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Your Majesty (album)

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Your Majesty
A hand-drawn flower with black-and-white photos of the band members spread around the edges
Studio album by
The Anniversary
ReleasedJanuary 22, 2002
RecordedJune 2001
StudioSonora
Genre
Length46:46
LabelVagrant
ProducerRob Schnapf
The Anniversary chronology
Designing a Nervous Breakdown
(2000) 		Your Majesty
(2002) 		Devil on Our Side: B-Sides & Rarities
(2008)

Your Majesty is the second studio album that was recorded by American rock band The Anniversary. Following the release of their debut album Designing a Nervous Breakdown in early 2000, the band started writing new material by that August. They recorded their next album in June 2001 at Sonora Recorders in Los Feliz, California, with producer Rob Schnapf. Your Majesty is a garage rock, neo-psychedelia, pop rock and space rock record that includes slow tempos, guitar solos and a grand piano; it was compared with the works of the full-band iteration of Elliott Smith, the New Pornographers and the Kinks, among others.

After the band completed two US tours, Your Majesty was released on January 22, 2002, through Vagrant Records. It charted on two Billboard component charts, peaking at number 15 on the Independent Albums and at number 17 on the Heatseekers Albums. It received a mixed-to-positive reaction from music critics, some of whom commented on the male–female vocals and on Schnapf's production. The album was promoted with supporting slots for Guided by Voices, Dashboard Confessional and Cheap Trick, and two headlining tours.

Background and production

The Anniversary released their debut studio album Designing a Nervous Breakdown in January 2000, through Heroes & Villains, an imprint of independent label Vagrant Records that was owned by the Get Up Kids.[1][2] By August of that year, the Anniversary were working on new material, which vocalist and guitarist Josh Berwanger said was acoustic-based and included electric piano from vocalist and keyboardist Adrianne Pope.[3] The band went on the Heroes & Villains Fall Tour in September and October that year, then took a two-week break before touring again until Christmas.[3][4] They spent the period writing further material for their next album.[5] The Anniversary supported Hey Mercedes on their headlining US tour in February and March 2001.[6][7] A week prior to recording their next album, the band did pre-production with Rob Schnapf at a practice space; they played him every track and after each performance, they went over parts and song structures.[8]

Your Majesty was recorded in two and a half weeks at Sonora Recorders in Los Feliz, California, in June 2001.[8][9] The band members shared a two-bed hotel room near the studio, which led to claustrophobia and brainstorming sessions.[10] The band refrained from recording in their hometown Lawrence, Kansas, because they felt the presence of their families and friends would be distracting for them.[11] Schnapf acted as producer and recording was handled by Doug Boehm; they were assisted by Andrew Boston.[9] The band spent some downtime at Malibu Beach, where they wrote additional parts and a portion of lyrics.[11] Schnapf and Boehm mixed the recordings with assistance from Pete Magdaleno at King Sound Studios in Los Angeles, California. Don C. Tyler then mastered the recordings at Precision Mastering.[9]

Composition

All of the tracks on Your Majesty are credited to the Anniversary; six tracks are credited to Berwanger–Roelofs and the remaining five to Roelofs–Berwanger, both of whom wrote all of the lyrics.[9] The sound of Your Majesty has been described as garage rock, neo-psychedelia,[12] pop rock[13] and space rock;[14] the album also includes influences from progressive rock.[15] The album has also been classified as emo[13][16] but some reviewers noted the band had moved away from that style.[14][17][18][19] Your Majesty is slower than the band's debut album with a straightforward rock sound, off-kilter vocal performances, and guitar solos.[14][20] Parts of it drew comparisons to the works of a full-band iteration of Elliott Smith and Rufus Wainwright, The New Pornographers, and English acts the Kinks and Mott the Hoople.[17][21][22] Berwanger and Roleofs sing with a breathy stride that is reminiscent of the style of The Rentals's frontman Matt Sharp on his band's album Seven More Minutes (1999).[23] Pope switched from playing her Moog synthesizer to a grand piano and an organ.[10][20]

