Fall Be Kind
Fall Be Kind is the fourth EP by American experimental pop band Animal Collective. It was released digitally in MP3 and WAV formats on November 23, 2009, and as both a CD and LP in the United Kingdom on December 14, 2009 and in the United States on December 15, 2009. Some stores in Australia and New Zealand began selling it more than a week earlier, due to the band's touring presence there at the time.
Fall Be Kind | ||||
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EP by | ||||
Released | November 23, 2009 | |||
Recorded | February 2008 – August 2009 | |||
Studio | ||||
Length | 27:20 | |||
Label | Domino | |||
Producer | Ben H. Allen | |||
Animal Collective chronology | ||||
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On November 18, 2009, Domino Records accidentally sent pre-ordered CDs of Fall Be Kind to customers before the actual release date, resulting in a lossless digital version leaking, in its entirety, onto the internet.
Recorded by Ben H. Allen at Sweet Tea in Oxford in February 2008 and at Mission Sound in Brooklyn in August 2009, Fall Be Kind includes live favorites "Graze" and "What Would I Want? Sky". The latter track contains a sample of "Unbroken Chain" by the Grateful Dead, the first ever licensed sample of a Grateful Dead recording.[1] The cover depicts a statue photographed through a brown paper bag attached to the camera lens.
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.6/10[2] |
Metacritic | 84/100[3] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [4] |
The A.V. Club | A[5] |
Entertainment Weekly | A[6] |
Financial Times | [7] |
The Independent | [8] |
Los Angeles Times | [9] |
NME | 8/10[10] |
Pitchfork | 8.9/10[11] |
Rolling Stone | [12] |
Spin | 7/10[13] |
Fall Be Kind was met with generally favorable reviews by critics. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 84, based on 21 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".[3] Lewis P. from Sputnikmusic claimed "it had the impossible task of following up one of the most hyped albums of this decade and yet it barely breaks a sweat." He went on to give a perfect rating.[14]
Track listing
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Graze" | 5:22 |
2. | "What Would I Want? Sky" | 6:46 |
3. | "Bleed" | 3:29 |
4. | "On a Highway" | 4:36 |
5. | "I Think I Can" | 7:10 |
Total length: | 27:20 |
Sample credits[15]
- "Graze" incorporates elements of "Ardeleana", arranged and performed by Gheorghe Zamfir.
- "What Would I Want? Sky" features samples of "Unbroken Chain", written by Phil Lesh and Robert Petersen and performed by the Grateful Dead.
Personnel
Credits adapted from liner notes.[15]
Animal Collective
Additional personnel
- Ben Allen – mixing, recording
- Animal Collective – mixing
- Rob Carmichael – design and layout
- Aaron Ersoy – recording assistance
- Andy Marcinkowski – recording assistance
- Heather McIntosh – cello on "Graze" and "Bleed"
References
- Phillips, Amy (July 17, 2009). "Animal Collective License First Legal Grateful Dead Sample Ever". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 3, 2009.
- "Fall Be Kind by Animal Collective reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- "Reviews for Fall Be Kind [EP] by Animal Collective". Metacritic. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
- Bush, John. "Fall Be Kind – Animal Collective". AllMusic. Retrieved December 23, 2009.
- Hyden, Steven (December 1, 2009). "Animal Collective: Fall Be Kind". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- Maerz, Melissa (December 4, 2009). "Fall Be Kind". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (December 12, 2009). "Animal Collective: Fall Be Kind". Financial Times. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- Gill, Andy (December 4, 2009). "Album: Animal Collective, Fall Be Kind (Domino)". The Independent. Archived from the original on December 7, 2009. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- Wappler, Margaret (December 14, 2009). "Album review: Animal Collective's 'Fall Be Kind'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- Kharas, Kev (December 8, 2009). "Album review: Animal Collective – 'Fall Be Kind' (Domino)". NME. Archived from the original on December 16, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- Richardson, Mark (November 25, 2009). "Animal Collective: Fall Be Kind EP". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 25, 2009.
- Rosen, Jody (November 23, 2009). "Fall Be Kind". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- Kornhaber, Spencer (December 9, 2009). "Animal Collective, 'Fall Be Kind' (Domino)". Spin. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- Lewis P. (23 November 2009). "Review: Fall Be Kind". Sputnik Music. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
- Fall Be Kind (liner notes). Animal Collective. Domino Recording Company. 2009. RUG341CD.CS1 maint: others (link)