To My Surprise (album)
Encyclopedia
To My Surprise is the only album by American alternative rock
band To My Surprise
. Released on October 7, 2003 by Roadrunner Records
, it was the only album that the band released before disbanding in 2006. The album was intended to be self produced by Shawn Crahan and Brandon Darner, but after producer Rick Rubin
was sent demos by Crahan, Rubin invited the band to Los Angeles
were he assumed the role of executive producer. Following the release of the album, a music video was released for the song "In The Mood" on December 1.
The album was generally well received by critics who remarked on its diversity and significantly different musical style to that of drummer Crahan's other band Slipknot
. They noted that it features music inspired by The Beatles
, Led Zeppelin
, Pink Floyd
and Weezer
, among others. However the album did not appear on any sales charts.
that working on this album "made [him] find [his] voice" and that with his other band Slipknot
he had been "hurting for a long time for a musical voice". In an interview with Launch
, he said that writing the track "The World's Too Small" was his "most magical musical experience" because "[he] was giving more than on just one or two simple ideas." In 2003 Crahan sent producer Rick Rubin
two songs that he and Darner had written, primarily to receive an opinion on the songs. However, Rubin invited the band to Cello Studios in Los Angeles
to work on an album. It was there that the album featuring 11 tracks was self-produced by Crahan and Darner, with Rubin as executive producer.
On October 7, 2003, To My Surprise was released through Roadrunner Records
. An animated music video for the track "In The Mood" was produced by BoingBoing, which was premiered on MTV's Extreme show on December 1. Also, the track "Get It To Go" was featured on the soundtrack for the video game MVP Baseball 2004
. To My Surprise did not tour in 2003 to promote the album because Crahan was working with Slipknot on their third album
. However, they did perform a limited number shows in North America the following year.
of The New York Times
stated that each song has a unique sound, concluding that they sound like "pop songs that have been pushed off balance". In another article Strauss includes They Might Be Giants
, Weezer
and Faith No More
as bands with similar sounding "elements". Rowan Shaeffer of Counterculture, commented on the album's diversity, saying "to say that the [album] is eclectic would be a gross understatement," citing Pink Floyd
and Mr. Bungle
as evident influences. The Calgary Sun
s Mike Bell cited "glam, new wave, Beatles pop and country rock" as the sounds the album presents. In his review for Allmusic Robert L. Doerschuk noted that the track "Sunday" makes musical references to the single "Pleasant Valley Sunday
" by The Monkees
, giving the "happy, strumming guitars and skippy rhythms" as similarities. He also said that they quote "one of the darker verses in the Jim Morrison
songbook".
, saying "the vocals [are] masculine yet right on key". When reviewing for Calgary Sun, Mike Bell highlighted their eclectic nature and in conclusion said the album is "fittingly, fun and surprising". However Rowan Shaeffer of Counterculture said that their diversity was ultimately their strength and weakness; he suggested that they relied too heavily on their influences by creating songs of other bands, saying that "the only [song] left out was the To My Surprise song".
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band To My Surprise
To My Surprise
To My Surprise was an American alternative rock band formed in 2002 in Des Moines, Iowa. They are referred to as a side project of Shawn Crahan, a member/founder of metal band Slipknot. In 2003 they released their debut album To My Surprise, however after losing frontman Brandon Darner in 2004 they...
. Released on October 7, 2003 by Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
, it was the only album that the band released before disbanding in 2006. The album was intended to be self produced by Shawn Crahan and Brandon Darner, but after producer Rick Rubin
Rick Rubin
Frederick Jay "Rick" Rubin is an American record producer and the co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, Rubin was the co-founder of Def Jam Records and also established American Recordings...
was sent demos by Crahan, Rubin invited the band to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
were he assumed the role of executive producer. Following the release of the album, a music video was released for the song "In The Mood" on December 1.
The album was generally well received by critics who remarked on its diversity and significantly different musical style to that of drummer Crahan's other band Slipknot
Slipknot (band)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
. They noted that it features music inspired by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
and Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...