Your Majesty begins with the rock tracks "Sweet Marie" and "Crooked Crown"; the intro of the latter is similar to the works of Weezer. "Peace, Pain & Regret" retains the upbeat energy of the group's first album.[14] "Husam Husam" was compared to the music of Pink Floyd with its introduction, spacious keyboard parts and throaty backing vocals.[16] Its borderline-orchestral arrangement is reminiscent of The Verve's music and has Pop singing choral vocals in its intro.[23] The indie rock track "The Sirens Sings" includes guitar riffs that are similar to those of Neil Young.[15][18] "Never Die Young" is an up-tempo pop song that most resembles the sound of the Anniversary's debut album. "Tu-Whitt Tu-Whoo" is love song that is followed by the folk-esque "The Ghost of the River".[14][16] "The Death of the King" is a near-six-minute song that has an instrumental ending segueing into "Follow the Sun", which consists of two lines.[14][18] "The Death of the King" was written in a hotel bathroom at 1 A.M., with Berwanger and Roleofs playing guitars in the dark.[10] Both tracks are progressive-rock-indebted numbers; with "The Death of the King" evokes the sound of Pink Floyd.[16][14]

Release

In July 2000, The Anniversary appeared on the Vagrant Across America tour.[24] On September 3, the album's track listing was announced.[25] On September 24, it was announced Vagrant had postponed the album's release from October 2001 to January 2002 at the band's insistence.[26] In October and November 2001, the band went on a US tour with Superdrag and the Mars Volta.[27] Your Majesty was delayed several times; with each delay, tension within the group mounted.[8] Your Majesty was eventually released on January 22, 2002;[16] its artwork resembles that of The Beatles' Revolver (1966).[22] The Anniversary played three shows with Guided by Voices in February before supporting Dashboard Confessional on an eight-week tour in March and April.[28] In October and November 2002, they went on a headlining tour with Burning Brides and the Gadjits.[29] On November 19, Vagrant released a video compilation titled Another Year on the Screen, which includes the music video for "Sweet Marie".[30]

On March 7, 2003, The Anniversary said they had left Vagrant Records.[31] In response, Vagrant's co-owner Rich Egan made a negative post on the label's message board that was subsequently deleted. Egan followed this up, saying the "relationship [with the band] had run its course"; Berwanger said the label and the band had "complete opposite ideas of what music should be",[32] and that the label had "no idea" how to market Your Majesty, to which Egan replied Vagrant had no difficulty promoting the album and that it out-sold the band's debut.[32] In March and April 2002, the group supported Cheap Trick on their US headlining tour.[31] In October and November, they went on tour; the Natural History and the Vexers supported the first half, while Carrier and Apollo Sunshine supported the second.[33] In late November 2003, towards the end of the tour, the band broke up.[34]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic73/100[35]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[16]
Chart AttackFavorable[17]
CMJ New Music ReportFavorable[15]
E! OnlineB[36]
InlanderUnfavorable[18]
The Michigan DailyC-[23]
Ox-FanzineUnfavorable[37]
Pitchfork2/10[13]
PopMattersFavorable[14]
Rolling Stone[38]

Your Majesty reached number 15 on the Independent Albums chart,[39] and number 17 on the Heatseekers Albums chart.[40]

Your Majesty received generally favorable reviews from music critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[35] Chart Attack writer Steve Servos said; "[g]one are the emo labels and in their place the band show off an appreciation for the classic pop-influences-rock sound".[17] He was not surprised to hear "the full band version" of Elliott Smith because The Anniversary were working with Schnapf, "with a little Rufus Wainwright thrown in for good measure".[17] CMJ New Music Report's Amy Sciarretto called the album an "ambitious, left-of-center" release with keyboard melodies that were used "in a different way" to those on the band's debut album.[15] She complimented Berwanger's and Pope's "absolutely lush vocal harmonies".[15] E! Online said the release moves from the "tight, catchy end of the pop spectrum to airy, dreamy tunes",[36] that Berwanger's and Pope's vocals keep the record from sounding "too same-y", and that in spite of the influences, the band "retain[s] its own personality, with a laid-back style and pizzazz that keeps this party a pleasant one".[36]

