''It's Up to Emma'' is the sixth studio album by singer-songwriter

Scout Niblett Emma Louise Niblett (born 29 September 1973), better known by the stage name Scout Niblett, is an English singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Niblett debuted in 2001 with her first full-length studio album ''Sweet Heart Fever'', and h ...

, released on May 21, 2013. It is Niblett's second release on Drag City records, after ''

The Calcination of Scout Niblett ''The Calcination of Scout Niblett'' is the fifth studio album by singer-songwriter Scout Niblett, and was her first release on Drag City records. The album was Niblett's fourth collaboration with producer Steve Albini. Track listing Person ...

'' in 2010. ''It's Up to Emma'' met with positive reception from indie rock critics upon release.

Writing and production

Niblett recorded ''It's Up to Emma'' at Type Foundry and Cloud City Sound in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

, as well as in New York City and in Niblett's residence. Unlike on her previous albums, Niblett chiefly produced the record as well as mixed it. Niblett described the writing of the album as: "I think for me, tseems to be a reflection of a journey through all emotions. It feels like a document of an emotional evolution. Almost like the different stages of grief (anger, denial, acceptance, etc.), all about the same theme ..The songs are really me dealing with being alone, and the path I took to learning to embrace and value being alone."

Reception

''It's Up to Emma'' received positive critical acclaim from critics upon its release. ''Pitchfork'' called the album "the most listenable record Niblett has made since her debut; caustic in a totally different way than usual," and ''Allmusic'' noted that the songs "add up to a reckoning, an exorcism, and a letting go. Using ragged guitar riffs, basic drumming, some raw-sounding strings, and a deliberate lack of subtlety, Niblett goes straight at her subject." The ''

Willamette Week ''Willamette Week'' (''WW'') is an alternative weekly newspaper and a website published in Portland, Oregon, United States, since 1974. It features reports on local news, politics, sports, business, and culture. History Early history ''Willame ...

'' echoed a similar sentiment, stating: "Don’t be fooled by the picture on the cover of Scout Niblett’s new album, a photo-booth shot of a couple in full make-out mode. The heart of ''It’s Up to Emma'' is not a romantic one. These nine brooding, deeply scarred songs—eight originals and one well-chosen cover—are performed and sung as a form of personal exorcism for Niblett."

Track listing

Personnel

- vocals, guitar, bass,

e-bow The EBow, short for electronic bow or energy bow, is an electronic device used for playing string instruments, most often the electric guitar. It is manufactured by Heet Sound Products, of Los Angeles, California. It was invented by Greg Heet i ...

*Dan Wilson - drums,

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

*Jose Medels - drums, percussion *

Emil Amos Holy Sons is a one-man solo band built around American songwriter and drummer Emil Amos. Amos is notable for releasing "genre-bending" albums, according to ''LA Weekly'' music reviewer Chris Martins, and for being a prolific songwriter; one accou ...

- bass, drums, e-bow, backing vocals ;Technical personnel *Scout Niblett -

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

, mixing *Danny Bensi -

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

, strings *Brandon Eggleston - engineer, mixing *Saunder Jurriaans - engineer, strings *Jason Powers - engineer, mixing *Carl Saff - mastering *Adam Selzer - mixing

References

{{Authority control 2013 albums Scout Niblett albums