, among others. However the album did not appear on any sales charts.
History
In June 2002, band members Shawn Crahan, Brandon Darner and Stevan Robinson began working on an album together. Drummer Crahan told MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
that working on this album "made [him] find [his] voice" and that with his other band Slipknot
Slipknot (band)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
he had been "hurting for a long time for a musical voice". In an interview with Launch
LAUNCH Media
LAUNCH Media is a Santa Monica-based media company that created LAUNCH.com, an online music site, and LAUNCH , a magazine issued both in print and as a CD-ROM disk magazine. LAUNCH Media was acquired by Yahoo! for US$12 million in 2001...
, he said that writing the track "The World's Too Small" was his "most magical musical experience" because "[he] was giving more than on just one or two simple ideas." In 2003 Crahan sent producer Rick Rubin
Rick Rubin
Frederick Jay "Rick" Rubin is an American record producer and the co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, Rubin was the co-founder of Def Jam Records and also established American Recordings...
two songs that he and Darner had written, primarily to receive an opinion on the songs. However, Rubin invited the band to Cello Studios in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
to work on an album. It was there that the album featuring 11 tracks was self-produced by Crahan and Darner, with Rubin as executive producer.
On October 7, 2003, To My Surprise was released through Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records
Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:...
. An animated music video for the track "In The Mood" was produced by BoingBoing, which was premiered on MTV's Extreme show on December 1. Also, the track "Get It To Go" was featured on the soundtrack for the video game MVP Baseball 2004
MVP Baseball series
MVP Baseball was a baseball game series published by EA Sports, running from 2003 to 2007 with five games produced. In 2003, MVP became the official successor to EA's long-running Triple Play Baseball series, and it simulated Major League Baseball from 2003 to 2005...
. To My Surprise did not tour in 2003 to promote the album because Crahan was working with Slipknot on their third album
Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)
Vol. 3: is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Slipknot. The album was released on May 25, 2004, through Roadrunner Records, and a special edition, containing a bonus disc, was released on April 12, 2005. It is the band’s only album produced by Rick Rubin and also the only one not...
. However, they did perform a limited number shows in North America the following year.
Musical style
Prior to the release of the album, drummer Crahan touted To My Surprise as "a hybrid of folk, '70s rock fuzz and schizophrenic grooves". Neil StraussNeil Strauss
Neil Darrow Strauss , also known by the pen names Style and Chris Powles, is an American and Kittitian author, journalist and ghostwriter...
of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
stated that each song has a unique sound, concluding that they sound like "pop songs that have been pushed off balance". In another article Strauss includes They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants
They Might Be Giants is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years Flansburgh and Linnell were frequently accompanied by a drum machine. In the early 1990s, TMBG became a full band. Currently, the members of TMBG are...
, Weezer
Weezer
Weezer is an American alternative rock band. The band currently consists of Rivers Cuomo , Patrick Wilson , Brian Bell , and Scott Shriner . The band has changed lineups three times since its formation in 1992...
and Faith No More
Faith No More
Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed originally as Faith No Man in 1981 by bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist Wade Worthington, vocalist Michael Morris and drummer Mike Bordin. A year later when Worthington was replaced by keyboardist Roddy Bottum, and Mike...
as bands with similar sounding "elements". Rowan Shaeffer of Counterculture, commented on the album's diversity, saying "to say that the [album] is eclectic would be a gross understatement," citing Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
and Mr. Bungle
Mr. Bungle
Mr. Bungle was an experimental band from Northern California. The band was formed in 1985 while the members were still in high school and was named after a children's educational film. Mr. Bungle released four demo tapes in the mid to late 1980s before being signed to Warner Bros. Records and...
as evident influences. The Calgary Sun
Calgary Sun
The Calgary Sun is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is a division of Sun Media, a Quebecor company.First published in 1980, the tabloid-format daily replaced the long-running broadsheet newspaper, The Albertan soon after it was acquired by the publishers of the Toronto...
