Cusp (album)

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Cusp
Alela Diane - Cusp.png
Studio album by
Alela Diane
ReleasedFebruary 9, 2018 (2018-02-09)
StudioFlora Recording & Playback[1]
Length38:08
LabelAllpoints
ProducerPeter M. Murray
Alela Diane chronology
Cold Moon
(2015) 		Cusp
(2018)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic87/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
The 4058/10[3]
The Guardian4/5 stars[4]
MusicOMH5/5 stars[5]
PopMatters8/10[6]
Sputnikmusic3.8/5[7]

Cusp is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Alela Diane. It was released on February 9, 2018, by AllPoints Recordings.[8]

Production[]

The album was recorded at Flora Recording & Playback, alongside producer Peter M. Murray.[1]

Release[]

The first music video to "Émigré" was released on December 1, 2017.[9]

The second single "Ether and Wood" was released on January 12, 2018.[10] Alela explained the single "is a reflection on the different lives that are lived within a lifetime. The doors along the way that often open and close without notice. I live in a very old house, and love thinking about all the people who lived and died within these walls."[11]

Critical reception[]

Cusp was met with "universal acclaim" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 87 based on 7 reviews.[2]

Nicholas Glover of The 405 explained how the album revolves around mother and daughterhood that is "brought to life in the music by a straightened, glittering piano backing and gently pulling strings."[3] Writing for The Guardian, Dave Simpson said: "Her thoughtful, dreamy vocals drift across a grand piano, providing both pretty and wistful songs with emotional wallop. The album title comes from Menig’s near-death during childbirth, and her subsequent realisation that we are forever "on the cusp" between death and life, heartbreak and euphoria, all of which are in fulsome supply here."[4]

Chart performance[]

The release appeared on international charts, debuting at number 109 on the Belgian Ultratop Flanders chart,[12] number 88 on the Belgian Ultratop Wallonia chart,[13] number 106 in France,[14] number 173 in Netherlands,[15] and number 84 in Switzerland.[16]

Track listing[]

Cusp track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Albatross"3:53
2."The Threshold"2:58
3."Moves Us Blind"2:57
4."Émigré"3:11
5."Never Easy"3:43
6."Song for Sandy"3:45
7."Buoyant"3:15
8."Ether & Wood"4:23
9."Yellow Gold"3:20
10."So Tired"3:43
11."Wild Ceaseless Song"3:00

Charts[]

Chart performance for Cusp
Chart (2018) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[12] 109
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[13] 88
French Albums (SNEP)[14] 106
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[15] 173
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[16] 84

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Cummings, Bill (December 2, 2017). "Alela Diane returns with new album". God Is in the TV. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Glover, Nicholas (February 28, 2018). "Alela Diane considers the warmth and alien insecurity of motherhood on Cusp". The 405. Archived from the original on February 28, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Simpson, Dave (February 9, 2018). "Cusp review – the agonies and ecstasies of motherhood". The Guardian. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  5. ^ Johnson, Steven (February 9, 2018). "MusicOMH Review". MusicOMH. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  6. ^ Pontecorvo, Adriane (February 5, 2018). "On 'Cusp' Alela Diane Has Discovered Inspiration in Her Own Happiness". PopMatters. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  7. ^ "Sputnikmusic Review". Sputnikmusic. February 25, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  8. ^ "Alela Diane Celebrates Motherhood on New Album". Folk Radio UK. December 5, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  9. ^ "Alela Diane - Émigré". Retrieved December 4, 2020 – via YouTube.
  10. ^ "New Video and Single". Folk Radio UK. January 12, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  11. ^ "Alela Diane Releases New Single 'Ether & Wood". Circuit Sweet. January 14, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b "Ultratop.be – Alela Diane – Cusp" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  13. ^ Jump up to: a b "Ultratop.be – Alela Diane – Cusp" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b "Lescharts.com – Alela Diane – Cusp". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b "Dutchcharts.nl – Alela Diane – Cusp" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b "Swisscharts.com – Alela Diane – Cusp". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
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