| Primitive and Deadly | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Studio album by Earth | ||
| Released | September 2 2014 | |
| Recorded | at Rancho De La Luna in Joshua Tree, California, USA | |
| Genre | Drone, Post-Rock Experimental | |
| Length | 47:15 | |
| Label | Southern Lord Records | |
| Producer | Earth | |
| Earth chronology | ||
| Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II (2012) |
Primitive and Deadly (2014) |
Boa/Cold (2014) |
Primitive and Deadly is the eighth studio album by Earth. It was released on 2 September 2014 through Southern Lord Records and the final Earth release on the label. The album, which features Mark Lanegan and Rabia Shaheen Qazi (Rose Windows) as guest vocalists, is the first Earth album since 1996's Pentastar: In the Style of Demons to feature vocals. Other contributors include Brett Netson (Built to Spill) and Jodie Cox (Narrows).
Peaking at #3 on the Billboard Heatseekers Charts,[1] Primitive and Deadly would see critical acclaim.
Background[]
Recording on Primitive and Deadly would take place at Rancho De La Luna in Joshua Tree, California and Avast! Recording Company studio in Seattle, Washington with producer Randall Dunn who had previously worked with Earth on Hex; or Printing in the Infernal Method (2005) and The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull (2008).[2] On the press release, the band stated that they "allowed themselves to be a rock band" and "approached traditional pop structures."[3] Rabia Shaheen Qazi and Mark Lanegan performed vocals on one and two songs, respectively, while Brett Netson and Jodie Cox contributed additional guitar tracks to the album.[4]
Notably Holly Carlson (Dylan Carlson's wife) was supposed to appear on the album cover but for unknown reasons did not. She would however appear on the album cover of Carlson's 2018 solo album Conquistador. Chelsea Wolfe was also intended to appear on the album as a vocalist but was unable to due to scheduling conflicts. Carlson has referred to the album as his "midlife crisis" record and a call back to his hard rock youth, stating that the album title sounded like a Scorpions album title. He would also note that Primitive and Deadly, as of 2018, was the highest selling Earth album.[5]
Primitive and Deadly would be announced in the Summer of 2014, with an album trailer being unveiled on 21 August 2014.[6] It would peak at #3 on the Billboard Heatseekers and remained there for four weeks,[7] the band's highest charting album until 2019's Full Upon Her Burning Lips which reached the #1 spot.[8] Primitive and Deadly also cracked several other Billboard charts including Top Hard Rock Albums (#20),[9] Vinyl Sales (#15),[10] Independent Albums (#33)[11] and Tastemakers (#9).[12]
Upon its release, Primitive and Deadly received a positive reception from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 80, which indicates "Generally favorable reviews", based on 18 reviews.[13] Thom Jurek of AllMusic stated: "Earth's massive, plodding, serpentine approach on Primitive and Deadly reflects a new focus on lyric euphony and a renewed commitment to corporeal force." Jurek also further added: "The pervasive, blinding darkness that saturates this bleak, sublime music is driven by the band's collective desire to seek ecstasy in the very heart of the void."[14] Drowned in Sound critic Tristan Bath, awarding an 8/10, described the album as "the latest in a recent suite of triumphs—by this point Earth are masters of their game, making music that’s bigger and more powerful than anything mere mortals should be able to create."[15] musicOMH critic Sam Shephard (Awarding an 8/10) wrote: "Primitive and Deadly, in part, represents an encapsulation of Earth’s discography, but more importantly it also sees the band moving on, entering a new phase and expanding their dimensions."[16] Grayson Currin of Pitchfork (Awarding a 7/10) declared: "Earth have seemed overdue for a change, and these songs collectively represent a promising half-step toward it."[17]
Other notable reviews would come from the likes of Tiny Mix Tapes (4.5/5),[18] The Line of Best Fit (8.5/10)[19] and The Quietus[20] among others.
Tracklist[]
All songs written by Dylan Carlson except where noted.
Track 6 is exclusive to the vinyl edition.
- 1. Torn By The Fox of The Crescent Moon (8:54)
- 2. There is a Serpent Coming (8:06) (Carlson, Lanegan)
- 3. From The Zodiacal Light (11:29) (Carlson, Qazi)
- 4. Even Hell Has It's Heroes (9:43)
- 5. Rooks Across The Gate (9:03)
- 6. Badgers Bane (12:27)
Personnel[]
- Dylan Carlson - Electric Guitar, Producer
- Adrienne Davies - Drums, Percussion, Producer
- Bill Herzog - Bass
- Brett Netson - Additional Guitars
- Jodie Cox - Additional Guitars
- Mark Lanegan - Vocals (2, 5)
- Rabia Shaheen Qazi - Vocals (3)
- Mathias Schneeberger - Engineer
- Dave Catching - Assistant Engineer
- Randall Dunn - Moog Synthesizer, Additional Recording, Mixing, Producer
- Jason Ward - Mastering
- Samantha Muljat - Design, Photography