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Agora (Fennesz album)

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Agora
Studio album by
Fennesz
Released29 March 2019 (2019-03-29)
RecordedAugust–September 2018[1]
StudioKaiserstudios (Vienna)[1]
Length47:06
LabelTouch
Fennesz chronology
Bécs
(2014) 		Agora
(2019) 		Mosaic
(2024)

Agora is a solo studio album by Austrian musician Christian Fennesz under the mononym Fennesz.[2] It was released on 29 March 2019 through Touch.[3] It received universal acclaim from critics.[4]

Background

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Agora is Fennsz's first solo studio album since Bécs (2014).[5] It was recorded after he had temporarily lost a proper studio space and moved his gear back to a bedroom in his flat.[6] He created the album on headphones, using minimal equipment.[7] The album's title comes from an ancient Greek marketplace.[8]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
Exclaim!7/10[10]
The Line of Best Fit8/10[11]
Pitchfork8.5/10[12]
Resident Advisor4.1/5[13]
Spectrum Culture3.75/5[14]

According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Agora received "universal acclaim" based on a weighted average score of 81 out of 100 from 10 critic scores.[4]

Paul Simpson of AllMusic stated, "The unpolished feel of Agora is a bit striking for a Fennesz release, but it's clearly just as carefully considered as his other albums, and makes a welcome addition to his catalog."[9] Jack Bray of The Line of Best Fit commented that "Agora is hypnotic, transient and valuable and a rarity which although oppressive at times ultimately delivers on a promise as tangible as it is striking."[11] Mark Richardson of Pitchfork stated, "Each of the four tracks has its own dramatic arc, some subtle and some utterly titanic, and the record as a whole has a cumulative force only possible when those are stacked one atop the other."[12] He added, "there's something special about Agora in how it integrates the immediate pleasure of his pop influences with the patience of his extended works."[12]

Accolades

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Year-end lists for Agora
Publication List Rank Ref.
BrooklynVegan BrooklynVegan's Top 50 Albums of 2019
34
[15]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2019
8
[16]

Track listing

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Agora track listing
No.TitleLength
1."In My Room"12:28
2."Rainfall"11:57
3."Agora"12:09
4."We Trigger the Sun"10:28
Total length:47:06

Personnel

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Credits adapted from liner notes.[1]

  • Katharina Caecilia Fennesz – vocals (2)
  • Mira Waldmann – vocals (3)
  • Manfred Neuwirth – field recording (3)
  • Denis Blackham – mastering
  • Jon Wozencroft – photography, design

References

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  1. ^ a b c Fennesz (2019). Agora (CD booklet). Touch.
  2. ^ Breihan, Tom (8 March 2019). "Fennesz – "In My Room"". Stereogum. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  3. ^ Yoo, Noah (8 March 2019). "Fennesz Announces First New Album in 5 Years, Shares New Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  4. ^ a b c "Agora by Fennesz". Metacritic. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  5. ^ Bloom, Madison; Blais-Billie, Braudie (29 March 2019). "7 Albums Out Today You Should Listen to Now: Fennesz, Quelle Chris, K Á R Y Y N, and More". Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  6. ^ Pearl, Max (17 January 2019). "Fennesz to release Agora, his first solo album in five years". Resident Advisor. Archived from the original on 2 May 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  7. ^ Bruce-Jones, Henry (17 January 2019). "Fennesz to release stripped-back album Agora on Touch". Fact. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  8. ^ Cush, Andy (30 April 2019). "Left Field: Fennesz on Making His Most Ambitious Album Yet, Plus Blissful Ambient, Loopy Math Rock, and More". Spin. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  9. ^ a b Simpson, Paul. "Agora - Fennesz". AllMusic. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  10. ^ Press, Kevin (26 March 2019). "Fennesz". Exclaim!. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  11. ^ a b Bray, Jack (5 April 2019). "Fennesz flourishes over adversity on new LP Agora". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  12. ^ a b c Richardson, Mark (2 April 2019). "Fennesz: Agora". Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  13. ^ Williger, Jonathan (4 April 2019). "Fennesz - Agora". Resident Advisor. Archived from the original on 29 April 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  14. ^ Bromfield, Daniel (1 April 2019). "Fennesz: Agora". Spectrum Culture. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  15. ^ "BrooklynVegan's Top 50 Albums of 2019". BrooklynVegan. 23 December 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
  16. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2019". Pitchfork. 10 December 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2025.

Further reading

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