ||||
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Singles from We're New Here | ||||
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We're New Here is a
Incorporating dubstep and UK garage styles, Jamie xx applied electronic music techniques in his production to remix Scott-Heron's vocals from the original album over his own instrumentals. Although it is structured similarly, We're New Here eschews the original album's stark style and lo-fi production for bass-driven, musically varied production and sonical illumination of Scott-Heron's vocals. It has been noted by music writers for recontextualizing Scott-Heron's narratives in Jamie xx's own musical influences and tastes.
The album did not chart in the United States, but debuted at number 33 on the UK Albums Chart, on which it spent two weeks. It was promoted with a multi-format release, including a limited edition box set, and the release of two singles, "NY Is Killing Me" and "I'll Take Care of U". We're New Here received universal acclaim from critics upon its release.
Background
Following a period of personal and legal troubles with drug addiction,
Russell, a fan of English indie pop band The xx, proposed the idea of remixing I'm New Here to the band's percussionist and producer Jamie xx.[6][7] Russell's production on I'm New Here was heavily influenced by the xx's self-titled debut album,[8] which showcased Jamie xx's bassy, beat-oriented and minimalist production.[3][9][10] After its success, Jamie xx had occupied himself with solo production work, remixing other artists, and DJing in clubs in the United Kingdom and Europe.[7][9]
Jamie xx was a longtime fan of Scott-Heron's music, which had been introduced to him by his parents as a youth.[5][11] Russell later said of his decision to enlist him, "We didn't want lots of remixes by different people. That can be confusing. Gil was open to Jamie re-interpreting the whole album".[12] According to Jamie xx, he himself had no point of reference in remixing another artist's album,[13] and later said of taking on the project:
It was a bit nerve-wracking because this is the first time I've ever done an album on my own. But I was really just eager to get at and I knew exactly what I wanted to do.[11]
Production
Although Scott-Heron received top-billing for the release, Jamie xx worked solely on the remix project.
In a March 2010 interview, Jamie xx explained that the label "gave me the parts and let me do whatever I want, so I've been doing it on my laptop on tour. [I'm] only using [Gil's] vocals, I'm not using any of the original music from it, which is very freeing".[14] On his intentions for the album's music, he explained in an interview for The Irish Times, "I wanted it to sound like everything I had been listening to in London. I wanted it to sound like something you’d hear on pirate radio. You hear so many different genres, and it’s all so convoluted and mixed-up, but it makes sense when you turn on the station".[13]
In addition to vocal tracks from I'm New Here, Jamie xx mixed vocals from Scott-Heron's 1970s work.
I wanted to show the difference between him then and now as well as the difference between my taste then and now. The songs that use his voice from older records are influenced by the stuff I liked 10 or 15 years ago, mostly sample-based productions like RJD2. And I wanted the album to explain itself, like a DJ set. I wanted to represent Gil well, but also use his voice as my own.[11]
Although he was permitted by XL to remix I'm New Here,
Musical style
Similar to I'm New Here, We're New Here features 13 songs that include four interludes and is rhythmically stressed in sound.
According to Thom Jurek of
The title track incorporates a sped-up sample of
Release and promotion
We're New Here was released by
The album's first single, "NY Is Killing Me", was released digitally on November 30, 2010,[38] and on January 10, 2011, as a limited edition one-sided 12-inch single.[39] Sean Michaels of The Guardian wrote of the song, "Ghostly samples rise around Scott-Heron's vocals, combining the poet's inner-city canvas with [Jamie xx]'s dubstep roots. It's as good as anything the DJ has produced".[9] The second single "I'll Take Care of U" was released on January 6, 2011.[40] It features euphoric, house-inspired piano hooks and echoing guitar riffs.[41] A music video for the single was directed by photographer Jamie-James Medina and AG Rojas, and it was released on March 4, 2011.[42] Set in New York City, the video's plot follows a female boxer as she takes care of her child and trains for a fight.[42][43]
We're New Here debuted at number 33 on the
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.6/10[51] |
Metacritic | 83/100[52] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [7] |
