Of Men and Angels
Encyclopedia
Of Men and Angels is the fourth full-length studio album
by American pop rock
artist The Rocket Summer
, and was released on February 23, 2010. The album debuted at No. 1 on iTunes
, surpassing The Black Eyed Peas'
The E.N.D.
which had previously held the #1 spot for Top Album. Three songs on the album were initially featured on the 2009 extended play
, You Gotta Believe
. Leading up to the album debut, The Rocket Summer released the entire album for preview on The Rocket Summer MySpace on February 15, 2010, just eight days prior to the in-store release.
The Rocket Summer recorded the new album at Ocean Studios in Burbank, CA, from February to April 2009, with the band undertaking mixing with Neal Avron in May 2009. Frontman Bryce Avary played all of the instruments on the record and produced the album with CJ Eiriksson.
The album's title and title track Of Men and Angels comes from the Bible
verse 1 Corinthians 13
: "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal" (NIV). The title track, off of which the album is based, is consequently what Avary considers to be "spiritually charged," despite the self-made distinction of not being a solely "Christian" band when it comes to categorizing The Rocket Summer's music.
On January 8, 2010, The Rocket Summer announced the Of Men and Angels cover art, which features a thoughtful Avary leaning against a white, concrete wall. Opposite the wall is an ink-drawn angel, pushing away a black burst; the black burst accords with what Avary has termed in interviews as life's troubles. Avary has also stated that the artwork represents his perceived reality, where "sometimes things are actually supposed to be even worse than they are."
, and on January 14, 2010, the album's track listing was announced on Facebook
. Preceding the in-store album release, the music video for the album's second single "Hills and Valleys" was released on February 22, 2010.
To promote the new album, Avary performed the album's lead single "Walls" on KDFW
's Good Day Dallas and KTBC
's Good Day Austin, and held a hometown album release party at the Granada Theatre in Dallas, TX, where Matt Thiessen
of Relient K
and a contest-winning unsigned band opened. Leading up to the album debut, The Rocket Summer released the entire album for preview on The Rocket Summer MySpace on February 15, 2010, just eight days prior to the in-store release.
and Goo Goo Dolls
. Avary also played an acoustic set at the SXSW Music + Film + Interactive Conference
in Austin, TX, on March 20, 2010, and performed at the Slam Dunk festival on May 30. He additionally performed at the 16th annual Vans Warped Tour 2010, which opened in California the last weekend of June 2010 and ran through August 15, 2010.
Prior to the album release, in October 2009, The Rocket Summer headlined a 34-city North American tour to promote the album.
, stating that "Avary’s Michael Jackson-esque voice soars high over sunny power pop riffs, giving the listener a nice respite from the half-sung/half-screamed vocals that seemed to have fully infiltrated the world of emo rock." Mario Tarradell of the Dallas News gave the album a strong, positive review, stating that Of Men and Angels could be "the brink of [Avary's] mainstream pop breakthrough."
Additional personnel
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
artist The Rocket Summer
The Rocket Summer
The Rocket Summer is the solo-project of Bryce Avary who is based in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas. Avary is a multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and producer. He writes and produces every song on his records, and plays every instrument on them....
, and was released on February 23, 2010. The album debuted at No. 1 on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
, surpassing The Black Eyed Peas'
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
The E.N.D.
The E.N.D.
According to review aggregator Metacritic, The E.N.D. received an average of 60 out of 100 indicating mixed to average reviews from music critics, based on fifteen critiques, higher than their 2005 album Monkey Business but lower than their 2003 breakout Elephunk, with critics agreeing that the...
which had previously held the #1 spot for Top Album. Three songs on the album were initially featured on the 2009 extended play
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
, You Gotta Believe
You Gotta Believe (The Rocket Summer album)
You Gotta Believe is a four-track EP by The Rocket Summer that was announced on October 8, 2009 to be released on October 27, 2009. It was officially released on iTunes a day early on Oct. 26, 2009. The EP features three tracks off the upcoming record Of Men and Angels and one bonus track...
. Leading up to the album debut, The Rocket Summer released the entire album for preview on The Rocket Summer MySpace on February 15, 2010, just eight days prior to the in-store release.
The Rocket Summer recorded the new album at Ocean Studios in Burbank, CA, from February to April 2009, with the band undertaking mixing with Neal Avron in May 2009. Frontman Bryce Avary played all of the instruments on the record and produced the album with CJ Eiriksson.
Production
Avary recorded the album in Ocean Studios in Burbank, CA, from February to April 2009, and later wrote and recorded new songs in Austin, TX, while waiting for industry issues to clear. In creating the record, Avary intended "to keep the record as organic as possible." As a result, Avary minimized the chopping of the drums, did not use Autotune on the vocals, and featured longer takes on the guitar. Avary additionally mixed some of the tracks with Neal Avron, and produced the album with CJ Eiriksson.The album's title and title track Of Men and Angels comes from the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
verse 1 Corinthians 13
1 Corinthians 13
Chapter 13 of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, written by Paul the apostle covers the subject of love, principally the love that Christians should have for everyone. In the original Greek, the word αγαπη agape is used throughout...
: "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but I have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal" (NIV). The title track, off of which the album is based, is consequently what Avary considers to be "spiritually charged," despite the self-made distinction of not being a solely "Christian" band when it comes to categorizing The Rocket Summer's music.
On January 8, 2010, The Rocket Summer announced the Of Men and Angels cover art, which features a thoughtful Avary leaning against a white, concrete wall. Opposite the wall is an ink-drawn angel, pushing away a black burst; the black burst accords with what Avary has termed in interviews as life's troubles. Avary has also stated that the artwork represents his perceived reality, where "sometimes things are actually supposed to be even worse than they are."
