Charlatans at the Garden Gate

Charlatans at the Garden Gate is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Tristen Gaspadarek. It was released on February 15, 2011, by American Myth Recordings.[7]

Charlatans at the Garden Gate
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 15, 2011 (2011-02-15)
Length35:39
LabelAmerican Myth
Producer
Tristen Gaspadarek chronology
Charlatans at the Garden Gate
(2011)
C A V E S
(2013)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
The A.V. ClubB+[2]
God Is in the TV[3]
Paste8.3/10[4]
Rolling Stone[5]
Slant Magazine[6]

Promotion

edit

Tristen performed a few songs from the album for Rolling Stone on June 13, 2011.[8]

Singles

edit

Tristen released the first music video to "Matchstick Murder" on January 4, 2011.[9]

The second single "Baby Drugs" was released on March 10, 2011.[10] The music video was directed by Justin Mitchell.[11]

Critical reception

edit

Charlatans at the Garden Gate was met with "universal acclaim" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 81 based on 4 reviews.[1]

In a review for Paste, critic reviewer China Reevers said: "Charlatans is an exploration of love and relationships, delving deeply into private conversations, while keeping the atmosphere light with tambourines, a little bit of rock, a touch of twang and a splash of pop. Her music remains light with playful rhythms, but she keeps her songs controlled as if they were on a string."[4] Christian Williams of The A.V. Club, described Charlatans at the Garden Gate as a "confident, poignant folk-pop debut that never wants for hooks, and manages to undercut its sing-songiness at every turn with unflinching lyrics and mature songwriting."[2] At Rolling Stone, Will Hermes explained that Tristen's debut is "full of such moments: catchy refrains with multiple meanings, ear-tugging melodies with hidden hooks. She flaunts a philosophy major's palette amidst echoes of vintage rockabilly and girl group pop."[5]

Accolades

edit
Publications' year-end list appearances for Charlatans at the Garden Gate
Critic/Publication List Rank Ref
American Songwriter American Songwriter's Top 50 Albums of 2011 44 [12]

Track listing

edit
Charlatans at the Garden Gate track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Eager for Your Love"Tristen Gaspadarek3:45
2."Matchstick Murder"Gaspadarek3:10
3."Doomsday"Gaspadarek3:33
4."Avalanche"Gaspadarek3:38
5."Battle of the Gods"Gaspadarek3:20
6."Baby Drugs"
  • Gaspadarek
  • Larissa Maestro
  • Caitlin Rose
2:34
7."Heart and Hope to Die"Gaspadarek3:22
8."Wicked Heart"
  • Gaspadarek
  • Buddy Hughen
2:37
9."Tadpole"
  • Gaspadarek
  • Rose
3:36
10."Special Kind of Fear"Gaspadarek2:20
11."Save Raina"Gaspadarek3:44

Personnel

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Williams, Christian (February 1, 2011). "The A.V. Club Review". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  3. ^ Daniels, Tiffany (February 7, 2011). "God Is in the TV Review". God Is in the TV. Archived from the original on June 22, 2013. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Reevers, China (February 4, 2011). "Paste Magazine Review". Paste. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Hermes, Will (March 3, 2011). "Rolling Stone Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  6. ^ Cataldo, Jesse (January 30, 2011). "Slant Magazine Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  7. ^ "Charlatans at the Garden Gate". Bandcamp. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  8. ^ "Tristen Performs songs from latest album". Rolling Stone. June 13, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  9. ^ "Tristen - Matchstick Murder". YouTube. January 4, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  10. ^ "Tristen Goes to Las Vegas in 'Baby Drugs'". Rolling Stone. March 10, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  11. ^ "Trsten - Baby Drugs". YouTube. March 9, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  12. ^ "American Songwriter's Top 50 Albums of 2011". American Songwriter. November 29, 2011. Archived from the original on December 2, 2011. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
edit