The A.V. Club | A[19] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+[53] |
The Guardian | [27] |
MSN Music (Expert Witness) | A−[33] |
NME | 7/10[21] |
Pitchfork | 7.8/10[54] |
Q | [55] |
Spin | 7/10[56] |
Uncut | [8] |
We're New Here was met with widespread critical acclaim. At
Reviewing for The New York Times, Ben Ratliff said the album is an improvement over "the bummed-out original" with "patience and breadth and almost zero pretension".[23] AllMusic's Thom Jurek called it "a mercurial collaboration ... full of nods to other club styles and eras", and praised Jamie xx for "successfully (re)presenting Scott-Heron's music — integrity intact — in the present tense to a fickle yet discerning groove-centric culture without kitsch or excess".[7] Chris Martins from The A.V. Club praised "the everlasting gravity of [Scott-Heron]’s words and wisdom", writing that "his pained, bluesy musings are as universally human as they are perennially pertinent".[19] Pitchfork critic Sean Fennessey commended Jamie xx for being bold with Scott-Heron's material with a "finicky, hard-charging production [that] trumps Scott-Heron's voice, overpowering it with ideas, if not focus".[54] Louise Brailey of NME wrote that he "coaxes fresh narratives from the source material" and that it "isn’t exactly groundbreaking, but it showcases a producer so in love with the music of now that he not only preserves the power of his source material, but makes it more relevant".[21] In MSN Music, Christgau called the record "a young man's bad dream about mortality, and of interest as such", and wrote of the source material's importance to Jamie xx's remix, "the snatches of Scott-Heron's voice, cracked for sure but deeper than night nonetheless, delivers it from callow generalization and foregone conclusion."[33] In The Wire, Joe Muggs found the recontextualization of Scott-Heron's words "impressionistic", and concluded, "there's a great danger in finding beauty in suffering, but this album takes that risk and reaps great dividends."[57]
Some reviewers were more qualified in their praise. In The Observer, Kitty Empire said, while Jamie xx's productions are "consistently excellent, they aren't really there to augment Scott-Heron's words".[5] Andy Gill of The Independent believed the remixing techniques "only occasionally work in its favour".[25]
At the end of 2011,
Track listing
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[18]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "I'm New Here" | Bill Callahan, Jimmy Roach, Jamie Smith | 3:26 |
2. | "Home" | Gil Scott-Heron, Smith | 3:11 |
3. | "I've Been Me (Interlude)" | Scott-Heron | 0:27 |
4. | "Running" | Scott-Heron, Smith | 3:31 |
5. | "My Cloud" | Scott-Heron, Smith | 4:27 |
6. | "Certain Things (Interlude)" | Scott-Heron, Giuliano Sorgini | 0:09 |
7. | "The Crutch" | Bob Halley, Ben Raleigh, Scott-Heron, Smith | 3:09 |
8. | "Ur Soul and Mine" | Rui da Silva, Cassandra Fox, Scott-Heron, Smith | 4:17 |
9. | "Parents (Interlude)" | Bernard Purdie, Scott-Heron | 0:28 |
10. | "Piano Player" | Scott-Heron, Smith | 1:16 |
11. | "NY Is Killing Me" | Scott-Heron, Smith | 5:43 |
12. | "Jazz (Interlude)" | Scott-Heron, Paul Simon, Smith | 0:49 |
13. | "I'll Take Care of U" | Brook Benton, Smith | 4:42 |
Sample credits
- "I'm New Here" contains a sample of the recording "Casanova Brown" as performed by Gloria Gaynor.
- "I've Been Me (Interlude)" contains a sample of "Boxcar Hobo" by Sassafrass.
- "Certain Things (Interlude)" contains a sample of the recording "Slaves" as performed by Giuliano Sorgini.
- "The Crutch" contains excerpts from "That's How Heartaches Are Made" as performed by Baby Washington.
- "Ur Soul and Mine" contains a sample of "Touch Me" by Rui da Silva.
- "Parents (Interlude)" contains a sample of "Hap'nin'", written by Bernard Purdie.
- "Jazz (Interlude)" contains a sample of the recording "Sixty-Eight Ways".
Personnel
- Gil Scott-Heron – vocal producer, vocals
- Jamie xx – additional production, design, musician, remixing
- Malcolm Cecil – engineer, producer, synthesizer programming
- Romy Madley Croft – guitar
- Royce Jeffries – assistant
- Phil Lee – design
- Rodaidh McDonald – engineer, mixing
- Ichiho Nishiki – engineer, mixing
- Mandy Parnell – mastering
- Mischa Richter – photography
- Richard Russell– vocal producer
- Lawson White – engineer, mixing
Charts
Chart (2011–14) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[60] | 44 |
French Albums ( SNEP)[61]
|
38 |
Irish Albums (IRMA)[62] | 42 |
UK Albums (OCC)[63] | 33 |
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[64] | 4 |
See also
References
- ^ a b c O'Hagan, Sean (February 7, 2010). Gil Scott-Heron: the godfather of rap comes back. The Observer. Retrieved on 2011-02-24.
