You Fail Me is the fifth studio album by American metalcore band Converge, released on September 21, 2004 by Epitaph Records. The band's first release for the label, it was produced by Alan Douches and guitarist Kurt Ballou, with the artwork created by vocalist Jacob Bannon.
Converge began writing for You Fail Me after they recorded Jane Doe; they wrote on the road during sound checks of shows.[7] Much of the material was worked out in a live setting for some time before the band entered the studio. Bannon stated, "it definitely added a new level of refinement to the album material."[8] Recording for the album took place in March 2004, mainly at GodCity Studio, with additional recording at Magpie Sound Design and Witch Doctor Studio.
Musical style and themesedit
When asked about the concept of the album, Bannon said:
"After Jane Doe was recorded and released, I thought I was going to feel the emotional burden I was carrying lift from my shoulders. I had all the puzzle pieces there in front of me. Outlets bring closure, or at least that's what I thought. With that, I put myself out on the line looking for an emotional resolve with "Jane..." and it never came. When the album was released I didn't feel any better, nothing was changed. My depression kept collapsing on itself. At that point I stopped hoping and searching and I took a long hard look at my life and at my heart. I did a huge amount of soul searching and found so much failure within myself. That discovery was a massive realization. As I started to see clear again, I also saw the failure in friends and loved ones around me. How we fail each other, and how we fail ourselves. These are songs of failure. And ultimately, surviving self destruction and tragedy we all face in our lives. Musically our only goal was to write an album that moved us and challenged us. We feel we accomplished that."[8]
Bannon stated the lyrics are "opinionated" and that there was definitely a "rage" in the writing not apparent in previous albums.[8]
Release and promotionedit
You Fail Me was released on September 21, 2004 by Epitaph Records. Converge's first headlining tour in support of the album began in September 2004 with Cave In and Between the Buried and Me.[9] On this tour, Converge sold copies of Bannon's side-project Supermachiner's album Rise of the Great Machine, limited to 50 copies.
On February 14, 2005, a music video was released for the track "Eagles Become Vultures", directed by Zach Merck.[10]
You Fail Me Reduxedit
On June 17, 2016, Converge reissued the album as You Fail Me Redux through Epitaph and Deathwish. The band was "never quite content" with the original mix, and had guitarist Kurt Ballou remix the album and Alan Douches remaster it. The reissue also features updated cover artwork with an inverted color scheme, a black-outlined hand on a white background.[11] The redux had the same track list as the vinyl version of the original album.
In an interview with Noisey, Ballou explained why he felt the album needed to be remixed:
"You Fail Me was the last time Converge did a record where I wasn't involved in the entire engineering process. The record that followed You Fail Me, which was No Heroes, was the first time that I both recorded and mixed a Converge record, with the exception of The Poacher Diaries, which was an EP or a split. Upon completing No Heroes and managing to make my bandmates happy with the work I did on that record, I thought that I'd really like to go back and remix You Fail Me. I recorded that one, but Matt Ellard, who did most of the engineering work on Jane Doe, was the one who mixed it. But it was also mixed under less than ideal circumstances. [...] Jane Doe was mixed at Fort Apache on a console that Matt was familiar with, and we had sufficient time to do those mixes. With You Fail Me, he came up and mixed in my studio, which he'd never worked in before, and it was an unfamiliar console. He's a very malleable engineer and can work anywhere, but it probably wasn't his top choice to mix at my place. We also kept having power outages during the mixes. I can't remember the exact details, but I think we booked six days of mixing with him, but he ended up having to do it in about three because he'd come in, work for half an hour, and the power would go out. It was mixed in the summer under brownout conditions, so we'd have electricity in the morning while it was still relatively cool but then as things heated up in the afternoon we'd lose power. So he spent a lot of time lying on the couch waiting for the power to come back on. I still think it turned out great, but there was something about the lack of consistency from song to song and a few other details that made me want to remix it. Sonically, I wanted to make it fit more logically between Jane Doe and No Heroes."[12]
You Fail Me received positive reviews from critics. AllMusic said that the album "manages to hit all the right emotional highs and lows" and called it "a visceral and bracing blend of metal and old-school, CBGB-worthy gutter hardcore".[15] Joe Pazner of Stylus Magazine said that "Converge has emerged an impeccably pared-down case study in calculated cruelty, resourcefulness and cunning tempered by desperation. More than any record in their expansive catalog, You Fail Me stands as testament to the brutal necessities Converge has created to ensure its survival."[citation needed] Adam Turner-Heffer of Sputnikmusic called the band "as important as Botch and Palehorse in their own genres, and with [You Fail Me], they are here to prove it". Sam Ubl of Pitchfork said, "Not only have Converge retained (even sharpened) their razorblade cut, they're now bolstered by a brawny low-end".[14]
Track listingedit
All lyrics written by Jacob Bannon; all music composed by Converge.
