Knower Forever is the fifth studio album by American independent electronic jazz-funk duo Knower. It was self-released on June 2, 2023. Recording was done sometime in 2023 at member Louis Cole's house. Cole was responsible for the album's production in its entirety. Musically, Knower Forever diverts from the duo's four previous albums, featuring an experimental sound with avant-pop and jazz-funk whilst continuing their theme of humorous and vulgar lyrics.
| Knower Forever | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 2, 2023 | |||
| Recorded | 2023 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 44:22 (45:33 with bonus track) | |||
| Label | Self-released | |||
| Producer | Louis Cole | |||
| Knower chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Knower Forever | ||||
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The album was first released exclusively on Bandcamp, and was promoted with a series of home-made videos. Its success on the platform resulted in a vinyl campaign, which preceded its release onto streaming platforms. Knower Forever received positive reviews from music critics.
Background and recording
editThe last album released by Knower was Life in 2016, an electronic record.[1][2] From that year onwards, Knower expanded their lineup and began performing as a live band,[3] with members including David Binney, Sam Gendel, Thom Gill, Dennis Hamm, Jacob Mann, Rai Thistlethwayte, and Sam Wilkes.[4][5]
Knower Forever was recorded at Cole's house[6][7] sometime in 2023; neither Cole or Genevieve Artadi revealed the dates of recording or production. Unlike their four previous albums which were produced exclusively by the duo, Knower Forever features performances and production from several musicians including Binney, Gendel, Thistlethwayte and Wilkes.[8][5]
Release and promotion
edit
Knower announced the release of Knower Forever in May 2023 as a Bandcamp exclusive, citing low payment from Spotify and other streaming services as their reason for doing so.[9][10] "I'm the President", "The Abyss", and "Crash the Car" were released as singles that month to promote the album,[11] alongside a series of music videos with a DIY style the band is known for.[12]
Knower Forever was released on Bandcamp on June 2, 2023,[13] and it was followed by a vinyl campaign. It was released on streaming platforms in October of that same year.[14]
Reception
editKnower Forever received positive reviews from music critics.
Zoe Camp of Bandcamp Daily ranked Knower Forever among their best albums of the year, believing the duo "are certainly at home basking in muzak's creature comforts, from the hermetically sealed vocals of city pop to the tonal warmth of smooth jazz."[15] James Rettig of Stereogum described it as "alternately squelching and smooth, and there are a whole lot of instruments backing Artadi as she talks some shit and pumps herself up."[11] The same publication later included "I'm the President" in a "Best Songs of the Week" list, praising its "horn flourishes, a backing choir, and a completely wild song structure that leapfrogs from bass-driven funk to high school marching band to mind-bending free jazz."[16]
James Sissler of Live for Live Music praised its variety, noting its switches from "aggressively funky and unashamedly silly" to "breathtaking melodies and epic orchestration".[10] Writers of Song Bar called the record a "jazz-funk tour de force LP of outstanding musicianship, infinite energy, humour and invention", and praised the duo and supporting band.[17] Tony Wolski of The Armed called Knower Forever one of his favorite albums of the year, stating that "It’s no secret that Louis Cole is an absolute force on drums. But Genevieve Artadi is the unsung MVP of this, making effortless melodies that get stuck in your head for days out of such unprecious, understated staccato utterances."[18]
The duo revealed that "for the first time ever, we made a shitload of money from an album" thanks to the success of the Bandcamp campaign.[14]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Louis Cole and Genevieve Artadi
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Knower Forever" | 2:26 |
| 2. | "I'm the President" | 4:07 |
| 3. | "The Abyss" | 3:02 |
| 4. | "Real Nice Moment" | 4:31 |
| 5. | "It's All Nothing Until It's Everything" | 5:08 |
| 6. | "Nightmare" | 5:50 |
| 7. | "Same Smile, Different Face" | 2:15 |
