Noah's Ark (album)
| Noah's Ark | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||
| Studio album by CocoRosie | ||||
| Released | September 13, 2005 | |||
| Genre | Freak folk | |||
| Label | Touch and Go Records | |||
| CocoRosie chronology | ||||
|
||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 67/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    |
| Drowned in Sound |   |
| The Guardian | |
| NME | |
| Pitchfork Media | (3.4/10) |
| Q | |
| Stylus Magazine | A− |
| Spin | (F) |
| Uncut | |
| Under the Radar | |
Noah's Ark is the second album by sister duo CocoRosie. It was released on September 13, 2005 by Touch and Go Records. In addition to the group's two core members, Bianca and Sierra Casady, the album includes collaborations with a number of other musicians including Anohni, Devendra Banhart and Spleen.
Bianca and Sierra Casady are the sister act behind CocoRosie, whose name originates from the nicknames given by their mother; "Coco" (Bianca) and "Rosie" (Sierra). The sisters spent their childhood years living throughout the Southwestern United States and Hawaii. They developed an interest in music at an early age and enjoyed making up songs as children. Collectively, the sisters have a vast background. Bianca, who worked as a model at one time, sang and wrote songs. Sierra, who once wanted to go into the Army, pursued classical opera throughout high school.
Although there is only a 2-year age difference between them, the sisters were not close as children. After many years apart, Bianca joined Sierra in Paris in 2003. It was at this time that the sisters came together to form CocoRosie and create music, referred to by some as, "freak folk". Their first album, La Maison de Mon Reve, was created in an apartment in Paris and released in 2004 on Touch and Go Records.
The album features both sisters on vocals with more traditional instruments such as guitars and harps layered over a multitude of unconventional items cast in the role of instruments. The song, "Bear Hides and Buffalo" for example, includes a loop of horses neighing and cats meowing over a toy piano hook. Upon the release of Noah’s Ark, Bianca described the group’s sound as "sort of an eclectic montage," saying, "[w]e float around between a few different instruments and use a bunch of unconventional percussion things. Like toys."
The album was compiled in many different locations as the sisters traveled in the wake of their previous album. The pursuit of intimate venues lead to, as Sierra put it, "pulling over on the side of the road and just recording in a field, or taking a moment in a barn in the South of France, or a studio in Brooklyn."
The album features contributions from a variety of other musicians. Anohni of Antony and the Johnsons provides vocals and plays piano on "Beautiful Boyz", an ode to French novelist, playwright, and convicted felon Jean Genet, while Devendra Banhart lends his singing voice (via phone) to "Brazilian Sun". The opening rhymes of "Bisounours" come courtesy of French rapper Spleen.
...
Wikipedia