View source for Luxury Problems (Andy Stott album)

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox album
| name       = Luxury Problems
| type       = studio
| artist     = [[Andy Stott]]
| cover      = Andy Stott - Luxury Problems album cover.png
| alt        =
| released   = 6 November 2012
| recorded   =
| venue      =
| studio     =
| genre      =
*[[Dark ambient]]
*[[industrial techno]]
*[[trip hop]]<ref name="Allmusic"/>
| length     = 48:49
| label      = Modern Love
| producer   = Andy Stott
| prev_title = Unknown Exception
| prev_year  = 2008
| next_title = [[Faith in Strangers]]
| next_year  = 2014
}}
'''''Luxury Problems''''' is the second studio album by English [[electronic music|electronic]] musician [[Andy Stott]]. It was released on 6 November 2012 by Modern Love.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.modern-love.co.uk/releases/andy-stott-luxury-problems-1|title=Andy Stott - Luxury Problems (LOVE079)|publisher=modern-love.co.uk|accessdate=2012-11-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109190430/http://www.modern-love.co.uk/releases/andy-stott-luxury-problems-1|archive-date=2012-11-09|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==Style and influences==
Stott's EP ''Passed Me By'' (2011) marks the beginning of the part of his discography where he made tracks with a less [[dub techno]]-tinged style that defined his previous records,<ref name="PitchforkTooManyVoices"/> opting instead for a much more bass-heavy sound a la [[Sunn O)))]] and [[Demdike Stare]],<ref name="PitchforkTooManyVoices">{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21833-too-many-voices/|title=Andy Stott: Too Many Voices|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=25 April 2016|accessdate=28 May 2016|last=Beta|first=Andy}}</ref> slower tempos,<ref name = "JunoPlus"/> and more abstract arrangements.<ref name = "JunoPlus"/> However, the EP still contained elements of techno on tracks like “New Ground” or “North To South."<ref name = "JunoPlus"/> ''Luxury Problems'' maintains the dark and abstract structure defined by ''Passed Me By'' and another EP by Stott released in 2011 named ''We Stay Together'' and is the first record in Stott's career where even the smallest elements of the techno music that inspired his earliest works are completely absent.<ref name = "JunoPlus"/>
The tone and sound of ''Luxury Problems'' came from how significantly Stott's personal life was changed by the time he was working on his EP ''Passed Me By'' (2011).<ref name = "JunoPlus"/> He started to not have any sleep and wasn't aware when a day actually started and ended anymore, which resulted with an LP having an unsure, fuzzy, and unsteady feel.<ref name = "JunoPlus"/> ''[[Electronic Beats]]'' analogized the album's set of sounds as presenting a "beautifully decayed aura of concrete and chrome, halogen and grime—the soul of a heaving, monstrous city at twilight, equal (yet often struggling) parts fragile light and enclosing darkness."<ref name = "ElectronicBeats">Jones, Daniel (16 November 2012). [http://www.electronicbeats.net/angelic-engines-daniel-jones-recommends-andy-stotts-luxury-problems/ "Angelic Engines: Daniel Jones recommends Andy Stott’s Luxury Problems"]. ''[[Electronic Beats]]''. Retrieved 4 September 2017.</ref>
Stott explained that he wasn't influenced by any other music when he produced the album,<ref name = "JunoPlus"/> much like ''Passed Me By'' where he only intended to create "tunes that sounded right to me."<ref name = "TheQuietus"/> Despite this, ''[[Juno Download|Juno Plus]]'' journalist Richard Brophy still noticed parts of other works and "familiar" musical styles on ''Luxury Problems'', such as the elements of the [[My Bloody Valentine (band)|My Bloody Valentine]] album ''[[Loveless (My Bloody Valentine album)|Loveless]]'' (1991) on “Numb" and the [[oldschool jungle]]-style [[sub bass]] on “Sleepless.”<ref name = "JunoPlus"/> He compared the instrumental of “Up The Box” to the works of Stott's project Millie & Andrea.<ref name = "JunoPlus"/> He also suggested the foggy weather of Stott's hometown [[Manchester]] came into shaping ''Luxury Problems''<nowiki>'</nowiki> hazy atmosphere.<ref name = "JunoPlus"/> Reed Scott Reid of ''[[Tiny Mix Tapes]]'' noted elements of 1990s music on the album, such as the [[flanging]] [[Amen break]] drum sample on “Up The Box."<ref name = "TinyMixTapesreview"/>
