We're New Here

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Thom Jurek
Gil Scott-Heron proved he still had it on 2010's I'm New Here, his first album in 16 years. Simultaneously, Jamie Smith (aka Jamie xx) established himself as a sonic architect on his band's moody, minimal debut, then as a producer remixing other artists and DJing in clubs across the U.K. This pair comes together on We're New Here, the remix of Scott-Heron's album. It is structured in similar fashion to its predecessor: 13 tracks with songs broken by four brief interludes; the set is rhythm-heavy and suffocatingly close, but not a track-for-track take. Richard Russell's production on I'm New Here kept Scott-Heron's voice front and center; Smith displaces it often, all but ...
See more details below
CD
$13.83
BN.com price
(Save 7%)$14.99 List Price

Pick Up In Store

Reserve and pick up in 60 minutes at your local store

Other sellers (CD)
  • All (11) from $5.99   
  • New (10) from $10.81   
  • Used (1) from $5.99   

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Thom Jurek
Gil Scott-Heron proved he still had it on 2010's I'm New Here, his first album in 16 years. Simultaneously, Jamie Smith (aka Jamie xx) established himself as a sonic architect on his band's moody, minimal debut, then as a producer remixing other artists and DJing in clubs across the U.K. This pair comes together on We're New Here, the remix of Scott-Heron's album. It is structured in similar fashion to its predecessor: 13 tracks with songs broken by four brief interludes; the set is rhythm-heavy and suffocatingly close, but not a track-for-track take. Richard Russell's production on I'm New Here kept Scott-Heron's voice front and center; Smith displaces it often, all but covering it with effects, beats, and pitched vocals in styles that cross the electronic music gamut from house to electro to dubstep. "I'm New Here" begins skeletally; Scott-Heron recites solo before a keyboard shimmers in. Gloria Gaynor's "Casanova Brown" in chipmunk pitch is sampled in just under a dread dub bassline and a skittering rhythm track with squiggly keyboard sounds before Scott-Heron counters -- it's delightfully unsettling. The strange, outer space sound library effects on "Home" accompany Scott-Heron singing "home is where the hatred is..." amid a clipped, heavily reverbed, and euphoric keyboard sample that repeats just over a drum loop; it adds gloss without altering the darkness. "Running" has his spoken poetry coming from just around the corner and through a tunnel. It's juxtaposed against a full-blown post-Dilla hip-hop rhythm. On "Ur Soul and Mine," a house rhythm leads the charge and Scott-Heron's vocal moves right into a blanket of synths. "The Crutch," with its layers of high-pitched, blissed-out female backing vocals atop frenetic drum'n'bass, is a rhythm collision. In "My Cloud," with its lilting tempo and slippery bass drum, a shimmering bassline and watery Rhodes piano provide the backing for the sweetest soul vocal Scott-Heron has ever cut. Smith even evokes the sound of his own band in the closer, "I'll Take Care of U," with his sparse guitar line, as pianos and basslines pulse under sets of squelchy synth chords. We're New Here is a mercurial collaboration; it's full of nods to other club styles and eras, but Smith's expansive direction is his own. He accomplishes a difficult task in successfully (re)presenting Scott-Heron's music -- integrity intact -- in the present tense to a fickle yet discerning groove-centric culture without kitsch or excess.
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • Release Date: 2/22/2011
  • Label: Xl Recordings
  • UPC: 634904051723
  • Catalog Number: 40517
  • Sales rank: 41,907

Tracks

Disc 1
  1. 1 I'm New Here - Jamie xx (3:26)
  2. 2 Home - Jamie xx (3:11)
  3. 3 I've Been Me (Interlude) - Jamie xx (0:27)
  4. 4 Running - Jamie xx (3:31)
  5. 5 My Cloud - Jamie xx (4:27)
  6. 6 Certain Things (Interlude) - Jamie xx (0:09)
  7. 7 The Crutch - Jamie xx (3:09)
  8. 8 Ur Soul and Mine - Jamie xx (4:17)
  9. 9 Parents (Interlude) - Jamie xx (0:28)
  10. 10 Piano Player - Jamie xx (1:16)
  11. 11 NY is Killing Me - Jamie xx (5:43)
  12. 12 Jazz (Interlude) - Jamie xx (0:49)
  13. 13 I'll Take Care of U - Jamie xx (4:42)
Read More Show Less

Album Credits

Performance Credits
Gil Scott-Heron Primary Artist, Vocals
Romy Madley Croft Guitar
Jamie xx Musician
Technical Credits
Brook Benton Composer
Paul Simon Composer
Malcolm Cecil Producer, Engineer
Bernard "Pretty" Purdie Composer
Ben Raleigh Composer
Jimmy Roach Composer
Gil Scott-Heron Composer, Vocal Producer
Bill Callahan Composer
Richard Russell Vocal Producer
Jamie Smith Composer
Mandy Parnell Mastering
Rui Da Silva Composer
Bob Halley Composer
Ichiho Nishiki Engineer
Giuliano Sorgini Composer
Lawson White Engineer
Cassandra Fox Composer
Rodaidh McDonald Engineer
Jamie xx Remixing, Additional Production
Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
( 0 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously