A Sufi and a Killer
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 8, 2010 (2010-03-08)
Genre
Length58:49
LabelWarp
Producer
Gonjasufi chronology
A Sufi and a Killer
(2010)
The Caliph's Tea Party
(2012)

A Sufi and a Killer is the debut studio album by Gonjasufi (Sumach Ecks). It was released by Warp on March 8, 2010.[1] The album was produced by Flying Lotus, The Gaslamp Killer, and Mainframe.

Ecks said of the album: "I didn't want it to be too easy for the listener. I wanted it to hurt a little bit. I wanted it to get into a spot in the head that hasn't been hit".[2] Of its title he said "The Sufi side of life has helped me with my killer side so I try not to attach myself to any label. There's a Sufi and a killer in everybody, man, and I'll be whatever I have to be just to make it through".[3]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.5/10[4]
Metacritic78/100[5]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Clash7/10[7]
The Guardian[8]
The Irish Times[9]
Mojo[10]
MusicOMH[11]
Pitchfork8.4/10[12]
PopMatters6/10[13]
Q[14]
Uncut[15]

At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, A Sufi and a Killer received an average score of 78 based on 16 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[5] At AnyDecentMusic?, which collates critical reviews from more than 50 media sources, the album scored 7.5 points out of 10, based on 18 reviews.[4]

The album garnered much positive critical coverage on its release. AllMusic's Jason Lymangrover gave the album four stars out of five, describing it as "weird, ‘60s-rooted, psychedelic hip-hop", sounding "like if J. Dilla produced George Clinton after visiting with the Dalai Lama, or if Dan the Automator recorded Cody Chesnutt after the two shared a plate of magic mushrooms", and calling it "truly visionary".[6] The BBC described it as "a stunning, genre-transcending record" and "a terrific, trippy adventure".[16] Drowned in Sound gave the album 7/10, describing Ecks' voice as "a hugely versatile instrument, every bit as unique and distinctive as that of Björk or Tom Waits", and calling the album "a fascinating glimpse of a character continually in transition".[2] The Guardian called it "one of the strangest and most eclectic records you'll hear all year",[3] and "an album that practically has a green smog drifting above it".[8] Clash gave it 7/10, stating "repeated plays reveal an irresistible talent".[7] PopMatters gave it 6/10, with reviewer David Amidon stating "I've listened to this album a lot just trying to make sense of it...and have walked away mostly pleased".[13]

A Sufi and a Killer ranked at number 41 on Tiny Mix Tapes' "Favorite 50 Albums of 2010" list.[17] It ranked at number 14 on The Wire's "2010 Rewind" list.[18]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Gonjasufi

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Untitled (Bharatanatyam)"The Gaslamp Killer0:55
2."Kobwebz"The Gaslamp Killer2:13
3."Ancestors"Flying Lotus2:36
4."Sheep"The Gaslamp Killer4:03
5."She Gone"The Gaslamp Killer2:45
6."SuzieQ"The Gaslamp Killer1:44
7."Stardustin"The Gaslamp Killer1:04
8."Kowboyz&Indians"The Gaslamp Killer2:43
9."Change"The Gaslamp Killer2:04
10."Duet"The Gaslamp Killer3:06
11."Candylane"Mainframe2:07
12."Holidays"Mainframe3:57
13."Love of Reign"Mainframe2:39
14."Advice"Mainframe2:45
15."Klowds"The Gaslamp Killer3:28
16."Ageing"The Gaslamp Killer2:42
17."DedNd"The Gaslamp Killer3:38
18."I've Given"The Gaslamp Killer3:35
19."Made / Dobermins"The Gaslamp Killer10:45
Total length:58:49

Charts

Chart (2010) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[19] 55
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[20] 98
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[21] 33

References

  1. "Gonjasufi: A Sufi and a Killer". Warp. Archived from the original on March 23, 2010. Retrieved March 29, 2010.
  2. 1 2 Gibb, Tom (March 3, 2010). "Album Review: Gonjasufi – A Sufi and a Killer". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on March 30, 2010. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
  3. 1 2 Meer, Malik (March 6, 2010). "Gonjasufi – the electro Hendrix". The Guardian. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
  4. 1 2 "A Sufi And A Killer by Gonjasufi reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  5. 1 2 "Reviews for A Sufi And A Killer by Gonjasufi". Metacritic. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  6. 1 2 Lymangrover, Jason. "A Sufi and a Killer – Gonjasufi". AllMusic. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
  7. 1 2 Annan, Nick (February 26, 2010). "Gonjasufi – A Sufi and a Killer". Clash. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
  8. 1 2 Dean, Will (March 4, 2010). "Gonjasufi: A Sufi and a Killer". The Guardian. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
  9. Carroll, Jim (March 12, 2010). "Gonjasufi". The Irish Times. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  10. "Gonjasufi: A Sufi and a Killer". Mojo (197): 105. April 2010.
  11. Hogwood, Ben (March 8, 2010). "Gonjasufi – A Sufi And A Killer". MusicOMH. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
  12. Patrin, Nate (March 4, 2010). "Gonjasufi: A Sufi and a Killer". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
  13. 1 2 Amidon, David (April 5, 2010). "Gonjasufi: A Sufi and a Killer". PopMatters. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
  14. "Gonjasufi: A Sufi and a Killer". Q (285): 111. April 2010.
  15. "Gonjasufi: A Sufi and a Killer". Uncut (155): 90. April 2010.
  16. Parkin, Chris (March 9, 2010). "Gonjasufi A Sufi and a Killer Review". BBC Music. Retrieved July 4, 2010.
  17. "2010: Favorite 50 Albums of 2010 (50–41)". Tiny Mix Tapes. December 17, 2010. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  18. "2010 Rewind". The Wire. January 2011. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  19. "Ultratop.be – Gonjasufi – A Sufi & A Killer" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  20. "Ultratop.be – Gonjasufi – A Sufi & A Killer" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  21. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.