Marigold (Pinegrove album)

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Marigold
Studio album by
Pinegrove
ReleasedJanuary 17, 2020
RecordedMay 2018–February 2019
StudioAmperland (Kinderhook, New York)
Length37:29
LabelRough Trade
Producer
  • Evan Stephens Hall
  • Sam Skinner
Pinegrove chronology
Skylight
(2018) 		Marigold
(2020) 		Amperland, NY
(2021)
Singles from Marigold
  1. "Moment"
    Released: August 28, 2019
  2. "Phase"
    Released: October 30, 2019
  3. "The Alarmist"
    Released: January 14, 2020

Marigold is the fourth studio album by Pinegrove, released through Rough Trade Records on January 17, 2020. The album was produced by the band's frontman, singer-songwriter Evan Stephens Hall, as well as guitarist Sam Skinner. As with the band's previous album, Marigold was recorded and mixed at Amperland, a rural farmhouse occupied by the group in upstate New York.

Marigold is the band's first full-length on Rough Trade, with whom they signed in 2019.

Background[edit]

Pinegrove formed in 2010 in Montclair, New Jersey, and rose to prominence in the mid-2010s on the strength of their debut album, Cardinal (2016), as well as its follow-up effort, Skylight (2018). Marigold was recorded between May 2018 to February 2019, and followed for Hall "a period of intense self-reflection". As with its predecessor, the LP was recorded at the band's home studio, Amperland, a rural farmhouse shared by Hall and Nick Levine located in Kinderhook, a town in upstate New York. Pitchfork writer Jenn Pelly called Amperland a "spacious, light-filled house" in a "a small, sleepy country town a few hours north of Manhattan."[1] Writer Mark Moody describes it "the same stone's throw distance from the Hudson River as The Band's Big Pink."[2] A press release accompanying the album's announcement dubbed it an "urgent, multivalent meditation". "The Alarmist", a semi-acoustic song set in 6
8 time,[3] was described by Hall as "the negotiation of space between two people — balancing comfort and closeness with a need for independence."[4] "Moment", likewise, represents "a way of thinking about gratitude in the context of chaos or tedium."[5] "Phase" was inspired by insomnia, and the anxieties and thoughts a person cycles through when unable to sleep.[6] "Alcove" was inspired by a trip to visit Hall's extended family in California.[3] Journalist Kelefa Sanneh describes the penultimate song, "Neighbor", as an allegory for deceased animals, and the closing title track as a "meditative six-minute instrumental [...] during which the band cycles slowly between chords."[3]

The band released "Moment", the album's lead single, and announced their new partnership with Rough Trade, on August 28, 2019.[5] Two months later, the band issued a second single, "Phase", and announced the LP proper and its accompanying tour.[6] Shortly before the album's release, the band released a third advance track, "The Alarmist".[4] In promotion of the album, Pinegrove will embark on a tour across North American in February 2020, accompanied by Lake and Whitney Ballen, followed by a European tour between March and April 2020, alongside Buck Meek and Katy J Pearson.[6]

Reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.4/10[7]
Metacritic76/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
Clash8/10[10]
Consequence of SoundB[11]
Exclaim!7/10[12]
Mojo[13]
NME[14]
Paste8.1/10[15]
Pitchfork6.6/10[16]
Rolling Stone[17]
Uncut8/10[18]

Marigold has received positive notices from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 76 out of 100, which indicates "generally favorable reviews" based on 15 reviews.[8] Mark Moody, reviewing for the magazine Under the Radar, complimented the band's musical progression, calling it Pinegrove's "tightest recorded moments to date on display [...] Marigold unfolds with a feeling of more substance than what came before it."[2] Bud Scoppa of Uncut extolled Marigold as a "vibrantly empathetic experience" aided by its "mournful pedal steel, keening harmonies and thumping analogue rhythms,"[18] while Jenny Bulley of Mojo felt it captured the "guileless spirit of mid-'90s alt rock."[13] A Rolling Stone blurb likened the album's sound to the Promise Ring, and praised its "heartwarming" nature.[17] Sanneh, in a profile of the band for The New Yorker, described the LP as "noticeably more stoic," singling out "The Alarmist" for praise.[3]

