Stratosphere (Duster album)
| Stratosphere | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 24, 1998 | |||
| Studio | Avast! Recording Company (Seattle, Washington) Mountain (San Jose, California) Low Earth Orbit (San Jose, California) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Up | |||
| Producer | Duster, Phil Ek | |||
| Duster chronology | ||||
| ||||
Stratosphere is the debut studio album by American slowcore band Duster. The album was released February 24, 1998, on the Up Records label in the United States.
The album was primarily written and recorded by members Clay Parton and Canaan Dove Amber, with Jason Albertini contributing drums to three tracks. The band subsequently released the Contemporary Movement album in 2000, and the album was reissued as part of the Capsule Losing Contact box set in March 2019.
Cover
[edit]The album's cover is a photograph taken from a November 1970 issue of Life taken by Sam Ehrlich in Alberta, Canada.[3]
Reception and legacy
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [4] |
| Pitchfork | 8.6/10[5] |
On its release, Pitchfork wrote a favorable review of Stratosphere, comparing the band to Galaxie 500 and My Bloody Valentine.[5] The Olympian's Tucker Peteril wrote that, while somewhat derivative of other bands, Stratosphere was "a joy to listen to", occupying "the outer realms of catchy minimal guitar and drum instrumentals, somewhere between space rock and slo-mo".[6] Paul Primrose of The Rocket was similarly favorable: "This is, as the title suggests, an album about leaving predictable confines and traveling, flying and floating into new spaces".[7]: 28 AllMusic initially gave the album 3 stars out of 5,[8][9][10] then 4 stars out of 5,[11] and later changed their rating to a perfect score.[4] Their review compares the band to Pavement, Seely, and Sonic Youth and calls "Echo, Bravo" the "highlight of the record".[4]
In the years following its release, Stratosphere developed a cult following among online message boards.[8][9] The album has since been cited as an influence on artists and bands such as Ricky Eat Acid, Peaer, Girlpool, Hovvdy, Ovlov, and Alex G.[8] In 2019, the album was reissued by The Numero Group as part of the box-set Capsule Losing Contact.[9]
Track listing
[edit]All tracks are written by Clay Parton and Dove Amber
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Moon Age" | 1:06 |
| 2. | "Heading for the Door" | 3:08 |
| 3. | "Gold Dust" | 2:06 |
| 4. | "Topical Solution" | 5:01 |
| 5. | "Docking the Pod" | 1:51 |
| 6. | "The Landing" | 2:43 |
| 7. | "Echo, Bravo" | 4:32 |
| 8. | "Constellations" | 3:43 |
| 9. | "The Queen of Hearts" | 4:20 |
| 10. | "Two Way Radio" | 0:19 |
| 11. | "Inside Out" | 2:21 |
| 12. | "Stratosphere" | 6:58 |
| 13. | "Reed to Hillsborough" | 4:01 |
| 14. | "Shadows of Planes" | 1:50 |
| 15. | "Earth Moon Transit" | 4:24 |
| 16. | "The Twins / Romantica" | 3:43 |
| 17. | "Sideria" | 1:48 |
| Total length: | 53:52 | |
- The track "Echo, Bravo" is not included on any of the vinyl pressings. It is available on streaming services and CDs only.
Personnel
[edit]Duster
- Dove Amber (credited as C. Amber)– performance, production, mixing
- Clay Parton (credited as E. Parton)– performance, production, mixing
- Jason Albertini – drums (tracks 2, 8, 12)
Technical
- Phil Ek – production (tracks 2, 8, 12, 14)
- Kip Beelman – assistant production (track 3)
- Chris – assistant production (track 3)
- Jeff Pinn – recording (tracks 4, 13)
References
[edit]- ^ Rosean, Samuel (January 31, 2019). "The Beginner's Guide To: Slowcore". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ Huguenor, Mike (January 23, 2019). "San Jose Legends Duster Play the Ritz". Metroactive. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ "LIFE". November 13, 1970.
- ^ a b c Tim, Sendra. "Stratosphere – Duster". AllMusic. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
- ^ a b Richard-San, Mark. "Duster: Stratosphere". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on February 16, 2001. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
- ^ Peteril, Tucker (May 1, 1998). "Jenny Mae's second CD full of wry, honest stories". The Olympian: 12 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Staff writers (March 25, 1998). "Reviews". The Rocket (274). Seattle: 26, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 35 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "The Low-Key Legacy Of Duster, Your Favorite Indie Band's Favorite Indie Band". Stereogum. February 23, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ a b c Richardson, Mark (February 22, 2019). "Back to the Stratosphere: How the Rarest Music in the World Comes Back". The Ringer. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
- ^ "Stratosphere - Duster : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 14, 2012. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
- ^ "Stratosphere - Duster : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Archived from the original on February 27, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
Further reading
[edit]- Meese, Dominik Böhmer, Dylan, Toni (February 25, 2023). "A SCENE IN RETROSPECT: Duster - "Stratosphere"". Everything Is Noise. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - QUINN, COLE. "Search for the greatest: "Stratosphere"". The Daily Evergreen. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
