| Lost Futures | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 27, 2021 | |||
| Recorded | September 2020 | |||
| Studio | Flora Recording & Playback,Portland, Oregon | |||
| Genre | Ambient,[1]blues,Americana[2] | |||
| Length | 41:09 | |||
| Label | Thrill Jockey | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| William Tyler chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Marisa Anderson chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Lost Futures | ||||
| ||||
Lost Futures is a studio album by American guitaristsMarisa Anderson andWilliam Tyler, released August 27, 2021, viaThrill Jockey.[3]Lost Futures was recorded by producerTucker Martine at hisPortland, Oregon recording studioFlora Recording & Playback[2] over a five day session in early September 2020.[4]
The pair first decided to make an album together after performing at aDavid Berman tribute concert inPortland in January 2020.[5] In describing their meeting, Anderson said, "There was an obvious and immediate affinity musically and personally, which led to the feeling that we should try and do something together."[6]
The album is inspired by, and named in reference to,Jacques Derrida's philosophical concepthauntology, and particularlyMark Fisher's writing on the subject in his workGhosts of My Life: Writings on Depression, Hauntology and Lost Futures. Tyler had been gifted a copy of Fisher's book by his manager Ben Swank.[5] In an interview, Tyler admitted he hadn't read the book at the time they made the album, and Anderson wasn't familiar with Fisher, but they agreed that they both liked the phrase for their album title and were inspired by their interpretation of it. Tyler said that, having read the book subsequently, he found Fisher to be "not a very hopeful person in his writing", and that the pair "wanted to re-contextualize something about the concept of lost futures. There's an opening there rather than a closed door."[4]
The album was preceded by three singles: the title track released March 18, 2021,[3] "Hurricane Light" released June 4,[7] and "At the Edge of the World" released August 24.[8]
The album's front cover was made by the artist Sam Smith. The back cover features a photograph by Anderson of an abandoned theme park in Louisiana.[4]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 82/100[9] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [10] |
| Loud and Quiet | 6/10[1] |
| Mojo | [11] |
| Pitchfork | 7/10[12] |
| PopMatters | 8/10[2] |
| Spectrum Culture | 85/100[13] |
| Uncut | 8/10[5] |
According to the review aggregatorMetacritic,Lost Futures received "universal acclaim" based on aweighted average score of 82 out of 100 from 7 critic scores.[9] AllMusic's Timothy Monger wrote that "it might take a number of listens to fully appreciateLost Futures' peculiar spread of dynamics. But, like any grower, its slow revelation is part of its charm."[10]PopMatters's Chris Ingalls wrote that the "brilliant artists" Tyler, Anderson, and Martine "are bursting with creativity and bold ideas", and that the album "may be dotted with nostalgia, but it's most definitely a bold move forward."[2] Holly Hazelwood wrote forSpectrum Culture thatLost Futures is "one of the best albums of 2021 not because it's daring or because of what it has to say, but because its craftsmanship is such that you'll be mad that this is (as of now) all that we have to listen to from the duo."[13]
Loud and Quiet's Alex Francis wrote that the "album's artwork makes it clear that the album is also aboutclimate change in the broadest possible sense", but that "This doesn't make it through to the music itself, which is largely too pleasant and meandering to really make clear the threat, sorrow and chaos of rapid climate change. The album's understanding of climate change is less nuanced thanDaniel Bachman's excellentAxacan, which made clear the connections between extractive colonial capitalism and global heating without losing the music's emotional core". Francis also said that "The bottom line is that this album does not reshapeAmericana in a new image, like the work of Bachman,Yasmin Williams, or Gwenifer Raymond. But, realistically, that's because William Tyler and Marisa Anderson already did that years ago and their influence is only beginning to be fully felt. It's enough forLost Futures to offer some more to completionists while giving a good introduction to those who are newly exploring the genre".[1]
All tracks are written by Marisa Anderson and William Tyler. All tracks are produced by Anderson, Tyler, and Tucker Martine
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "News About Heaven" | 3:56 |
| 2. | "Lost Futures" | 2:54 |
| 3. | "Pray for Rain" | 5:14 |
| 4. | "Something Will Come" | 6:02 |
| 5. | "At the Edge of the World" | 6:16 |
| 6. | "Hurricane Light" | 3:56 |
| 7. | "Life and Casualty" | 4:05 |
| 8. | "Haunted by Water" | 8:43 |
| Total length: | 41:09 | |