Masterpiece Theatre (Marianas Trench album)

Masterpiece Theatre is the second studio album by Canadian rock group Marianas Trench. It was released on February 24, 2009, in Canada and September 28, 2010, in the United States. The album was available for preview at MuchMusic's website before the release.[4] The last song on the album, titled "Masterpiece Theatre III", is a collage of all the songs on the album including its five singles.

Masterpiece Theatre
Studio album by
Marianas Trench
ReleasedFebruary 24, 2009 (2009-02-24)
Recorded2008–2009
Studio
Genre
Length45:41
Label604
Producer
Marianas Trench chronology
Fix Me
(2006)		 Masterpiece Theatre
(2009)		 Ever After
(2011)
Singles from Masterpiece Theatre
  1. "Cross My Heart"
    Released: November 24, 2008
  2. "All to Myself"
    Released: May 2009
  3. "Beside You"
    Released: August 17, 2009
  4. "Celebrity Status"
    Released: February 12, 2010
  5. "Good to You"
    Released: September 21, 2010

The album is a slight departure from Fix Me, containing more theatrical elements and instruments while still retaining the punk rock influence of its predecessor. The songs "Masterpiece Theatre" (I, II, and III), "Beside You", and "Good To You" show some experimentation using pianos, strings, and harmonies.

Background and recording

Masterpiece Theatre is a concept album that experiments with different genres ranging from pop punk,[1][2] symphonic rock,[2] and emo pop.[3]

The album was recorded at Armoury Studios, Mushroom Studios, Hipposonic Studios, The Umbrella Factory and The Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, British Columbia and at Kingnoise in Los Angeles, California.[5] The album featured production work by Dave Genn, Greig Nori, Dave Ogilvie, Raine Maida and Josh Ramsay.[6]

Promotion

In 2009, the band went on the Beside You tour with Carly Rae Jepsen in support of the album.[7] The group also toured the US in 2010.[8][9]

Reception

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Alternative Addiction[10]
Lost in the Sound[11]
Melodic[12]
Sputnikmusic[1]

Masterpiece Theatre was received well by most critics. The Phoenix New Times praised lead singer Josh Ramsay and the lyrics saying "Singer Josh Ramsay pushed himself vocally on this album, and the lyrics were very heartfelt and meaningful – not your typical pop-punk music."[13]

Matthew Chisling of AllMusic stated, "The group has truly created an excellent concept album, experimenting with a nice variety of musical mediums that complements the bands sound quite well." He called the "Masterpiece Theatre" parts, "welcome songs that sound like the Broadway rendition of the perfectly crafted emo-pop tune." He described tracks such as "Acadia" and "Celebrity Status" as mainstream complements that stop the album from feeling too erratic and stated that Masterpiece Theatre "could do without 'Good to You'." He ended off stating, "this album truly stands out from the pack by bringing something truly different and exciting to the table that's bound to earn them plenty of fans and plenty of success."[3]

Alternative Addiction praised the melodies and the harmonies, as well as Ramsay's vocals calling them incredible and addictive. He also added, "Masterpiece Theatre takes an album theme, some great songs, and the talents of Ramsay and utilizes every one of those to make a masterpiece for fans of the genre."[10]

Nick Anastasia of Melodic.net said, "this album is one of the best, if not the best, discs I've heard in the past year or two." They also said "The harmonies, arrangements, and different styles experimented with throughout the spread of the CD are absolutely awe-inspiring."[12]

Kevin Miao of Lost In the Sound gave the album a score of 80% out 100, saying that the album "is one of the best in its genre and proves that there is still good pop rock music out there."[11]

Commercial performance

The album sold 5,000 copies in its first week of release debuting at No. 4 on the Canadian Albums Chart.[4][14] The album has since sold over 160,000 copies in Canada and was certified Double Platinum by Music Canada.[15] Singles such as "All To Myself" and "Cross My Heart" peaked in the top 15 of the Canadian Hot 100. Other singles such as "Celebrity Status", "Good to You" and "Beside You" peaked in the top 40 of the Canadian Hot 100.[16]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Josh Ramsay, except where noted

