Mind over Matter is the second studio album by the American alternative rock band Young the Giant. It was produced by Justin Meldal-Johnsen and released on January 21, 2014, by Fueled by Ramen.[1] Promoted by the singles "It's About Time" and "Crystallized", the album received generally favorable reviews from music critics.
| Mind over Matter | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 21, 2014 | |||
| Recorded | February 2012 – January 2014 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock, alternative rock | |||
| Length | 52:55 | |||
| Label | Fueled by Ramen | |||
| Producer | Justin Meldal-Johnsen | |||
| Young the Giant chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Mind over Matter | ||||
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Promotion
editThe lead single from the album, "It's About Time", was released on October 28, 2013,[2] with an accompanying music video.[3] On December 10, 2013, it was followed by the release of the second single, "Crystallized",[4] for which a music video had been released a day earlier.[5]
The album could be streamed for free on iTunes from January 14, 2014, until its official release on January 21, 2014.
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 67/100[6] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AbsolutePunk | 7/10[7] |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| Consequence of Sound | C−[9] |
| Contactmusic | 2/5[10] |
| The Gazette | [11] |
| Rolling Stone | [12] |
| Sputnikmusic | 3.7/5[13] |
Mind over Matter received generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 67, based on 7 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[6]
Rating the album three stars out of five, Timothy Monger of AllMusic called the album "an able, straightforward modern indie rock record" and wrote that the band was at its best on some of the lighter songs on the album, such as "Firelight" and "Waves". However, he noted that "the type of mainstream guitar/synth rock Young the Giant pursue is littered with similar acts, making it tough to rise above the din. Comparisons to stadium-filling bands like Coldplay and Phoenix are not out of line, but there is a general lack of distinction to much of the music on Mind over Matter, suggesting that the band still hasn't discovered its defining characteristics."[8]
Kristofer Lenzon for Consequence of Sound wrote that Mind over Matter "documents the metamorphosis of the band from indie darling who could to full-blown arena rock overlords". However, he noted that "all the gloss and shimmer doesn't add to the overall enjoyment of the album, but presents a wavering distraction from the content" and that at times Justin Meldal Johnson's heavy production seems to be trying to compete with the strength of lead singer Sameer Gadhia's vocals: "Virtuosic talents like Gadhia's often sound best when given room to breathe and expand, as on Young the Giant's 'God Made Man' or Mind Over Matter's 'Firelight', where a simple plucked guitar line and atmospheric tones serve as a platform, not competition for Gadhia. The result is the sweetest and most emotionally impactful song on the record. (...) On an album so choked with production, the simplest moment is its most affecting."[9]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Young the Giant, except "Eros" written by Young the Giant and Justin Meldal-Johnsen
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Slow Dive" | 0:47 |
| 2. | "Anagram" | 4:54 |
| 3. | "It's About Time" | 3:45 |
| 4. | "Crystallized" | 4:00 |
| 5. | "Mind over Matter" | 4:04 |
| 6. | "Daydreamer" | 3:58 |
| 7. | "Firelight" | 5:33 |
| 8. | "Camera" | 5:12 |
| 9. | "In My Home" | 3:39 |
| 10. | "Eros" | 4:10 |
| 11. | "Teachers" | 3:40 |
| 12. | "Waves" | 4:38 |
| 13. | "Paralysis" | 4:34 |
| Total length: | 52:55 | |
Personnel
edit
|
|
Charts
edit| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[15] | 7 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[16] | 32 |
| US Billboard 200[17] | 7 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[18] | 2 |
Singles
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Alt [19] |
US Rock [20] | ||||||||
| "It's About Time" | 2013 | 2 | 17 | ||||||
| "Crystallized" | 35 | 27 | |||||||
| "Mind over Matter"[21] | 2014 | 15 | 31 | ||||||
| "—" denotes release that has not charted. | |||||||||
References
edit- ^ "Mind Over Matter CD". Young the Giant. Archived from the original on November 1, 2013. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
- "Mind Over Matter by Young the Giant". iTunes. Archived from the original on December 21, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2013. - ^ "It's About Time - Single by Young the Giant". iTunes. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
- ^ "Young the Giant: It's About Time [OFFICIAL VIDEO]". YouTube. October 28, 2013. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
- ^ "Crystallized: Young The Giant". Amazon. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
- ^ "Young the Giant: Crystallized [OFFICIAL VIDEO]". YouTube. December 9, 2013. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
- ^ a b "Mind Over Matter Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ Robson, Gregory (January 22, 2014). "Young the Giant - Mind Over Matter". AbsolutePunk. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
- ^ a b Monger, Timothy (January 24, 2014). "Mind Over Matter - Young the Giant". AllMusic. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
- ^ a b Lenzon, Kristofer (January 24, 2014). "Album Review: Young the Giant – Mind Over Matter". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
- ^ Lai, Alex (August 12, 2014). "Young The Giant – Mind Over Matter Album Review". Contactmusic. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ Perusse, Bernard (January 19, 2014). "New music review: Mind Over Matter, Young the Giant (Warner Music Canada)". The Gazette. Montreal. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
- ^ R. Weingarten, Christopher (February 21, 2014). "Young The Giant Mind Over Matter Album Review". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
- ^ "Review: Young the Giant - Mind Over Matter". Sputnikmusic. January 21, 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
- ^ a b "Mind Over Matter - Young the Giant | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
- ^ "Young the Giant Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Young the Giant – Mind over Matter" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved January 26, 2014.
- ^ "Young the Giant Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
- ^ "Young The Giant Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
- ^ "Young The Giant Album & Song Chart History". Billboard Alternative Songs for Young The Giant. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
- ^ "Young The Giant Album & Song Chart History". Billboard Rock Songs for Young The Giant. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
- ^ "Future Releases on Triple A (AAA) Radio Stations". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on July 27, 2014.