''Ashes Grammar'' is the second

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by American

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band

A Sunny Day in Glasgow A Sunny Day in Glasgow are an American shoegazing band formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formed in 2006, the band has undergone many line-up changes since then, with Ben Daniels as the only constant member. Background A Sunny Day in Glasgow ...

. It was released on September 15, 2009, by Mis Ojos Discos.

Background and recording

Following a successful European tour, A Sunny Day in Glasgow's Ben Daniels began preparations for the recording of the band's next album. He rented a large

dance studio A dance studio is a space in which dancers learn or rehearse. The term is typically used to describe a space that has either been built or equipped for the purpose. Overview A dance studio normally includes a smooth floor covering or, if used fo ...

space within the Downtown Performing Arts Center in Lambertville, which became the primary location for recording. He and bandmate Josh Meakim then began experimenting with sounds and setting up microphones in the space. Prior to the start of formal work on the album, however, three members of A Sunny Day in Glasgow departed the band under varying circumstances: Brice Hickey, who had "very seriously" broken his legs in an accident while loading equipment into his car on the day that recording was set to begin; Lauren Daniels, who left in order to care for Hickey, her then-boyfriend; and Robin Daniels, who wished to pursue her graduate studies. The band was subsequently reduced to Ben Daniels and Josh Meakim. Annie Fredrickson was later invited to join A Sunny Day in Glasgow on the recommendation of a fan of the band who was familiar to Ben Daniels "from shows", after Daniels asked the fan whether he knew any vocalists. The trio of Daniels, Meakim and Fredrickson helmed the album's recording. ''Ashes Grammar'' was recorded from September to December 2008. The expansiveness of the dance studio space allowed Ben Daniels the freedom to experiment with different acoustics. He has cited

Alvin Lucier Alvin Augustus Lucier Jr. (May 14, 1931 – December 1, 2021) was an American composer of experimental music and sound installations that explore acoustic phenomena and auditory perception. A long-time music professor at Wesleyan University in Mi ...

's ''

I Am Sitting in a Room ''I am sitting in a room'' is a sound art piece composed in 1969 and one of composer Alvin Lucier's best known works. The piece features Lucier recording himself narrating a text, and then playing the tape recording back into the room, re-recordi ...

'' as an influence on the recording process. As Lauren and Robin Daniels, the lead singers on earlier A Sunny Day in Glasgow recordings, had left the band, vocal duties on ''Ashes Grammar'' were shared by Fredrickson and Meakim. Fredrickson's friend Beverly Science performed additional vocals on the album. Mich White, who was previously a touring bassist for A Sunny Day in Glasgow, also "contributed ideas" from his home in

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

Critical reception

In 2016, ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' ranked ''Ashes Grammar'' at number 35 on its list of the best

shoegaze Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with "dream pop") is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volu ...

albums of all time.

Track listing

Notes * The track order for the LP edition repositions "Blood White" between "Passionate Introverts (Dinosaurs)" and "West Philly Vocoder".

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. A Sunny Day in Glasgow * Ben Daniels * Robin Daniels * Annie Fredrickson * Brice Hickey * Josh Meakim * Beverly Science * Mich White Additional musicians * Jody Hamilton – horns on "Failure" and "Close Chorus" * Ryan Mitchell –

theremin The theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone/etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named afte ...

on "Curse Words" * Chuck Nicholson –

vibraphone The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist,' ...

on "Nitetime Rainbows" Production * Matt Coogan – mastering * Ben Daniels – mixing * Tom Kee – mastering * Josh Meakim – mixing,

recording A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, ...

Design * Naomi Donabedian – layout *

Jaakko Mattila Jaakko Antti Mattila (born 30 July 1976) is a Finnish abstract painter. Mattila was born in Oulu, and graduated from The Surrey Institute of Art & Design University College in 2001. Since then his works have been displayed in Finland, the Unit ...

– artwork

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2009 albums A Sunny Day in Glasgow albums