No.TitleLength
1."Masterpiece Theatre I"5:00
2."All to Myself"3:11
3."Cross My Heart"3:11
4."Beside You"3:36
5."Acadia"3:18
6."Masterpiece Theatre II"3:32
7."Sing Sing"3:15
8."Good to You" (Ramsay, Shawn Smith) (feat. Kate Voegele)3:04
9."Celebrity Status"3:06
10."Perfect"3:03
11."Lover Dearest"4:03
12."Masterpiece Theatre III"6:40
American release bonus tracks[17]
No.TitleLength
13."Cross My Heart" (Acoustic)3:28
14."Good to You" (feat Jessica Lee)3:04
15."Fix Me"3:56
Director's Cut Edition bonus tracks[18]
No.TitleLength
13."Good to You" (feat. Jessica Lee)3:04
14."Cross My Heart" (Acoustic)3:27
15."Celebrity Status" (Acoustic)3:57
16."And So It Goes"2:23

Personnel

Credits for Masterpiece Theatre adapted from AllMusic.[5]

Musicians

Production

Charts
Chart performance for Masterpiece Theatre
Chart (2009) Peak
position
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[14] 6

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[15] 2× Platinum 160,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Awards and nominations
Awards and nominations for Masterpiece Theatre
Year Organization Award Result Ref(s)
2009 Western Canadian Music Awards Pop Recording of the Year Won [19]

Accolades
Year Publication Country List Rank
2010 Alternative Addiction United States "The 20 Best Albums of 2010"[20]
2

Release history
Country Date Version Format Label
Canada[21] February 24, 2009 Standard
604 Records
United States[17] September 28, 2010
Canada[18] November 30, 2010 Director's Cut
(Special Edition)
United States[22]

References
  1. "Sputnikmusic review". Sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
  2. "Melodic Net - Marianas Trench - Ever After". Archived from the original on March 16, 2012. Retrieved March 17, 2012.
  3. Chisling, Matthew (February 24, 2009). "Masterpiece Theatre Review by Matthew Chisling". AllMusic. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
  4. "Marianas Trench - Masterpiece Theatre". Armoury Studios. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  5. "Masterpiece Theatre - Marianas Trench Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  6. Steve McLean (August 14, 2015). "Marianas Trench - The Canadian Encyclopedia". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  7. "Marianas Trench climbs on the strength of some hard work". Red Deer Advocate. July 15, 2010. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  8. Corey Apar. "Marianas Trench Biography by Corey Apar". AllMusic. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  9. Lauren Song. "Canada's Marianas Trench Is Ready To Conquer America". Faze. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  10. Ryan (September 27, 2010). "Masterpiece Theatre - Marianas Trench". Alternative Addiction. Archived from the original on December 4, 2010. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  11. Kevin Miao (November 14, 2011). "Review: Marianas Trench – Masterpiece Theatre". Lostinthesound.com. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
  12. Anastasia, Nick (February 22, 2009). "Marianas Trench - Masterpiece Theatre". Melodic. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
  13. "Six New Times Contributors Name Their Top 10 Records of 2010 – Page 5 – Music – Phoenix". Phoenix New Times. December 30, 2010. Archived from the original on June 17, 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  14. "Marianas Trench Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  15. "Canadian album certifications – Marianas Trench – Masterpiece Theatre". Music Canada. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  16. "Marianas Trench Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  17. "Masterpiece Theatre by Marianas Trench". iTunes Store (US). Apple Inc. September 28, 2010. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  18. "Masterpiece Theatre - Director's Cut (Special Edition) by Marianas Trench". iTunes Store (CA). Apple Inc. November 30, 2010. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  19. "2009 Western Canadian Music Award Artistic Winners". Retrieved August 3, 2022.
  20. "The Best of Alternative Addiction 2010 | Top 20 Albums". Alternativeaddiction.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2011. Retrieved March 2, 2011.
  21. "Masterpiece Theatre by Marianas Trench". iTunes Store (CA). Apple Inc. February 24, 2009. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  22. "Masterpiece Theatre - Director's Cut (Special Edition) Marianas Trench". iTunes Store (US). Apple Inc. November 30, 2010. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
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