==Production and vocals==
''Luxury Problems'' was the first album in Stott's discography to feature vocal performances from his former piano teacher Alison Skidmore.<ref name = "JunoPlus"/> Stott explained in an interview, "Someone asked me if I had ever thought of working with a vocalist and I thought it would be too messy and that I’d make a hash of it."<ref name = "JunoPlus"/> He then discussed with Modern Love about using vocals in his music, which the label felt was a "great idea."<ref name = "JunoPlus"/> Thus, Skidmore made singing contributions to the LP.<ref name = "JunoPlus"/> Critics compared Skidmore's vocal performance on the album to [[Julee Cruise]],<ref name = "TheQuietus"/> [[Tracey Thorn]],<ref name = "TheQuietus"/> [[Elizabeth Fraser]],<ref name = "JunoPlus"/> and [[Lisa Gerrard]].<ref name = "JunoPlus"/> The only track on the album that does not feature vocals is "Up the Box."<ref name = "TinyMixTapesreview">Scott Reid, Reed. [https://www.tinymixtapes.com/music-review/andy-stott-luxury-problems "Andy Stott – Luxury Problems"]. ''[[Tiny Mix Tapes]]''. Retrieved 5 September 2017.</ref> While ''Luxury Problems'' was the first record by Stott that featured her singing, it was not the first release by him where she was credited on the liner notes.<ref name = "JunoPlus"/> On the back cover of his debut album ''Merciless'' (2006), he gives a special thanks to her "for the lessons."<ref>''Merciless'' (2006). [[Andy Stott]]. Modern Love. LOVE024CD.</ref> ''[[The Quietus]]'' suggested that the use of vocals on the album was a contributor to Andy Stott becoming very popular beyond the techno scene.<ref name = "TheQuietus">Alexander Diduck, Ryan (24 October 2012). [http://thequietus.com/articles/10464-andy-stott-interview-luxury-problems-passed-me-by "Mud, Glorious Mud: An Interview With Andy Stott"]. ''[[The Quietus]]''. Retrieved 2 September 2017.</ref>
Stott started working on a third full-length album shortly after ''We Stay Together'' was released.<ref name = "JunoPlus">Brophy, Richard (14 November 2012). [http://www.junodownload.com/plus/2012/11/14/solving-lifes-luxury-problems-an-interview-with-andy-stott/ "Solving life’s luxury problems: An interview with Andy Stott"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902181826/http://www.junodownload.com/plus/2012/11/14/solving-lifes-luxury-problems-an-interview-with-andy-stott/ |date=2017-09-02 }}. ''Juno Plus''. [[Juno Download]]. Retrieved 2 September 2017.</ref> The making of each track began with Skidmore composing and recording [[a capella]] pieces, sending them to Stott via email for him to make songs around them.<ref name = "JunoPlus"/><ref name = "TheQuietus"/> He favorably stated that he "could create an atmosphere with Alison's vocal alone."<ref name = "TheQuietus"/> Like ''Passed Me By'' and ''We Stay Together'', the [[field recording]] sounds on ''Luxury Problems'' were tracked via an [[iPhone]], and it was the last time Stott used an iPhone to do this before he transitioned to a [[Zoom Corporation|Zoom]] field recorder for his later works.<ref name = "InTheStudio"/> The editing and mixing of ''Luxury Problems'' took place within the [[digital audio workstation]] [[Ableton Live]].<ref name = "InTheStudio">Jackson, Glenn (7 November 2012). [https://www.xlr8r.com/gear/2012/11/in-the-studio-andy-stott/ "In the Studio: Andy Stott"]. ''XLR8R''. Retrieved 3 September 2017.</ref>
As Stott described how he worked with the vocal recordings, "some of the vocals she sent were already layered. I’d get a lead from the way she had layered them, it gave me an avenue to go down. Some of the versions didn’t work because all the vocals were presented as the final versions, so there was no other way to write it, this was probably something subconscious."<ref name = "JunoPlus"/> He also said in regards to how Modern Love reacted to Stott's new vocal-based formula, "I started handing [the finished tracks] the label, and they were like, 'This is it. This is what we're after.'"<ref name = "TheQuietus"/>