- ^ Brown, August (December 9, 2010). A first listen to Gil Scott-Heron's 'I'm New Here' | Pop & Hiss. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2011-02-24.
- ^ a b We're New Here - [Vinyl] LP - Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx. Insound. Retrieved on 2011-07-28.
- ^ Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2011-02-24.
- ^ a b c d e Empire, Kitty (February 20, 2011). Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx: We're New Here – review. The Observer. Retrieved on 2011-02-24.
- ^ Schnipper, Matthew (November 29, 2010). Video: Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie XX, “New York is Killing Me”. The Fader. Retrieved on 2011-02-24.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Jurek, Thom. "We're New Here – Gil Scott-Heron / Jamie xx". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
- ^ a b c Mulholland, Garry (March 2011). "Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie T – We're New Here". Uncut (166): 94. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f Michaels, Sean (November 30, 2010). Jamie from the xx confirms Gil Scott-Heron remix album. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2011-02-24.
- ^ Cragg, Michael (February 26, 2011). Jamie xx's remix of Gil-Scott Heron's entire album shows why he's leader of the new production pack. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2011-02-25.
- ^ a b c d e f Richter, Mischa (January 28, 2011). Jamie Smith of the xx on Remixing Gil Scott-Heron, Working With Drake, New Music From the xx. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2011-02-24.
- ^ Paine, Jake (February 16, 2011). Gil Scott Heron & Jamie xx Offer Free Stream Of "We're New Here". HipHopDX. Retrieved on 2011-02-25.
- ^ a b Carroll, Jim (February 25, 2011). The revolution will be remixed. The Irish Times. Retrieved on 2011-02-24.
- ^ a b Michaels, Sean (March 5, 2010). Gil Scott-Heron to get the xx factor. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2011-02-24.
- ^ Caramanica, Jon (2011). "Lots of Beats, but No Drum in Sight". The New York Times. No. February 13. p. AR19. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
- ^ "We're New Here – Gil Scott-Heron / Jamie xx: Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
- ^ "Malcolm Cecil: Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
- ^ a b We're New Here (CD booklet). Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx. United Kingdom: XL Recordings/Young Turks. 2011. XLYT 517.
{{cite AV media notes}}
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- ^ Jurek, Thom. "I'm New Here – Gil Scott-Heron". AllMusic. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
- ^ a b c Brailey, Louise (16 February 2011). "Album Review: Gil Scott-Heron And Jamie XX – We're New Here (XL)". NME. Archived from the original on 24 February 2011. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
- ^ a b Beattie, Ele (February 17, 2011). BBC - Music - Review of Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx - We're New Here. BBC Online. Retrieved on 2011-02-24.
- ^ a b c d Ratliff, Ben (February 21, 2011). CD’s From Hayes Carll, and Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx - NYTimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2011-02-24.
- ^ Aaron, Charles (14 March 2011). "LISTEN: 10 Post-Dubstep Artists Who Matter". Spin. Spin Media. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
- ^ a b Gill, Andy (February 18, 2011). Album: Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie XX, We're New Here (XL) - Reviews, Music. The Independent. Retrieved on 2011-02-24.
- ^ Salter, Greg (February 23, 2011). Blog Archive » Gil Scott Heron and Jamie XX – We’re New Here. Muso's Guide. Retrieved on 2011-02-24.
- ^ a b Andrews, Charlotte Richardson (17 February 2011). "Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx: We're New Here – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
- ^ a b Maleney, Ian (February 15, 2011). Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx – We’re New Here - Album Review | State Magazine. Slate. Retrieved on 2011-03-01.
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- ^ Pre-Order - We're New Here. werenewhere.com. Archived from the original on 2011-03-02.
- ^ Staff (February 14, 2011). New album stream: Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx – We're New Here. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2011-02-24.
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- ^ "We're New Here by Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie XX reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
- ^ a b "Reviews for We're New Here by Gil Scott-Heron". Metacritic. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
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Further reading
- Yates, Kieran (30 December 2011). "The rise of poetronica". The Guardian.
External links
- Official website
- We're New Here at Discogs (list of releases)