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You Fail Me is the fifth studio album by American metalcore band Converge released on September 21 2004 by Epitaph Records The band s first release for the label it was produced by Alan Douches and guitarist Kurt Ballou with the artwork created by vocalist Jacob Bannon You Fail MeStudio album by ConvergeReleasedSeptember 21 2004 2004 09 21 RecordedMarch 2004StudioGodCity Studio Salem Magpie Sound Design Baltimore Witch Doctor StudioGenreMetalcore 1 hardcore punk 2 post hardcore 3 Length35 26LabelEpitaphProducerAlan Douches Kurt BallouConverge chronologyUnloved and Weeded Out 2003 You Fail Me 2004 No Heroes 2006 You Fail Me was the band s first album to chart commercially reaching number 171 on the Billboard 200 4 it also reached number 12 on the Top Heatseekers chart 5 and number 16 on the Independent Albums chart 6 Contents 1 Background and recording 2 Musical style and themes 3 Release and promotion 3 1 You Fail Me Redux 4 Critical reception 5 Track listing 6 Personnel 7 Chart performance 7 1 Redux 8 References 9 External linksBackground and recording editConverge began writing for You Fail Me after they recorded Jane Doe they wrote on the road during sound checks of shows 7 Much of the material was worked out in a live setting for some time before the band entered the studio Bannon stated it definitely added a new level of refinement to the album material 8 Recording for the album took place in March 2004 mainly at GodCity Studio with additional recording at Magpie Sound Design and Witch Doctor Studio Musical style and themes editWhen asked about the concept of the album Bannon said After Jane Doe was recorded and released I thought I was going to feel the emotional burden I was carrying lift from my shoulders I had all the puzzle pieces there in front of me Outlets bring closure or at least that s what I thought With that I put myself out on the line looking for an emotional resolve with Jane and it never came When the album was released I didn t feel any better nothing was changed My depression kept collapsing on itself At that point I stopped hoping and searching and I took a long hard look at my life and at my heart I did a huge amount of soul searching and found so much failure within myself That discovery was a massive realization As I started to see clear again I also saw the failure in friends and loved ones around me How we fail each other and how we fail ourselves These are songs of failure And ultimately surviving self destruction and tragedy we all face in our lives Musically our only goal was to write an album that moved us and challenged us We feel we accomplished that 8 Bannon stated the lyrics are opinionated and that there was definitely a rage in the writing not apparent in previous albums 8 Release and promotion editYou Fail Me was released on September 21 2004 by Epitaph Records Converge s first headlining tour in support of the album began in September 2004 with Cave In and Between the Buried and Me 9 On this tour Converge sold copies of Bannon s side project Supermachiner s album Rise of the Great Machine limited to 50 copies On February 14 2005 a music video was released for the track Eagles Become Vultures directed by Zach Merck 10 You Fail Me Redux edit On June 17 2016 Converge reissued the album as You Fail Me Redux through Epitaph and Deathwish The band was never quite content with the original mix and had guitarist Kurt Ballou remix the album and Alan Douches remaster it The reissue also features updated cover artwork with an inverted color scheme a black outlined hand on a white background 11 The redux had the same track list as the vinyl version of the original album In an interview with Noisey Ballou explained why he felt the album needed to be remixed You Fail Me was the last time Converge did a record where I wasn t involved in the entire engineering process The record that followed You Fail Me which was No Heroes was the first time that I both recorded and mixed a Converge record with the exception of The Poacher Diaries which was an EP or a split Upon completing No Heroes and managing to make my bandmates happy with the work I did on that record I thought that I d really like to go back and remix You Fail Me I recorded that one but Matt Ellard who did most of the engineering work on Jane Doe was the one who mixed it But it was also mixed under less than ideal circumstances Jane Doe was mixed at Fort Apache on a console that Matt was familiar with and we had sufficient time to do those mixes With You Fail Me he came up and mixed in my studio which he d never worked in before and it was an unfamiliar console He s a very malleable engineer and can work anywhere but it probably wasn t his top choice to mix at my place We also kept having power outages during the mixes I can t remember the exact details but I think we booked six days of mixing with him but he ended up having to do it in about three because he d come in work for half an hour and the power would go out It was mixed in the summer under brownout conditions so we d have electricity in the morning while it was still relatively cool but then