Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic79/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Alternative Press[4]
The A.V. ClubA–[5]
Entertainment WeeklyB[6]
The Guardian[7]
Mojo[8]
PopMatters7/10[9]
Stylus MagazineB[10]
URB[11]
Uncut[12]

The Audience's Listening is the debut studio album by Cut Chemist, released on Warner Bros. Records on July 11, 2006.[13] It features guest appearances from Hymnal, Edan, Mr. Lif, and Thes One.[3]

Production

After leaving Jurassic 5 in 2004, Cut Chemist spent 18 months working exclusively on the album, which he had already been working on for 2 years.[14] He spent almost a year clearing samples.[13]

Critical reception

At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 79% based on 15 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[2]

David Jeffries of AllMusic gave the album 3.5 stars out of 5 and described it as "a well-crafted, highly enjoyable effort that overcomes the 'all samples cleared' challenge all big-label turntablist albums must face."[3] Jeff Vrabel of PopMatters gave the album 7 stars out of 10, saying, "It's DJ music for the casual fan, something you don't need to be a knob-twiddler or connoisseur of the break beat to appreciate or enjoy."[9]

In 2015, Vice named it the 49th greatest dance album of all time.[15]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Motivational Speaker"1:48
2."(My 1st) Big Break"4:30
3."The Lift"1:25
4."The Garden"6:16
5."Spat"2:21
6."What's the Altitude" (featuring Hymnal)4:23
7."Metrorail Thru Space"3:56
8."Storm" (featuring Edan and Mr. Lif)3:28
9."2266 Cambridge" (featuring Thes One)2:34
10."Spoon"5:31
11."A Peak in Time"4:52
12."The Audience Is Listening Theme Song"2:20
Japanese edition bonus track
No.TitleLength
13."Beats Thru Space"3:18

Charts

Chart Peak
position
UK Dance Albums (OCC)[16] 20
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[17] 7
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[18] 16

References

  1. ^ "Record Shopping with Cut Chemist!". Spin. July 7, 2006. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "The Audience's Listening - Cut Chemist". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c Jeffries, David. "The Audience's Listening - Cut Chemist". AllMusic. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  4. ^ Each of the dozen tracks on his debut is a fully realized vignette that makes a particular locale startlingly vivid. [Sep 2006, p.230]
  5. ^ Rabin, Nathan (August 2, 2006). "Music in Brief". The A.V. Club. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  6. ^ Cut Chemist makes frisky, gleeful funk that touches on Brazilian samba, surf rock, and even polka, without losing the beat. [21 Jul 2006, p.70]
  7. ^ Sullivan, Caroline (June 30, 2006). "Cut Chemist, The Audience's Listening". The Guardian. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  8. ^ Chemist eschews masturbatory scratch showcases in favour of artfully constructed, utterly oddball 'songs'. [Aug 2006, p.103]
  9. ^ a b Vrabel, Jeff (July 11, 2006). "Cut Chemist: The Audience's Listening". PopMatters. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  10. ^ Rosenberg, Tal (July 17, 2006). "Cut Chemist - The Audience's Listening". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  11. ^ Apparently channeling Stereolab, Dilated Peoples and the ghost of Esquivel, Cut Chemist finds that everything is fair game if you are witty and skilled enough to connect the dots. [Jun 2006, p.108]
  12. ^ This is more than mere virtuoso performance. [Aug 2006, p.90]
  13. ^ a b "Cut Chemist Finds New 'Audience' On Solo Debut". BIllboard. May 10, 2006. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  14. ^ Patch, Nick (July 2006). "Cut Chemist Works Backwards". Exclaim!. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  15. ^ "The 99 Greatest Dance Albums of All Time". Vice. July 14, 2015. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  16. ^ "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40: 16 July 2006 - 22 July 2006". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  17. ^ "Cut Chemist - Chart history - Top Dance/Electronic Albums". Billboard. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
  18. ^ "Cut Chemist - Chart history - Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. Retrieved March 11, 2018.
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