Dying in Stereo is the second release by New York City-based alternative hip hop group Northern State. It was first released on June 3, 2002, on Startime International, and then re-released in May 2003 by Columbia Records.[1] It has been described variously as an EP and a "mini-album". Nevertheless, it is usually described as their official debut album, since their only previous release (Hip Hop You Haven't Heard) was a self-released four-song demo. This led PopMatters to describe it as a "litmus test" that will determine "what will happen to white, female, feminist rappers, who aren’t pencil-thin or supermodel pretty."[2]

Dying in Stereo
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 3, 2002 (2002-06-03)
GenreHip hop music
Length32:37
LabelStartime International
Columbia
Northern State chronology
Hip Hop You Haven't Heard
(2002)
Dying in Stereo
(2002)
All City
(2004)

Reception

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The album received generally favorable reviews from critics.[3] The exceptions to this trend included Pitchfork Media, which gave it a scathing review in which the reviewer, Michael Idov, described the album as "the most heinous hip-hop release since MC Skat Kat went solo",[4] and Drowned in Sound, which described Northern State as "a pointless hybrid of the Beastie Boys and *N-tyce (from the female wing of the Wu)."[5] Many other critics also compared Dying in Stereo's music to that of the Beastie Boys.[6]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic77/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic     [7]
Drowned in Sound1/10[5]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[8]
NME6/10[9]
Pitchfork Media0.8/10[4]
PopMatters(mixed)[2]
Robert ChristgauA[10]
Rolling Stone     [11]
SpinB[6]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."A Thousand Words"3:37
2."Trinity"4:11
3."At the Party"3:42
4."The Man's Dollar"3:28
5."Vicious Cycle"4:39
6."Signal Flow (You Can't Fade Me)"4:07
7."All the Same"4:05
8."Dying in Stereo"4:47

References

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  1. ^ "Columbia Records Set to Release All City, Eagerly-Awaited New Album From Northern State" (Press release). Sony Corporation. 24 May 2004. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  2. ^ a b Powers, Devon (30 June 2003). "Dying in Stereo Review". PopMatters. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  3. ^ a b Dying in Stereo, Metacritic
  4. ^ a b Idov, Michael (2003) "Northern State Dying in Stereo", Pitchfork Media, July 17, 2003
  5. ^ a b McKeating, Scott (13 April 2003). "Dying in Stereo". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 29 May 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  6. ^ a b Reilly, Phoebe (15 July 2003). "Northern State Start the Party". Spin. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  7. ^ Wilson, MacKenzie. "Dying in Stereo". Allmusic. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  8. ^ Hermes, Will (6 June 2003). "Dying In Stereo (2003)". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 29, 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  9. ^ Carhart-Harris (2 June 2003). "Dying in Stereo". NME. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  10. ^ "CG: Northern State". Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  11. ^ Hoard, Christian (June 12, 2003). "Northern State, Dying in Stereo". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on May 24, 2003. Retrieved December 20, 2014.