AllMusic reviewer Heather Phares said The Anniversary expanded on "some of their artier tendencies and keeping the playful, hooky songwriting that made their debut so refreshing".[16] Phares praised Schapf's "aptly lush" production work and said the band's "inherent, slightly awkward earnestness shines through at every turn".[16] Stephen Rauch of PopMatters said that while Your Majesty retains the male–female vocals and keyboard from the band's debut, it is "a very different album" and that the tracks are "more straight-forward".[14] According to Rauch, despite the loss of up-tempo material in favor of "slower, more deliberate songs", it is "still a very good album".[14] The Michigan Daily arts editor Luke Smith said the band "strengthened their once thin guitar sound, and sucked the cheese out of their Moogs".[23] Smith commended Pope for giving a "sugary-sweet foil" to the "breathy intonations" of Berwanger and Roleofs.[23]

Rolling Stone writer Jenny Eliscu said Rob Schnapf's and Doug Boehm's work with Elliot Smith is apparent on Your Majesty, on which "a twinge of sadness turns even sunny tunes such as 'Never Die Young' slightly sour".[38] Eliscu said the group "occasionally piles on a few too many layers of sounds" to some songs and that the lyrics often "sound like some drunken hippie-shaman shit".[38] Inlander's Mike Corrigan said Pope's "earnest, airy vocals are a nice compliment to the more affected delivery" of Berwanger and Roelofs.[18] He found the band lacking in "genuine passion and emotional depth", and said the album is "full of half-hearted performances, secondhand sentiments, mediocre writing and little, if any real soul".[18] Joachim Hiller of Ox-Fanzine said Schnapf's production brought out the best in other musicians but it failed to do so with the Anniversary. He mentioned the Promise Ring's Wood/Water (2002), calling Your Majesty "only third rate" by comparison, saying it is "not a really bad record, just a pretty boring one".[37] Pitchfork writer Brad Haywood said the music, "while pretending to be candy-coated pop-rock, shares all of emo's key indicators, including melodramatic vocal delivery, seamless production, and shameless overambition". [13]

Track listing

All music by the Anniversary, lyric credits noted below. All songs produced by Rob Schnapf.[9]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Sweet Marie"Roelofs, Berwanger3:35
2."Crooked Crown"Roelofs, Berwanger3:48
3."Peace, Pain & Regret"Berwanger, Roelofs3:34
4."Husam Husam"Roelofs, Berwanger6:45
5."The Siren Sings"Berwanger, Roelofs4:36
6."Never Die Young"Roelofs, Berwanger4:01
7."Tu-Whitt Tu-Whoo"Berwanger, Roelofs2:29
8."The Ghost of the River"Roelofs, Berwanger6:28
9."Devil on My Side"Berwanger, Roelofs3:19
10."The Death of the King"Roelofs, Berwanger5:56
11."Follow the Sun"Berwanger, Roelofs2:28
Total length:46:56

Personnel

Personnel per sleeve.[9]

Charts

Chart (2002) Peak
position
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[41] 17
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[42] 15

