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The Normal Album

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The Normal Album
Will Wood reaches out and waves from an open window; the picture is surrounded by a black frame with colorful zig-zags scattered around and the album's name and author written in a serif font that has been wriggled around
Studio album by
Will Wood
ReleasedJuly 10, 2020 (2020-07-10)
Recorded2019
Studio
Genre
Length45:52
LabelSay-10 Records
ProducerJonathon Maisto
Will Wood chronology
The Real Will Wood (Music From the Award-Winning Concert Film)
(2020) 		The Normal Album
(2020) 		Everything is a Lot (2020 Remastered Version)
(2020)
Singles from The Normal Album
  1. "Love, Me Normally"
    Released: May 29, 2020
  2. "Laplace's Angel (Hurt People? Hurt People!)"
    Released: June 12, 2020
  3. "...well, better than the alternative."
    Released: June 26, 2020

The Normal Album is the third studio album by American musician Will Wood, released on July 10, 2020, by Say-10 Records. It was produced by Jonathon Maisto, who also produced his first album, Everything is a Lot. The album was financed in part by a crowdfunding campaign, which met its goal in its first day.[4]

Background

In 2016, Will Wood began receiving treatment for Bipolar II disorder. This improved his mental state, leading to him approaching his songwriting differently with inspiration from it.[5] While developing his third album, Wood began adapting a different mindset from his previous projects. Citing maturity, a stronger skillset, and funding as reasons, he undertook new methods of writing and composing. Wood focused on the theme of conformity, placing importance on self-expression and not submitting to the choices of others.[6]

The album's songs were primarily written on piano, with these recordings receiving adaptations from Wood's band.[5] In an interview with Bleeding Cool, Wood cited Green Day as his largest melodic influence.[7] He additionally stated an intention to move into folk music after The Normal Album,[8] which would become "In case I make it," (2022).[9] The album was partly financed by a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo, as well as by subscribers to Will Wood's Patreon page.[10] The Indiegogo campaign reached its funding goal within a day of its launch, going on to raise nearly $28,000.[4]

Release

"Love, Me Normally" was released as the album's lead single on May 29, 2020, with a music video being published on the same day. The song was described by Wood as a "50's doo-wop 80's power ballad", with production by Matt Squire.[4] The rest of the album was produced by Jonathan Maisto, including the following single and music video "Laplace's Angel (Hurt People? Hurt People!)" on June 12.[11] For the video, collector Cole Mozelesky legally provided Wood with real human remains, which were then animated with stop motion. The song itself experimentally uses jazz, relying on guitar and brass instrumentation for the primary melodies.[3] The third and final single was "...Well, Better Than the Alternative", released on June 26. Its accompanying music video was animated by Patreon member Sorin Michaels with EBsynth, editing live footage of Wood.[10] The album was released on July 10, 2020, through Say-10 Records.

Two songs eventually included in the live album IN CASE I DIE:, "Misanthrapologist" and "...And If I Did, You Deserved It.", had been intended to appear on The Normal Album and later its successor, In case I make it, but were omitted from both.[12][13]

The New Normal! (The Normal Album 2024 Edit)
Will Wood reaches out with open arms from an open window; the picture is surrounded by a black frame with colorful zig-zags scattered around and the album's name and author written in a serif font that has been wriggled around
Remix album by
Will Wood
ReleasedAugust 9, 2024 (2024-08-09)
Recorded2019
Studio
Genre
Length1:00:08
LabelSay-10 Records
ProducerKevin Antreassian
Will Wood chronology
IN CASE I DIE:
(2023) 		The New Normal! (The Normal Album 2024 Edit)
(2024)
Singles from The New Normal! (The Normal Album 2024 Edit)
  1. "I / Me / Myself (2018 Live in Studio Demo)"
    Released: July 26, 2024
  2. "Laplace's Angel - 2018 Live in Studio Demo"
    Released: July 29, 2024

In July 2024, Will announced on his Instagram that a remix album of The Normal Album was in production, and would be released in early-mid August[15]. On July 26, he released a single of a 2018 Demo of "I / Me / Myself"[16], followed by a single containing 2018 Demos of "Laplace's Angel," "Memento Mori," and "I / Me / Myself" on July 29[17]. On August 9, the album, dubbed The New Normal! (The Normal Album 2024 Edit), was released on his YouTube channel[18] and Patreon[19], and major streaming services the next day. The remix album contained new edits of the songs from The Normal Album alongside new names. Three Demos recorded live in 2018[20] were also put in the album as bonus tracks. The only song to not receive any changes was "Love, Me Normally", due to the fact that the song has a different producer, being Matt Squire instead of Jonathon Maisto, or "contractual reasons"[21] according to Will Wood.

Reception

Jordan Blum of PopMatters wrote that The Normal Album "explores themes of normality, identity, morality, and other psychological traits", and called it "a thrilling mix of genres (jazz, new wave, doo-wop, and disco among them)";[22] Blum highlighted the song "BlackBoxWarrior – OKULTRA" as being "a great glimpse into Wood's bold and brilliant aesthetic."[22] Bleeding Cool's Joshua Nelson gave the album a positive review, noting the "sardonic bite" and varying moods of its tracks.[23]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Will Wood.

