Giver Taker

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Giver Taker
Studio album by
Anjimile
ReleasedSeptember 18, 2020 (2020-09-18)
Genre
Length27:03
LabelFather/Daughter
Anjimile chronology
Colors
(2018) 		Giver Taker
(2020) 		The King
(2023)

Giver Taker is the debut studio album by American musician Anjimile. It was released on September 18, 2020, by Father/Daughter Records.[4]

Release[edit]

Anjimile announced the release of their debut studio album on July 8, 2020.[4][5]

Singles[edit]

On July 8, 2020, the first single "Maker" was released, alongside the announcement of the album.[4] In a press release, Anjimile explained how the song relates to "coming to terms with my transgender identity, ruminating on the lack of acceptance from my parents, and kind of relating my transness to the father/son/holy ghost trinity."[6][7] The song was featured on Paste's 7 Best Songs of the Week for July 10, 2020.[8]

On August 12, 2020, the second single "Baby No More" was released.[9] Of the single, Anjimile explained that they had written the song a month before they got sober, saying "I was in a romantic relationship but I was not taking care of myself in any sense of the phrase, and thusly the relationship was suffering as a result. At the time I quite literally felt like I was losing my mind vis a vis alcoholism. Active alcoholism and committed romantic relationships generally do not mix well, and ‘Baby No More’ is more or less what happens when you're not a good boyfriend. Although it's got a very groovy and relatively light-hearted musical vibe, some of the lyrics are quite dark."[9][10]

The third single "In Your Eyes" was released on September 2, 2020, and focuses on Anjimile's struggles of grappling with homophobia.[11] The music video for the single was produced by Gabe Goodman and Justine Bowe.[12]

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.7/10[13]
Metacritic80/100[14]
Review scores
SourceRating
Beats Per Minute80%[15]
Consequence of SoundB+[16]
The Line of Best Fit8.5/10[17]
Loud and Quiet7/10[18]
The Observer[19]
Paste8.6/10[20]
Pitchfork7.5/10[1]

Giver Taker was met with "generally favorable" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 80 based on 9 reviews.[14] Aggregator Album of the Year gave the release a 79 out of 100 based on a critical consensus of 10 reviews.[2] At AnyDecentMusic?, which assigns a normalized rating out of 10 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received a weighted average score of 7.7 based on 7 reviews.[13]

Writing for Beats Per Minute, Gareth O'Malley said: "Chronicling grief and loss, and written while recuperating from drug and alcohol abuse, the debut album from Boston’s Anjimile Chitambo is an intense affair dressed up in sumptuous ornamentation."[15] He went on to say the "set of songs, intimate and filled with lyrical and musical nuances that encourage repeated listening, is supremely rewarding."[15] Kitty Empire of The Observer gave the album four stars out of five, explaining "Tracks like Maker or Ndimakukonda boast compelling African instrumentation and cadences, putting significant stylistic space between Anjimile and [Sufjan] Stevens. Throughout, the production – also by relative unknowns – is pin-sharp and generous."[19] Candace McDuffie of Paste gave the release an 8.6 out of 10, saying the release "is captivating in its detailed storytelling, luscious harmonies and admirable vulnerability. Anjimile’s devotion to his craft is both inspiring and harrowing, which we hear in the highs and lows of this consummate project. His trials and tribulations have only fueled his creative vision."[20]

Accolades[edit]

Accolades for Giver Taker
Publication Accolade Rank
Consequence of Sound Top 50 Albums of 2020
36[21]
NPR Music Top 50 Albums of 2020
48[22]

Track listing[edit]

Giver Taker track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Your Tree"2:45
2."Baby No More"2:44
3."In Your Eyes"3:07
4."1978"4:28
5."Not Another Word"2:56
6."Maker"2:57
7."Ndimakukonda"1:38
8."Giver Taker"2:11
9."To Meet You There"4:17

Personnel[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Corcoran, Nina (October 6, 2020). "Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Album of the Year Review". Album of the Year. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  3. ^ "Giver Taker - Anjimile". AllMusic. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Schatz, Lake (July 8, 2020). "Anjimile Announces Debut Album Giver Taker, Shares "Maker"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  5. ^ Chelosky, Danielle (July 7, 2020). "Anjimile Announces Debut Album Giver Taker, Releases Lead Single". Paste. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  6. ^ Rettig, James (July 7, 2020). "Anjimile Announces New Album, along with "Maker"". Stereogum. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  7. ^ "Father/Daughter Records on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  8. ^ Manno, Lizzie (July 10, 2020). "The Best Songs of the Week". Paste. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  9. ^ a b Rettig, James (August 12, 2020). "Anjimile Shares New Track "Baby No More"". Stereogum. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  10. ^ Meyer, Jack (August 12, 2020). "Anjimile Shares New Single "Baby No More"". Paste. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  11. ^ Schatz, Lake (September 2, 2020). "Anjimile Reveals Mournful New Song "In Your Eyes"". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  12. ^ "Anjimile - In Your Eyes". YouTube. September 1, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  13. ^ a b "AnyDecentMusic? Review". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  14. ^ a b "Metacritic Review". Metacritic. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  15. ^ a b c O'Malley, Gareth (September 23, 2020). "Beats Per Minute Review". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  16. ^ Dzubay, Laura (September 19, 2020). "Artist of the Month Anjimile's Giver Taker Is a Startlingly Beautiful Prayer to the Present". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  17. ^ Loftin, Steven (September 14, 2020). "On their debut Anjimile explores grief, identity and the hope that can shine through regardless". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  18. ^ Pilley, Max (September 14, 2020). "Loud and Quiet Review". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  19. ^ a b Empire, Kitty (September 13, 2020). "Giver Taker review – a compelling debut". The Guardian. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  20. ^ a b McDuffie, Candace (September 17, 2020). "Anjimile Shines On Debut Album Giver Taker". Paste. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  21. ^ "Top 50 Albums of 2020". Consequence of Sound. December 2, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  22. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". NPR Music. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
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