| 8. | "Do Hot Girls Like Chords" | 3:32 |
| 9. | "Ride That Dolphin" | 3:28 |
| 10. | "It Will Get Real" | 4:26 |
| 11. | "Crash the Car" | 5:36 |
| 12. | "Bonus Track" (Bandcamp exclusive) | 1:11 |
| Total length: | 45:33 | |
Personnel
editCredits are adapted from the Knower Forever liner notes.[19]
Musicians
- Louis Cole – drums, piano, keyboard, production, mixing, mastering
- Genevieve Artadi – vocals
- David Binney – saxophone
- chiquitamagic – keyboard
- Mononeon - bass
- Paul Cornish – keyboard, piano
- Sam Gendel – saxophone
- Jacob Mann – keyboard
- Rai Thistlethwayte – keyboard, piano
- Sam Wilkes – bass
Additional musicians
- Leah Zeger – violin
- Lily Honigberg – violin
- Megan Shung – violin
- Yu-Ting Wu – violin
- Chrysanthe Tan – violin
- Sabrina Parry – violin
- Nora Germain – violin
- Tylana Renga – violin
- Tom Lea – viola
- Ethan Moffitt – viola
- Daniel Jacobs – viola
- Lauren Baba – viola
- Isaiah Gage – cello
- Chris Votek – cello
- Niall Ferguson – cello
- Emily Elkin – cello
- Karl McComas-Reichl – bass
- Logan Kane – bass
- Robert Murray – tuba
- Corbin Jones – sousaphone
- Kyle Richter – sousaphone
- Jon Hatamiya – trombone
- Vikram Devasthali – trombone
- Mariel Austin – trombone
- Nick Platoff – bass trombone
- Aidan Lombard – trumpet
- Aaron Janik – trumpet
- Andris Mattson – trumpet
- Chris Clarkson – trumpet
- Rob Sheppard – flute
- Amber Navran – flute
- Henry Solomon – flute
- Kathryn Shuman – choir
- Mikaela Elson – choir
- Dyasono – choir
- Micaela Tobin – choir
- Jessica Freedman – choir
- Rayah Clarkson – choir
- Alexandra Domingo – choir
- Sharon Kim – choir
- Linnea Sablosky – choir
- Katharine Eames – choir
- Glynis Davies – choir
- Michael Kohl – choir
- Jeff Eames – choir
- VJ Rosales – choir
- Brett McDermid – choir
- Luc Kleiner – choir
- Sean Fitzpatrick – choir
References
edit- ^ Sissler, James (14 May 2023). "Louis Cole Drops 'Some Unused Songs', Announces First KNOWER Album Since 2016 [Listen/Video]". L4LM. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ^ hours, the after (January 28, 2024). "Knower — Life". Medium. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
- ^ Deflin, Kendall (2018-04-27). "KNOWER Gets Hyped Before Red Rocks Show With Vulfpeck Tonight". L4LM. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
- ^ "Knower drop the knowledge at Scala". Jazzwise. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
- ^ a b "KNOWER (USA) ft. Rai Thistlethwayte, Sam Wilkes, and Jacob Mann". Brisbane International Jazz Festival. 2018-06-04. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
- ^ Kalia, Ammar (2022-10-03). "Louis Cole: 'Funk is fun but with jazz you can just go wild'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
- ^ Burks, Tosten (April 5, 2019). "Louis Cole Jam Sessions Look Fun As Hell". Spin. Retrieved 2021-11-11.
- ^ Johnson, Kevin (June 26, 2023). "Knower Releases "Knower Forever" with MonoNeon and Sam Wilkes". No Treble. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
- ^ Hollingsworth, Ashley Perez (2023-05-02). "KNOWER Announce New Album 'KNOWER FOREVER'". GENRE IS DEAD!. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
- ^ a b Sissler, James (2023-06-04). "KNOWER FOREVER: Louis Cole To Kill Anyone Who Shares 1st KNOWER Album In 7 Years [Listen]". L4LM. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
- ^ a b "Louis Cole & Genevieve Artadi Announce New Knower Album: Hear "I'm The President"". Stereogum. 2023-05-01. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
- ^ Weedon, Paul (2022-10-12). "Quality Over Opinion: Inside The Mind Of Louis Cole". Clash. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
- ^ "KNOWER FOREVER, by KNOWER". KNOWER. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
- ^ a b KNOWER (2 October 2023). "knower album available everywhere". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ^ Camp, Zoe (4 December 2023). "The Best Albums of 2023: F – K". Bandcamp Daily. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ^ "The 5 Best Songs Of The Week". Stereogum. 2023-05-05. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
- ^ "KNOWER: Knower Forever - album review". Song Bar. 2023-07-11. Retrieved 2024-10-31.
- ^ "The Armed's Tony Wolski discusses his favorite albums of 2023". BrooklynVegan. December 13, 2023. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
- ^ Knower Forever (CD liner notes). Knower. 2023.