==Concept==
Stott stated that he "stole" the title of ''Luxury Problems'' from the phrase "I have luxury problems" said by a producer he met in a Paris gig.<ref name = "JunoPlus"/> He told Stott that he had to go back to [[Berlin]] to "complete two big projects for major artists" after the gig was finished.<ref name = "JunoPlus"/> This was going on at the time when he had similar luxury issues that was caused by him leaving his full-time job at Mercedes to move into an actual studio to produce music full-time.<ref name = "JunoPlus"/> Despite claiming in a 2016 interview that Stott is never influenced by personal experiences when he makes his music,<ref>Sokol, Zach (28 April 2016). [https://thump.vice.com/en_us/article/vvn37a/andy-stott-too-many-voices-feature-interview "Andy Stott Decodes the Mad Science Behind His Latest Sonic Experiments "]. ''[[Thump (Vice)|Thump]]''. [[Vice Media]]. Retrieved 29 August 2017.</ref> he said in 2012 that ''Luxury Problems'' was inspired by what was going on his life.<ref name = "JunoPlus"/> "Expecting" is based on the time he and his wife were expecting their first kid, "Sleepless" came from his experience of being a dad, "Leaving" is about the time he left his full-time job at [[Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains|Mercedes]], and "Lost & Found" regards the time he got lost before performing at a show in Austria.<ref name = "JunoPlus"/>
==Reception==
{{Music ratings
| ADM = 8.1/10<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.anydecentmusic.com/review/4983/Andy-Stott-Luxury-Problems.aspx|title=Luxury Problems by Andy Stott reviews|publisher=AnyDecentMusic?|accessdate=1 September 2017}}</ref>
| MC = 86/100<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/music/luxury-problems/andy-stott|title=Reviews for Luxury Problems by Andy Stott|publisher=[[Metacritic]]|accessdate=8 November 2012}}</ref>
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1Score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name = "Allmusic">{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/luxury-problems-mw0002424505|title=Luxury Problems – Andy Stott|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|accessdate=27 March 2018|last=Kellman|first=Andy}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[The Austin Chronicle]]''
| rev2Score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2013-05-31/andy-stott-luxury-problems/|title=Andy Stott: Luxury Problems (Modern Love)|work=[[The Austin Chronicle]]|date=31 May 2013|accessdate=23 August 2017|last=Winkie|first=Luke}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Exclaim!]]''
| rev3Score = 9/10<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/andy_stott-luxury_problems|title=Andy Stott: Luxury Problems|journal=[[Exclaim!]]|date=6 November 2012|accessdate=8 November 2012|last=de Vries|first=Philip James}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[The Irish Times]]''
| rev4Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/album-reviews/andy-stott-1.1581|title=Andy Stott|newspaper=[[The Irish Times]]|date=7 December 2012|accessdate=15 April 2016|last=Carroll|first=Jim|author-link=Jim Carroll (journalist)}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
| rev5Score = 8.7/10<ref name = "Pitchfork">{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17205-luxury-problems/|title=Andy Stott: Luxury Problems|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=29 October 2012|accessdate=8 November 2012|last=Richardson|first=Mark}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[PopMatters]]''
| rev6Score = 9/10<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.popmatters.com/review/166384-andy-stott-luxury-problems/|title=Andy Stott: Luxury Problems|work=[[PopMatters]]|date=13 December 2012|accessdate=15 April 2016|last=Gabriele|first=Timothy}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[Resident Advisor]]''
