Old Crows / Young Cardinals

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Old Crows / Young Cardinals
Studio album by
Alexisonfire
ReleasedJune 23, 2009[1]
RecordedFebruary – March 2009
Studio
Genre
Length42:06
LabelDine Alone (Canada & Australia), Vagrant (USA)
ProducerJulius Butty[2]
Alexisonfire chronology
Crisis
(2006) 		Old Crows / Young Cardinals
(2009) 		Dog's Blood
(2010)
Singles from Old Crows / Young Cardinals
  1. "Young Cardinals"
    Released: May 12, 2009[3]
  2. "Born and Raised"
    Released: October 14, 2009
  3. "The Northern"
    Released: December 28, 2009

Old Crows / Young Cardinals is the fourth studio album from Canadian post-hardcore band Alexisonfire, released on June 23, 2009.[4] The album was originally referred to by the shortened title of Young Cardinals,[5] until the name change was announced on April 1, 2009.[4]

Background[edit]

Following the release of Crisis, the members kept themselves busy with other projects: vocalist Dallas Green with his other band City and Colour; guitarist Wade McNeil with Black Lungs; and vocalist George Pettit performing with Fucked Up and Bergenfield Four.[6] In October and November 2008, the band toured Europe as part of The Eastpak Antidote Tour.[7] In December, it was revealed that the band would be recording their next album in 2009. McNeil said the record would be "fucking heavy."[8]

Recording[edit]

In an interview in January 2009, Wade MacNeil and band manager Joel Carriere confirmed that they have 10 songs ready for recording,[9] one of which being "Emerald St." (given full title "Emerald Street" on the album).[10] The band announced they would begin recording on February 1, 2009, documenting the process as it happened on their internet blog,[11] with MacNeil stating that "For the first time ever we have too many songs".[12] Recording took place in Armoury Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia,[13] working with engineer Nick Blagona (who has previously worked with April Wine and Cat Stevens, as well as the band's 2006 album, Crisis).[2][14] One week later, Dallas Green announced that the band had already completed seven songs, including "Midnight Regulations",[15] and "probably 8 by the time we finish up".[11]

By March 1, 2009, the band announced in their studio blog that they had "drums, bass and most of the guitars completed", and had "now moved on to leads and overdubs".[16] Later the same week, MacNeil announced that work on the album in Vancouver had been completed, with the exception of Green's vocal parts.[10] Upon returning from Vancouver, further recording took place at Silo Studios in Hamilton, Ontario, the same location used on the band's 2004 album Watch Out! and some parts of Crisis.[14] Here, the band co-produced with Julius Butty, who had also worked on the band's previous two albums.[13] Mastering of the album was completed on April 8, 2009,[17] by Brett Zilahi at João Carvalho Mastering.[18]

Release[edit]

On April 8, 2009, Old Crows / Young Cardinals was announced for release later in the year.[19] On April 22, 2009, "Young Cardinals" was made available for streaming.[20] On May 18, 2009, a music video was released for "Young Cardinals"; it had been filmed in Niagara Falls, Ontario.[21][22] On June 2, 2009, "No Rest" was posted online.[23] During the same month, the band played a handful of European festivals, leading up to an appearance at the Edgefest in Canada.[24] Old Crows / Young Cardinals was released on June 23.[13] The album was released on Dine Alone Records, an independent label founded by the band's manager Joel Carriere. It was mark the first time the band have not released through Distort Entertainment in Canada. Dine Alone released the disc in Canada, Australia and South Africa, while the album will be released in the United States by Vagrant Records.[13] Between late June and late August, the band performed on the Warped Tour.[25] An EP was released, featuring "Two Sisters" and "Wayfarer Youth", on July 14, 2009 through Dine Alone Records.[26] Shortly after this, they appeared at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in the UK.[27] They co-headlined the Eastpak Antidote Tour, which trekked across Europe, with Anti-Flag; they were supported by the Ghost of a Thousand and the Fall of Troy.[28]

On January 29, 2010, a music video was released for "The Northern".[29] In February and March 2010, the band performed at Soundwave festival in Australia.[30] On March 3, Dine Alone released Old Crows/Young Cardinals on coloured vinyl discs. After the initial run, a standard black pressing will replace it.[31] The initial run contains the following French quote across all four sides of the album in the deadwax: Et ses mains ourdiraient/Les entrailles du prêtre/Au défaut d'un cordon/Pour étrangler les rois. It is a quote from philosopher Denis Diderot's poem Les Éleuthéromanes, translated to: And his hands would plait the priest's entrails, for want of a rope, to strangle kings. More succinctly, it has been taken to mean, "Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest."[32] Following this, the band went on a Canadian tour with Billy Talent, Against Me! and Gallows.[33][34] In April and May 2010, the band went on a cross-country US tour with support from Trash Talk, Therefore I Am and La Dispute.[35] In June 2010, Alexisonfire performed at Petite-Nation Rockfest.[36]

Reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic69/100[37]
Review scores
SourceRating
AbsolutePunk(85%)[38]
AllMusic[39]
Kerrang! [40]
Melodic [41]
Punknews.org[42]
Sputnikmusic[43]
Toro Magazine[44]
Ultimate Guitar(9.3/10)[45]

Old Crows / Young Cardinals was met with generally favourable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 69, based on five reviews.[37]

The album debuted at #81 on the Billboard 200, making this Alexisonfire's highest-charting album in the US to date.[46]

Track listing[edit]

All lyrics are written by Alexisonfire; lyrics on track 6 based on the hymn "Roll, Jordan, Roll"; all music is composed by Alexisonfire

No.TitleLength
1."Old Crows"4:17
2."Young Cardinals"3:38
3."Sons of Privilege"3:21
4."Born and Raised"4:01
5."No Rest"3:37
6."The Northern"4:28
7."Midnight Regulations"4:11
8."Emerald Street"3:16
9."Heading for the Sun"3:45
10."Accept Crime"3:14
11."Burial"4:18
Total length:42:06
iTunes pre-order bonus track
No.TitleLength
12."Young Cardinals" (demo)3:51
Japanese Edition
No.TitleLength
12."Two Sisters"1:27
13."Wayfarer Youth"3:41
Australian Edition
No.TitleLength
12."Wayfarer Youth" (bonus track on the first pressing[47])3:41

Personnel[edit]

Alexisonfire

Production

  • Produced by Julius Butty and Alexisonfire
  • Engineered by Nick Blagona
  • Assistant engineering by Rob Stefenson (Vancouver, BC) and Marco Brasette (Hamilton, ON)
  • Mixed by Julius Butty at Metalworks Studios
  • Assistant mixing by Dave MacFarquhar
  • Pre-production by Nicholas Osczypko
  • Mastered by Brett Zilahi at Joao Carvalho Mastering

Art

  • Art direction by Alexisonfire
  • Paintings, collage and design by Paul Jackson
  • Layout by Paul Jackson; assisted by Justin Ellsworth
  • Typed by Tricia Ricciuto; assisted by Scott Rémila

