Dying in Stereo
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 | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | June 3, 2002 | |||
Genre | Hip hop music | |||
Length | 32:37 | |||
Label | Startime International Columbia | |||
Northern State chronology | ||||
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Reception
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]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 77/100[3] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [7] |
Drowned in Sound | 1/10[5] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+[8] |
NME | 6/10[9] |
Pitchfork Media | 0.8/10[4] |
PopMatters | (mixed)[2] |
Robert Christgau | A[10] |
Rolling Stone | [11] |
Spin | B[6] |
Track listing
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
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
- "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.
- Powers, Devon (30 June 2003). "Dying in Stereo Review". PopMatters. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
- Dying in Stereo, Metacritic
- Idov, Michael (2003) "Northern State Dying in Stereo", Pitchfork Media, July 17, 2003
- McKeating, Scott (13 April 2003). "Dying in Stereo". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 29 May 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
- Reilly, Phoebe (15 July 2003). "Northern State Start the Party". Spin. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
- Wilson, MacKenzie. "Dying in Stereo". Allmusic. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
- Hermes, Will (6 June 2003). "Dying In Stereo (2003)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
- Carhart-Harris (2 June 2003). "Dying in Stereo". NME. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
- "CG: Northern State". Retrieved 29 May 2014.
- 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.