Marigold (Pinegrove album)

2020 studio album by Pinegrove

Marigold

Studio album by

Pinegrove

Released| January 17, 2020
Recorded| May 2018–February 2019
Studio| Amperland (Kinderhook, New York)
Length| 37:29
Label| Rough 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 ratingsAggregate scores

Source| Rating
AnyDecentMusic?| 7.4/10[7]
Metacritic| 76/100[8]
Review scores
Source| Rating
AllMusic| [9]
Clash| 8/10[10]
Consequence of Sound| B[11]
Exclaim!| 7/10[12]
Mojo| [13]
NME| [14]
Paste| 8.1/10[15]
Pitchfork| 6.6/10[16]
Rolling Stone| [17]
Uncut| 8/10[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 listingNo.| Title| Length

|
|

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.| Title| Length

|
|

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]

* List of 2020 albums

## 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.

* v
* t
* e

Pinegrove

* Evan Stephens Hall
* Zack Levine

Studio albums|

* Meridian (2012)
* Cardinal (2016)
* Skylight (2018)
* Marigold (2020)
* 11:11 (2022)

Live albums|

* Pinegrove on Audiotree Live (2016)
* Elsewhere (2017)
* Amperland, NY (2021)

Compilation albums|

* Everything So Far (2014)

Songs|

* "Need 2"
* "Old Friends"
* "Cadmium"
* "Intrepid"
* "Phase"
* "Habitat"

Related articles|

* Discography
* List of songs
* Half Waif

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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