End Time (Freakwater album)

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End Time
Studio album by
Freakwater
Released1999
RecordedJanuary 1999
StudioÜber
GenreCountry[1]
LabelThrill Jockey
ProducerBrendan Burke
Freakwater chronology
Springtime
(1998) 		End Time
(1999) 		Thinking of You...
(2005)

End Time is an album by the American band Freakwater, released in 1999.[2][3] The band supported the album with a North American tour that included shows with Sally Timms.[4][5] Freakwater would not record again until 2005's Thinking of You...[6]

Production[edit]

The album was produced by Brendan Burke.[7] End Time was the first Freakwater album to employ a drum kit, which was played by the Waco Brothers' Steve Goulding.[8][7] Eric Haywood, of Son Volt, played pedal steel.[9] A string section was used on some of the tracks.[10] All of the album's songs were written by Catherine Irwin and Janet Beveridge Bean, who allegedly conflicted in the studio.[11][12] The music of the Carter Family, Lefty Frizzell, and Johnny Cash was a significant influence on the album.[13][14] "When the Leaves Begin to Fall" is about the war in Bosnia.[15] "Good for Nothing" is about low self-esteem.[16]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Fort Worth Star-Telegram[1]
Los Angeles Times[17]
Pitchfork5.5/10[18]
The Province[19]
Spin7/10[20]

Pitchfork wrote that the band "have little more to offer than a pleasant ride through America's backwoods."[18] The Plain Dealer determined that "what separates them from most rockers trying to go country ... is their heartfelt, nonironic approach."[21] Spin concluded that, "though pedal steel and Hammond organ swell like sobs, the group's tenderness can sometimes seem drab, and the album flirts boozily with the old country plague of overproduction."[20] The Los Angeles Times opined that Freakwater's "specialty is dark, troubled ballads."[17]

The Guardian praised the "stiff, serious-minded pastoral songwriting on the rocks, not for the passing hypochondriac or alternative rocker dabbling in neo-country on the side."[22] The Province stated that "Bean and Irwin's rough-hewn harmonies and witty, literate lyrics prove they've been drinking at the same freaky well Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris dipped into 30 years ago."[19] The San Diego Union-Tribune noted that it is the "desire to celebrate, and extend, musical traditions that gives Freakwater's best songs a haunting dark beauty."[13] The Observer wrote that "there are a couple of dead-slowies too many, but the waltzes, honky-tonk swing and sharp lyrics more than compensate."[23]

Track listing[edit]

No.TitleLength
1."Good for Nothing" 
2."Cloak of Frogs" 
3."Sick, Sick, Sick" 
4."Just Like You" 
5."Cheap Watch" 
6."My History" 
7."When the Leaves Begin to Fall" 
8."Written in Gold" 
9."Dog Gone Wrong" 
10."Queen Bee" 
11."Raised Skin" 
12."All Life Long" 

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Mayhew, Malcolm (25 Feb 2000). "Freakwater, End Time". Star Time. Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 21.
  2. ^ Pantsios, Anastasia (17 Sep 1999). "Freakwater's six albums...". Friday. The Plain Dealer. p. 12.
  3. ^ Wolff, Kurt (2000). Country Music: The Rough Guide. Rough Guides. p. 565.
  4. ^ Smith Lindall, Anders (October 12, 1999). "Freakwater Expand to Play Songs from End Time". MTV News. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  5. ^ Blackstock, Peter (15 Oct 1999). "Croc's Cup Runneth Over with Talent". What's Happening. Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. 10.
  6. ^ Guarino, Mark (2023). Country and Midwestern: Chicago in the History of Country Music and the Folk Revival. University of Chicago Press. p. 363.
  7. ^ a b Jones, J.R. (September 16, 1999). "Freakwater: Plays Well with Others". Chicago Reader.
  8. ^ a b "End Time Review by Richie Unterberger". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  9. ^ Kot, Greg (8 Oct 1999). "A Fresh Cup of Twangy Punk". Friday. Chicago Tribune. p. 51.
  10. ^ Condran, Ed (24 Sep 1999). "Stepping Out of Bounds". Previews. The Record. Bergen County. p. 16.
  11. ^ "Freakwater Biography by Steve Huey". AllMusic. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  12. ^ Parker, Chris (November 24, 2005). "Freakwater". The Pitch.
  13. ^ a b Varga, George (8 Oct 1999). "Group focuses on 'wretched subjects'". The San Diego Union-Tribune. p. E3.
  14. ^ Gilbert, Ben (1 Oct 1999). "Freakwater Delivers the Real Country Goods". Asheville Citizen-Times. p. F21.
  15. ^ Stark, Jeff (September 7, 1999). "Louisville lips: The two women behind Freakwater have a story to get off their chests". Salon. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  16. ^ Curry, Paul (2 Oct 1999). "Outer Space Country". Scene. Courier Journal. p. 4.
  17. ^ a b Hilburn, Robert (10 Oct 1999). "Freakwater Explores Daring Folk-Country". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 62.
  18. ^ a b "End Time Freakwater". Pitchfork. September 7, 1999. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
  19. ^ a b Derdeyn, Stuart (5 Oct 1999). "Freakwater: End Time". The Province. p. A29.
  20. ^ a b Wolk, Douglas (Oct 1999). "Reviews". Spin. Vol. 15, no. 10. p. 155.
  21. ^ Petkovic, John (22 Sep 1999). "Freakwater at the Grog Shop". The Plain Dealer. p. 1E.
  22. ^ Cox, Tom (1 Oct 1999). "Freakwater – End Time". The Guardian. Friday Pages. p. 20.
  23. ^ Spencer, Neil (17 Oct 1999). "Pop". Review Pages. The Observer. p. 10.
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