''Shook'' is the fourth studio album by American
experimental
An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...
band
Algiers
Algiers is the capital city of Algeria as well as the capital of the Algiers Province; it extends over many Communes of Algeria, communes without having its own separate governing body. With 2,988,145 residents in 2008Census 14 April 2008: Offi ...
. It was released through
Matador Records
Matador Records is an independent record label, with a roster of mainly indie rock, but also punk rock, experimental rock, alternative rock, and electronic acts.
History
Matador was created in 1989 by Chris Lombardi in his New York City ap ...
on February 24, 2023.
The single "Irreversible Damage", featuring
Zack de la Rocha
Zacharias Manuel de la Rocha (born January 12, 1970) is an American musician, rapper, singer, songwriter, and political activist. He is best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the rock band Rage Against the Machine. Through both Rage Against ...
, was released in October 2022.
Production
"Something Wrong?" is about a traffic stop involving a Black driver.
[ A sample from "Subway Theme", by ]Grand Wizzard Theodore
Theodore Livingston (born March 5, 1963), better known as Grand Wizzard Theodore, is an American musician and DJ. He is widely credited as the inventor of the scratching technique. In addition to scratching, he gained credibility for his mastery ...
, appears on "Everybody Shatter". Samuel T. Herring
Samuel Thompson Herring (born April 13, 1984), also known as Hemlock Ernst, is an American singer, rapper and actor based in Baltimore, Maryland. He is best known as the frontman of the synth-pop band Future Islands, with whom he has recorded sev ...
sings on "I Can’t Stand It!" Backxwash
Ashanti Mutinta, known professionally as Backxwash, is a Zambian-Canadians, Canadian rapper and record producer based in Montreal, Quebec. She is most noted for her 2020 album ''God Has Nothing to Do with This Leave Him Out of It'', which won the ...
appears on "Bite Back". Several tracks are spoken word pieces.[
]
Critical reception
''Shook'' was well-received by music critics. At Metacritic
Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, which assigns a normalized
Normalization or normalisation refers to a process that makes something more normal or regular. Science
* Normalization process theory, a sociological theory of the implementation of new technologies or innovations
* Normalization model, used in ...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
In colloquial, ordinary language, an average is a single number or value that best represents a set of data. The type of average taken as most typically representative of a list of numbers is the arithmetic mean the sum of the numbers divided by ...
score of 79, based on 16 reviews, which indicates "favorable reviews".[
Reviewing the album for ]AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
, Heather Phares described it as, "More of an experience than a set of songs, Shook's stunning, often harrowing journey of surviving and resisting is well worth taking."[ Jon Pareles at '']The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' wrote that, "Algiers lashes out at injustice, exults in its sonic mastery and insists on the life forces of solidarity and physical impact." At ''Pitchfork
A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials.
The term is also applie ...
'', Matthew Ismael Ruiz noted that, "the group sounds most natural at their darkest—the reverbed growl of guitars, the synths colored with dirt and grime... They benefit from Matt Tong's virtuosic drumming, which feels looser and more alive than any drum machine."[
'']The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...
'' writer Andrew Perry concluded that, "for uninitiates, ''Shooks sensory onslaught may resemble Public Enemy
Public Enemy is an American Hip-hop, hip hop group formed in Roosevelt, New York, in 1985 by Chuck D and Flavor Flav. The group rose to prominence for their political messages including subjects such as Racism in the United States, American r ...
's ''Fear of a Black Planet
''Fear of a Black Planet'' is the third studio album by American hip hop group Public Enemy. It was released on April 10, 1990, by Def Jam Recordings and Columbia Records, and produced by the group's production team The Bomb Squad, who expanded ...
'', updated for the post-Trump era."[ '' Mojo's'' Stevie Chick determined that, "''Shook''s stories of struggle, pain and healing are painted in edgy electro, impassioned punk-soul, cloudbursts of jazz and rattlesnake trap pulses."][
]
Track listing
Personnel
Algiers
* Franklin J. Fisher – vocals (1–4, 6, 7, 9–12, 14, 15, 17), drum programming (1, 3, 4), mellotron (1, 9), guitar (1–4, 9, 10, 14), bass guitar (1–4, 10, 11), sampler (1, 3, 7, 11, 14, 17), tape player (1), synthesizers (2–5, 11, 12, 17), sequencing (2, 4, 10–12, 15), beat programming (2, 10–12, 15, 17), percussion (2), background vocals (5), vocal sequencing (5), B2 organ (7), sampling (10), cello (10), piano (10, 12), moog (10), string arrangement (10)
* Ryan Mahan – synthesizers (1–3, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 15), bass guitar (1, 6, 9, 14, 15), sound design (1, 6, 14, 15), drum production (1, 2, 6, 9, 14), bell (1), vocals (1–3, 6, 9, 10, 14, 15, 17), drum programming (2, 6, 9, 14), guitar (3, 6, 9, 14), background vocals (5), piano (6, 14), noise machine (6, 14), vocal production (10, 14), field recordings (17)
* Lee Tesche – guitar (1, 10, 14, 15), 2x4 (1, 12), glass bottle (1), sheet metal (1), sampler (1, 15, 17), field recordings (1, 8, 12, 13, 15, 17), electronics (1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 12, 14–17), vocals (1, 6, 7, 9), radio (2, 16), springs (2, 9), background vocals (5), tenor sax (7, 15, 17), programming (7), bells (7), pedal steel (7), percussion (10), test equipment (14), dub siren
The terms dub, dubs, or dubbing commonly refer to:
* Dubbing, a post-production process used in filmmaking and video production
* Accolade (also known as dubbing), a central act in rite of passage ceremonies conferring knighthood
* Dub music, a ...
(15), tape manipulation (15), synthesizers (16)
* Matthew Tong – drums (1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 10, 14, 15, 17)
Other personnel
* Big Rube – vocals (1, 5)
* Tristan Griffin – background vocals (1, 3, 9, 15)
* Ayse Hassan – background vocals (1)
* Mark Stewart – background vocals (1)
* Matthew Ricchini – drums (1, 3, 6, 14, 15, 17), synthesizers (1, 12), percussion (2), background vocals (5, 15), sequencing (12), beat programming (12)
* Zack de la Rocha – vocals (2)
* Monika Khot – background vocals (4)
* Billy Woods – vocals (6)
* Ashanti Mutinta – vocals (6)
* Mawa Keita – background vocals (6)
* Joe Bochniak – background vocals (6)
* Kyle Kidd – background vocals (6)
* James Longs – background vocals (6)
* LaToya Kent – background vocals (6), vocals (13)
* Mark Cisneros – double bass (7, 12), bass clarinet (7), flute (7), congas (7), tenor sax (1, 12)
* An Do – voice (8)
* Samuel T. Herring – vocals (10)
* Jae Matthews – vocals (10)
* Susan D. Mandel – cello (10)
* Brianne Lugo – viola (10)
* Alex Weill – violin (10)
* Gari Thomas – voice (11)
* Shea Curry – vocals (12)
* Robyn Fisher – background vocals (12)
* Sonya Belaya – prepared piano (12), electronics (12)
* Caleb Flood – electronics (12)
* Dave Dickie – synthesizers (13)
* Félix Blume – field recordings (13)
* Nadah El Shazly – vocals (14)
* DeForrest Brown Jr. – vocals (16)
* Patrick Shiroishi – alto sax (16)
* Lee Bains lll – vocals (17)
References
{{Algiers (band)
Algiers (band) albums
2023 albums
Matador Records albums