[en] | & the Charm

& the Charm (also known as Avalon Emerson & the Charm[1]) is the debut studio album by American electronic music producer Avalon Emerson, released on April 28, 2023, through Another Dove and One House Records. It was co-produced by English producer Bullion and received acclaim from critics.

& the Charm
Studio album by

Avalon Emerson
ReleasedApril 28, 2023 (2023-04-28)
Genre
Length39:00
Label
  • Another Dove
  • One House
Producer
  • Avalon Emerson
  • Bullion
Avalon Emerson chronology
Eternal September
(2022)		& the Charm
(2023)

Background

Emerson began working on the album during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 at her Los Angeles home with wife Hunter Lombard, and then traveled to London to co-produce the album with English producer Bullion (Nathan Jenkins).[2] Emerson created a side-project band called the Charm with Lombard, Bullion, and friend Keivon Hobeheidar to attribute the album to.[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic80/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash8/10[1]
MusicOMH[3]
NME[5]
Pitchfork8.0/10[6]
Uncut7/10[7]
The Wire[8]

& the Charm received a score of 80 out of 100 on review aggregator Metacritic based on seven critics’ reviews, indicating “generally favorable” reception.[4] Josh Crowe of Clash called it “a distinct strain of synth-pop that takes inspiration from avant-pop auteurs” that “still features snippets of sound linked to her live sets, but crucially the LP focuses on a new kind of songcraft and features Emerson’s voice”.[1] Uncut wrote that “Bullion’s smooth, rounded sound burnishes what is a dynamic collection of songs”,[7] while The Wire felt that “& the Charm will find favour with anyone into Cocteau Twins, dreamy bedroom synthpop and anything Balearic. ‘Entombed in Ice’ feels nostalgic but fresh, Emerson’s vocals floating effortlessly overhead”.[8]

Pitchfork‘s Anna Gaca commented that “the lucid dream-pop ditties of & the Charm take in the misty-eyed gaze of Japanese city pop, the slow-mo fireworks of shoegaze, the gentle sea spray of Balearic house, the jangly collage aesthetic of Saint Etienne“.[6] Ben Devlin of MusicOMH found it to be “decidedly less club-oriented than her previous work, focusing more on songcraft and Emerson’s ethereal vocals” with the tracks “hav[ing] a whimsical feel to them, at times borrowing from shoegaze and at other times disco, old-school electro and 2-step garage“.[3] Ben Jolley of NME felt that while most of the album “consists of incredibly catchy, radio-friendly pop songs” it is “on the whole sonically softer than her solo releases” and several tracks “still retain a club-friendly undercurrent”.[5] Sophie McNulty of Resident Advisor described the album as “musically soft and floaty, although there’s a dark tint to her lyrics”.[9]

Exclaim! ranked it the 17th best album of 2023, with the publication’s Alex Hudson writing that “when the vibes are heavenly, the clear-eyed lyrics and sweaty dance pulse keep & the Charm anchored here on Earth”.[10] Gorilla vs. Bear ranked it the 19th best album of the year,[11] while Pitchfork ranked it the 30th best.[12]

Track listing

& the Charm track listing
No.TitleLength
1.“Sandrail Silhouette”4:29
2.“Entombed in Ice”3:12
3.“A Vision”4:02
4.“Astrology Poisoning”3:39
5.“The Stone”2:35
6.“Dreamliner”5:13
7.“Hot Evening”4:01
8.“Karaoke Song”3:32
9.“A Dam Will Always Divide”8:53
Total length:39:00

References

  1. ^ a b c Crowe, Josh (April 25, 2023). “Avalon Emerson & the Charm – Avalon Emerson & the Charm“. Clash. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  2. ^ Sherburne, Philip (April 26, 2023). “Why Techno Rule-Breaker Avalon Emerson Traded Club Bangers for Featherlight Dream-Pop”. Pitchfork. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Devlin, Ben (April 27, 2023). “Avalon Emerson – & the Charm | Album Reviews”. MusicOMH. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  4. ^ a b “& the Charm by Avalon Emerson Reviews and Tracks”. Metacritic. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Jolley, Ben (May 2, 2023). “Avalon Emerson – & the Charm review: a shimmering evolution”. NME. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  6. ^ a b Gaca, Anna (May 1, 2023). “Avalon Emerson: & the Charm Album Review”. Pitchfork. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  7. ^ a b “Avalon Emerson – & the Charm“. Uncut. June 2023. p. 26.
  8. ^ a b “Avalon Emerson – & the Charm“. The Wire. July 2023. p. 63.
  9. ^ McNulty, Sophie (April 29, 2023). “Avalon Emerson – & the Charm · Album Review”. Resident Advisor. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  10. ^ Hudson, Alex (November 30, 2023). “Exclaim!‘s 50 Best Albums of 2023″. Exclaim!. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  11. ^ Cantalini, Chris (November 30, 2023). “Gorilla vs. Bear‘s Albums of 2023″. Gorilla vs. Bear. Retrieved December 2, 2023.
  12. ^ Zhang, Cat (December 5, 2023). “The 50 Best Albums of 2023”. Pitchfork. Retrieved December 6, 2023.

Source: en.wikipedia.org