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Mothertongue (album)

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Mothertongue
Studio album by
Nico Muhly
ReleasedMay 26, 2008 (2008-05-26)
Studio
  • Looking Glass (New York City)
  • Greenhouse (Reykjavík)[1]
Length49:01
LabelBedroom Community
ProducerValgeir Sigurðsson
Nico Muhly chronology
Speaks Volumes
(2006) 		Mothertongue
(2008) 		I Drink the Air Before Me
(2010)

Mothertongue is a studio album by American composer and musician Nico Muhly.[2] It was released on May 26, 2008, through Bedroom Community.[3] It received generally favorable reviews from critics.[4]

Background

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Mothertongue is Nico Muhly's second solo studio album, following Speaks Volumes (2006).[2] It contains three suites: "Mothertongue", "Wonders", and "The Only Tune".[5] It features contributions from vocalists Abigail Fischer (on "Mothertongue"), Helgi Hrafn Jónsson (on "Wonders"), and Sam Amidon (on "The Only Tune").[6]

The album was originally released on May 26, 2008, through Valgeir Sigurðsson's Icelandic record label Bedroom Community.[3][7] In the United States, it was released on July 22, 2008, through Brassland Records.[8][9]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic78/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[10]
The A.V. ClubB+[11]
Cokemachineglow82%[12]
Now4/5[13]
The Phoenix[14]
Pitchfork5.1/10[6]
PopMatters7/10[5]
Spin6/10[15]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Mothertongue received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 78 out of 100 from 10 critic scores.[4]

Dan Raper of PopMatters stated, "The three suites on the album do have a fidgety motion, but there are also moments of spare beauty."[5] He added, "But these works aren't large-scale in the way that Philip Glass' work is, and each idea is dealt with in a mode that shares more with indie pop than classical music."[5] Alexandra Savvides of Cyclic Defrost stated, "Mothertongue is an incredibly ambitious work, and its beauty is able to shine through from Muhly's meticulous layering of complex voices, instrumentation and context."[16] Michael Patrick Brady of The Phoenix commented that "Muhly is a perfect ambassador for a new generation of classical composers — his love of music knows no bounds or limitations."[14] Conrad Amenta of Cokemachineglow stated, "Mothertongue oscillates between the comfort/terror of singularities and excitement/terror of potentialities, but the possibilities this duality affords for Muhly's future work are frankly exhilarating."[12]

Accolades

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Year-end lists for Mothertongue
Publication List Rank Ref.
Pitchfork Albums of the Year: Honorable Mention
—
[17]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Nico Muhly.

Mothertongue track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Mothertongue: I. Archive"5:49
2."Mothertongue: II. Shower"4:18
3."Mothertongue: III. Hress"3:53
4."Mothertongue: IV. Monster"4:43
5."Wonders: I. New Things & New Tidings"5:56
6."Wonders: II. The Devil Appear'd in the Shape of a Man"5:33
7."Wonders: III. A Complaint Against Thomas Weelkes"3:18
8."The Only Tune: I. Two Sisters"4:30
9."The Only Tune: II. The Old Mill Pond"6:24
10."The Only Tune: III. The Only Tune"4:47
Total length:49:01

Personnel

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Credits adapted from liner notes.[1]

  • Nico Muhly – programming, keyboards, celesta (5–7), percussion (8–10)
  • Valgeir Sigurðsson – electric bass (1–4), programming, production, recording, mixing
  • Abigail Fischer – mezzo-soprano vocals (1–4)
  • Matthías Nardeau – oboe (1–4)
  • Una Sveinbjarnardóttir – violin (1–4)
  • Zbigniew Dubik – violin (1–4)
  • Andres Kleina – violin (1–4)
  • Þórarinn Már Baldursson – viola (1–4)
  • Monica Abendroth – harp (1–4, 8–10)
  • Helgi Hrafn Jónsson – vocals (5–7), trombone (5–7)
  • Árni Heimir Ingólfsson – harpsicord (5–7)
  • Sam Amidon – vocals (8–10), banjo (8–10), guitar (8–10)
  • Nadia Sirota – viola (8–10)
  • Ben Frost – bass programming (8–10)
  • Adam Thompson – additional recording
  • Chris Thompson – additional recording
  • Buchanan-Smith LLC – artwork
  • Michael Schmelling – cover photography
  • Jason Frank Rothenberg – "Iceland, 2003" photography

References

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  1. ^ a b Nico Muhly (2008). Mothertongue (CD booklet). Bedroom Community.
  2. ^ a b True, Chris. "Nico Muhly". AllMusic. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  3. ^ a b Muhly, Nico (May 2, 2008). "God only knows". The Guardian. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c "Mothertongue by Nico Muhly". Metacritic. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d Raper, Dan (July 20, 2008). "Nico Muhly: Mothertongue". PopMatters. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  6. ^ a b Greene, Jayson (August 19, 2008). "Nico Muhly: Mothertongue". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  7. ^ Michaels, Sean (October 1, 2008). "An Interview with Nico Muhly". The Believer. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
  8. ^ "Nico Muhly is releasing an album on Brassland". BrooklynVegan. April 17, 2008. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  9. ^ "Nico Muhly Signs to Brassland for the United States". Brassland Records. April 17, 2008. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  10. ^ Couture, François. "Mothertongue - Nico Muhly". AllMusic. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  11. ^ Battaglia, Andy (July 29, 2008). "Nico Muhly: Mothertongue". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  12. ^ a b Amenta, Conrad (July 26, 2008). "Nico Muhly: Mothertongue". Cokemachineglow. Archived from the original on September 12, 2008. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  13. ^ Davies, Lucie (August 20, 2008). "Nico Muhly". Now. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  14. ^ a b Brady, Michael Patrick (July 22, 2008). "Nico Muhly". The Phoenix. Archived from the original on December 25, 2013. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  15. ^ Beta, Andy (August 21, 2008). "Nico Muhly, 'Mothertongue' (Brassland)". Spin. Archived from the original on February 3, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  16. ^ Savvides, Alexandra (August 19, 2008). "Nico Muhly – Mothertongue (Bedroom Community)". Cyclic Defrost. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  17. ^ "Albums of the Year: Honorable Mention". Pitchfork. December 16, 2008. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
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