Days of the New
Studio album by
Days of the New
ReleasedJune 3, 1997
RecordedOctober–November 1996
StudioWoodland Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Genre
Length72:00
Label
ProducerScott Litt
Days of the New chronology
Days of the New
(1997)		 Days of the New
(1999)
Singles from Days of the New
  1. "Touch, Peel and Stand"
    Released: July 1997
  2. "The Down Town"
    Released: March 1998
  3. "Shelf in the Room"
    Released: September 1998
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]
MusicHound Rock[3]
Pitchfork2.8/10[4]
The Village VoiceC[5]

Days of the New (also known as the Orange or Yellow album) is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band Days of the New, and the first of their three self-titled albums. The album was released on June 3, 1997 through Outpost Records.

Production

The band recorded its debut album in October and November 1996 at Woodland Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. Drummer Matt Taul was called away from the studio during the sessions for the birth of his daughter, so session drummer Adam Turgeon filled in on some tracks.

Travis Meeks named Dead Can Dance as an inspiration while working on the album.[6]

The last song on the album, "Cling" is actually a home demo that Meeks recorded on a four-track machine. The entire album is acoustic, with emphasis on guitar, and features dark melodies such as "Face of the Earth" and "Freak" as well as more up-tempo songs like "The Down Town" and "Where I Stand."

Promotion

Days of the New was a success, selling 1.5 million copies worldwide. Three songs from the album were hits: "Touch, Peel and Stand," "The Down Town," and "Shelf in the Room." "Touch, Peel and Stand" was number one on Billboard's Rock Chart for 17 weeks; "The Down Town" and "Shelf in the Room" were each top 40 hits. Music videos produced for the three singles also found rotation.

Shortly after releasing the album, the band went on tour with Metallica and Jerry Cantrell in 1998. Internal problems became publicly evident, however, and soon after concluding the tour, the band split up. Todd Whitener, Matt Taul and Jesse Vest would go on to form Tantric while Meeks formed a new band under the Days of the New name.

Critical reception

Reviewing for The Village Voice in December 1997, Robert Christgau was unenthusiastic about the album: "As marketing, pure genius. Looks like alt-country, no electric guitars even, yet is actually America's answer to Silverchair. And hey, it's sincere—17-year-old heartland frontman Travis Meeks really is depressed, really has immersed in Soundgarden, really does think it's deep to hook your single to the all-purpose trope 'abuse.' This is why grownups need Hanson. It's also why they need Radish."[5]

Stephen Thomas Earliwine was more complimentary, giving the album three out of five stars.[1] He said Meeks's vocals and lyrics were occasionally disappointing, but the album's stronger moments "prove that teenagers can rock as hard, and with as much purpose, as adults."

Track listing

All tracks are written by Travis Meeks

Tracks
No.TitleLength
1."Shelf in the Room"4:44
2."Touch, Peel and Stand"4:57
3."Face of the Earth"5:17
4."Solitude"4:11
5."The Down Town"4:16
6."What's Left for Me?"5:27
7."Freak"5:23
8."Now"5:04
9."Whimsical"6:01
10."Where I Stand"5:39
11."How Do You Know You?"5:33
12."Cling/The Boner Track (hidden track)"15:27
Total length:72:00

Outtakes and B-Sides

  • "Independent Slaves" - Appears on the Touch, Peel and Stand single and on the Crow: Salvation soundtrack
  • "Got to Be You" - Appears on the Touch, Peel and Stand single and on 2 Guitars, Bass & Drums: Songs For Survival
  • "Special Guide" - Appears on the Shelf In The Room single
  • "The Character/The Threat" - Appears on the Days of the New: Live VHS
  • "Break You" - Played during the Fall 1997 tour
  • "I Tried" Unreleased song

Personnel

Adapted credits from the Days of the New booklet.[7] Drum credits as per Meeks' official biography.[6]

Charts

Days of the New: Live

On December 1, 1998, Outpost released Days of the New: Live, a VHS featuring concert footage and two music videos. The video includes numerous songs that would be released on future Days of the New albums.

Track listing

  1. Fighting with Clay
  2. Freak
  3. Best in Life
  4. Shelf in the Room
  5. The Character/The Threat
  6. Face of the Earth
  7. Special Guide
  8. How Do You Know You?
  9. Touch, Peel and Stand
  10. Bring Yourself
  11. The Down Town
  12. Touch, Peel and Stand (video)
  13. Shelf in the Room (video)

References

  1. 1 2 Allmusic review
  2. ↑ Larkin, Colin, ed. (2007). "Days of the New". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). MUZE / Omnibus Press. p. 406. ISBN 978-1-84609-856-7.
  3. ↑ Fuoco, Christina (1999). MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. p. 314 – via Internet Archive.
  4. ↑ Wisdom, James P. "Days of the New: Days of the New: Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on August 16, 2000. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  5. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (December 2, 1997). "Consumer Guide: Turkey Shoot". The Village Voice. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 29, 2008. Retrieved May 15, 2008.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) 'Travis Meeks's Biography'
  7. ↑ Days of the New (booklet). Days of the New. Outpost. 1997. OPRSD-300004.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ↑ "RIAA certifications". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on June 26, 2007.
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