The Orion Songbook
The Orion Songbook | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 6, 2008 | |||
Genre | Folk rock | |||
Language | English | |||
Label | Quite Scientific Records | |||
Frontier Ruckus chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Under the Radar | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Crawdaddy! | (Favorable)[3] |
[Hear/Say] | (A-)[4] |
Real Detroit Weekly | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Metro Times | (Favorable)[6] |
The Orion Songbook is the debut album by Frontier Ruckus, released on November 6, 2008.
Reception
[edit]The album received positive reviews, with Allmusic stating that it is "about as good a debut as a band can hope for."[1] Crawdaddy! praised the album's musical and lyrical landscapes, marked by the "desolate beauty of Matthew Milia's poetry and the quiet intensity the band brings to every note it plays."[7] The album received similar applause from Under the Radar regarding the interplay of musicality and language, described as "white-hot folk music" paired with "dank and smart turns of phrase."[8] Hear/Say called The Orion Songbook "the year's best alt-country album," establishing the band as a "formidable outfit with a sound to reckon with and an easy confidence to match."[9] Likewise, Metro Times stated that the album "establishes the group as already one of the very best sounds to come out of Michigan this entire decade."[10] Inland Empire Weekly commended the record for its consideration of memory "without the cloying nostalgia or self-consciousness that derails so many attempts to turn back the clock to allegedly purer times," going on to state: "...by looking the present straight in the eye, Milia’s created something timeless."[11]
Adult Swim used "Dark Autumn Hour" for four ads in their well-known series of bumps, first airing in September 2011.[12]
Track listing
[edit]All songs written by Matthew Milia
- "Animals Need Animals"
- "The Latter Days"
- "What You Are"
- "Dark Autumn Hour"
- "Mount Marcy"
- "The Blood"
- "Bethlehem"
- "Foggy Lilac Windows"
- "Orion Town 2"
- "The Back-Lot World"
- "Rosemont"
- "Orion Town 3"
- "Adirondack Amish Holler"
- "The Deep-Yard Dream"
Personnel
[edit]- Frontier Ruckus
- Matthew Milia - lead vocals, guitar, harmonica, pedal steel guitar, piano, chord organ
- David Winston Jones - banjo, voice, ebow
- Eli Eisman - bass
- Ryan "Smalls" Etzcorn - drum kit, all percussions, mallet-saw, chain-rattle, stomping
- Zachary Nichols - trumpet, singing-saw, melodica, mallet-saw
- Anna Burch - voice, harmonium, piano
- Guest Musicians
Production
[edit]- Produced by Frontier Ruckus
- Engineered and Mixed by Jim Roll
- Mastered by Roger Seibel
- Artwork and Design by Matthew Milia and Brian Peters
- Recorded and Mixed at Backseat Productions in Ann Arbor, Michigan during the winter and spring of early 2008
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Frontier Ruckus - The Orion Songbook Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
- ^ "Under the Radar review". Frontierruckus.com. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
- ^ "Crawdaddy! review". Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
- ^ [1] [dead link]
- ^ "Real Detroit Weekly review". Frontierruckus.com. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
- ^ [2] [dead link]
- ^ "Album Review: Frontier Ruckus, the Orion Songbook". Archived from the original on 2011-07-17. Retrieved 2013-02-03.
- ^ "undertheradar.rev.wint09". 5 October 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-10-05. Retrieved 26 May 2023.
- ^ [3] [dead link]
- ^ "Metro Times: Record Review: Frontier Ruckus / The Orion Songbook". 2.metrotimes.com. Archived from the original on 2009-01-07.
- ^ [4] [dead link]
- ^ Adult Swim on YouTube