References

Citations

  1. ^ Phares, Heather. "Designing a Nervous Breakdown - The Anniversary | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 27, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  2. ^ DePasquale, Ron. "The Anniversary | Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Bishop, Robert (August 31, 2000). "Happy Anniversary". The Pitch. Archived from the original on August 18, 2019. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  4. ^ "Show Dates". The Anniversary. Archived from the original on October 1, 2000. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  5. ^ "News (December 2000)". The Anniversary. Archived from the original on March 9, 2001. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  6. ^ "Hey Mercedes News". Hey Mercedes. Archived from the original on March 31, 2001. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  7. ^ "Show Dates". The Anniversary. Archived from the original on April 5, 2001. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  8. ^ a b c Niccum 2002, p. 2D
  9. ^ a b c d e f Your Majesty (sleeve). The Anniversary. Vagrant/Heroes & Villains Records. 2002. VR359/HV0011.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ a b c Miller, Andrew (May 23, 2002). "Crown Affair". The Pitch. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  11. ^ a b Niccum 2002, p. 1D
  12. ^ Simon, Leslie (June 7, 2016). "Taste Of Tuesday: Getting the royal treatment with the Anniversary". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on June 27, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  13. ^ a b c d Haywood, Brad (September 12, 2002). "The Anniversary: Your Majesty Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on March 19, 2009. Retrieved August 2, 2002.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rauch, Stephen (January 21, 2002). "The Anniversary: Your Majesty". PopMatters. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  15. ^ a b c d e Sciarretto 2002, p. 4
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h Phares, Heather. "Your Majesty - The Anniversary | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on October 27, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  17. ^ a b c d e Servos, Steve (February 12, 2002). "CD Reviews: The Anniversary, Megadeth, Misstress Barbara and many more". Chart Attack. Archived from the original on December 6, 2005. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  18. ^ a b c d e f Corrigan, Mike (April 25, 2002). "CD Review - The Anniversary". Inlander. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  19. ^ Keiper 2002, p. 22
  20. ^ a b Hirshfeld, Josh (June 2008). "Emo Revisted: The White Boy Blues". Perfect Sound Forever. Archived from the original on July 15, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  21. ^ "Lost Classics: The Anniversary "Your Majesty"". Magnet. February 11, 2009. Archived from the original on January 30, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  22. ^ a b Kundrath 2002, p. 49
  23. ^ a b c d e Smith 2002, p. 7
  24. ^ "across america.. or parts of it". The Anniversary. Archived from the original on June 19, 2001. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  25. ^ Heisel, Scott (September 3, 2001). "The Anniversary's New CD's Track list released, tour announced". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  26. ^ Heisel, Scott (September 24, 2001). "Vagrant Pushes back The Anniversary's new release". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  27. ^ "Anniversary Fall U.S. Tour". The Anniversary. Archived from the original on January 29, 2002. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  28. ^ Heisel, Scott (January 19, 2002). "Wouldn't it be funny if *your* anniversary was one of these dates? C'mon!". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on May 13, 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  29. ^ Heisel, Scott (October 11, 2002). "The Anniversary, Burning Brides, Gadjits to tour". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on January 21, 2015. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  30. ^ White, Adam (October 25, 2002). "Another Year On The Screen". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  31. ^ a b White, Adam (March 7, 2003). "The Anniversary Tour With Cheap Trick". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  32. ^ a b Harkness, Geoff (April 10, 2003). "Vagrant Foul". The Pitch. Archived from the original on January 18, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  33. ^ Heisel, Scott (October 18, 2003). "The Anniversary back on the road". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  34. ^ Spacek, Nick (September 13, 2016). "The reunited Anniversary heads back to the Bottleneck". The Pitch. Archived from the original on August 18, 2019. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  35. ^ a b "Your Majesty by The Anniversary". Metacritic. Archived from the original on September 14, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  36. ^ a b c "Music - The Anniversary "Your Majesty"". E! Online. Archived from the original on December 27, 2002. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  37. ^ a b Hiller, Joachim (March–May 2002). "Reviews: Anniversary, The / Your Majesty CD". Ox-Fanzine (in German). Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
  38. ^ a b c Eliscu, Jenny (March 28, 2002). "Recordings: The Anniversary, Your Majesty, 3 Stars". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 20, 2003. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  39. ^ "Independent Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 2, 2017. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  40. ^ "Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 28, 2018. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  41. ^ "Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  42. ^ "Independent Albums". Billboard. Retrieved August 12, 2020.

Sources

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