''Songs'' is the first official album by American
lo-fi music
Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...
ian
John Maus
John Maus (born February 23, 1980) is an American musician, composer, singer, and songwriter known for his baritone singing style and his use of vintage synthesizer sounds and Medieval church modes, a combination that often draws comparisons to ...
, released on June 27, 2006 by the British label
Upset the Rhythm.
The album was recorded over the course of five years.
It consists of slightly remixed tracks that originally appeared on the self-released albums ''Snowless Winters EP'' (1999), ''Love Letters From Hell'' (2000), and ''I Want to Live!'' (2003).
Reception
Upon release, the album generally drew negative reviews from critics.
''
CMJ
CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...
'' stated, "It took this
Ariel Pink
Ariel Marcus Rosenberg ( ; born June 24, 1978), professionally known as Ariel Pink, is an American musician, singer, and songwriter whose work draws heavily from the popular music of the 1960s–1980s. His lo-fi music, lo-fi aesthetic and home ...
cohort five years to write and record his debut album, and only five minutes to become more annoying than Ariel Pink."
''
Tiny Mix Tapes
''Tiny Mix Tapes'' (also ''TMT'' or ''tinymixtapes'') is an online music and film webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, a ...
'' gave the LP a four-star review, in which they wrote that Maus's singing "is always an effortless balance between weird visceral descriptions,
deadpan humor
Deadpan, dry humour, or dry-wit humour is the deliberate display of emotional neutrality or no emotion, commonly as a form of comedic delivery to contrast with the ridiculousness or absurdity of the subject matter. The delivery is meant to be blun ...
and the uncomfortably honest."
Track listing
See also
* ''
Lover Boy''
References
2006 debut albums
John Maus albums
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