1,000 Years

Background and recording

Tucker told The Portland Mercury that she was recording the album in April 2010, and said it was "definitely more of a middle-aged mom record, in a way. It's not a record that a young person would write." The origins of these songs lie in material Tucker wrote for live performances in early 2009 in Portland, after which many people encouraged her to make her own album. Tucker said that she wanted to create something both quiet and powerful in the making of this album. The songs in question include closer "Miles Away".

Production

Some critics described Seth Lorinczi's production on 1,000 Years as lo-fi, with Slant noting a lack of refinement in the production, especially on "Doubt" and "Dragon".

Composition

Music

Tucker said that her influences for this album included The Lion and the Cobra, as well as The Slits, The Raincoats, and The English Beat. Tucker's singing on the album is much more subdued and intimate than it was on her work with Sleater-Kinney, when her voice was distinctive for its strong, surging sound. However, she occasionally returns to the full force of her "banshee" voice for which she was previously well-known, for example on "Riley".

1,000 Years has been compared, both favorably and unfavorably, to Tucker's work with Sleater-Kinney, with the general conclusion being that the album's style differs significantly from that of Sleater-Kinney. For example, Pitchfork Media wrote that "fans jonesing for a Sleater-Kinney fix will be disappointed." Rolling Stone and Drowned in Sound noted the increased usage of piano and cello, among other instruments, on this album as opposed to in Sleater-Kinney's music. DiS singled out the organ on "Handed Love" as well as the military rhythm of "Half a World Away" as examples of this.

Lyrics

It has been noted that Tucker's marriage seems to have influenced the album's lyrics, in particular those of "Half a World Away" and "It's Always Summer".

Tour

Tucker toured on both U.S. coasts to support 1,000 Years, in addition to dates in other parts of the country. Additionally, on May 3, 2011, Tucker opened for M. Ward at the Crystal Ballroom, in Portland, Oregon. In a Kill Rock Stars press release, Tucker stated that she was no longer able to tour for as long as she once could, and that "We're definitely playing shows, but it's more like a week here, a week there."

Reception

The album received mostly positive reviews; on Metacritic its weighted average is 76 out of 100, indicating "generally favorable reviews". The most positive review was from Robert Christgau, who gave it an A and called it "A deep, pained, sober, subtle album". In addition to giving the album an A, Christgau ranked 1,000 Years as the 11th best album of 2010 in his year-end list. This contrasted starkly with the most negative review, a C+ from EW's Whitney Pastorek, who said that, on the album,

With regard to the album's only single "Doubt", Adam Kivel of Consequence of Sound praised the song on the basis that Tucker's characteristic "howl" made a return on the track. Similarly, Thom Gibbs of Drowned in Sound praised the song because it features Tucker in more familiar vocal form. Kivel also noted that the song was stripped down and lacked the same wild energy as Sleater-Kinney's music. Kivel also compared the sound of "Thrift Store Coats" to that of the Fiery Furnaces, and described "Dragon" as "dramatic" while noting that it was dominated by cello.

Commercial performance

As of August 2012, 1,000 Years had sold about 8,000 copies.

Track listing

1. "1,000 Years" – 3:47
2. "Half a World Away" – 3:02
3. "It's Always Summer" – 3:37
4. "Handed Love" – 3:17
5. "Doubt" – 3:23
6. "Dragon" – 3:56
7. "Riley" – 3:14
8. "Pulling Pieces" – 4:28
9. "Thrift Store Coats" – 2:52
10. "Big Goodbye" – 4:46
11. "Miles Away" – 4:34

Chart positions

Personnel

• Julianna Bright – vocals
• Douglas Jenkins – cello
• Corin Tucker – composer, guitar (acoustic), guitar (electric), main personnel, primary artist, vocals
• Seth Lorinczi – bass, engineer, guitar (acoustic), guitar (electric), keyboards, main personnel, producer, string arrangements
• Sara Lund – drums, percussion
• Kate O'Brien-Clarke – violin
• Sung Kim – artwork

References

References

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2. "1,000 Years KRS Press Release".
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4. (October 8, 2010). "1,000 Years Review". [[Pitchfork Media]].
5. (July 31, 2023). "Interview with Corin Tucker: Band To Debut In '1,000 Years'".
6. Schumer, Ben. (January 26, 2011). "Ballad of a Working Mom: An Interview with Corin Tucker". [[PopMatters]].
7. Tucker, Ken. "Corin Tucker: '1,000 Years' Of Emotional Longing".
8. Powers, Ann. (October 5, 2010). "Album review: The Corin Tucker Band's '1,000 Years'". [[Los Angeles Times]].
9. "The Corin Tucker Band". Punknews.org.
10. (October 5, 2010). "1,000 Years Review". [[Rovi Corporation]].
11. Christgau, Robert. (January 4, 2011). "Corin Tucker Band/Robyn". [[MSN Music]].
12. Snapes, Laura. (October 2010). "Album Review: The Corin Tucker Band – 1000 Years (Kill Rock Stars)". [[NME]].
13. Nirenburg, Gabbie. (September 30, 2010). "1,000 Years". No Ripcord.
14. Ryan, Kyle. (October 5, 2010). "The Corin Tucker Band: 1,000 Years". [[The A.V. Club]].
15. Pastorek, Whitney. (September 29, 2010). "1,000 Years".
16. Keefe, Jonathan. (October 3, 2010). "1,000 Years". [[Slant (magazine).
17. Hermes, Will. (October 5, 2010). "1,000 Years".
18. Gibbs, Thom. (October 6, 2010). "Album Review: The Corin Tucker Band – 1,000 Years". [[Drowned in Sound]].
19. "1,000 Years". [[Metacritic]].
20. Christgau, Robert. (January 14, 2011). "The Dean's List: Christgau's Best of 2010". Barnesandnoble.com.
21. (October 12, 2010). "Album Review: The Corin Tucker Band 1,000 Years".
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