Release and promotion
On January 13, 2010, the lead single "Walls" premiered on the band's MySpaceMySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
, and on January 14, 2010, the album's track listing was announced on Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
. Preceding the in-store album release, the music video for the album's second single "Hills and Valleys" was released on February 22, 2010.
To promote the new album, Avary performed the album's lead single "Walls" on KDFW
KDFW
KDFW, virtual channel 4 , is the Fox owned-and-operated television station in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex designated market area....
's Good Day Dallas and KTBC
KTBC
KTBC, channel 7, is the Fox owned-and-operated television station in Austin, Texas. Studios are located in downtown Austin at the corner of 10th and Brazos Streets , and its transmitter is located in the city....
's Good Day Austin, and held a hometown album release party at the Granada Theatre in Dallas, TX, where Matt Thiessen
Matt Thiessen
Matthew Arnold Thiessen is a Canadian-American musician, known for being co-founder, lead singer, guitarist, pianist, and primary songwriter for the Christian rock band Relient K. With Relient K, he has released six full-length albums, including three that were certified Gold, and three that...
of Relient K
Relient K
Relient K is an American rock band formed in 1998 in Canton, Ohio by Matt Thiessen, Brian Pittman, and Matt Hoopes during the band's junior year in high school and their time at Malone University...
and a contest-winning unsigned band opened. Leading up to the album debut, The Rocket Summer released the entire album for preview on The Rocket Summer MySpace on February 15, 2010, just eight days prior to the in-store release.
Touring
Starting March 13, 2010, The Rocket Summer commenced a two-week tour with OneRepublicOneRepublic
OneRepublic is an American pop rock band from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Formed in 2002 by Ryan Tedder and Zach Filkins, the band achieved massive success on MySpace, becoming the most prominent unsigned act on the website then...
and Goo Goo Dolls
Goo Goo Dolls
The Goo Goo Dolls are a Grammy-nominated American rock band formed in 1986 in Buffalo, New York, by vocalist and guitarist John Rzeznik and vocalist and bass guitarist Robby Takac. Since the end of 1994, Mike Malinin has been the band's drummer, a position previously held by George Tutuska...
. Avary also played an acoustic set at the SXSW Music + Film + Interactive Conference
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
in Austin, TX, on March 20, 2010, and performed at the Slam Dunk festival on May 30. He additionally performed at the 16th annual Vans Warped Tour 2010, which opened in California the last weekend of June 2010 and ran through August 15, 2010.
Prior to the album release, in October 2009, The Rocket Summer headlined a 34-city North American tour to promote the album.
Critical reception
Of Men and Angels has received much critical acclaim since its debut. Allmusic's George Heaney likened Avary's voice to Michael Jackson'sMichael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, stating that "Avary’s Michael Jackson-esque voice soars high over sunny power pop riffs, giving the listener a nice respite from the half-sung/half-screamed vocals that seemed to have fully infiltrated the world of emo rock." Mario Tarradell of the Dallas News gave the album a strong, positive review, stating that Of Men and Angels could be "the brink of [Avary's] mainstream pop breakthrough."
Singles
- "WallsWalls (The Rocket Summer song)"Walls" is the lead single from The Rocket Summer's album Of Men and Angels. The song was written by The Rocket Summer frontman Bryce Avary, and was released in February 2010...
" was the lead single from Of Men and Angels and was released in February 2010. In an interview with AOLAOLAOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
, Avary stated that the song is "about struggles and about having issues in your life that you just can't seem to quite get a grip on, whether that's depression or whether that's anything."
- "Hills and Valleys" was the second single from Of Men and Angels and was released on February 22, 2010, along with its music video. Its release coincided with the in-store album release.
- "You Gotta Believe" was the title single off of the 4-song You Gotta Believe EPYou Gotta Believe (The Rocket Summer album)You Gotta Believe is a four-track EP by The Rocket Summer that was announced on October 8, 2009 to be released on October 27, 2009. It was officially released on iTunes a day early on Oct. 26, 2009. The EP features three tracks off the upcoming record Of Men and Angels and one bonus track...
released on December 7, 2009, in advance of the album Of Men and Angels. Coinciding with its release was also its accompanying music video, directed by the award-winning Randy Slavin.
Release Date: February 23, 2010
Personnel
The Rocket Summer- Bryce Avary – vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussion, synthesizers, organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, keyboards, productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, string arrangementArrangementThe American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
Additional personnel
- C.J. Eriksson – productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
, mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
on tracks 6, 10 and 13, programmingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock... - Neal Avron – mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
- Nicolas Fournier – mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
- Gavin LurssenGavin LurssenGavin Lurssen is a mastering engineer. He owns Lurssen Mastering in Hollywood, California. Lurssen's Grammy Award–winning work includes Raising Sand, a collaborative album featuring Alison Krauss and Robert Plant, and the soundtrack for the Coen Brothers film, O Brother, Where Art Thou?...
– masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced... - Tara Avary – backing vocals on tracks 1, 3, 4 and 5
- Seth Brewton – backing vocals on tracks 1, 3, 4 and 5, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
on track 7 - Josh Venable – handclaps on track 3
- Deedle Lacour – handclaps on track 3
- Stevie Blacke – stringsString sectionThe string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
on tracks 5 and 13, string arrangementArrangementThe American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents... - Albert Mata – engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
- Jared Dood – engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
- Steve Rokks – engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
- Will Kreinke – engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
- Erich Talaba – engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
- Reuben Cohen – engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
Chart history
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US Rock |
US Christian |
US Alternative |
||
| 2010 | Of Men and Angels
|
38 | 4 | 2 | 3 |