Enchant (album)

Enchant is the debut studio album by Emilie Autumn, originally released on February 26, 2003,[note 1] by Traitor Records and re-released on August 17, 2007 by Trisol Music Group.[1] The original release also included the Enchant Puzzle.

Enchant
Studio album by
Emilie Autumn
ReleasedFebruary 26, 2003
Genre
Length64:03
LabelTraitor Records/Trisol Music Group
Emilie Autumn chronology
By the Sword
(2001)		 Enchant
(2003)		 Opheliac
(2006)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

The album was preceded by the EP Chambermaid in place of a single release.

Background and lyrics

Autumn has characterized Enchant, much of which was written in her teen years, as a "fantasy rock" concept album, dealing with the supernatural realm and its influence on the real world, as well as "dreams and stories and ghosts and faeries who'll bite your head off if you dare to touch them." The tagline for the album in much of the marketing was "Once Upon a Time Is Now..."

In contrast to her subsequent album, Opheliac, which is largely based on her personal experiences and relationships,[7] Enchant largely deals with characters and fantasy. For instance, describing the song "Chambermaid", Autumn said, "the song is not necessarily about me as I have never been the neglected and venomous woman that personifies the main character, but I have an overactive imagination and can easily conjure any number of spirits for inspiration."[8] Autumn makes frequent allusions to literature, particularly to fairy tale characters and the works of William Shakespeare. The first few lines of the opening track, "Across the Sky", quote the beginning of Sonnet 53.

Autumn has said that the track "Remember" was written with Annie Lennox in mind, explaining, "not that she would ever care to sing it or that I ever gave it to her, but I wrote the song years ago before I began singing, and I envisioned Annie singing the song as I wrote it".[4]

Critical reception

Charles Spano for AllMusic praised Autumn's range and compared her work to Tori Amos, saying "while less genre variability would serve Autumn's marketability quite well, this misty and boldly theatrical record should please Sarah McLachlan followers, fantasy enthusiasts, and the more adventurous members of Enya's fan base."[1]

Enchant Puzzle

The Enchant Puzzle is an armchair treasure hunt that was included in the original Traitor Records release of Enchant.[9] The puzzle was printed on the reverse of a fold out leaflet and consists of rhymes and pictures. Inspired by the book Masquerade by English artist Kit Williams,[10] the puzzle, when solved, entitles the winner to "the Wings, Ruff, Fan, and Sceptre of the Faerie Queene herself": a set of costume pieces handmade by Autumn.[11] Some fans believe the answer to be a way of contacting Autumn herself, while others believe the puzzle to be purposely unsolvable, although there is little evidence either way. Purchase of the first edition of the album also included access to the now defunct "World Of Enchant," a password protected website which included, among other things, exclusive remixes, artwork, videos and letters from Autumn.[5] Autumn stated that the treasure hunt began with the release of the album and will continue indefinitely until the treasure is found.[9][4] The puzzle was only made available with the first edition of the album, and, as of 2021, has still not been solved.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Emilie Autumn

No.TitleLength
1."Prologue: Across the Sky"5:10
2."How Strange"3:07
3."Chambermaid"3:14
4."Rapunzel"3:57
5."Ever"6:11
6."Second Hand Faith"4:43
7."Juliet"5:42
8."Remember"5:25
9."Rose Red"5:29
10."Castle Down"3:52
11."Heard It All"3:22
12."If You Feel Better"4:49
13."Save You"4:53
14."Epilogue: What If"4:09
Total length:64:03

Personnel
  • Emilie Autumn - keyboards, programming, violin, vocals
  • Graham Brisben - drums
  • William Skeen - cello[4]

Notes
  1. While Autumn's official site lists the release date as 2002,[2] newsletters published by Autumn,[3] her interview with Musical Discoveries[4] and the original Traitor Records website[5] point to the release date as February 26, 2003, with a free download of the complete album offered in January 2003.[6]

References
  1. Allmusic review
  2. "Enchant". Emilie Autumn Ent. LLC. Archived from the original on September 21, 2010. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
  3. "Emilie Autumn Newsletter". Battered Rose. February 24, 2003. Archived from the original on September 15, 2010. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  4. Elliot, Russell W. (October 15, 2003). "Emilie Autumn". Musical Discoveries. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  5. "Shop - Enchant". Traitor Records. Archived from the original on May 9, 2006. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  6. "Emilie Autumn Newsletter for 01/14/03". Zoe French. Archived from the original on July 23, 2011. Retrieved June 20, 2011.
  7. Reesman, Bryan (November 30, 2009). "Emilie Autumn's Personal Asylum". Attention Deficit Delirium. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  8. Walkowich, Russ (June 8, 2002). "My Mac Interview: Emilie Autumn". MyMac. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  9. "The Enchant Puzzle". Traitor Records. Archived from the original on February 3, 2004. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  10. Autumn, Emilie (January 20, 2004). "Enchant Puzzle". THE ASYLUM - Emilie Autumn's Official Forum. Archived from the original on June 19, 2013. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  11. "Enchant :: MicroSite". Emilie Autumn. Archived from the original on December 16, 2004. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
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