High Water (El-P album)
| High Water | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by El-P featuring The Blue Series Continuum | ||||
| Released | March 9, 2004 | |||
| Genre | Electronic, jazz fusion | |||
| Length | 44:06 | |||
| Label | Thirsty Ear | |||
| Producer | El-P | |||
| El-P chronology | ||||
| ||||
High Water is a collaborative studio album by El-P featuring The Blue Series Continuum. It was released through Thirsty Ear Recordings on March 9, 2004.[1] It peaked at number 46 on the Billboard Independent Albums chart.[2]
Critical reception[edit]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 71/100[3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| BBC | unfavorable[5] |
| Dusted Magazine | unfavorable[6] |
| JazzTimes | favorable[7] |
| Pitchfork | 7.2/10[8] |
| PopMatters | favorable[1] |
| The Village Voice | A−[9] |
High Water was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 71 based on 9 reviews.[3]
Reviewing for The Village Voice in September 2004, Tom Hull said this album "shows more meat" than the previous two Blue Series Continuum albums, "probably because El-P carves what the band gives him rather than smothering it in sauce."[9] Thom Jurek of AllMusic gave the album 4 stars out of 5, saying: "In sum, it's a moody and haunting record with a few highs, a few lows, and lots of shades of blue to make your way through."[4] David Moore of Pitchfork gave the album a 7.2 out of 10, saying, "El-P's edits and subtle production work strengthens the ensemble's more indulgent moments."[8] He added, "El-P sometimes seems reluctant to interfere with the ensemble's improvisation, which is a shame considering that the album's strongest tracks show him taking the reins from individual players."[8] Meanwhile, Stefan Braidwood of PopMatters said, "El-P has now proven beyond all doubt that he merits a further word in his description, and that word is: genius."[1]
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Please Stay (Yesterday)" | 2:37 |
| 2. | "Sunrise Over Bklyn" | 10:33 |
| 3. | "Get Your Hand Off My Shoulder, Pig" | 6:34 |
| 4. | "Get Modal" | 5:06 |
| 5. | "Intrigue in the House of India" | 6:33 |
| 6. | "Something Is Wrong" | 4:09 |
| 7. | "When the Moon Was Blue" | 6:42 |
| 8. | "Please Leave (Yesterday)" | 1:51 |
Personnel[edit]
Credits adapted from liner notes.
- El-P – composition, production, arrangement, mixing
- Matthew Shipp – piano
- Daniel Carter – reeds, flute
- Steve Swell – trombone
- Roy Campbell – trumpet
- William Parker – double bass
- Guillermo E. Brown – drums
- Harry Keys – vocals (7)
- Tim Conklin – recording
- Scott Hull – mastering
- Cynthia Fetty – art direction, photography
- Loretta Wong – design, layout
Charts[edit]
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[2] | 46 |
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Braidwood, Stefan (April 30, 2004). "EL-P: High Water". PopMatters. Archived from the original on February 10, 2005. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- ^ a b "El-P: Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- ^ a b "High Water (Mark) by El-P". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- ^ a b Jurek, Thom. "High Water - El-P". AllMusic. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- ^ Marsh, Peter (2004). "El-p High Water Review". BBC. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- ^ Bivins, Jason (March 10, 2004). "El-P - High Water". Dusted Magazine. Archived from the original on February 3, 2008. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- ^ Segal, Dave (June 1, 2004). "El-P: High Water (Mark)". JazzTimes. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- ^ a b c Moore, David (October 31, 2014). "El-P: High Water / Collecting the Kid". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- ^ a b Hull, Tom (September 28, 2004). "Jazz Consumer Guide (2): The Caribbean Tinge". The Village Voice. Retrieved June 25, 2020 – via tomhull.com.
External links[edit]
- High Water at Discogs (list of releases)
- High Water at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
