Poptical Illusion

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Poptical Illusion
A round collage of various urban landscapes; the title is written across the top in sans-serif.
Studio album by
John Cale
Released14 June 2024 (2024-06-14)
StudioARM (Los Angeles)
GenreElectronic[1]
Length63:59
Label
Producer
  • John Cale
  • Nita Scott
John Cale chronology
Mercy
(2023) 		Poptical Illusion
(2024)
Singles from Poptical Illusion
  1. "How We See the Light"
    Released: 26 March 2024
  2. "Shark-Shark"
    Released: 8 May 2024

Poptical Illusion (stylised as POPtical uoᴉsnllI) is the eighteenth studio album by the Welsh musician and composer John Cale, released on 14 June 2024 by Double Six and Domino. In contrast to his previous album Mercy (2023) which featured many collaborators at different studios, Poptical Illusion was produced by Cale along with his manager Nita Scott in his Los Angeles studio with Cale performing most of the instruments.[2][3]

Background

On 26 March 2024 the first single from the album, "How We See the Light", was released along with a music video directed by Pepi Ginsberg.[4] On 8 May the second single, "Shark-Shark", was released with a music video directed by Abigail Portner.[5] On 19 August the third single, "Davies and Wales" was released along with a music video directed by Jethro Waters.[6] Two tracks – "Beethoven in the Old West" and "News of Nicholas" – are only available on a 7" bonus single that comes with the limited edition 2LP version of the album.[7]

Critical reception

Year-end lists

Select year-end rankings for POPtical Illusion
Publication/critic Accolade Rank Ref.
MOJO 75 Best Albums of 2024 28 [8]
Uncut 80 Best Albums of 2024 21 [9]

Track listing

All tracks are written by John Cale.

Poptical Illusion track listing
No.TitleLength
1."God Made Me Do It (Don't Ask Me Again)"4:48
2."Davies and Wales"4:15
3."Calling You Out"4:49
4."Edge of Reason"5:23
5."I'm Angry"5:25
6."How We See the Light"4:45
7."Company Commander"4:07
8."Setting Fires"5:40
9."Shark-Shark"5:00
10."Funkball the Brewster"5:34
11."All to the Good"4:30
12."Laughing in My Sleep"5:45
13."There Will Be No River"3:58
Total length:63:59
Bonus 7" tracks
No.TitleLength
13."Beethoven in the Old West" 
14."News of Nicholas" 
Japanese edition bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
14."Running Out" 
15."Invention of Language" 

Notes

  • "All to the Good" is omitted from the vinyl versions, but is available with purchase through an MP3/WAV download card, along with an alternate mix of "Shark-Shark".[7]

Personnel

  • John Cale – vocals, synthesizers, production (all tracks); drums (tracks 1–4, 6–12), bass (1–3, 6–10, 12), piano (1, 2, 13), organ (2–5, 9, 10), fretless bass (4), Empirical Egyptian Scale piano (6), noises (7, 8), sampler (7, 10, 13), guitar solo (8); guitars, SampleTron (9); electric keyboard (11), electric piano (12), bass organ (13)
  • Nita Scott – production (all tracks), background vocals (track 3), keyboards (4, 8, 12), samples (4, 12), programming (4), drum programming (8), drums (10, 12); noises, sampler (10); bass (11)
  • Dustin Boyer – recording (all tracks), guitar (tracks 1–3, 6, 7, 9), acoustic guitar (5), noises (7)
  • Seven Davis Jr. – mixing (tracks 1, 3, 4, 11)
  • Mikaelin "Blue" Bluespruce – mixing (tracks 2, 5–8, 10, 12, 13)
  • Justin Raisen – mixing (track 9)
  • Mike Bozzi – mastering
  • Björn Copeland – artwork
  • Rob Carmichael – design

Charts

Chart performance for Poptical Illusion
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[10] 38
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[11] 79
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[12] 129
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13] 45
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[14] 145
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[15] 91
Scottish Albums (OCC)[16] 27
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[17] 78
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[18] 80
UK Albums Sales (OCC)[19] 32
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[20] 10

References

  1. ↑ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/john-cale-poptical-illusion-review-1235039668/"POPtical Illusion is full of grim songs about a planet in flames, yet it’s full of playful energy, blending synths and guitars with electronic beats from an elder hip-hop fiend."
  2. ↑ Corcoran, Nina (26 March 2024). "John Cale Announces New Album Poptical Illusion, Shares Video for New Song: Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  3. ↑ Rigotti, Alex (26 March 2024). "John Cale shares 'How We See The Light' and announces new album 'POPtical Illusion'". NME. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  4. ↑ Rettig, James (26 March 2024). "John Cale – "How We See The Light"". Stereogum. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  5. ↑ "John Cale - Shark-Shark (Official Video)". YouTube. 8 May 2024. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  6. ↑ "John Cale announces UK & European tour". Domino. 18 August 2024. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "John Cale - "POPtical Illusion (Exclusive Limited Double LP)". Domino. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  8. ↑ "MOJO's 75 Best Albums of 2024". albumoftheyear.org. 11 November 2024. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
  9. ↑ Pearis, Bill (8 November 2024). "List Season comes early with Uncut's Top 80 Albums of 2024". brooklynvegan.com. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  10. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – John Cale – Poptical Illusion" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  11. ↑ "Ultratop.be – John Cale – Poptical Illusion" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  12. ↑ "Ultratop.be – John Cale – Poptical Illusion" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  13. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – John Cale – Poptical Illusion" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  14. ↑ "Portuguesecharts.com – John Cale – Poptical Illusion". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  15. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – John Cale – Poptical Illusion". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
  16. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  17. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – John Cale – Poptical Illusion". Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 June 2024.
  18. ↑ "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  19. ↑ "Official Albums Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  20. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
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