Transgender Dysphoria Blues Explained
Transgender Dysphoria Blues |
Type: | studio |
Artist: | Against Me! |
Cover: | Transgender_Dysphoria_Blues_cover_art.jpg |
Border: | yes |
Released: | January 21, 2014[1] |
Recorded: | Total Treble Studios, Elkton, Florida Studio 606, Los Angeles, California Earthsound Recording, Valdosta, GA Motor Studios, San Francisco, CA |
Length: | 28:43 |
Label: | Total Treble, Xtra Mile |
Producer: | Laura Jane Grace |
Prev Title: | Black Crosses |
Prev Year: | 2011 |
Next Title: | 23 Live Sex Acts |
Next Year: | 2015 |
Transgender Dysphoria Blues is the sixth studio album by American punk rock band Against Me!, released on January 21, 2014 by Total Treble Music and Xtra Mile Recordings. The album deals with gender dysphoria, following Laura Jane Grace's gender transition and coming out.[2] [3]
Recording and production
The band first announced work on a new album in November 2011.[4] The first sessions for the album were a false start, where the band started recording some basic tracks and then went on tour, and decided to scrap and start over when they got back from tour. Then, the record was completely recorded except for vocals when drummer Jay Weinberg quit the band. The band first tried to have fill-in drummer Atom Willard record drum tracks to match the previously recorded tracks, but it wasn't working.[5] Starting from scratch, the band began recording the album a final time at Studio 606 in February 2013.[6] In May 2013, long-time bassist Andrew Seward also left the band.[7] A month later, Fat Mike of NOFX joined the band in the studio,[8] playing on three songs, two of which appear on the album. That same month, tracking for the album was completed.[9]
Commercial performance
The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 23, their highest debut yet on the chart.[10] It also debuted at No. 6 on Top Rock Albums,[11] with 10,000 copies sold in its first week. It has sold 45,000 copies in the United States as of August 2016.[12]
Critical reception
[13] In his review for Now Magazine, Joshua Kloke described the record as having "career-defining clarity" and "increased confidence," writing that "Grace looks inward and employs conviction unheard since their 2002 debut, Reinventing Axl Rose."[14] Will Hermes of Rolling Stone rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, and called it "A series of bracing songs about a self-destructive girl in a boy's body, it's a thematic offspring of Lou Reed (see Berlin, etc.)", and noted how "it takes balls to come out this way, in this genre" wishing Laura "God-speed, sister." Also, Hermes said that the album musically "sticks to the band's established brand of warrior-cry punk metal", and this "limits the range of what might be an ever braver new world, one glimpsed on the softer acoustic 'Two Coffins.'" Dan Weiss of Spin called the album "one of the most fascinating records of the year," rating it eight out of ten.[15]
In 2019, Loudwire ranked the album 23 in their "66 best rock albums of the decade."[16]
Accolades
Year-end rankings
Decade-end rankings
Personnel
Band
Additional musicians
Production and design
Notes and References
- Kory . Grow . Against Me!'s 'Transgender Dysphoria Blues' Gets a Release Date . 24 October 2013 . . 25 October 2014 . 4 January 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150104202522/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/against-me-s-transgender-dysphoria-blues-gets-a-release-date-20131024#ixzz2iegShJQI . live .
- News: Brenna. Ehrlich. Against Me! Frontwoman Laura Jane Grace Announces Solo Shows. 2 July 2013. MTV. 19 July 2013. 8 July 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130708094358/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1709923/laura-jane-grace-transgender-dysphoria-blues.jhtml. dead.
- News: Chris. Martins. Against Me! Promise 'Transgender Dysphoria Blues' Will 'Absolutely Destroy'. 5 November 2012. Spin. 19 July 2013.
- Web site: Against Me! beginning work on next album . Punknews.org . November 29, 2011 . 2014-01-31 . 2014-02-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140202110809/http://www.punknews.org/article/45339/against-me-beginning-work-on-next-album . live .
- News: Michael. Tedder. Laura Jane Grace of Against Me! on the Tortured Path to 'Transgender Dysphoria Blues'. January 16, 2014. Spin. 2014-01-31. 2015-04-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20150411073859/http://www.spin.com/2014/01/laura-jane-grace-interview-against-me-transgender-dysphoria-blues/. live.
- Web site: Against Me! Begin Record New LP; Atom Willard Tracking Drums . Property of Zach . February 4, 2013 . 2014-01-31 . 2014-02-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140202211607/http://propertyofzack.com/post/42301899923/against-me-begin-record-new-lp-atom-willard-tracking . live .
- Against Me! Bassist Andrew Seward Quits Band . . May 2, 2013 . Jon . Blistein . 2014-01-31 . 2014-02-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140228022333/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/against-me-bassist-andrew-seward-quits-band-20130502 . live .
- Web site: Fat Mike (NOFX) and Atom Willard (The Hell) to record on new Against Me! record . Punknews.org . June 3, 2013 . 2014-01-31 . 2014-02-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140202110811/http://www.punknews.org/article/51807/fat-mike-nofx-and-atom-willard-the-hell-to-record-on-new-against-me-record . live .
- Against Me! finish tracking new album, 'Transgender Dysphoria Blues' . . Philip . Obenschain . June 24, 2013 . 2014-01-31 . 2014-02-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140204040701/http://www.altpress.com/news/entry/against_me_finish_tracking_new_album_transgender_dysphoria_blues . live .
