Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair explained

Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair
Type:studio
Artist:La Dispute
Cover:Somewhereatthebottom.jpg
Released:November 11, 2008
Studio:StudiOtte, Grand Rapids
Genre:Post-hardcore, emo, screamo, spoken word
Label:No Sleep
Producer:La Dispute
Prev Title:Here, Hear II.
Prev Year:2008
Next Title:Here, Hear III.
Next Year:2009

Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair is the debut studio album by American post-hardcore band La Dispute. Supported by three release shows, it was released on November 11, 2008, alongside Here, Hear II. through No Sleep Records on both CD and vinyl. The album's title is derived from an Asian folktale, which the album's lyrics loosely follow. The album received positive reviews by notable critics, and it remains as a legacy in the post-hardcore scene.

Recording

La Dispute had spent the year prior to the release of the album writing and recording.[1] They recorded the album in Grand Rapids at StudiOtte with Joel and Troy Otte and had finished the recording by July 2008.[2]

Themes and styles

The album evades categorization, containing elements of post-hardcore, screamo, metalcore, post-rock,[3] progressive rock and emo.[4] The album's style is characterised by different features, including dub-influenced bass drums and versatile vocals from Jordan Dreyer, who changes frequently, ranging from shouted hardcore punk styled vocals and screams, to spoken word portions and intentional use of off-key singing.[5] [6] Lyrically, the album features many themes of emotional anguish and is considered ultra-emotional; its emotions range though pain, rage, and anger and deals with loss considerably. The album recounts the Asian folk tale of The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, a story of how a prince and a princess are separated after marriage by a river which they are not allowed to cross. Prior to the release of this album, the story was told on the fourth track from La Dispute's second EP, Here, Hear.[7] However, when vocalist Jordan Dreyer has been asked in interviews about the lyrical concept of the album, he has stated that although it does contain thematic constants it does not actually tell a story and is more autobiographical[8] and the folk tale was used as more of a "jumping-off point" for similar personal struggles.[9] The real-life connotations of the record's lyrics are that of two divorces of people related to Dreyer.

The first song on the album, "Such Small Hands", is a spoken word track which builds "to seemingly uncontrollable levels".[10] Drummer Brad Vander Lugt commented on its surprising popularity, saying: “We cannot figure it out! It’s just an intro to the record, I have no idea why people have clung to it so much... It’s funny, we don’t even count it as a song!”[11] "Bury Your Flame" is seen as "a perfect fusion of blues, post-rock and hardcore".[12]

Release

"Said the King of the River" was posted on the band's Myspace on October 9, 2008.[13] The album was made available for streaming in November 2008, and released a day later through No Sleep records, a record label to which La Dispute had only signed a few months prior.[14] To promote the release of the album, the band played three release shows in their home state of Michigan: November 8 at Skelletones, November 14 at the UAW Retirees Hall in Traverse City, and November 22 at the Howell Opera House in Howell.[15] They played a handful of Midwestern shows to close out 2008. They opened 2009 with a two-month US tour.[16] In July 2009, they toured Australia with To the North as the main support act, while various local bands opened each date.[17] In September and October 2009, the band supported Thursday on their headlining US tour.[18] In December 2009 and January 2010, the band went on a US tour with Native.[19] In April and May 2010, they supported Alexisonfire on their cross-country US tour, and then appeared at Bled Fest.[20] [21]

Reception

The album is a popular release of No Sleep Records as it has received ten pressings on vinyl for a total of 8,280 copies.[22] All eight pressings combined is a total of 6400 sales of the album on vinyl alone.[23]

In 2012, British publication Rock Sound added La Dispute's debut album into their 101 Modern Classics, placed at number 53. They considered the album more of a classic than Korn's Follow The Leader and Rage Against the Machine's Battle of Los Angeles. Stating that "their debut album was an emotional trip through scratchy punk, dissonant hardcore and broken poetry; strength, though, lies in its uniqueness."[24] "The Last Lost Continent" appeared on a best-of emo songs list by Vulture.[25]

10th anniversary reissue

In August 2018, the band announced that they would be releasing an updated version of Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair, featuring re-amped versions of the original guitar and bass tracks (engineered by Rooms of the House co-producer Will Yip). It was mixed by Dave Schiffman and mastered by Emily Lazar. The reissued album was released on November 9, 2018.[26] [27]

