Thanks for the Ether
| Thanks for the Ether | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 6, 1996 | |||
| Recorded | Sear Sound, New York City[1] | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 55:45 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | Jimmy Boyle, Melora Creager | |||
| Rasputina chronology | ||||
| ||||
Thanks for the Ether is the debut studio album by American rock band Rasputina, released on August 6, 1996, on Columbia Records.[2] The album was recorded at Sear Sound Recording Studio in New York City, and produced by Jimmy Boyle and Melora Creager. The cover art and packaging was designed by Creager. The album did not chart in any country and it did not sell many copies. It contains an eclectic collection of songs and spoken-word narration. It is also known for introducing the band's pioneering use of distortion effects pedals on their cellos, single-handedly launching the underground genre known as cello rock.
On October 1, 1996, the band appeared as the musical guest on Late Night with Conan O'Brien to promote the album.[3][4] In 1998, the track "Transylvanian Concubine" was featured in the season 2 episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, "Surprise".[5][6]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [1] |
| The Boston Phoenix | [7] |
| Deseret News | [8] |
| The Hamilton Spectator | 4/4[9] |
| Knoxville News-Sentinel | [10] |
| Music Central Online | [11] |
| MusicHound Rock | [12] |
In a review for AllMusic, Vincent Jefferies called the album "a rare accomplishment", saying "If only more mope rockers, shoegazers, death metalers, and other dour stylists could be so clever, their music would become many times more listenable," and "Rasputina paint a completely new gothic landscape on this debut, and fans of the genre or anything dark and artful simply must own it."[1] In a review for CMJ, Douglas Wolk praised the band's "sly humor and self-awareness", and said of the album, "Thanks For The Ether has a couple of conceptual misfires, but even the lesser stuff is pleasingly unlike anything else: they err on the side of adventurousness, which is always a good idea."[13]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Melora Creager (except where noted).
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "My Little Shirtwaist Fire" | 2:30 | |
| 2. | "Stumpside" | 4:01 | |
| 3. | "Nozzle" | 1:55 | |
| 4. | "Transylvanian Concubine" | 2:47 | |
| 5. | "Why Don't You Do Right?" | McCoy/Morand | 2:21 |
| 6. | "Mr. E. Leon Rauis" | 3:26 | |
| 7. | "The Donner Party" | 2:01 | |
| 8. | "Endomorph" | 2:40 | |
| 9. | "Brand New Key" | Melanie Safka | 2:13 |
| 10. | "Crybabies" | 3:21 | |
| 11. | "Howard Hughes" | 3:14 | |
| 12. | "Sister Sleep" | 2:59 | |
| 13. | "Five Fleas" | 1:06 | |
| 14. | "Any Old Actress" | 3:54 | |
| 15. | "Dig Ophelia" | 2:59 | |
| 16. | "Kate Moss" | 1:33 | |
| 17. | "Rusty the Skatemaker" | 3:36 | |
| 18. | "Trust All-Stars/Vertrauen Alles Sternen (hidden track)" | 9:09 |
Personnel
- Melora Creager – Cello, vocals, producer, art direction
- Julia Kent – Cello
- Carpella Parvo – Cello
- Norm Block – Drums
- Jimmy Boyle – Producer
- Michael Brauer – Mixing
- Greg Calbi – Mastering
- Greg Gordon – Engineer
- Dave Shiffman – Engineer
References
- ^ a b c "Thanks for the Ether – Rasputina". AllMusic.
- ^ "Rasputina – Thanks for the Ether CD Album". CD Universe.
- ^ "Rasputina Filmography". IMDb. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
- ^ "1996 EPISODE #0662". Late Night Archives. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
- ^ "Original TV Soundtrack Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Album". AllMusic. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
- ^ "Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV Series) Surprise (1998) Soundtracks". IMDb. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
- ^ Ashare, Matt (September 20, 1996). "Off the Record". The Boston Phoenix (Arts). Vol. 25, no. 38. p. 43 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Iwasaki, Scott (November 22, 1996). "Dark Themes Brought Musically to Light in 2 Albums". Deseret News (Weekend). p. W10.
- ^ Boden, Brigid (December 23, 1997). "Arthur's a future star". The Hamilton Spectator (Entertainment). p. B5. ProQuest 269904954.
- ^ Campbell, Chuck (August 16, 1996). "Throwing Muses Ease into 'Limbo'". Knoxville News-Sentinel. p. T10. ProQuest 393432543.
- ^ Moody, Rod. "Review: Thanks For The Ether". Music Central Online. Archived from the original on February 15, 1997. Retrieved February 28, 2026.
- ^ McGovern, Adam (1999). "Rasputina". In Graff, Gary; Durcholz, Daniel (eds.). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. pp. 922–923. ISBN 9781578590612 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Wolk, Douglas (July 1996). "Reviews - Rasputina Thanks For The Ether". CMJ New Music Monthly. p. 42. Retrieved December 6, 2021.