Aleph (album)

Aleph is the debut album by French DJ Gesaffelstein, released on 28 October 2013 on Parlophone and through Owsla in North America. Gesaffelstein began recording it in 2011,[4] and while still working on it, he gained popularity as one of the producers behind Kanye West's Yeezus (2013).[2] Two singles were released to promote Aleph: "Pursuit" and "Hate or Glory". The album received positive reviews from music critics.

Aleph
A jewel CD case with no artwork, covered by thin white lines, resembling a circuit board, with a white Hebrew letter Aleph in the middle of it. Inside is a gold disk with no text on it.
Studio album by
Gesaffelstein
Released28 October 2013
Recorded2011–2013
Genre
Length66:07
LabelParlophone, Owsla (North America)
ProducerGesaffelstein
Gesaffelstein chronology
Bromance #4: Rise of Depravity
(2012)		 Aleph
(2013)		 Hyperion
(2019)
Singles from Aleph
  1. "Pursuit"
    Released: 17 June 2013
  2. "Hate or Glory"
    Released: 8 October 2013

Promotion and release

Before the release of Aleph, two singles were released to promote the album. The first one, "Pursuit", was released on 17 June 2013.[5] Its music video was also released the same day.[6] Spin named it one of the best music videos of 2013.[7] The second single, "Hate or Glory", was released on 8 October 2013,[8] along with a music video for it.[9]

In September 2013 the album was made available for pre-order.[10] The album packaging was also shown. Similar to Kanye West's Yeezus, physical releases feature no album cover; the album's gold disc is placed inside an empty CD jewel case covered by thin white lines, resembling a circuit board,[11] with the Hebrew letter Aleph in white in the middle. Aleph was released on 28 October 2013 on Parlophone and through Owsla in North America.[10]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash8/10[2]
Consequence of SoundB[3]
NME8/10[1]
Pitchfork7.8/10[11]

Aleph received widespread acclaim from critics. Writing for Pitchfork, Jamieson Cox praised the album and compared it to Kanye West's Yeezus in terms of its "thematic consistency and coherence", while citing the album's lack of concision as its main weakness.[11] Derek Staples of Consequence of Sound noted the album's "steadfast focus on infusing dancefloor chaos with hushed melodies, soul-piercing vocals, and isolated, minimal basslines" and claimed that Gesaffelstein was "fortifying the roots of a very successful career".[3] David Renshaw from NME magazine felt that much of the album had "a stainless-steel coldness to it" which he claimed "mostly works."[1] In Los Angeles Times, August Brown called Aleph Gesaffelstein's breakthrough album and "a harsh reaction to the smoothed-out disco tones that have dominated radio and mainstream clubs of late".[12] Reef Younis in his review for Clash magazine gave the album an 8/10 and wrote, "From the tom-tom thump of opener of 'Out Of Line' to the twisted electro of 'Trans', the beats hit with a thundering mechanical heft."[2]

Accolades

Spin featured Aleph on their "20 Best Dance Albums of 2013" list, saying that Gesaffelstein "brings all the grinding menace of late-'80s Ministry [...] and creates a texturally naked battering of rusty noises and digital trash".[13] Complex named it one of the best EDM albums of 2013, saying that the album "takes us back to the last electronica era, where major labels were shelling out for albums that pushed the boundaries" and that Gesaffelstein "maintains a vibe that's raw and aggressive, but isn't afraid of going downright murky".[14] Billboard placed the album 14 on its list of 20 best dance music albums of 2013, stating that "Levy’s debut full-length implies an almost refreshing nihilism that rejects the sunshine and light of EDM in a sonic language it still understands".[15]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Mike Lévy[16]

Aleph track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Out of Line"2:35
2."Pursuit"4:07
3."Nameless"4:39
4."Destinations"3:36
5."Obsession"4:09
6."Hellifornia"3:40
7."Aleph"4:46
8."Wall of Memories"3:50
9."Duel"3:59
10."Piece of Future"5:09
11."Hate or Glory"4:48
12."Values"3:59
13."Trans"4:33
14."Perfection"12:17
Total length:66:07

Notes

  • The CD version contains a hidden track "Premiere porte" on track 14 "Perfection" which starts at 8:30 approximately. "Perfection" runs for 12 minutes and 17 seconds (12:17) on CD.

Charts
Chart performance for Aleph
Chart (2013) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17] 77
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[18] 66
French Albums (SNEP)[19] 30
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[20] 95
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[21] 16
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[22] 50

References
  1. Renshaw, David (28 October 2013). "Gesaffelstein – 'Aleph'". NME. Archived from the original on 2013-11-01. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  2. Younis, Reef (4 December 2013). "Gesaffelstein - Aleph". Clash. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  3. Staples, Derek (15 November 2013). "Album Review: Gesaffelstein – Aleph". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  4. "Gesaffelstein's Debut Album 'Aleph' - Out Now!". EDM Sauce. 29 October 2013.
  5. Fallon, Patric. ""Pursuit" by Gesaffelstein Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  6. Sivan, Yarden (19 June 2013). "[PHOTOS] Deciphering Gesaffelstein's #Pursuit In New Music Video". Vibe. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  7. Johnston, Maura. "SPIN's Best Music Videos of 2013". Spin. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  8. "All of the Dance Music on Zane Lowe's "Hottest Records of 2013" List". Complex. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  9. Systrom, Conor (3 October 2013). "Gesaffelstein's Violent Social Message: "Hate or Glory" Music Video". Vibe. Retrieved 2 December 2017.
  10. "Gesaffelstein's "Aleph" Tracklist Revealed". Complex. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  11. Cox, Jamieson. "Gesaffelstein: Aleph Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  12. Brown, August (23 May 2014). "Live review: Gesaffelstein at the Fonda – LA Times". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  13. "SPIN's 20 Best Dance Albums of 2013". Spin. 9 December 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  14. Tactic, Brent. "The Best Albums of 2013". Complex. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  15. Mason, Kerri; McCarthy, Zel. "20 Best Dance Music Albums of 2013: CODE Picks". Billboard. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  16. "Gesaffelstein's "Aleph" Tracklist Revealed". Complex. 24 September 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2019.
  17. "Ultratop.be – Gesaffelstein – Aleph" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  18. "Ultratop.be – Gesaffelstein – Aleph" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  19. "Lescharts.com – Gesaffelstein – Aleph". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  20. "Swisscharts.com – Gesaffelstein – Aleph". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  21. "Gesaffelstein Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  22. "Gesaffelstein Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
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