The Normal Album
No.TitleLength
1."Suburbia Overture"
  • "Greetings from Mary Bell Township!"
  • "(Vampire) Culture"
  • "Love Me, Normally"
6:16
2."2econd 2ight 2eer (that was fun, goodbye.)"3:26
3."Laplace's Angel (Hurt People? Hurt People!)"4:01
4."I / Me / Myself"4:51
5."...well, better than the alternative"4:15
6."Outliars and Hyppocrates: a fun fact about apples"4:12
7."BlackBoxWarrior – OKULTRA"4:54
8."Marsha, Thankk You for the Dialectics, but I Need You to Leave"5:19
9."Love, Me Normally"5:44
10."Memento Mori: the most important thing in the world"2:49
Total length:45:52
The New Normal! (The Normal Album 2024 Edit)
No.TitleLength
1.""Blue Velvet" Reboot Starring Tom Waits (Suburbia Overture 2024 Edit)"6:20
2."Second Sight Seer! S! (2222024 Edit)"3:27
3."The Moral Implications of a Deterministic Universe feat. The Onceler (Laplace's Angel 2024 Edit)"4:04
4."I / Me / Myself (2024 Edit)"4:52
5."... well, better than the alternative (Better Alternative Edit)"4:17
6."I Lied About the Apple Thing (Skeleton-Bones Edition)"4:15
7."Ideas Only Spread Because People Like Them, the "Free Market of Ideas" is not a Meritocracy, it's a Set of Unhealthy Coping Skills and a Corporate Oligarchy, Wake Up, Man! Don't Let the Lies Dim Your Light! anyway this one's black box warrior (2024 Edit)"4:52
8."Karen, Thannsdfghjkl You for the Casserole, but I Need You to Lea-n into a Typo (Marsha 2024 Edit)"5:20
9."Love, Me Normally"5:44
10."A Knee-Slapping Joke Title Referring to How Ending Tracks on Will Wood Albums Are Always Kind of Like That (Memento Mori 2024 Edit)"2:52
11."I / Me / Myself (2018 Live in Studio Demo)"5:01
12."Laplace's Angel (2018 Live in Studio Demo)"4:24
13."Memento Mori (2018 Live in Studio Demo)"4:42
Total length:1:00:08

Personnel

References

  1. ^ a b c From the album's liner notes.
  2. ^ Herron-Wheeler, Addison (July 9, 2020). "Album Premiere: Will Wood - The Normal Album". New Noise Magazine. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "Video Premiere: Will Wood Swings Maniacally with Dark and Swanky Pop Tune "Laplace's Angel (Hurt People? Hurt People!)"". Glide Magazine. June 11, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2022. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |people= ignored (help)
  4. ^ a b c "Will Wood To Release "The Normal Album"". New Jersey Stage. May 28, 2020. Retrieved July 23, 2023. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |people= ignored (help)
  5. ^ a b Vitagliano, Joe (August 2, 2021). "Will Wood Talks Process, Funding, and New Tune "Love, Me Normally"". American Songwriter. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  6. ^ Shumaker, Shannon (June 23, 2020). "Will Wood Reinvents Himself on "The Normal Album": "There Was Nothing That Couldn't Be New"". Prelude Press. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  7. ^ Nelson, Joshua (July 4, 2020). "A Perfectly "Normal" Interview With Musician Will Wood". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  8. ^ Nelson, Joshua (July 5, 2020). "Even More "Normal" Interview Questions With Musician Will Wood". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  9. ^ Curtius, Robb (April 28, 2022). "PREMIERE: Will Wood and the feral folk chamber poised "Tomcat Disposables" (Official Video)". American Pancake. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Will Wood Releases Music Video For "... well, better than the alternative"". New Jersey Stage. July 1, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  11. ^ Vigil, Dom (June 11, 2020). "Will Wood Shares New Single, "Laplace's Angel (Hurt People? Hurt People!)"". Prelude Press. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  12. ^ Will Wood – Misanthrapologist ("In case I make it," Outtake) – Live in Backroom Studios, Rockaway, NJ, retrieved January 4, 2024
  13. ^ Will Wood – ...And If I Did, You Deserved It. ("In case I make it," Outtake) – Live at Knitting Factory, Spokane, WA, retrieved January 4, 2024
  14. ^ Herron-Wheeler, Addison (July 9, 2020). "Album Premiere: Will Wood - The Normal Album". New Noise Magazine. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  15. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  16. ^ I / Me / Myself (2018 Live in Studio Demo), July 26, 2024, retrieved August 9, 2024
  17. ^ Laplace's Angel - 2018 Live in Studio Demo, July 29, 2024, retrieved August 9, 2024
  18. ^ "YouTube Music". YouTube Music. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  19. ^ "Get more from Will Wood on Patreon". Patreon. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  20. ^ Will Wood (January 27, 2022). I/Me/Myself, Laplace's Angel, Memento Mori (Demo Live Session). Retrieved August 9, 2024 – via YouTube.
  21. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  22. ^ a b Blum, Jordan (September 10, 2020). "Will Wood Works His Madcap Magic On "BlackboxWarrior – OKULTRA [Live in Studio]" (Premiere)". PopMatters. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  23. ^ Nelson, Joshua (July 12, 2020). "Review: Will Wood's "The Normal Album" – Anything But, And Better". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
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