''Jewellery'' is the debut studio album by English musician
Micachu
Mica Levi (; b. 28 February 1987), also known by their stage name Micachu, is an English singer, songwriter, composer and producer. Levi is classically trained and since 2008 has released experimental pop music with their band Good Sad Happy ...
, co-produced by
Matthew Herbert. It was released on 9 March 2009 on a joint venture between
Rough Trade Records and Accidental Records. The album features Micachu's band
The Shapes, which comprises Raisa Khan (keyboards and electronics) and Marc Pell (percussion and drums).
Reception
Upon its release, ''Jewellery'' received generally positive reviews from critics. It maintains a 75 score on
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
.
Most reviews, both positive and negative, emphasized the originality and experimental, sometimes difficult nature of the music. ''
Drowned in Sound'' praised the experimental sound of the album calling it "thrillingly improbable pop made by a grade-A maverick." ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' similarly praised the music for combining "hard experimentation with soft introspection, her scrappy, lo-fi production wrapped in warmth."
Some reviews were more mixed, but again focused on the experimental sound. ''
PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
'' noted the challenging nature of the music: "The whole experience seems crowded with random experimentation for its own sake," adding, "With a little patience, however, ''Jewellery'' soon orders itself."
''
Under the Radar'' was less sympathetic, asserting, "The record is admirable for its crashing ambitions, but it unfortunately devolves into a tuneless, nearly unlistenable mire of avant-noise fragments."
Track listing
Notes
* Early review versions of the album sent by Accidental Records before the Rough Trade deal included an additional song called "Worst Bastard" (likely removed for being the only song containing obscenities) and listed "Hardcore" as a normal track rather than a bonus track.
Charts
References
External links
''Jewellery''at
Rough Trade Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jewellery (Album)
2009 debut albums
Micachu albums
Rough Trade Records albums
Avant-pop albums
Art pop albums
Experimental pop albums
Electronic albums by English artists