The Fabled City
| The Fabled City | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 30, 2008[1] | |||
| Recorded | 2008 | |||
| Genre | Folk rock, acoustic rock, anti-folk, protest music | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Producer | Brendan O'Brien | |||
| The Nightwatchman chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Fabled City is the second studio album by The Nightwatchman, the alter ego of Tom Morello. It was released on September 30, 2008.[1]
The album was released under the Nightwatchman's new full title: Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman.
Serj Tankian (of System of a Down), Shooter Jennings, and Perry Farrell (of Jane's Addiction) are featured guests on the album, which was produced by Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave).[1]
On August 8, 2008, the track 'Whatever It Takes' was released on The Nightwatchman's MySpace.[2] On October 25, the bonus track "Shake My Shit" (featuring Perry Farrell) was released on Morello's Myspace page.
Critical reception
[edit]| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 61/100[13] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Blender |  [4] |
| Drowned in Sound | 2/10[5] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A−[6] |
| Los Angeles Times | [7] |
| MSN Music (Consumer Guide) |  [8] |
| PopMatters | 3/10[9] |
| Rolling Stone | [10] |
| Spin | [11] |
| Under the Radar | 7/10[12] |
Media reception to The Fabled City was generally favorable; aggregating website Metacritic reported a rating of 61% in December 2009 based on 11 critical reviews.[13]
Track listing
[edit]All tracks are written by Tom Morello, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Fabled City" | 3:10 | |
| 2. | "Whatever It Takes" |
| 4:11 |
| 3. | "The King of Hell" | 3:14 | |
| 4. | "Night Falls" | 3:48 | |
| 5. | "The Lights Are On in Spidertown" | 3:21 | |
| 6. | "Midnight in the City of Destruction" | 4:53 | |
| 7. | "Saint Isabelle" | 3:31 | |
| 8. | "Lazarus On Down" (featuring Serj Tankian) | 3:34 | |
| 9. | "Gone Like Rain" | 3:39 | |
| 10. | "The Iron Wheel" (featuring Shooter Jennings) | 2:40 | |
| 11. | "Rise to Power" | 3:57 | |
| 12. | "Facing Mount Kenya" (iTunes Bonus Track) | 4:08 | |
| 13. | "Shake My Shit" (featuring Perry Farrell) (iTunes Bonus Track) | 3:46 |
Bonus Disc Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Shadow of the Cannon" | 3:17 |
| 2. | "Fighting Song" (written by Outernational; performed by Outernational and Tom Morello) | 3:39 |
| 3. | "Stars of Orion" | 2:41 |
Personnel
[edit]- The Nightwatchman (Tom Morello) - vocals, guitar
- Serj Tankian - additional vocals on "Lazarus on Down"
- Shooter Jennings - additional vocals on "The Iron Wheel"
- Perry Farrell - additional vocals on "Shake My Shit"
- Daniel Laufer - cello on "Night Falls" and "Lazarus on Down"
- Brendan O'Brien - various instruments
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Tom Morello Readies New Release
- ^ The Nightwatchman at MySpace.com
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ Eells, Josh (October 6, 2008). "Tom Morello: The Night Watchmen : The Fabled City Review". Blender. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ^ Perry, Tom (September 30, 2008). "Album Review: The Nightwatchman, Tom Morello - The Fabled City". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (September 23, 2008). "The Fabled City". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 29, 2008. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ^ Powers, Ann (September 30, 2008). "Yes, just maybe a folk hero". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (July 2009). "Consumer Guide". MSN Music. Retrieved March 8, 2024 – via robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Savanadasa, Rajith (October 26, 2008). "The Nightwatchman: Fabled City". PopMatters. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ^ Kemp, Mark (October 16, 2008). "The Fabled City : The Nightwatchman : Review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 3, 2009. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ^ Uhelszki, Jaan (October 2008). "Reviews: New CDs". Spin. Vol. 24, no. 10. p. 112.
- ^ Valish, Frank (November 2, 2008). "The Fabled City". Under the Radar. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ^ a b "The Fabled City (2008): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved December 11, 2009.
