Never Were the Way She Was
Studio album by
Colin Stetson and Sarah Neufeld
ReleasedApril 28, 2015
StudioEnd of the World (Vermont)
GenreExperimental, avant-garde jazz, ambient
Length42:51
LabelConstellation
Colin Stetson chronology
New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light
(2013)		 Never Were the Way She Was
(2015)		 SORROW: A Reimagining of Gorecki's 3rd Symphony
(2016)
Sarah Neufeld chronology
Black Ground EP
(2013)		 Never Were the Way She Was
(2015)		 The Ridge
(2016)

Never Were the Way She Was is a collaborative album by Colin Stetson and Sarah Neufeld, released on April 28, 2015 by Constellation Records. It was recorded live in the studio without the use of overdubs or loops[1] at the End of the World studio in Vermont.[2] Neufeld and Stetson had first met in 2006 when Neufeld's Bell Orchestre shared a bill with Antibalas, who Stetson was playing with.[2] The two artists had previously collaborated on the soundtrack to the 2013 film Blue Caprice.[3] The album received favorable reviews and won a Juno Award.

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Drowned in Sound8/10[5]
NME7/10[6]
Pitchfork7.7/10[7]
Spin7/10[3]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Never Were the Way She Was received an average score of 81, based on 19 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[4] AllMusic reviewer Thom Jurek said that the album was too short, commenting that the songs "last only as long as they hold interest for the players, though they all create a real desire for more in the listener - which is no complaint at all."[1] Alexander Tudor of Drowned in Sound called the album a "triumph for instrumental music" and said that Stetson and Neufeld "work perfectly; long may they continue to work together."[5] NME reviewer Cian Traynor said that the pairing was "seamless" and that the album contained "expertly controlled energy" which "unfolds like a well-crafted score to an imagined film."[6] Harley Brown of Spin called it a "cohesive meditation on the legacy of avant-garde greats" and said it was "an essential part of Stetson and Neufeld's own impressive canons."[3] In his review for Pitchfork, Jayson Greene said the album was an "implicit reminder of the things that can be done with two instruments and two hands."[7]

Never Were the Way She Was won the 2016 Juno Award for Instrumental Album of the Year.[8] The album was also longlisted nominee for the 2015 Polaris Music Prize.[9]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Colin Stetson and Sarah Neufeld

Never Were the Way She Was track listing
No.TitleLength
1."The Sun Roars Into View"7:37
2."Won't Be a Thing to Become"3:24
3."In the Vespers"6:01
4."And Still They Move"2:56
5."With the Dark Hug of Time"6:33
6."The Rest of Us"6:30
7."Never Were the Way She Was"8:12
8."Flight"1:38
Total length:42:51

Personnel

  • Colin Stetson – tenor saxophone, bass saxophone, contrabass clarinet
  • Sarah Neufeld – violin, voice
  • Hans Bernhard – engineering
  • Mark Lawson – mixing
  • Harris Newman – mastering
  • Kim Meinelt – photography
  • Scott Irvine – photography

References

  1. 1 2 3 Jurek, Thom. "Never Were the Way She Was - Sarah Neufeld, Colin Stetson". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  2. 1 2 Ranta, Alan (30 April 2015). "The Nature of Time". Exclaim!. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 Brown, Harley (27 April 2015). "Review: Colin Stetson and Sarah Neufeld Honk and Scrape on 'Never Were the Way She Was'". Spin. SpinMedia. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Critic Reviews for Never Were the Way She Was". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  5. 1 2 Tudor, Alexander (27 April 2015). "Album Review: Colin Stetson and Sarah Neufeld - Never Were the Way She Was". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 29 April 2015. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  6. 1 2 Traynor, Cian (13 April 2015). "9 Great Albums That May Have Passed You By This Week". NME. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
  7. 1 2 Greene, Jayson (27 May 2015). "Colin Stetson / Sarah Neufeld: Never Were the Way She Was". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  8. ↑ "Instrumental Album of the Year 2016". Juno Awards. Retrieved 11 September 2022.
  9. ↑ "Polaris Music Prize Announces 2015 Long List". Exclaim!, June 16, 2015.

Never Were the Way She Was at Discogs (list of releases)

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