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The Earth Is Blue

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The Earth Is Blue
Studio album by
Damon & Naomi
Released2005
Genre
Length49:56
Label20/20/20
Damon & Naomi chronology
Song to the Siren
(2002) 		The Earth Is Blue
(2005) 		Within These Walls
(2007)

The Earth Is Blue is an album by the American musical duo Damon & Naomi, released in 2005 on their newly formed label, 20/20/20 (an homage to the board game Careers).[1][2][3] The duo supported the album with a North American tour.[4]

Production

[edit]

The album was recorded over 18 months at Damon & Naomi's home studio, in Cambridge, Massachusetts; they had to rebuild it during the sessions to accommodate the scope of the album.[5][1] The duo recorded deliberately, instead of trying to find the sound in the moment, so as not to annoy their neighbors.[6] They were joined by the Ghost guitarist Michio Kurihara. The horn group Nmperign played on a few of the tracks.[7] The duo initially intended to make a more political album, before again turning toward autobiographical lyrics.[8] "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is a cover of the George Harrison song, which uses only part of the structure and melody.[9] "Araçá Azul" is a version of the title track to Caetano Veloso's 1972 album.[10]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Birmingham Post[11]
Chicago Sun-Times[12]
The Hamilton Spectator[13]
Philadelphia Daily NewsC+[14]
Pitchfork8.0/10[15]
The ProvinceC+[16]
The Republican[5]
Uncut[17]
Winnipeg Sun[18]

The Boston Globe labeled the album a "gorgeous, lush disc."[8] The Republican said that "dream-weaving psychedelia, late-night jazz and traces of shimmering chamber pop float throughout".[5] The Philadelphia Daily News opined that the duo "crank up the low-fi atmospherics ... There's not much musically to hold onto, except a cover of 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps'."[14] The Sunday Times noted that the Harrison cover "takes the translucent form of a medieval folk song."[19] The Columbus Dispatch panned Damon's "colorless, midrange moan."[20]

The Capital Times concluded that Damon & Naomi "have a penchant for gorgeous melodies and wistful lyrics that can lull the unwary listener into a pleasant trance."[21] The Toronto Star stated that the duo "weaves together strands of Fairport Convention, Low and trip/hop".[22] The Hamilton Spectator called the songs "more clearly defined this time".[13] The Chicago Tribune stated that the duo "have fashioned a remarkably gentle, ethereal brand of psychedelia that fuses the evanescent shimmer of their former bank Galaxie 500 with the opiate-induced dreaminess of Country Joe and the Fish, or Love at their most introspective."[23] Jim DeRogatis, in the Chicago Sun-Times, wrote that he would "hold their catalog up against former partner Dean Wareham's output with his post-Galaxie band Luna any day"; he later listed The Earth Is Blue as the 15th best album of 2005.[12][24]

Track listing

[edit]
The Earth Is Blue track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Beautiful Close Double"4:37
2."A Second Life"4:46
3."Malibran"4:39
4."House of Glass"6:23
5."Sometimes"4:42
6."While My Guitar Gently Weeps"5:36
7."Ueno Station"5:16
8."The Robot Speaks"4:27
9."Araçá Azul"2:43
10."The Earth Is Blue"6:47
Total length:49:56

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Anderman, Joan (February 21, 2005). "Pop's Damon & Naomi Reach a New Plateau". The Boston Globe. p. C3.
  2. ^ Whittington-Hill, Lisa (March–April 2005). "The Earth Is Blue". This. Vol. 38, no. 5. Toronto. p. 43.
  3. ^ Wallen, Doug (April 13, 2005). "A-List". Arts & Culture. Philadelphia Weekly.
  4. ^ Laban, Linda (February 11, 2005). "Gigs". Boston Herald. p. E6.
  5. ^ a b c O'Hare, Kevin (February 13, 2005). "Lyrical portraits enthralling". The Republican. p. H1.
  6. ^ Parsons, Holly Jefferson (April 6, 2005). "Blue Crush". Music. City Paper. Baltimore.
  7. ^ Sullivan, Jim (February 15, 2005). "The good earth". The Boston Globe. p. E3.
  8. ^ a b {{cite news |last1=Sullivan |first1=Jim |title=A gentle storm |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe |date=November 22, 2004 |page=C4}}
  9. ^ Dwyer, Michael (February 23, 2005). "The Earth Is Blue, Damon & Naomi". Metro. The Age. p. 6.
  10. ^ Foster, Patrick (April 21, 2005). "Damon & Naomi, Driving On". The Washington Post. p. C5.
  11. ^ Cowen, Andrew (April 18, 2005). "CD reviews". Features. Birmingham Post. p. 13.
  12. ^ a b DeRogatis, Jim (March 13, 2005). "Spin Control". Sunday Showcase. Chicago Sun-Times. p. 11.
  13. ^ a b Reynolds, Bill (February 21, 2005). "Damon & Naomi The Earth Is Blue". The Hamilton Spectator. p. G12.
  14. ^ a b Takiff, Jonathan (February 15, 2005). "Singular Voices". Features. Philadelphia Daily News. p. 36.
  15. ^ Murphy, Matthew (February 13, 2005). "The Earth Is Blue". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  16. ^ Harrison, Tom (March 1, 2005). "Damon and Naomi The Earth Is Blue". The Province. p. B5.
  17. ^ "Reviews". Uncut. May 2005. p. 100.
  18. ^ Sterdan, Darryl (March 18, 2005). "Discs". Entertainment. Winnipeg Sun. p. 34.
  19. ^ Stewart, Lee (February 13, 2005). "Damon & Naomi". Culture. The Sunday Times. p. 23.
  20. ^ "Damon and Naomi". Weekender. The Columbus Dispatch. April 21, 2005. p. 8.
  21. ^ Thomas, Rob (February 16, 2005). "Damon & Naomi, 'The Earth Is Blue'". The Capital Times. p. 1B.
  22. ^ "CD Reviews". Toronto Star. February 17, 2005. p. J11.
  23. ^ Reger, Rick (March 8, 2005). "Pop". Chicago Tribune. p. 5.3.
  24. ^ DeRogatis, Jim (December 25, 2005). "2005 Year in Review". Chicago Sun-Times. p. D1.
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