| rev7Score = 4.5/5<ref name="ra">{{cite web|url=http://www.residentadvisor.net/review-view.aspx?id=11911|title=Andy Stott – Luxury Problems|work=[[Resident Advisor]]|date=2 November 2012|accessdate=8 November 2012|last=Lynch|first=Will}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev8Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/luxury-problems-20121106|title=Luxury Problems|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=6 November 2012|accessdate=8 November 2012|last=Hermes|first=Will|author-link=Will Hermes}}</ref>
| rev9 = ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]''
| rev9Score = 8/10<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.spin.com/2012/11/andy-stott-luxury-problems-modern-love/|title=Andy Stott, 'Luxury Problems' (Modern Love)|journal=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|date=9 November 2012|accessdate=15 April 2016|last=Farrar|first=Justin F.}}</ref>
| rev10 = ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]''
| rev10Score = 8/10<ref>{{cite journal|title=Andy Stott: Luxury Problems|journal=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]|issue=188|date=January 2013|page=83}}</ref>
}}
The bright tone of Skidmore's vocals contracts, as well as interplays with, the sinister vibe of the instrumentals, which was praised in not only reviews of ''Luxury Problems''<ref name = "Pitchfork"/><ref name = "ElectronicBeats"/> but also in pieces about his later albums which had a similar sound including ''[[Too Many Voices]]'' (2016).<ref name="PitchforkTooManyVoices"/><ref name = "PopmattersTooManyVoices">Franquelli, Andy (27 July 2016). [http://www.popmatters.com/review/andy-stott-too-many-voices/ "Andy Stott: Too Many Voices"]. ''[[PopMatters]]''. Retrieved 29 August 2017.</ref> ''Luxury Problems'' received ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s label of "Best New Album" in a review by Mark Richardson, praising it for being "simultaneously more complex and more accessible" than his previous works.<ref name = "Pitchfork"/> He honored Stott for making a more "dynamic" record by "humaniz[ing] his sound" and "ma[king] it more beautiful and richer on the surface while further accentuating its dark heart."<ref name = "Pitchfork"/> He also highlighted that "none of these tracks feel like they have to be any one thing, they're always growing and changing and defying expectations."<ref name = "Pitchfork"/>
==Accolades==
{|class="sortable plainrowheaders wikitable"
|-
! colspan=2|Year-end lists
|-
! Publication
! Rank
|-
!scope="row"|''[[The 405 (magazine)|The 405]]''<ref>Wright, Danny (December 2012). [https://web.archive.org/web/20130514035331/http://thefourohfive.com/end-of-year/2012/albums-of-the-year/5 "Albums Of The Year 2012"]. ''The 405''. Archived from a dead link 14 May 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2017.</ref>
|align=center| 5
|-
!scope="row"|''[[Beats per Minute (website)|Beats per Minute]]''<ref>[https://beatsperminute.com/features/the-top-50-albums-of-2012/5/ "The Top 50 Albums of 2012"]. ''[[Beats per Minute (website)|Beats per Minute]]''. 14 December 2012. p. 5. Retrieved 1 September 2017.</ref>
|align=center| 3
|-
!scope="row"|''[[Coke Machine Glow]]''<ref>[http://cokemachineglow.com/category/top-50-albums-2012/?pg=4 "Top 50 Albums 2012"]. ''[[Coke Machine Glow]]''. p. 4. Retrieved 1 September 2017.</ref>
|align=center| 16
|-
!scope="row"|''[[Exclaim!]]''<ref>Keast, James (21 December 2012). [http://exclaim.ca/music/article/exclaims_best_albums_of_2012-top_50_albums_of_2012 "Exclaim!'s Best Albums of 2012: Top 50 Albums of the Year"]. ''[[Exclaim!]]''. Retrieved 1 September 2017.</ref>
|align=center| 13
|-
!scope="row"|''[[Gorilla vs. Bear]]''<ref>Chris (2 December 2012). [http://www.gorillavsbear.net/gorilla-vs-bears-albums-of-2012/ "gorilla vs. bear’s albums of 2012"]. ''[[Gorilla vs. Bear]]''. Retrieved 1 September 2017.</ref>
|align=center| 20
|-
!scope="row"|''[[Los Angeles Times]]''<ref>[http://graphics.latimes.com/storyboard-times-music-staff-best-2012-list/ "Times music staff best of 2012 list"]. ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. [[Tronc]]. 26 December 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2017.</ref>