Timothy Monger from AllMusic observed that Marigold "offers no major surprises or alterations in the band's sound, just quality songwriting and a rather remarkable consistency."[9] Though Jon Young, writing for Consequence of Sound, considered Hall's lyricism self-absorbed, he felt Marigold showcased the group "weaving a lovely tapestry of electric guitars shaded by occasional streaks of alt-country."[11] Reporter Bobby Olivier for NJ.com panned the album, suggesting it sounded "boring" and would be met with "measured appreciation but limited passion."[19] NME contributor Jordan Bassett too found the album "boring," writing that the band's "flashy radicalism [has been] muted into a more subtle, less immediate aesthetic."[14]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks are written by Evan Stephens Hall, except "Alcove", written by Evan Stephens Hall with Josh Marré

Marigold track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Dotted Line"4:20
2."Spiral"0:56
3."The Alarmist"4:01
4."No Drugs"2:48
5."Moment"3:10
6."Hairpin"3:10
7."Phase"2:30
8."Endless"3:26
9."Alcove"2:47
10."Neighbor"4:11
11."Marigold"6:09
Total length:37:29
Marigold – Japanese edition (bonus tracks)[20]
No.TitleLength
12."No Drugs" (Skylight Sessions) 
13."Phase" (Acoustic) 

Personnel[edit]

  • Evan Stephens Hall – guitar, vocals, piano, percussion, production, co-mixing
  • Nick Levine – guitar, pedal steel, baritone guitar, vocals, co-mixing
  • Zack Levine – drums, vocals, percussion, co-mixing
  • Josh Marré – bass guitar, guitar, lap steel, vocals
  • Sam Skinner – guitar, synthesizer, production, mixing
  • Nandi Rose Plunkett – vocals, piano, synthesizer
  • Doug Hall – piano, vocals
  • Michael William Levine – pedal steel

Charts[edit]

Sales chart performance for Marigold
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[21] 53
US Billboard 200[22] 176
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[23] 16
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[24] 25

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Pelly, Jenn (September 26, 2018). "Reckoning With Pinegrove". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Moody, Mark (January 13, 2020). "Pinegrove: Marigold (Rough Trade)". Under the Radar. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d Sanneh, Kelefa (January 13, 2020). "Pinegrove Stages a Complicated Comeback". The New Yorker. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Breihan, Tom (January 14, 2020). "Pinegrove – "The Alarmist"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Reilly, Nick (August 28, 2019). "Pinegrove share new single 'Moment' and sign to Rough Trade records". NME. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c Schatz, Lake (October 30, 2019). "Pinegrove announce new album Marigold, share "Phase": Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  7. ^ "Marigold by Pinegrove reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  8. ^ a b "Marigold by Pinegrove Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  9. ^ a b Monger, Timothy. "Marigold – Pinegrove". AllMusic. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  10. ^ Hakimian, Rob (January 15, 2020). "Pinegrove – 'Marigold'". Clash. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  11. ^ a b Young, Jon (January 16, 2020). "Pinegrove Follow a Difficult Chapter with Marigold". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  12. ^ Gormely, Ian (January 20, 2020). "Pinegrove: Marigold". Exclaim!. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  13. ^ a b Bulley, Jenny (February 2020). "Pinegrove: Marigold". Mojo. No. 315. p. 96.
  14. ^ a b Bassett, Jordan (January 16, 2020). "Pinegrove – 'Marigold' review: bruised country ballads from the frontline of adulthood". NME. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  15. ^ Edelstone, Steven (January 17, 2020). "Pinegrove Attempt to Forgive Themselves on Marigold". Paste. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  16. ^ Hogan, Marc (January 22, 2020). "Pinegrove: Marigold". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  17. ^ a b "Quick Hits". Rolling Stone. No. 1335. January 2020. p. 84.
  18. ^ a b Scoppa, Bud (February 2020). "Pinegrove: Marigold". Uncut. No. 273. p. 30.
  19. ^ Olivier, Bobby (January 17, 2020). "After scandal, N.J. band Pinegrove plays it too safe with 'Marigold': review". NJ.com. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  20. ^ "Pinegrove / Marigold". Tower Records.com. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  21. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  22. ^ "Pinegrove Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  23. ^ "Pinegrove Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  24. ^ "Pinegrove Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
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