Oh, Common Life
| Oh, Common Life | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
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| Studio album by Fireworks | ||||
| Released | March 25, 2014 | |||
| Recorded | Summer and October 2013, Salad Days, Baltimore |
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| Genre | Alternative rock,indie rock,pop-punk,rock & roll | |||
| Length | 35:28 | |||
| Label | Triple Crown | |||
| Producer | Brian McTernan | |||
| Fireworks chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 83/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AbsolutePunk | 8.5/10 |
| AllMusic |    |
| Alternative Press | |
| Pitchfork | 7.8/10 |
| Rock Sound | 8/10 |
Oh, Common Life (stylized as (oh), common life) is the third studio album by American rock band Fireworks. After the release of their previous album, Gospel (2011), the band went on hiatus. During this hiatus the band wrote and demoed new material. In the summer of 2013 the band entered the studio with Brian McTernan producing. The band's next album was announced in January 2014 and was released a couple of months later through Triple Crown. Prior to the album's release, "Glowing Crosses" and "Flies on Tape" were made available for streaming. Music videos were released for "Glowing Crosses", "Bed Sores", and "...Run, Brother, Run...", in March, August and October, respectively.
Following the release of their second album, Gospel (2011), Fireworks went on a temporary hiatus. According to guitarist Chris Mojan, "Everything was getting to be a little much. [...] There was a lot of pressure in our lives, in our relationships with people at home." While on the hiatus, the band were writing new material as early as January 2012. The group was unsure if their next release would be an EP or an album. In June, it was announced that the band were recording demos. The band went on the 2012 edition of Warped Tour. In August, it was revealed the band were writing specifically for a new album. Mojan revealed the band had taken "a very selfish approach" to the new material. The group "just wrote the record we wanted to write" and as a result, "ended up being our most personal" collection of songs. The album was dedicated to Mackinder's father, David Mackinder Sr. "...Run, Brother, Run..." is about Mackinder looking back on his father's death, which happened in April 2011. Mackinder revealed that "Reflecting on death and the past can be equally as haunting as it is inspiring. I think from tragic situations comes unexplainable wisdom sometimes."
In the summer and October 2013 the band recorded Oh, Common Life at Salad Days, located in Baltimore. The album was produced by Brian McTernan, who had produced Gospel. McTernan also engineered and mixed the album. Mastering was done by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound. It was later revealed that the band tried to get Bill Clinton to play saxophone on the album.
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