s Mike Bell cited "glam, new wave, Beatles pop and country rock" as the sounds the album presents. In his review for Allmusic Robert L. Doerschuk noted that the track "Sunday" makes musical references to the single "Pleasant Valley Sunday
Pleasant Valley Sunday
"Pleasant Valley Sunday" is a song by Gerry Goffin and Carole King, most famous for the version recorded by The Monkees in 1967. Goffin's and King's inspiration for the name was a street named , in West Orange, New Jersey where they were living at the time. The road follows a valley through several...
" by The Monkees
The Monkees
The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
, giving the "happy, strumming guitars and skippy rhythms" as similarities. He also said that they quote "one of the darker verses in the Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison
James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American musician, singer, and poet, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band The Doors...
songbook".
Reception
To My Surprise was met with generally favorable critical reviews, but did not appear on any sales charts. One point which was generally drawn upon was the significant difference between their musical style to that of Crahan's other band Slipknot. Reviewer Neil Strauss opens his review with a reference to the title of the album, saying, "And, truly, it is a surprise", and then going on to say that the album "is commendable not just because [it is] different but because [it is] good". Robert L. Doerschuk of Allmusic declares that the album—aside from the track "Say Goodbye"—"maintains a buoyant and unsubtle approach". He also noted Crahan's "muscular style" as a notable element to the album saying that "[it] transplants well into this setting, which probably should not have been a surprise after all". The vocals on the album were praised by the reviewers at babysueBabysue
baby sue is a website and a cartoon character created by artist,author and one-man pop band LMNOP, also known as dONW7, in 1982. The character first appeared in LMNOP concert programs and magazines given out at live shows...
, saying "the vocals [are] masculine yet right on key". When reviewing for Calgary Sun, Mike Bell highlighted their eclectic nature and in conclusion said the album is "fittingly, fun and surprising". However Rowan Shaeffer of Counterculture said that their diversity was ultimately their strength and weakness; he suggested that they relied too heavily on their influences by creating songs of other bands, saying that "the only [song] left out was the To My Surprise song".
Track listing
- "The World's Too Small" – 3:37
- "Get It To Go" – 3:12
- "In The Mood" – 3:31
- "Blue" – 3:59
- "Say Goodbye" – 3:33
- "Easy Or Not" – 2:54
- "Turn It Back Around" – 3:25
- "This Life" – 5:34
- "Come With Me" – 3:47
- "Sunday" – 3:22
- "Who's To Say" – 4:23
Personnel
- Brandon Darner – guitarsElectric 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...
, 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...
, producerRecord 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... - Shawn Crahan – 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 ....
, producer, art direction - Stevan Robinson – guitars, vocals
- Tal Herzberg – additional musician
- Jon Ginty – additional musician
- Rick RubinRick RubinFrederick Jay "Rick" Rubin is an American record producer and the co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, Rubin was the co-founder of Def Jam Records and also established American Recordings...
– executive producer - Ed Thacker – mixerAudio 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...
- Dan Lefter – 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...
- Doug Reid – additional engineering
- Darren Mora – additional engineering
- Jason Gossman – additional engineering
- Vlado Meller – 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...
- Monte ConnerMonte ConnerMonte Conner is a producer and A&R person for Roadrunner Records. He has worked with numerous bands including, Slipknot, Trivium and King Diamond.- Discography :#Trivium - The Crusade#Stone Sour - Come WhatMay#Jerry Cantrell - Degradation Trip...
– Artists and repertoire - Doug Banker – management
- Mr. Scott Design – design
- Stefan Seskis – photography
- Jonathan MannionJonathan MannionJonathan Mannion is a photographer and film director. With English and American ancestry, he was raised in Cleveland, Ohio. His father and mother are both well known Midwest artists. His mother is from London and his father from Brooklyn....
– photography - Alexandria K. Crahan – band sculpture