|align=center| 8
|-
!scope="row"|''[[The New Republic]]''<ref>Hajdu, David (27 December 2012). [https://newrepublic.com/article/111347/charles-mingus-grimes-david-hajdu-albums-2012 "From Charles Mingus to Grimes: David Hajdu’s Albums of the Year"]. ''[[The New Republic]]''. Retrieved 1 September 2017.</ref>
|align=center| 4
|-
!scope="row"|''Obscure Sound''<ref>Mineo, Mike (7 December 2012). [http://www.obscuresound.com/2012/12/best-albums-of-2012-30-to-21/ "Best Albums of 2012: #30 to #21"]. ''Obscure Sound''. Retrieved 1 September 2017.</ref>
|align=center| 29
|-
!scope="row"|[[Pazz & Jop]]<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130120035132/http://www.villagevoice.com/pazznjop/albums/2012/ "Pazz + Jop 2012"]. ''[[The Village Voice]]''. Retrieved 1 September 2017.</ref>
|align=center| 29
|-
!scope="row"|''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/9017-the-top-50-albums-of-2012/4/|title=Staff Lists: The Top 50 Albums of 2012|work=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=20 December 2012|accessdate=2 January 2013}}</ref>
|align=center| 14
|-
!scope="row"|''[[PopMatters]]''<ref>[http://www.popmatters.com/feature/166270-the-75-best-albums-of-2012/P4/ "The 75 Best Albums of 2012"]. ''[[PopMatters]]''. 9 December 2012. p. 5. Retrieved 1 September 2017.</ref>
|align=center| 28
|-
!scope="row"|''[[PopMatters]]'' (Electronic)<ref>[http://www.popmatters.com/feature/166187-the-best-electronic-music-of-2012/P1/ "The Best Electronic Music of 2012"]. ''PopMatters''. 10 December 2012. p. 2. Retrieved 1 September 2017.</ref>
|align=center| 1
|-
!scope="row"|''[[The Quietus]]''<ref>Turner, Lake (30 December 2012). [http://thequietus.com/articles/10924-the-quietus-albums-of-the-year-2012 "Apollo's Bounteous Harvest: The Quietus Albums Of The Year 2012"]. ''[[The Quietus]]''. Retrieved 1 September 2017.</ref>
|align=center| 28
|-
!scope="row"|''[[Resident Advisor]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?1704|title=RA Poll: Top 20 albums of 2012|work=[[Resident Advisor]]|accessdate=2 January 2013}}</ref>
|align=center| 4
|-
!scope="row"|''[[Tiny Mix Tapes]]''<ref>[https://www.tinymixtapes.com/features/2012-favorite-50-albums-of-2012?page=4 "2012: Favorite 50 Albums of 2012"]. ''[[Tiny Mix Tapes]]''. 17 December 2012. p. 5. Retrieved 1 September 2017.</ref>
|align=center| 8
|-
!scope="row"|''[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]''<ref>[https://www.thewire.co.uk/issues/charts/top-50_albums-of-the-year-2012 "Top 50: Albums of the year 2012"]. ''[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]''. December 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2017.</ref>
|align=center|18
|-
! colspan=2|Best Albums of 2010–14
|-
! Publication
! Rank
|-
!scope="row"|''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''<ref>[https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/9465-the-100-best-albums-of-the-decade-so-far-2010-2014/?page=3 "The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far (2010–2014)"]. ''Pitchfork''. 19 August 2014. p. 3. Retrieved 1 September 2017.</ref>
|align=center| 55
|}
==Track listing==
{{Track listing
|title1=Numb
|length1=6:30
|title2=Lost and Found
|length2=6:05
|title3=Sleepless
|length3=5:49
|title4=Hatch the Plan
|length4=8:39
|title5=Expecting
|length5=7:55
|title6=Luxury Problems
|length6=5:03
|title7=Up the Box
|length7=5:00
|title8=Leaving
|length8=3:42
}}
==Charts==
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|-
!scope="col"|Chart (2012)
!scope="col"|Peak<br />position
|-
{{album chart|Flanders|167|artist=Andy Stott|album=Luxury Problems|rowheader=true|accessdate=1 September 2017}}
|-
{{album chart|BillboardDanceElectronic|24|artist=Andy Stott|rowheader=true|accessdate=1 September 2017}}
|-
{{album chart|BillboardHeatseekers|44|artist=Andy Stott|rowheader=true|accessdate=1 September 2017}}
|}
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:2012 albums]]
[[Category:Andy Stott albums]]
[[Category:Modern Love Records albums]]