Ruminations
Studio album by
Conor Oberst
ReleasedOctober 14, 2016 (2016-10-14)
RecordedFebruary 11–12, 2016
StudioARC Studios, Omaha, Nebraska
Length37:56
LabelNonesuch
ProducerConor Oberst
Conor Oberst chronology
Upside Down Mountain
(2014)		 Ruminations
(2016)		 Salutations
(2017)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic76/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Consequence of SoundB−[3]
Drowned In Sound9/10[4]
NME[5]
Paste8.6/10[6]
Pitchfork Media7.5/10[7]
Rolling Stone[8]
Slant Magazine[9]

Ruminations is the seventh solo studio album by American musician Conor Oberst, released on October 14, 2016 on Nonesuch Records.[10][11][12] An expanded edition of the album featuring five bonus tracks was released on July 23, 2021.[13]

Background

On October 28, 2015, in the midst of Desaparecidos' tour for their second studio album Payola, it was announced that Conor Oberst had been hospitalized due to "laryngitis, anxiety, and exhaustion," according to a press release. The entirety of Desaparecidos' remaining tour dates were cancelled and Oberst returned to his hometown of Omaha to recuperate.[14] Oberst spent the following months in Omaha, where he wrote and recorded the songs that makeup Ruminations.

Recording

The album was recorded in February of 2016 at ARC Studios in Oberst's native Omaha, Nebraska, with the recording process taking just two days. The album was engineered by Ben Brodin, mixed by Mike Mogis and mastered by Bob Ludwig.

Described as an acoustic album, the songs on the album solely feature Oberst and consist of vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, and harmonica. In a press release, Oberst described Ruminations' inception:

I wasn't expecting to write a record. I honestly wasn't expecting to do much of anything. Winter in Omaha can have a paralyzing effect on a person but in this case it worked in my favor. I was just staying up late every night playing piano and watching the snow pile up outside the window. Next thing I knew I had burned through all the firewood in the garage and had more than enough songs for a record. I recorded them quick to get them down but then it just felt right to leave them alone.

All ten main tracks and five bonus tracks were re-recorded with a full band for Oberst's following album Salutations.[15]

Artwork

The album artwork features a photograph captured by Julia Brokaw of Oberst playing piano and harmonica with a microphone and sheet music on display, marking the album's low-production and minimal instrumentation.[15]

Accolades

Publication Accolade Year Rank
American Songwriter Top 50 Albums of 2016 2016

Track listing

All tracks are written by Conor Oberst

Ruminations – Standard edition
No.TitleLength
1."Tachycardia"3:39
2."Barbary Coast (Later)"4:12
3."Gossamer Thin"3:35
4."Counting Sheep"3:27
5."Mamah Borthwick (A Sketch)"3:56
6."The Rain Follows the Plow"3:28
7."A Little Uncanny"4:12
8."Next of Kin"3:26
9."You All Loved Him Once"3:49
10."Till St. Dymphna Kicks Us Out"4:12
Total length:37:56
Ruminations – Expanded edition (bonus tracks)
No.TitleLength
11."Overdue"3:23
12."Too Late to Fixate"4:06
13."Afterthought"3:37
14."Empty Hotel by the Sea"4:48
15."Napalm"5:06
Total length:59:02

Charts

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[17] 54
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[18] 103
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[19] 82
Irish Albums (IRMA)[20] 31
Scottish Albums (OCC)[21] 55
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[22] 77
US Billboard 200[23] 72

References

  1. ↑ Metacritic Score
  2. ↑ AllMusic Review
  3. ↑ Consequence of Sound Review
  4. ↑ "Drowned In Sound Review". Archived from the original on 2016-11-28. Retrieved 2016-11-28.
  5. ↑ NME Review
  6. ↑ Paste Review
  7. ↑ Pitchfork Review
  8. ↑ Rolling Stone Review
  9. ↑ Slant Review
  10. ↑ Lozano, Kevin (2016-08-03). "Conor Oberst Announces New Album Ruminations". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2016-08-03.
  11. ↑ Lou, Lily (2016-08-03). "Conor Oberst Announces Solo Album, Ruminations". Paste. Retrieved 2016-08-03.
  12. ↑ Breihan, Tom (2016-08-03). "Conor Oberst Announces New Album Ruminations". Stereogum. Retrieved 2016-08-03.
  13. ↑ "Conor Oberst's 'Ruminations (Expanded Edition)' Now Available on All Formats via Nonesuch Records - Nonesuch Records". Nonesuch Records Official Website. 2021-07-23. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  14. ↑ Rettig, James (2015-10-28). "Conor Oberst Hospitalized, Desaparecidos Cancel Tour". Stereogum. Retrieved 2016-08-03.
  15. 1 2 "Nonesuch Records Ruminations (Expanded Edition)". Nonesuch Records Official Website. 2021-07-21. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  16. ↑ "American Songwriter's Top 50 Albums of 2016". American Songwriter. December 1, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  17. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Conor Oberst – Ruminations" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Conor Oberst – Ruminations" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Conor Oberst – Ruminations" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
  20. ↑ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 42, 2016". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 22, 2016.
  22. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Conor Oberst – Ruminations". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Conor Oberst Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
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