Immunity (Jon Hopkins album)
| Immunity | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by Jon Hopkins | ||||
| Released | 4 June 2013 | |||
| Genre | Ambient, tech house, techno, IDM, microhouse | |||
| Length | 60:00 | |||
| Label | Domino Records | |||
| Producer | Jon Hopkins | |||
| Jon Hopkins chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Immunity | ||||
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Immunity is the fourth studio album by English musician and producer Jon Hopkins. The electronic album was released on June 4, 2013 by Domino Records to critical acclaim and was nominated for the 2013 Mercury Prize for best album.[1] It also peaked at #13 on Billboard's Top Electronic Albums.[2] Stated MixMag, "Immunity is an album of organic techno and exquisite mini-symphonies."[3]
Production
Among the artists that contributed vocals were long-time collaborator King Creosote, and Corin Roddick and Megan James of the band Purity Ring.[4] It was recorded and produced in Hopkins' London studio, with Hopkins often using homemade sound effects or the natural sound of the room.[5]
Promotion
On March 6, 2013 Hopkins announced that his fourth solo album Immunity would be released by Domino Records on June 4 in North America, and June 3 in the rest of the world. A trailer for the album featuring a snippet of the track "Collider" from the album was made available through YouTube. The first single "Open Eye Signal" was uploaded on Pitchfork's YouTube channel on April 24, 2013. The hour-long Immunity was released on June 4, 2013 by Domino Recording Company in London, on vinyl, CD, and digitally.[4] It peaked at #13 on Top Electronic Albums by Billboard in the United States.[2] In Britain, it was also nominated for the 2013 Mercury Prize for best album.[1]
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 82/100[6] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [4] |
| Mixmag | [3] |
| Mojo | [7] |
| MusicOMH | [8] |
| NME | 8/10[9] |
| The Observer | [10] |
| Pitchfork Media | 8.5/10[5] |
| Q | [11] |
| Resident Advisor | 4.5/5[12] |
| XLR8R | 8.5/10[13] |
Critical reception
The album met with a largely positive reception, receiving perfect scores from Mixmag[3] and MusicOMH,[8] and 4/5 from The Observer.[10] By 2013 it had a cumulative score of 82/100 on Metacritic indicating universal acclaim.[6] Stated MixMag, "Immunity is an album of organic techno and exquisite mini-symphonies."[3]
| "[Hopkins] created the album's warm, alive feel by shunning digital perfection in favor of the analog synthesis of original sounds, both electronic and physical. The ambient prelude of the haunting, scrambled glitch-house opener 'We Disappear'-- a key unlocks the door of Hopkins' London studio and his footsteps lead in-- is more than idle window dressing: He is ushering us into the tactile space that suffuses the record. He drums on desks, plays salt shakers, slows down serendipitous recordings of nearby fireworks, boosts the kick-drummed rattle of a window." |
| — Pitchfork Media[5] |
Several reviews focused on the cohesiveness of the tracks. Stated The Guardian, the album "lasts exactly an hour but feels much longer. This isn't a criticism: in eight vivid, atmospheric tracks, Immunity captures the feel of an epic night out. Hopkins's beats shuffle and trip but there is a great clarity of focus throughout, and a delicate beauty."[10] Stated MusicOMH, "It is that rarest of things in 2013, an album which demands to be listened to as a whole and indeed functions best as an hour-long work of art."[8]
Most reviews praised the emotional and introspective nature of the album. Stated XLR8R, there is a "Brian Eno-esque atmosphere that appears throughout Immunity, a kind of angelic presence touching every track and even making Hopkins' more brooding efforts introspective in a very powerful way."[13] MusicOMH also called it "an intelligent and deeply human album" and a "modern classic."[8]
AllMusic gave it a largely positive review, stating "Some of Immunity's most impressive moments expand on the blend of rhythm and atmosphere Hopkins emphasized on Insides...the album still reflects how Hopkins' polished approach is something of a blessing and a curse. Immunity shows how he's grown, in his subtle, accomplished way...yet its tracks occasionally feel like the surroundings for a focal point that never arrives."[4] In contrast, Pitchfork Media described Immunity as a "remarkably visceral, sensual, confident electronic record that stays absorbing from beginning to end."[5]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "We Disappear" | 4:50 |
| 2. | "Open Eye Signal" | 7:48 |
| 3. | "Breathe This Air" | 5:29 |
| 4. | "Collider" | 9:21 |
| 5. | "Abandon Window" | 4:57 |
| 6. | "Form by Firelight" | 5:45 |
| 7. | "Sun Harmonics" | 11:54 |
| 8. | "Immunity" | 9:56 |
| iTunes bonus track[14] | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 9. | "Open Eye Signal (Happa Remix)" | 6:03 |
| 10. | "Open Eye Signal (Lord of the Isles Remix)" | 7:28 |
| 11. | "Open Eye Signal (Luke Abbott Remix)" | 6:55 |
| 12. | "Open Eye Signal (Nosaj Thing Remix)" | 3:28 |
Charts
| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[15] | 64 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[16] | 184 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA)[17] | 45 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[18] | 63 |
| UK Dance Albums (OCC)[19] | 12 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[20] | 16 |
| US Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[2] | 13 |
Personnel
- Jon Hopkins – composition, production, primary artist
- Sarah Jones – drums
- Emma Smith – vocals, violin
- Lisa Elle – vocals
- Vince Sipprell – vocals
- King Creosote – vocals
- Megan James – vocals
- Corin Roddick – engineering
- Cherif Hashizume – engineering
- Rik Simpson – mixing
- Guy Davie – mastering
- Linden Gledhill – artwork
- Craig Ward – artwork
References
- 1 2 "2013 Shortlist – Barclaycard Mercury Prize". Mercury Prize. 11 September 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
- 1 2 3 "Jon Hopkins – Chart history" Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums for Jon Hopkins. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 Worthy, Stephen (5 June 2013). "Jon Hopkins – Immunity". Mixmag. Archived from the original on 14 June 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 Phares, Heather. "Immunity – Jon Hopkins". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 Howe, Brian (6 June 2013). "Jon Hopkins: Immunity". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
- 1 2 "Reviews for Immunity by Jon Hopkins". Metacritic. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
- ↑ "Jon Hopkins: Immunity". Mojo (236): 86. July 2013.
- 1 2 3 4 Matusavage, Phillip (3 June 2013). "Jon Hopkins – Immunity". musicOMH. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
- ↑ Nicolson, Barry (17 June 2013). "Jon Hopkins – 'Immunity'". NME. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
- 1 2 3 Fox, Killian (2 June 2013). "Jon Hopkins: Immunity – review". The Observer. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
- ↑ "Jon Hopkins: Immunity". Q (324): 113. July 2013.
- ↑ Banham, Tom (7 June 2013). "Jon Hopkins – Immunity". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
- 1 2 Jackson, Glen (4 June 2013). "Immunity". XLR8R. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
- ↑ "Immunity by Jon Hopkins". iTunes Store. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Jon Hopkins – Immunity" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Jon Hopkins – Immunity" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
- ↑ "Jon Hopkins". Irish Charts Portal. Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
- ↑ "Jon Hopkins | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart Retrieved 1 February 2016.
- ↑ "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
- ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 February 2016.