Charts[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Single Leaked, Album Out June 23rd". April 2, 2009. Archived from the original on September 29, 2009. Retrieved April 21, 2009.
  2. ^ a b Sheppard, Justin (April 1, 2009). "ALEXISONFIRE gets ready to unleash OLD CROWS/YOUNG CARDINALS!". Dine Alone Records official website. Archived from the original on April 6, 2009. Retrieved April 7, 2009.
  3. ^ "New Single from Upcoming Alexisonfire Album". Noise Press. Retrieved on 2009-04-22
  4. ^ a b "Alexisonfire Amend New Album Title". Rock Sound. April 2, 2009. Archived from the original on April 4, 2009. Retrieved April 2, 2009.
  5. ^ Bezer, Terry (January 2, 2009). "Alexisonfire Name New Album". Metal Hammer. Archived from the original on April 14, 2009. Retrieved April 2, 2009.
  6. ^ Conoley, Ben (February 8, 2008). "Alexisonfire featured in Exclaim! TV episode 13". Punknews.org. Retrieved June 8, 2022.
  7. ^ "Big raffle for the Eastpak Antidote Tour with Anti-Flag". Ox-Fanzine (in German). September 10, 2009. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  8. ^ "Alexisonfire to begin recording new album in 2009". Alternative Press. December 18, 2008. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  9. ^ "2009 Album Preview: Alexisonfire - Young Cardinals". Thrash Hits. January 9, 2009. Archived from the original on May 1, 2009. Retrieved April 2, 2009.
  10. ^ a b Harper, Kate (March 6, 2009). "Alexisonfire Bassist Solo Project Coming?". Chart Attack. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved April 2, 2009.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  11. ^ a b Harper, Kate (February 23, 2009). "Alexisonfire Launch Studio Blog". Chart Attack. Archived from the original on June 23, 2009. Retrieved April 2, 2009.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  12. ^ "New Alexisonfire In 2009". Metal Hammer. December 15, 2008. Archived from the original on April 17, 2009. Retrieved April 2, 2009.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  13. ^ a b c d Harper, Kate (April 1, 2009). "Alexisonfire Album: Old Crows/Young Cardinals". Chart Attack. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved April 2, 2009.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  14. ^ a b Harper, Kate (March 17, 2009). "Alexisonfire Finishing Young Cardinals". Chart Attack. Archived from the original on May 7, 2009. Retrieved April 2, 2009.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  15. ^ Harper, Kate (February 7, 2009). "Alexisonfire Avoid Narc Sting". Chart Attack. Archived from the original on June 27, 2009. Retrieved April 2, 2009.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  16. ^ Harper, Kate (March 2, 2009). "Alexisonfire's Young Cardinals Release Inches Closer". Chart Attack. Archived from the original on June 25, 2009. Retrieved April 2, 2009.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  17. ^ "Jordan Hastings update". Twitter. April 8, 2009. Retrieved April 9, 2009.
  18. ^ "João Carvalho Mastering update". Twitter. April 6, 2009. Retrieved April 7, 2009.
  19. ^ Paul, Aubin (April 8, 2009). "Alexisonfire announce 'Old Crows/Young Cardinals'". Punknews.org. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  20. ^ Paul, Aubin (April 22, 2009). "Alexisonfire: 'Young Cardinals'". Punknews.org. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  21. ^ Yancey, Bryne (May 18, 2009). "Alexisonfire: 'Young Cardinals'". Punknews.org. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  22. ^ Paul, Aubin (May 12, 2009). "Exclusive: Alexisonfire shooting 'Young Cardinals'". Punknews.org. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  23. ^ Paul, Aubin (June 2, 2009). "Alexisonfire: 'No Rest'". Punknews.org. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  24. ^ Paul, Aubin (May 13, 2009). "Alexisonfire". Punknews.org. Retrieved October 8, 2022.
  25. ^ Paul, Aubin (March 26, 2009). "Warped Tour 2009". Punknews.org. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  26. ^ Old Crows / Young Cardinals Bonus Tracks (EP). Dine Alone Records website. Retrieved on June 17, 2009.
  27. ^ Paul, Aubin (June 17, 2009). "Anti-Flag, Faith No More, Rise Against to play Reading and Leeds Festival 2009". Punknews.org. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  28. ^ Paul, Aubin (June 16, 2009). "Alexisonfire / Anti-Flag / Ghost of a Thousand / Fall of Troy". Punknews.org. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
  29. ^ Paul, Aubin (January 29, 2010). "Alexisonfire: 'The Northern'". Punknews.org. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  30. ^ Dan (October 13, 2009). "My Chem, You Me At Six, Paramore, and Gallows for Soundwave". Kerrang!. Archived from the original on October 16, 2009. Retrieved June 4, 2017.
  31. ^ "Old Crows / Young Cardinals - buy VINYL NOW!". Retrieved March 6, 2010.
  32. ^ "Denis Diderot Author Page". Retrieved March 5, 2010.
  33. ^ Yancey, Bryne (October 12, 2009). "Billy Talent / Alexisonfire / Against Me! (Canada)". Punknews.org. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  34. ^ Paul, Aubin (November 11, 2009). "Gallows to join Billy Talent/Alexisonfire/Against Me! for Canadian Tour in 2010". Punknews.org. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  35. ^ Paul, Aubin (February 17, 2010). "Alexisonfire / Trash Talk / Therefore I Am / La Dispute". Punknews.org. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  36. ^ White, Adam (May 14, 2010). "Misfits, Anti-Flag, Alexisonfire, Planet Smashers playing Petite-Nation Rockfest". Punknews.org. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  37. ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Old Crows / Young Cardinals". Metacritic. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  38. ^ "Alexisonfire - Old Crows / Young Cardinals - Album Review". AbsolutePunk. November 7, 2023.
  39. ^ "Old Crows / Young Cardinals - Alexisonfire". Allmusic.
  40. ^ Kerrang! #1267, p.54
  41. ^ Kramm, Troy (June 1, 2009). "Alexisonfire - Old Crows/Young Cardinals". Melodic. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  42. ^ "Alexisonfire - Old Crows / Young Cardinals". Punknews.org. July 14, 2009.
  43. ^ "Alexisonfire - Old Crows / Young Cardinal (staff review)". Sputnikmusic.
  44. ^ "Old Crows/Young Cardinals". Toro Magazine.
  45. ^ "Old Crows / Young Cardinals Review". Ultimate Guitar.
  46. ^ Alexisonfire Album & Song Chart History | Billboard.com
  47. ^ "OLD CROWS / YOUNG CARDINALS | Music , Music Genres, Alternative : JB HI-FI". Jbhifionline.com.au. June 19, 2009. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
  48. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Alexisonfire – Old Crows / Young Cardinals". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  49. ^ "AlexisOnFire, CNA". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  50. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  51. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  52. ^ "AlexisOnFire, TLP". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  53. ^ "AlexisOnFire, IND". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  54. ^ "Top Canadian Albums – Year-End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2021.

External links[edit]

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