The Century of Self

For the 2002 British documentary, see The Century of the Self.

The Century of Self
Studio album by ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead
Released	February 17, 2009
Recorded	2008 at Bubble Studios, Austin, Texas
Genre	Art rock
Length	53:28
Label	Richter Scale Records Justice Records
Producer	Mike McCarthy
Professional reviews
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...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead chronology
Festival Thyme (2008) The Century of Self (2009) Tao of the Dead (2011)

The Century of Self is the sixth album by ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead.

Production and release

This is the first full-length release from Trail of Dead after their Interscope contract.^[1] It is also a departure from their studio production style:

"On the last two albums, we were really meticulous recording to click-tracks and doing overdubs...This time, we threw all that out. We learned the songs and all tracked [them] live."^[1]

To promote the album, a music video for the radio edit of "Isis Unveiled" was released in April 2009.^[2]

It is the last studio album to feature co-founder and guitarist Kevin Allen.

Design

Album art for The Century of Self was done entirely in blue ballpoint pen by singer Conrad Keely.^[3]

Critical reaction

Critical reception to it so far has been more positive than the band's previous two efforts, So Divided and Worlds Apart. Clashmusic.com, the online arm of Clash magazine, commented:

"The Century of Self is an album with an accomplished sense of completion – a rolling score of disparate tracks segueing into a focused, poignant collective. And for all its scintillating, visceral energy, it’s an album that remains poised and impending, balanced by majestic composition and a patient anticipation for demolishing everything it builds."^[4]

The Fly magazine, meanwhile, awarded the record February's Album of the Month, saying that "The Century of Self underlines why they remain one of the world's most vital, daring and ambitious rock bands."^[5] Conrad Keely provided an exclusive illustration to go with The Fly's review, as well as an exclusive track-by-track analysis of the album in The Skinny ahead of its release.

Slant Magazine gave the album 2.5 out of 5, stating that "Century of Self is at times a stirring, effective rock album, familiar but stable, but the band's general creativity is less vital than they think, and rather than settle down they continue a fussy streak of projects loaded with hollow, stilted ambition".^[6]

The now defunct Blender magazine criticized the direction of the band and the album's sound, "There was a time, about six years ago, when this hyperdramatic Texas band seemed like their apocalyptic noise-rock had something meaningful to communicate. That time is long gone". It received only 2 out of 5.^[7]

Track listing

1. "The Giants Causeway"† - 2:38
2. "The Far Pavilions" - 4:54
3. "Isis Unveiled" - 6:27
4. "Halcyon Days" - 6:36
5. "Bells of Creation" - 5:23
6. "Fields of Coal" - 3:42
7. "Inland Sea" - 4:08
8. "Luna Park" - 4:22
9. "Pictures of an Only Child"‡ - 4:43
10. "Insatiable (One)"‡ - 2:02
11. "Ascending" - 4:47
12. "An August Theme" - 0:50
13. "Insatiable (Two)" - 3:03

Track details

† A truncated version of "The Betrayal of Roger Casement & the Irish Brigade" from the Festival Thyme EP.

‡ The tracklisting on the digipak back cover is incorrect, as it switches "Pictures of an Only Child" and "Insatiable (One)". The lyrics in the booklet keep the correct running order.

Alternate edits of "Bells of Creation" and "Inland Sea" are also included on Festival Thyme.

"I'm the monster, and I exist/On this summit, I am lost" on "Insatiable (Two)" refers to the Orang Pendek, a cryptid which lyricist Conrad Keely believes will be discovered in the next decade.^[3]

Personnel

Songs by: Jay Leo Phillips, Clay Morris, Kevin Allen, Conrad Keely, Jason Reece and Aaron Ford.

Engineers: Chris Coady; Jason Buntz; David Tolomei; Jim Volentine; Frenchie Smith.^[8]

Additional vocals by: Dragons of Zynth, Yeasayer Brenda Radney ^[9] Jonathan Nesvadba, Joel Nesvadba and Paul Banks ^[10]

Recorded at: Bubble Studios, Austin TX.^[11]

Chart history

Chart (2009)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[12]	169
US Billboard Independent Albums[13]	22

See also

• The Century of the Self (2002)
• The Far Pavilions (1978)
• Giant's Causeway
• Halcyon days

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b} "Trail Of Dead Readies New 'Century'". Dec 9 2008. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003920764. Retrieved 23 Feb 2009. 
2. ^ "New …And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead Video – "Isis Unveiled" (Stereogum Premiere)". Stereogum. http://stereogum.com/archives/video/new-and-you-will-know-us-by-the-trail-of-dead-vide-1_062581.html. Retrieved 2011-06-06. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "Trail of Dead Unveil The Century of Self: Exclusive Track-By-Track Preview". The Skinny. http://www.theskinny.co.uk/article/44905-trail-of-dead-unveil-the-century-of-self-exclusive-trackbytrack-preview. Retrieved 2009-02-23. 
4. ^ "And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead - The Century Of Self : CD Album Review". Clash Music. http://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/the-century-of-self. Retrieved 2009-02-23. 
5. ^ "/ Album Reviews / ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead". The-fly.co.uk. 2009-02-17. http://www.the-fly.co.uk/words/reviews/album-reviews/4099/...and-you-will-know-us-by-the-trail-of-dead. Retrieved 2009-02-23. 
6. ^ http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/…and-you-will-know-us-by-the-trail-of-dead-the-century-of-self/1654
7. ^ [1]^{[dead link]}
8. ^ "Chris Coady « Just Managing". Justmanaging.com. http://justmanaging.com/producers/chris-coady. Retrieved 2011-06-06. 
9. ^ "Album Of The Week: Trail of Dead's 'The Century of Self'". Complex. 2009-02-17. http://www.complex.com/blogs/2009/02/17/album-of-the-week-trail-of-deads-the-century-of-self. Retrieved 2011-06-06. 
10. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/album/r1550353/credits
11. ^ "The Century of Self [Digipak] - CD - Trail Of Dead". Bestbuy.com. 2009-02-17. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9194579&st=century+of+self&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1947483. Retrieved 2009-02-23. 
12. ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.chartFormatGroupName=Albums&model.vnuArtistId=259564&model.vnuAlbumId=1209519
13. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/album/and-you-will-know-us-by-the-trail-of-dead/the-century-of-self/1209519

External links

• The Century of Self Unveiled: Track-By Track With Conrad Keely at The Skinny