- Keith Caulfield . January 31, 2014 . Chart Moves: Against Me!'s Highest Charting Album, Sara Bareilles' Grammy Gain . Billboard . live . April 21, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190204080013/https://www.billboard.com/biz/articles/news/5893807/chart-moves-against-mes-highest-charting-album-sara-bareilles-grammy-gain . February 4, 2019.
- Top Rock Albums: February 8, 2014 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190622125023/https://www.billboard.com/charts/rock-albums/2014-02-08 . 2019-06-22 . 2020-04-21 . Billboard.
- Upcoming Releases . Hits Daily Double . HITS Digital Ventures . https://web.archive.org/web/20160829210341/http://hitsdailydouble.com/new_album_releases . August 29, 2016.
- Web site: Reviews for Transgender Dysphoria Blues by Against Me!. Metacritic. January 20, 2014. January 22, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140122053257/http://www.metacritic.com/music/transgender-dysphoria-blues/against-me!. live.
- Web site: Kloke . Joshua . Against Me! Transgender Dysphoria Blues (Total Treble) . Now Magazine . 8 April 2022 . 16 January 2014 . October 15, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211015211629/https://nowtoronto.com/against-me-2014-01-16 . dead .
- Web site: Ewiss . Dan . Against Me! Challenge Old Fans And Mint New Ones With 'Transgender Dysphoria Blues' . Spin . 8 April 2022 . 17 January 2014.
- Web site: Childers . Chad . The 66 Best Rock Albums of the Decade: 2010-2019 . Loudwire . 8 April 2022 . 14 November 2019.
- Web site: American Songwriter's Top 50 Albums of 2014. American Songwriter. November 24, 2014. American Songwriter. January 18, 2016. February 4, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190204065856/https://americansongwriter.com/2014/11/american-songwriters-top-50-albums-2014/4/. dead.
- Web site: Top 50 Albums of 2014. Consequence of Sound. 12 December 2014 . 18 January 2016. 12 January 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160112203734/http://consequenceofsound.net/2014/12/albums-of-the-year-2014/10/. live.
- Web site: Noisey's Top 25 Albums of 2014: 10 to 1 NOISEY. NOISEY. 19 December 2014 . 18 January 2016. 2 January 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160102134314/http://noisey.vice.com/blog/noisey-staff-top-25-albums-of-2014--10-to-1. live.
- Web site: The 80 Best Albums of 2014. PopMatters. January 18, 2016. PopMatters. December 12, 2014. December 20, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141220230343/http://www.popmatters.com/feature/188860-the-best-albums-of-2014/P7/. live.
- 50 Best Albums of 2014. Rolling Stone Staff. December 1, 2014. Rolling Stone. January 18, 2016. January 11, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160111155855/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/50-best-albums-of-2014-20141201/against-me-transgender-dysphoria-blues-20141201. live.
- Web site: Spin's 50 Best Albums of 2014. SPIN Staff. December 9, 2014. SPIN. January 18, 2016. April 26, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150426043726/http://www.spin.com/2014/12/50-best-albums-2014/against-me-transgener-dsphoria-blues/. live.
- Web site: The 50 Best Albums of 2014. Stereogum. December 2, 2014. Stereogum. January 18, 2016. December 10, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151210165508/http://www.stereogum.com/1721100/the-50-best-albums-of-2014/franchises/2014-in-review/attachment/transgender-dysphoria-blues/. live.
- TIME's Top 10 Best Albums of 2014. TIME. December 3, 2014. TIME. January 18, 2016. January 23, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160123111318/http://time.com/3613540/top-10-best-albums/. live.
- Web site: New York News, Food, Culture and Events Village Voice. Village Voice. 18 January 2016. 5 January 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160105064541/http://www.villagevoice.com/pazznjop/albums/2014. live.
- Web site: Staff . Billboard . 2019-11-19 . The 100 Greatest Albums of the 2010s: Staff Picks . 2024-06-15 . Billboard . en-US.
- Web site: Sacher . Andrew . December 18, 2019 . 100 Best Punk & Emo Albums of the 2010s . June 15, 2024 . BrooklynVegan.
- Web site: BrooklynVegan Staff . December 31, 2019 . 141 Best Albums of the 2010s . June 15, 2024 . BrooklynVegan.
- Web site: Smith . Troy L. . 2019-10-07 . 100 greatest albums of the 2010s . 2024-06-15 . . en.
- Web site: Consequence Staff . 2019-12-30 . The 100 Top Albums of the 2010s . 2024-06-15 . . en-US.
- Web site: Travers . Paul . Shepherd . Tom . Law . Sam . 2019-12-31 . The 75 Best Albums Of The 2010s . 2024-06-15 . . en.
- Web site: Childers . Chad . 2023-05-19 . The 66 Best Rock Albums of the 2010s . 2024-06-15 . . en.
- Web site: Paste Staff . November 23, 2019 . The 40 Best Punk Albums of the 2010s . June 15, 2024 . Paste.
- Web site: The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 3 February 2014 . https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20140205203300/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20140206-0733/Issue%201249.pdf . dead . 2014-02-05 . . 1249 . February 3, 2014 . July 4, 2021 .