| Free Dimensional | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 23, 2012 | |||
| Recorded | 2012 | |||
| Genre | Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Synthpop | |||
| Length | 41:25 | |||
| Label | Secret City Records | |||
| Producer | Damian Taylor, Diamond Rings | |||
| Diamond Rings chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 65/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Exclaim.ca | 8/10[3] |
| PopMatters | [4] |
| Pitchfork Media | 5.8/10[5] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | [6] |
| Toronto Star | [7] |
Free Dimensional, released on October 23, 2012, is the second and final studio album from Canadian musician Diamond Rings (real name: John O'Regan).
According to O'Regan, his Diamond Rings persona exists "to sort of smash that kind of tendency that I think we all have to sort of hide behind ourselves. And I think this record's probably, or definitely, my strongest statement that I've made to date."[8] He also says a big part of this album was "becoming more comfortable as a musician and a composer and an arranger", and "I felt like I really stepped up as a singer with this album, and I’m really proud of that.”[9]
O'Regan has stated that this album is more polished than Special Affections, but "I didn’t really change my approach lyrically or emotionally. I feel like they’re still conveying the same message, but just coated in a way that has a few more layers of gloss. It’s like we spent a two more hours waxing the car."[10] He attributes the album's heavier dance orientation to his unique recording set-up: "I had a sit-down desk and I got rid of it cause I started working all day on these songs and I started feeling really sluggish, like I was a banker or something. So I got rid of the desk, put my computer up, and started recording like that. And it just all has a more dance-ready feel because I was dancing when I was making it!"[11]
O'Regan has compared Special Affections to Free Dimensional: "The old album is more introspective, whereas Free Dimensional seems outrospective. It's got all this energy coming out of it."[12]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Everything Speaks" | 3:17 |
| 2. | "All The Time" | 3:20 |
| 3. | "Runaway Love" | 4:50 |
| 4. | "Put Me On" | 5:12 |
| 5. | "I'm Just Me" | 4:35 |
| 6. | "Hand Over My Heart" | 4:40 |
| 7. | "(I Know) What I'm Made Of" | 3:46 |
| 8. | "A To Z" | 4:00 |
| 9. | "Stand My Ground" | 4:00 |
| 10. | "Day & Night" | 3:49 |
References
- ↑ "Free Dimensional by Diamond Rings at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
- ↑ Allmusic review
- ↑ Exclaim.ca review
- ↑ PopMatters review
- ↑ Pitchfork review
- ↑ Tiny Mix Tapes review
- ↑ Toronto Star review
- ↑ "Yahoo". Archived from the original on 2020-09-27. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
- ↑ "Man in the Aubergine Mask | Next Magazine". Archived from the original on 2013-02-21. Retrieved 2012-12-10.
- ↑ "News - Entertainment, Music, Movies, Celebrity".
- ↑ "News - Entertainment, Music, Movies, Celebrity".
- ↑ "Diamond Rings | ION Magazine".