Ash Wednesday (album)
Ash Wednesday | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | February 20, 2007 (US) July 9, 2007 (UK) | |||
Recorded | 2006 | |||
Genre | Folk-rock | |||
Length | 50:52 | |||
Label | XL Recordings | |||
Producer | ||||
Elvis Perkins chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Guardian | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Pitchfork Media | (7/10)[3] |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Skinny | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Ash Wednesday is the debut studio album by singer songwriter Elvis Perkins, released on February 20, 2007, on XL Recordings. It is a chronologically sequenced album of songs written before (Tracks 1 to 6) and after (Tracks 7 to 11) the death of his mother, who died on 9/11. In a 2009 interview, Perkins states that the album "[has] been made out to be bleaker than it really is, [...] there were moments of hopefulness on Ash Wednesday too."[6]
Regarding the album's title, Perkins states that it:
refers to being left on Wednesday with nothing but ash, because [my mother] died on a Tuesday – being left with ash on September 12. That was also the day my father died, September 12 [1992, of complications from AIDS]. It first occurred to me on Ash Wednesday itself – my consciousness was largely ruled by having lost my mother six months previously.[7]
"All the Night Without Love" was the lead single off the album; "Moon Woman II" appears on the Fast Food Nation soundtrack, and "While You Were Sleeping" was featured in a season 4 episode of The O.C.. The album was released on XL Records and includes backing vocals by Ariana Lenarsky, Shana Levy of indie band Let's Go Sailing, and others.
Track listing[]
- "While You Were Sleeping"
- "All The Night Without Love"
- "May Day!"
- "Moon Woman II"
- "It's Only Me"
- "Emile's Vietnam in the Sky"
- "Ash Wednesday"
- "The Night & The Liquor"
- "It's a Sad World After All"
- "Sleep Sandwich"
- "Good Friday"
Chart performance[]
Chart (2007) | Peak position |
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France Album Chart | 193 |
References[]
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ The Guardian review
- ^ Pitchfork Media review
- ^ Rolling Stone review
- ^ The Skinny review
- ^ Feature by Paul Mitchell. (March 31, 2009). "Elvis Perkins: Checking out of Heartbreak Hotel?". The Skinny. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
- ^ Caroline Sullivan (June 7, 2007). "All about my mother". The Guardian. London. Retrieved January 14, 2012.
- 2007 debut albums
- Elvis Perkins albums
- XL Recordings albums