''Lo-Fantasy'' is the fifth studio album by Canadian rock musician

Sam Roberts Samuel or Sam Roberts may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Sam Roberts (journalist) (born 1947), American journalist for ''The New York Times'' *Sam Roberts (singer-songwriter) (born 1974), Canadian singer-songwriter * Sam Roberts (radio personal ...

, and the second released as "Sam Roberts Band". The album debuted at number 3 on the

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, selling 5,800 copies during its first week. The album was nominated for " Rock Album of the Year" at the 2015 Juno Awards.

Promotion

On September 16, 2014, Roberts announced a 16-city worldwide tour to promote the album, beginning at The Garage in

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and finishing at Rogers K-Rock Centre in

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with fellow Canadian band

Besnard Lakes The Besnard Lakes ( ) are a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Formed in 2003 by the husband and wife team of Jace Lasek and Olga Goreas, the band also includes Kevin Laing (drums), Richard White (guitar), Sheenah Ko (keyboa ...

as a supporting act.

Critical reception

''Lo-Fantasy'' received generally favorable reviews but

music critic '' The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of m ...

s were mixed on the uses from the electronic genre throughout the album. At

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, which assigns a

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rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an

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score of 71, based on 4 reviews.

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writer Matt Collar called it "a melodic, psych-inflected album that showcases Roberts' knack for mixing gigantic, propulsive rock melodies and dance-oriented hooks", saying that its "at once organically rootsy and studio sophisticated, with songs that straddle the line between stadium shouters ("We're All in This Together") and midtempo club anthems ("The Hands of Love")." Matthew Riddle from ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...

'' commended the mixture of Roberts' "trademark arena-rock choruses and anthemic growls" through various dance genre filters. He said of Roberts' detractors: "those willing to get past their preconceived notions may be surprised to find that ''Lo-Fantasy'' is perhaps the most dynamic recording of Roberts' career." Joshua Kloke of ''

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'' noted how the record utilizes a combination of the "wandering vibe" from ''

Chemical City ''Chemical City'' is the second studio album by Canadian musician Sam Roberts, released in Canada on April 11, 2006, and in the United States on May 16, 2006. The album debuted at number three on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling 10,000 units in ...

'' and the "jazzy feel" of ''

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'', saying that it can be "airy and middling" at times. He concluded that "Thankfully, though, Roberts is less concerned with sticking to a chunky, riff-driven formula than with experimenting with the many layers that he and his band are capable of producing." In a negative review for

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, Kyle Fowle found the electronic elements "overbearing", with each track containing "stale production flourishes and gratuitous layers of reverb." He concluded that the record "attempts to skate by on pure surface appeal in order to distract from the obtuse social commentary at its core."

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Lo-Fantasy''. ;Sam Roberts Band *Sam Roberts - lead vocals, guitar *James Hall - bass *Eric Fares - keyboards, synthesizers *Dave Nugent - guitar, backing vocals *Josh Trager - drums ;Additional musicians *

Chet Doxas Chet Doxas is a saxophonist, clarinetist and composer based in Brooklyn, New York. His work has been nominated for numerous Juno, Grammy and Academy Awards. Doxas has released a number of albums as a leader and has received accolades for his work ...

- saxophone (on "We're All In This Together", "Never Enough", "Golden Hour") *

Tim Fletcher Timothy Fletcher (born 1978) is an English-Canadian musician who was the vocalist and guitarist for Montreal-based band the Stills, which disbanded in 2011. Born in Montreal, Fletcher met his future bandmates at the age of 15 before forming the ...

- backing vocals (on "We're All In This Together") ;Artwork *Simon Paul - art direction and design *Jan Verburg - interior image design

References

{{Authority control 2014 albums Sam Roberts albums Universal Music Canada albums Albums produced by Youth (musician)