Systems/Layers Explained
Systems/Layers is the final LP by the instrumental group Rachel's.[2] It was released on October 7, 2003, on Quarterstick Records. The album is a collaborative dance/theater piece with the New York ensemble SITI Company.[3]
The album peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Classical Albums chart.[4]
Reception
Initial critical response to Systems/Layers was positive. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has received an average score of 81, based on 14 reviews.[5] PopMatters called the album "one of the year's finest releases," writing that "its greatest gift ... is its sheer compatibility -- you can take Systems/Layers anywhere and it will speak to you."[6] Exclaim! called it "at once touching and haunted, intimate and disturbingly uncomfortable."[7] The Times deemed it the band's worst album.[8] The East Bay Express labeled it "the soundtrack to your most brilliant, reflective life."[9]
Track listing
- "Moscow Is in the Telephone" – 3:59
- "Water from the Same Source" – 6:18
- "Systems/Layers" – 3:11
- "Expect Delays" – 3:57
- "Arterial" – 1:45
- "Even/Odd" – 3:14
- "Wouldn't Live Anywhere Else" – 2:47
- "Esperanza" – 5:32
- "Packet Switching" – 1:09
- "Where_Have_All_My_Files_Gone?" – 2:49
- "Reflective Surfaces" – 2:00
- "Unclear Channel" – 2:47
- "Last Things Last" – 3:33
- "Anytime Soon" – 2:18
- "Air Conditioning / A Closed Feeling" – 3:39
- "Singing Bridge" – 2:13
- "And Keep Smiling" – 2:38
- "4 or 5 Trees" – 6:04
- "NY Snow Globe" – 2:28
Personnel
- Kyle Crabtree – drums
- Christian Frederickson – viola, keyboards
- Edward Grimes – drums, keyboards
- Rachel Grimes – piano, keyboards
- Greg King – films
- Eve Miller – cello
- Jason Noble – bass, guitar, drums, toolbelt, keyboards
- Matthew Annin – French horn
- Wendy Doyle – cello
- Doug Elmore – stand-up bass
- Jane Halliday – violin
- Sarah Hill – violin
- Stephen Webber – spoken word on "4 or 5 Trees"
- Shannon Wright – vocals on "Last Things Last"
Notes and References
- Web site: Systems/Layers . Touch and Go/Quarterstick Records . 8 January 2021.
- Web site: Rachel's | Biography & History. AllMusic.
- Web site: Interview: Rachel's. Tiny Mix Tapes.
- Rachel's. Billboard.
- Web site: Systems/Layers Reviews . . CNET Networks, Inc . July 24, 2013 .
- Web site: Rachel's: Systems/Layers. November 5, 2003. PopMatters.
- Web site: Rachel's Systems/Layers. exclaim.ca.
- News: Rachel's: Systems/Layers. Stewart. Lee. 3 October 2023 . www.thetimes.co.uk.
- Web site: The Best Records of 2003 | Holiday Guide | Oakland, Berkeley & Bay Area. Eric K. Arnold. Richard. East Bay Express. 26 November 2003 .