We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves
We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 27, 2011 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 31:52 | |||
Upset The Rhythm (UK) | ||||
Producer | John Maus | |||
John Maus chronology | ||||
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Singles from We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves | ||||
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We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves is the third album by American musician John Maus, released on June 27, 2011. Its title is derived from French philosopher Alain Badiou's "Fifteen Theses on Contemporary Art". Maus said that he wrote the album in a "search for the perfect pop song". Upon release, the album was met with generally favorable reviews, a contrast from the reception of Maus' earlier work.[1] Three singles were issued from the album: "Quantum Leap", "Believer" and "Hey Moon".
Background
After the release of Maus' first two albums, which generally drew negative reviews upon release,
One of his professors from the university was the French philosopher Alain Badiou, who would originate the title of the new album, We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves.[3] Maus wrote the album in "search for the perfect pop song." It included a cover version of Swedish singer-songwriter Molly Nilsson's "Hey Moon", which he described as "just banality, but like any great pop song, it’s much more than that. That’s what I was going for, to find something that was unassailable on all fronts, from a pop standpoint. Becoming the 'pitiless censor' myself."[5]
Release
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.4/10[6] |
Metacritic | 75/100[7] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [8] |
The A.V. Club | B[9] |
Fact | 3.5/5[10] |
The Guardian | [11] |
Mojo | [12] |
The Observer | [13] |
Pitchfork | 8.4/10[14] |
Slant Magazine | [15] |
Q | [16] |
Spin | 8/10[17] |
Uncut | [18] |
The Quietus | Very positive[19] |
We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves received largely positive reviews from contemporary music critics. At
Pitchfork highlighted the album as the moment's "Best New Music"; reviewer David Bevan wrote that it "is the most vibrant and toothsome expression of Maus' pursuits yet."[14] Jordan Redmond of Tiny Mix Tapes praised the album as "a lo-fi synth pop masterpiece that manages to give endless aural delights while still being intellectually engaging, and despite having been caught at the center of a whirlpool of current movements, all of which reflect some aspect of Maus’ style, he has only cemented his identity as a singular, unimpeachable figure. When confronted with music like this, it’s impossible not to be a believer."[20] The Guardian's Michael Hann wrote that the work is "hugely enjoyable, even without any theoretical justification."[11] PopMatters' Maria Schurr compared the album's 1980s aesthetic to collaborator Ariel Pink's recent Before Today (2010), writing that Pitiless Censors is "less moody, more consistent in its sense of oddness and intrigue. ... as Before Today provided a breakthrough for Pink last year, We Must Become… could very well do the same for Maus. The songs are clearly strong enough".[21]
Track listing
All tracks are written by John Maus, except "Hey Moon", by Molly Nilsson
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Streetlight" | 2:52 |
2. | "Quantum Leap" | 2:52 |
3. | "...And the Rain" | 2:46 |
4. | "Hey Moon" | 4:08 |
5. | "Keep Pushing On" | 3:33 |
6. | "The Crucifix" | 1:15 |
7. | "Head for the Country" | 3:16 |
8. | "Cop Killer" | 2:41 |
9. | "Matter of Fact" | 2:16 |
10. | "We Can Breakthrough" | 2:08 |
11. | "Believer" | 4:05 |
Total length: | 31:52 |
Note
- "Cop Killer" is an arrangement of Peter Hajba's 1992 composition "Crystal Dragon" with newly-written lyrics by Maus. The liner notes only mention that the song was "inspired by" Hajba's piece.
- "We Can Breakthrough" includes a interpolated sample of a rendition of traditional bulgarian folk song "Dragana I Slaveya" as performed by the Ensemble Philip Koutev.
Composition
On "We Can Breakthrough" Maus can be heard singing in the style of a gregorian chant by layering his vocal part with a reverb for the effect of such a traditional polyphonic canon made at a home recording setup.
References
- ^ a b Thomas, Fred. "John Maus A Collection of Rarities and Previously Unreleased Material". AllMusic.
- Vulture.
- ^ a b c d e Ferguson, W. M. (October 26, 2011). "The Orchestral Maneuvers of John Maus". The New York Times.
- ^ Hazel, Sheffield (September 17, 2010). "Interview: John Maus". The Stool Pidgeon. Archived from the original on June 14, 2011.
- ^ Mejia, Paula (October 26, 2017). "John Maus: Baroque and Roll". Red Bull Music Academy.
- ^ "We Must Become The Pitiless Censors Of Ourselves by John Maus reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
- ^ a b "Reviews for We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves by John Maus". Metacritic. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
- ^ Raggett, Ned. "We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves – John Maus". AllMusic. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ^ Mincher, Chris (June 28, 2011). "John Maus: We Must Become The Pitiless Censors Of Ourselves". The A.V. Club. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
- ^ a b Breen, Samuel (July 28, 2011). "John Maus: We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves". Fact. Archived from the original on October 27, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ^ a b Hann, Michael (July 7, 2011). "John Maus: We Must Become Pitiless Censors of Ourselves – review". The Guardian. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ^ "John Maus: We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves". Mojo (213): 104. August 2011.
- ^ Hoby, Hermione (July 3, 2011). "John Maus: We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves – review". The Guardian. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ^ a b Bevan, David (July 8, 2011). "John Maus: We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ^ Cole, Matthew (June 28, 2011). "Review: John Maus, We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves". Slant Magazine. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ "John Maus: We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves". Q (301): 123. August 2011.
- ^ Hogan, Marc (June 28, 2011). "John Maus, 'We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves' (Ribbon Music)". Spin. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ^ "John Maus: We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves". Uncut (170): 91. July 2011.
- ^ Calvert, John (July 1, 2011). "The Quietus|Reviews|John Maus". The Quietus. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- ^ Redmond, Jordan. "John Maus – We Must Become The Pitiless Censors Of Ourselves". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ^ Schurr, Maria (June 28, 2011). "John Maus: We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves". PopMatters. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
- ^ Cole, Matthew (June 28, 2011). "John Maus: We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves". Slant Magazine. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
External links
- "Believer" on YouTube
- "Head for the Country on YouTube