as things heated up in the afternoon we d lose power So he spent a lot of time lying on the couch waiting for the power to come back on I still think it turned out great but there was something about the lack of consistency from song to song and a few other details that made me want to remix it Sonically I wanted to make it fit more logically between Jane Doe and No Heroes 12 Critical reception editProfessional ratingsReview scoresSourceRatingAllMusic nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp linkCollector s Guide to Heavy Metal9 10 13 Lambgoat nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp linkPitchfork8 0 10 14 Sputnikmusic nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp linkStylus MagazineA link You Fail Me received positive reviews from critics AllMusic said that the album manages to hit all the right emotional highs and lows and called it a visceral and bracing blend of metal and old school CBGB worthy gutter hardcore 15 Joe Pazner of Stylus Magazine said that Converge has emerged an impeccably pared down case study in calculated cruelty resourcefulness and cunning tempered by desperation More than any record in their expansive catalog You Fail Me stands as testament to the brutal necessities Converge has created to ensure its survival citation needed Adam Turner Heffer of Sputnikmusic called the band as important as Botch and Palehorse in their own genres and with You Fail Me they are here to prove it Sam Ubl of Pitchfork said Not only have Converge retained even sharpened their razorblade cut they re now bolstered by a brawny low end 14 Track listing editAll lyrics written by Jacob Bannon all music composed by Converge No TitleLength1 First Light 1 012 Last Light 3 333 Black Cloud 2 194 Drop Out 2 315 Hope Street 1 066 Heartless 2 287 You Fail Me 5 368 In Her Shadow 6 259 Eagles Become Vultures 2 1010 Death King 2 0711 In Her Blood 4 0612 Hanging Moon 2 04Total length 35 26 Vinyl edition and ReduxNo TitleLength1 First Light 1 012 Last Light 3 333 Black Cloud 2 194 Drop Out 2 315 Hope Street 1 066 Heartless 2 287 You Fail Me 5 368 In Her Shadow 6 259 Eagles Become Vultures 2 1010 Wolves at My Door 2 3211 Death King 2 0712 In Her Blood 4 0613 Hanging Moon 2 04Total length 37 58Personnel editAdapted from CD liner notes 16 Converge Jacob Bannon vocals lyrics Kurt Ballou guitars vocals bass guitar keyboards percussion Nate Newton bass vocals Ben Koller drums percussion Additional musicians Shawn Moseley piano on In Her Shadow Production Kurt Ballou recording at GodCity Magpie and Witch Doctor mixing at GodCity Jacob Bannon mixing at GodCity Alan Douches mastering at West West Side Matthew Ellard mixing at GodCity Shawn Moseley additional engineering Chris Moylan additional engineering Artwork Jacob Bannon artwork Redux production Alan Douches remastering at GodCity Kurt Ballou remixing at GodCityChart performance editChart 2004 Peakposition Japanese Album Chart 17 246 UK Album Chart 18 190 US Billboard 200 4 171 US Billboard Heatseekers Albums 5 12 US Billboard Independent Albums 6 16 Redux edit Chart 2016 Peak position US Billboard Vinyl Albums 19 11References edit Punknews org 21 September 2004 Converge You Fail Me www punknews org Retrieved 2017 04 08 Converge You Fail Me Album Review Pitchfork pitchfork com Retrieved 2017 04 08 Terich Jeff October 9 2012 Converge All We Love We Leave Behind Treblezine Retrieved January 31 2017 a b Converge Chart history Billboard www billboard com Retrieved 2017 02 02 a b Converge Chart history Billboard www billboard com Retrieved 2017 02 02 a b Converge Chart history Billboard www billboard com Retrieved 2017 02 02 Records Epitaph 2004 04 26 Rocksound talks new CD with Jake Bannon of Converge Archived from the original on 2021 01 18 Retrieved 2016 08 12 a b c Interview Converge www creative eclipse com Retrieved 2016 07 11 Converge Cave In and BTBAM tour Retrieved 2016 11 14 Converge Eagles Become Vultures Music Video MTV retrieved 2016 11 14 Adams Gregory April 29 2016 Converge Reveal You Fail Me Redux Exclaim Retrieved April 29 2016 Converge Guitarist Producer Kurt Ballou Explains Why He Remixed You Fail Me NOISEY 16 June 2016 Retrieved 2016 07 10 Popoff Martin Perri David 2011 The Collector s Guide to Heavy Metal Volume 4 The 00s Burlington Ontario Canada Collector s Guide Publishing pp 87 88 ISBN 9781 926592 20 6 a b Converge You Fail Me Album Review Pitchfork pitchfork com Retrieved 2016 07 07 You Fail Me Converge Songs Reviews Credits AllMusic Retrieved 7 October 2020 You Fail Me CD liner notes Converge Los Angeles California Epitaph Records 2004 86715 2 a href Template Cite AV media notes html title Template Cite AV media notes cite AV media notes a CS1 maint others in cite AV media notes link コンヴァージのアルバム売上ランキング ORICON NEWS in Japanese Retrieved 2017 02 05 Chart Log UK Chris C CZR zobbel de Retrieved 2017 02 05 Converge Chart history Billboard www billboard com Retrieved 2017 02 02 External links editOfficial promotional website for the album You Fail Me on Bandcamp Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title You Fail Me amp oldid 1221614683, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
