Starfruit (album)

starfruit is the fourth studio album from the American pop group stephaniesǐd.

starfruit
Studio album by
stephaniesǐd
ReleasedOctober 18, 2011
GenreIndie pop
Length53:20
LabelNine Mile
ProducerStephanie Morgan
Stephaniesǐd chronology
Warm People
(2009)		 starfruit
(2011)		 Excavator
(2015)

Content

The fourteen-track album was released digitally and on compact disc with Nine Mile Records, on October 18, 2011. It was produced and engineered by Stephanie Morgan in her basement studio, mixed by Jeff Knor at Collapseable Studios in Asheville, North Carolina, and mastered by Seva at Soundcurrent Studios in Knoxville, Tennessee.[1] The cover art is by Jenny Greer at Sound Mind Media. Five or six of the songs of starfruit arose from an art project assignment she shared with friends. Morgan explains that "we gave each other assignments every week[,] writing a song in a particular tempo or rhythm, or one inspired by a movie. And it made us do things we might not normally do."[2] Songs from starfruit were posted online for fans, and the collection of singles formed the nucleus for the album. [3] Conceptually, Morgan describes the album as a "universe [that] leapt out of the grayness", adding "track by track, a mouthwatering other-world materialized, hovering a few feet above some cheap microphones, a laptop and the pit of the stormy sea."[4]

The album is described as "lush, sophisticated pop, hip-hop [with] jazzy atmospherics."[1] It draws comparison to the music of Massive Attack, Tune-Yards, and Janet Jackson.[5] The CD release party for starfruit was held at the Lexington Avenue Arts & Fun Festival, on September 3, 2011, where they performed on the Arts2People electric stage.[4] The album was digitally reissued with Mint 400 Records, in 2015.

Reception

A review by Ryan Snyder in Yes! Weekly says the album is "both a tribute to and a product of the most impulsive part of the psychic apparatus, a romantic notion in theory, but rarely consonant in praxis." He commends their rendition of Dream Academy's "Life in a Northern Town", saying that it is an "infectious and uplifting recitation of the once carefree middle-class lifestyle, and it's a rarity in pop music where tasteful jazz drums can push a song from good to great", however notes the "overdubbed vocal tracks and misplaced outbursts obscure and complicate Morgan's dynamic range and the band's driving rhythm on "Life of Pi.""[5] In comparison with their prior albums, Top40-Charts notes "the sprawling fourteen-track effort touches on all of the band's many influences [and] has a much looser, more organic feel[,] while retaining the band's penchant for intricate arrangements, unusual textures, and virtuosic playing."[3]

A The Daily Times reviewer says, "with vocals as smoky and sultry as a glass of red wine[,] starfruit drips with a complex weave of layers and studio bells and whistles that give the album a lush, expansive sound."[2] San Antonio Express-News says starfruit "takes Morgan's precious confessional talents and mashes them with a ghostly, childlike quality, amplified by toy pianos and bell-like interludes that would feel at home at a rave, alt-rock club or mix-tape party."[1]

Tracklisting
No.TitleLength
1."closer"3:46
2."life of pi"2:57
3."cadiz"3:03
4."i like it"4:40
5."cinematic"3:15
6."doggy song"5:17
7."life in a northern town"4:59
8."starf***er"3:01
9."shlamiel"2:56
10."i like it too"3:39
11."house of many colors"4:20
12."multiply"3:19
13."so low"6:14
14."a hope"1:55
Total length:53:20

Personnel
  • Stephanie Morgan – vocals, guitar and synths
  • Chuck Lichtenberger – piano, rhodes, synths and backing vocals on "so low"
  • Tim Haney – drums

Additional musicians

  • Susanne Hackett – additional vocals on "cinematic"
  • Sarah Hurd – violin orchestra
  • Jonathan Pearlman – guitar
  • Justin Ray – flugelhorn and trumpet
  • Jon Reid – marimba, rhodes, melodica, ukulele and bass on "house of many colors"
  • Matthew Richmond – vibraphone, bells and percussion
  • Jacob Rodriguez – baritone and tenor sax, bass clarinet and hand claps
gollark: Many TTA members *have* potatoes, but potatoes are not members.
gollark: I do not believe that any potatoes are members of the TTA.
gollark: I did declare war, but only on potatoes.
gollark: I never actually agreed to that, so...
gollark: `nagoL2015: Me and gollark announce war on cloud`

References

Citations

  1. Saldaña 2011.
  2. Wildsmith 2011.
  3. Top40-Charts 2011.
  4. Marshall 2011.
  5. Snyder 2011.

Bibliography

  • Marshall, Alli (August 30, 2011), ""Ripe for the picking"", Mountain Xpress, retrieved March 9, 2019
  • Saldaña, Hector (October 4, 2011), "Stephaniesid leader uses a bit of psychology to connect musically", San Antonio Express-News, retrieved March 9, 2019
  • Snyder, Ryan (November 9, 2011), "Stephaniesid – Starfruit", Yes! Weekly, retrieved March 9, 2019
  • Top40-Charts Staff (September 16, 2011), "Stephaniesid, Noir-Pop Band, Releases 'Starfruit' On October 18, 2011", Top40-Charts, retrieved March 9, 2019
  • Wildsmith, Steve (November 9, 2011), "Asheville-based band StephaniesId makes something beautiful with 'Starfruit'", The Daily Times, retrieved March 9, 2019
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