Engravings (album)

Engravings is the debut album by English music producer Matthew Barnes under the stage name Forest Swords. It was released on 26 August 2013 by Tri Angle.

Engravings
Studio album by
Forest Swords
Released26 August 2013
Recorded2011–2013
GenreExperimental, electronic, dub
LabelTri Angle
ProducerMatthew Barnes
Forest Swords chronology
Dagger Paths
(2010)		 Engravings
(2013)		 Compassion
(2017)

Background

Uniquely, Engravings was mixed on headphones outdoors on Thurstaston Hill in The Wirral, which Barnes credits as giving the album a natural and atmospheric sound.[1] The recording of the album was only possible in short bursts as he was affected by hearing problems, which both delayed the completion of the album and contributed to the minimal nature of the arrangements.[2]

Brighton, UK vocalist Anneka provides vocals on the track "Anneka's Battle".[3]

Release

On 18 July 2013, Barnes announced the release of Engravings and posted the track "The Weight of Gold" to his SoundCloud page. It was later named "Best New Track" by Pitchfork.[4] Previously, "Thor's Stone" had been shared in June 2013 but without mention of the album release.[5]

The video for "Thor's Stone" was directed by Dave Ma and was online in September 2013, featuring Spanish dancer Guzman Rosado.[6]

A video for "The Weight of Gold" directed by French dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied was posted online in February 2014, featuring dancer Billy Barry.[7]

A remix of "Thor's Stone" by dub artist Lee Scratch Perry was posted online in November 2013.[8]

Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.0/10[9]
Metacritic81/100[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash9/10[11]
Consequence of Sound[12]
Exclaim!8/10[13]
Fact4/5[14]
Mixmag4.5/5[15]
NME7/10[16]
The Observer[17]
Pitchfork 8.5/10[18]
Resident Advisor4.5/5[3]
Uncut7/10[19]

Engravings received strong critical reviews on release.[10] Mixmag named Engravings their album of the month for August 2013 and praised it as "one of the most inventive albums of the year".[15] Pitchfork designated the album as "Best New Music" and said, "Every song is boldly sensual, and each note has a distinct emotional hue. Mixing that intensity with dream-like atmospheres lands Engravings in a unique emotional space".[18] Fact wrote, "If Dagger Paths was a revelation, Engravings is a refinement, long to arrive but worth the wait."[14] Resident Advisor deemed it "even more breathtaking" than Dagger Paths.[3]

Engravings was listed in year-end lists of the best albums of 2013 by several publications, including The Wire, Pitchfork,[20] Stereogum,[21] Clash,[22] Filter,[23] Dummy Mag,[24] Bleep.com,[25] Tiny Mix Tapes,[26] Norman Records,[27] Piccadilly Records,[28] eMusic,[23] and Rhapsody.[29]

The album cover artwork, designed by Barnes, was nominated for the award "Best Art Vinyl 2013"[30] and listed in Pitchfork's top 25 album covers of 2013.[31]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Matthew Barnes, except where noted.

No.TitleLength
1."Ljoss"5:19
2."Thor's Stone"4:31
3."Irby Tremor"4:11
4."Onward"5:40
5."The Weight of Gold"5:04
6."An Hour"5:02
7."Anneka's Battle" (writer: Anneka Warburton)4:09
8."Gathering"4:59
9."The Plumes"3:40
10."Friend, You Will Never Learn"8:12

References
  1. Clay, Joe (3 September 2013). "The Lay Of The Land: Forest Swords Interviewed". The Quietus. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  2. Hockley-Smith, Sam (28 August 2013). "Interview: Forest Swords". The Fader. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  3. Ryce, Andrew (26 August 2013). "Forest Swords – Engravings". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  4. Fallon, Patrick (18 July 2013). "Listen to "The Weight of Gold" by Forest Swords". Pitchfork. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  5. Pelly, Jenn (6 June 2013). "Listen: Forest Swords: "Thor's Stone"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  6. "Forest Swords: Thor's Stone". Nowness. 27 September 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  7. Millepied, Benjamin (20 February 2014). "Forest Swords: The Weight of Gold". Nowness. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  8. Battan, Carrie (27 November 2013). "Listen: Lee "Scratch" Perry Remixes Forest Swords' "Thor's Stone"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  9. "Engravings by Forest Swords reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  10. "Reviews for Engravings by Forest Swords". Metacritic. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  11. Diver, Mike (16 August 2013). "Forest Swords – Engravings". Clash. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  12. Kivel, Adam (27 August 2013). "Album Review: Forest Swords – Engravings". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on 29 August 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  13. Mertens, Max (26 August 2013). "Forest Swords: Engravings". Exclaim!. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  14. Kalev, Maya (22 August 2013). "Engravings". Fact. Archived from the original on 1 June 2016. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  15. "Forest Swords: Engravings". Mixmag. August 2013.
  16. Hutchinson, Kate (20 August 2013). "Forest Swords – 'Engravings'". NME. Archived from the original on 31 August 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  17. Hoby, Hermione (25 August 2013). "Forest Swords: Engravings – review". The Observer. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  18. Masters, Marc (27 August 2013). "Forest Swords: Engravings". Pitchfork. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  19. "Forest Swords: Engravings". Uncut (198): 67. October 2013.
  20. "The Top 50 Albums of 2013 - Page 2". Pitchfork. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  21. "Forest Swords – Engravings (Tri Angle)". Stereogum. 3 December 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  22. Diver, Mike (5 December 2013). "Clash's Top Albums Of 2013: 30-21". Clash. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  23. "Filter Magazine Top 10 of 2013". Archived from the original on 7 February 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  24. Cliff, Aimee (11 December 2013). "The 20 best albums of 2013". DummyMag. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  25. "The Top Ten Albums of the Year". Bleep. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  26. "2013: Favorite 50 Albums of 2013". Tiny Mix Tapes. 16 December 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  27. "Norman Records". Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  28. "Piccadilly Records". Retrieved 26 August 2020.
  29. "Napster". us.napster.com.
  30. "Vinyl Record Frames | Art Vinyl".
  31. Renaud, Michael (5 December 2013). "The Top 25 Album Covers of 2013". Pitchfork. Retrieved 26 August 2020.
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