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The Both (album)

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The Both
The Both album front cover.jpg
Studio album by
The Both
ReleasedApril 15, 2014
Length41:59
Producer Paul Bryan

The Both is the 2014 self-titled debut album from the indie rock duo The Both, composed of Aimee Mann and Ted Leo.

Contents

Mann and Leo announced in 2013 that they would be releasing an EP together, [1] but after writing enough material for an EP, they decided to continue the collaboration and release a full album. [2] On April 15, 2014, the Both released their debut album, The Both, on Mann's label, SuperEgo Records.

The songs were written by a cross-country exchange of notes, taking "stems of an idea and kick[ing] them back and forth," according to Leo. [3] As Mann described the songwriting process to Billboard , there were "some songs where each person has their verse, the chorus may be written by one person, the bridge written by the other, but there are definitely songs where we would go over line-by-line or just ask each other questions" to "focus the narrative." [2]

The first co-written song, "You Can't Help Me Now," was started by Leo, who described himself as "shaken" when he received Mann's initial notes on the song, because "a person who I respect so much is handing me negative notes about something I wrote. It was really just my own quaking ego.... But we got past that pretty quickly." [4] Leo described the partnership with Mann as "figuratively the best thing that has happened to my writing process in my life." [4]

According to Mann, the song "Bedtime Stories" was written about Scott Miller, as an expression of mourning and as "a musical salute ... consciously a tribute to him, especially the chord progression of the chorus, which is very, very Loud Family." [1]

The album was produced by Paul Bryan, a member of Mann's band, and was recorded in Los Angeles throughout 2013. [5] Bryan also is credited as a performer on the album.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 79/100 [6]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Spin 7/10 [9]

Billboard called the album "a synthesis and meeting-in-the-middle of Leo and Mann's sonic signatures", resulting in a "warm, intimate and often exuberant piece of work." [2]

The collaboration was well-received, with NPR's Stephen Thompson writing that "each singer sounds freshened and energized — never diminished." [10] The A.V. Club wrote, "Even as Mann pushes toward friendly pop-rock and Leo pulls toward spiky punkiness, the lack of struggle in that mild tension makes for a charm offensive that's hard to resist." [11] The Boston Globe cited "hand-in-glove harmonies" as the album's strongest point, with Mann's "mesmerizing, chalky murmur" giving a "warmly blurry edge" to Leo, while Leo's brashness helped "rough up her style." [12]

Spin called the album "the best thing either artist has ever done," and a "pleasant late-career surprise from an auteur who needed more power and a rocker who needed more pop." [9] In a previous article, Spin cited the song "Milwaukee" as both "brainy and leanly catchy, with a peppy chorus" and a "rollicking, raise-your-beers guitar solo." [13]

Track listing

All tracks are written by the Both, except "Honesty Is No Excuse" written by Phil Lynott.

The Both track listing
No.TitleLength
1."The Gambler"3:08
2."Milwaukee"4:21
3."No Sir"3:46
4."Volunteers of America"3:44
5."Pay for It"3:16
6."You Can't Help Me Now"3:39
7."The Prisoner"4:41
8."Hummingbird"4:04
9."Honesty Is No Excuse"3:28
10."Bedtime Stories"4:05
11."The Inevitable Shove"3:50

The Barnes & Noble release of the album has two bonus tracks: acoustic versions of "Milwaukee" and "No Sir".

Music videos

During the week prior to the release of the album, SuperEgo Records released a music video of "Milwaukee," by director Daniel Ralston. [2] [14] The video featured Leo as both himself and his fictional uncle Ed Leo, supposedly a former drummer for Adrenalin O.D., providing a comical clash of styles while touring as drummer for the Both. [2] [15] Later in 2014, the SuperEgo label released a music video for "Volunteers of America," also directed by Ralston and featuring Ed Leo. [16]

Chart performance

The Both debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 59, [17] and on the Billboard Independent Albums chart at No. 12. [18]

Chart (2014)Peak
position
US Billboard 200 [19] 59
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [20] 15
US Independent Albums (Billboard) [21] 12
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard) [22] 12

References

  1. 1 2 Willman, Chris (January 2014). "About". The Both. Archived from the original on 2014-04-16.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Flanagan, Andrew (April 25, 2014). "Ted Leo & Aimee Mann Q&A: On The Both, Learning To Collaborate and Their Musical Theater Future". Billboard . Archived from the original on 2014-04-25.
  3. ↑ Miliard, Mike (April 24, 2014). "Aimee Mann and Ted Leo join forces". Portland Phoenix. Portland, Maine. Archived from the original on 2014-05-02.
  4. 1 2 Reed, James (April 24, 2014). "Aimee Mann, Ted Leo team up as the Both". Boston Globe . Archived from the original on 2014-04-25.
  5. ↑ Luerssen, John D. (January 24, 2014). "Aimee Mann and Ted Leo Join Forces as the Both". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on 2014-01-29.
  6. ↑ "The Both". Metacritic. Retrieved 2014-04-28.
  7. ↑ Sendra, Tim (2014). "Review: The Both". AllMusic . Archived from the original on 2014-04-28.
  8. ↑ Hermes, Will (April 17, 2014). "The Both". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on 2014-04-28.
  9. 1 2 Weiss, Dan (April 7, 2014). "Ted Leo and Aimee Mann Double Your Power-Pop Pleasure as 'The Both'". Spin . Archived from the original on 2014-04-28.
  10. ↑ Thompson, Stephen (2014-04-06). "First Listen: The Both, 'The Both'". NPR.
  11. ↑ Heller, Jason (April 15, 2014). "Aimee Mann and Ted Leo find common ground as The Both". The A.V. Club .
  12. ↑ Rodman, Sarah (April 15, 2014). "As the Both, Aimee Mann and Ted Leo make a dynamic duo". The Boston Globe .
  13. ↑ Hogan, Marc (January 24, 2014). "Aimee Mann and Ted Leo, as the Both, Bronze the Fonz on Punchy 'Milwaukee'". Spin . Archived from the original on 2014-02-03.
  14. ↑ SuperEgo Records (April 9, 2014). "The Both - Milwaukee" (official music video). YouTube.
  15. ↑ Eakin, Marah (April 9, 2014). "Ted Leo plays his aging rocker uncle in a new video from The Both". The A.V. Club .
  16. ↑ SuperEgo Records (August 27, 2014). "The Both - Volunteers of America" (official music video). YouTube.
  17. ↑ "The Both Album & Song Chart History". Billboard 200 for The Both. May 3, 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-04-28.
  18. ↑ "The Both Album & Song Chart History". Billboard Independent Albums for The Both. May 3, 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-04-28.
  19. ↑ "The Both Album & Song Chart History". Billboard 200 for The Both. May 3, 2014.
  20. ↑ "The Both Album & Song Chart History". Billboard Top Rock Albums for The Both. June 7, 2014.
  21. ↑ "The Both Album & Song Chart History". Billboard Independent Albums for The Both. May 3, 2014.
  22. ↑ "The Both Album & Song Chart History". Billboard Alternative Albums for The Both. June 7, 2014.
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