Personnel

La Dispute

Additional personnel[1]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: La Dispute's page on Punk news. Punknews.org . 11 May 2011.
  2. Web site: No Sleep Records update: Refused tribute pushed back, La Dispute almost finished recording, Touche A . . July 18, 2008. December 17, 2012.
  3. Web site: La Dispute – Somewhere At The Bottom Of The River Between Vega and Altair . . September 8, 2013 . Ultra-emotional debut album from the Michigan band who incorporate elements of post-hardcore, screamo, metalcore and post rock. . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131102181357/http://www.banquetrecords.com/NSR012R;jsessionid=5463734FDB4AFDD225F24906CFA3665E . November 2, 2013 .
  4. Web site: La Dispute weaves emotional intricacy in songs . Shane Miller . . (Texas Student Media) . 12 November 2012 . 27 June 2013 . La Dispute is a band that defies the idea of genres. A post-hardcore band that draws influences from jazz and blues, the group is known to completely switch from slow-spoken poetry to fast punk rock within the same song. While La Dispute’s instrumentation is incredible in its own right, most critics concur that its most valuable and distinctive aspect is vocalist and lyricist Jordan Dreyer. . 30 May 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160530150155/http://www.dailytexanonline.com/life-and-arts/2012/11/12/la-dispute-weaves-emotional-intricacy-in-songs . dead .
  5. Web site: In staying steady, La Dispute disappoints . Jacob Fricke . . October 3, 2012 . October 30, 2013.
  6. Web site: La Dispute – Somewhere at the Bottom of the River...(album review) . sputnikmusic. January 1, 2011 . May 8, 2011.
  7. Web site: La Dispute – Here, Hear Album review – Absolutepunk.net. absolutepunk . January 3, 2011 . May 4, 2011.
  8. 13 Dec 2010 . La Dispute Interview. Brad (Interviewer), Jordan Dreyer, Adam Vass. Podcast. Fromthegarage.net. May 19, 2011. Brad with FromTheGarage.net chats with Jordan and Vass from La Dispute about the band's history, their emergence onto the post-hardcore scene, and the new album..
  9. Web site: Untitled 7" – La Dispute in 2008 on Forest Life Records[AND INTERVIEW!!!!!] | author = James Shotwell | work = [[Under the Gun Review]] | publisher = (Buzzmedia) | date = June 10, 2008 | accessdate = September 22, 2012].
  10. Web site: La Dispute Band Interview : It's Like Medicine. It's Self-Discovery. (w/ Full Album Stream & Lyrical Analysis) . Peter Woodburn . . November 27, 2011 . December 17, 2013.
  11. Web site: Interview: La Dispute Talk Intimacy and One-Hit-Wonders . Daisy Lola . . June 5, 2013 . June 25, 2013 . dead . https://archive.today/20130628030106/http://lunadigital.tv/interview-la-dispute-talk-intimacy-and-one-hit-wonders/ . June 28, 2013 .
  12. Web site: Artist of the Day: La Dispute . Casey Whitman . Muzik Dizcovery . October 2013 . October 30, 2013.
  13. Web site: La Dispute: 'Said the King of the River'. Punknews.org. Paul, Aubin. October 9, 2008. June 19, 2022.
  14. Web site: La Dispute: 'Somewhere At The Bottom Of The River Between Vega And Altair'. Punknews.org. Paul, Aubin. November 10, 2008. June 20, 2022.
  15. Web site: La Dispute interview by Eric Mitts. Eric Mitts. Recoil Magazine. Blue V Productions. November 2008. December 24, 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120419165840/http://recoilmag.com/interviews/?1168. April 19, 2012.
  16. Web site: La Dispute. Punknews.org. Paul, Aubin. December 23, 2008. June 20, 2022.
  17. Web site: To the North / La Dispute (Australia). Punknews.org. Shultz, Brian. May 9, 2009. October 8, 2022.
  18. Web site: Thursday / The Fall of Troy with Young Widows, the Dear Hunter, Moving Mountains. Punknews.org. Paul, Aubin. July 31, 2009. October 10, 2022.
  19. Web site: Native / La Dispute. Punknews.org. Paul, Aubin. December 9, 2009. October 15, 2022.
  20. Web site: Alexisonfire / Trash Talk / Therefore I Am / La Dispute. Punknews.org. Paul, Aubin. February 17, 2010. October 16, 2022.
  21. Web site: Polar Bear Club, Strike Anywhere, Bled, Of Mice and Men at Bled Fest 2010. Punknews.org. Paul, Aubin. May 18, 2010. October 18, 2022.
  22. Web site: La Dispute album gets an eighth pressing . Chris Lantinen . . March 2, 2013 . March 6, 2013 .
  23. Web site: La Dispute "Somewhere at the Bottom of the River.." . . March 6, 2013 . dead . https://archive.today/20130411121351/https://www.nosleepstore.com/product/108/somewhere-at-the-bottom-of-the-river . April 11, 2013 .
  24. Web site: Rock Sound's 101 Modern Classics: 74 - 50 . . (Freeway Press Inc) . June 27, 2012 . July 8, 2012 . The artier side of the short-lived DIY movement known as The Wave, La Dispute don't do things by halves. And their debut album was an emotional trip through scratchy punk, dissonant hardcore and broken poetry; its strength, though, lies in its uniqueness. . December 16, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131216165032/http://www.rocksound.tv/features/article/rock-sounds-101-modern-classics-74-50 . dead .
  25. Web site: The 100 Greatest Emo Songs of All Time. https://web.archive.org/web/20200213181251/https://www.vulture.com/article/best-emo-songs.html. Vulture. Garland, Emma. February 13, 2020. February 13, 2020. August 14, 2020.
  26. Web site: La Dispute are going to release a 10 Year Anniversary edition of their debut album. Taylor. Sam. 2018-08-08. Upset. en. 2018-11-09.
  27. Web site: Somewhere at the Bottom of the River Between Vega and Altair - 10 year anniversary edition. La Dispute. en-US. 2018-11-09. 2018-11-10. https://web.archive.org/web/20181110040414/https://www.ladispute.org/somewhere/. dead.

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