Chemistry Lessons: Volume One
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Chemistry Lessons: Volume One
| type = studio
| artist = Chris Carter
| cover = Chris Carter - Chemistry Lessons Volume One.png
| alt =
| released = {{Start date|2018|03|30}}
| recorded =
| studio =
| genre = Electronic
| length = 66:01
| label = Mute
| producer =
| prev_title = Transverse
| prev_year = 2012
| next_title =
| next_year =
}}
{{Album ratings
| MC = 81/100{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/chemistry-lessons-volume-1/chris-carter|title=Metacritic Review|publisher=Metacritic|accessdate=11 October 2020}}
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev1score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/chemistry-lessons-vol-1-mw0003150798|title=AllMusic Review|publisher=AllMusic|last=Simpson|first=Paul|accessdate=11 October 2020}}
| rev2 = Exclaim!
| rev2score = 8/10{{cite web|url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/chris_carter-chemistry_lessons_volume_1|title=Exclaim! Review|website=Exclaim!|last=Press|first=Kevin|date=28 March 2018|accessdate=11 October 2020}}
| rev3 = Loud and Quiet
| rev3score = 8/10{{cite web|url=https://www.loudandquiet.com/reviews/chris-carter-chemistry-lessons-volume-1/|title=Loud and Quiet Review|work=Loud and Quiet|last=Cartledge|first=Luke|date=26 March 2018|accessdate=11 October 2020}}
| rev4 = Pitchfork
| rev4score = 8/10{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/chris-carter-chris-carters-chemistry-lessons-volume-one/|title=Pitchfork Review|website=Pitchfork|last=Dorris|first=Jesse|date=5 April 2018|accessdate=11 October 2020}}
| rev5 = PopMatters
| rev5score = 7/10{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/chris-carter-chemistry-lessons-volume1-2549396804.html|title=Chris Carter Creates an Overarching Etude on Experimental Electronic Music with 'Chemistry Lessons Volume 1'|website=PopMatters|last=Stasis|first=Spyros|date=19 March 2018|accessdate=11 October 2020}}
| rev6 = Resident Advisor
| rev6score = 3.6/5{{cite web|url=https://www.residentadvisor.net/reviews/22267|title=Resident Advisor Review|website=Resident Advisor|last=Sawers|first=Claire|date=8 May 2018|accessdate=11 October 2020}}
}}
Chemistry Lessons: Volume One is a studio album by British electronic musician Chris Carter. It was released on 30 March 2018, by Mute Records.{{cite web|url=https://www.residentadvisor.net/news/40748|title=Chris Carter announces first solo album in 17 years|website=Resident Advisor|last=Philp|first=Ray|date=10 January 2018|accessdate=11 October 2020}}
Release
On 9 January 2018, Carter announced the release of his first album in seventeen years, along with the first single "Blissters".{{cite web|url=https://thequietus.com/articles/23833-chris-carter-chemistry-lessons-volume-1-new-album-blissters|title=New Chris Carter|website=The Quietus|last=Napier|first=Jack|date=9 January 2018|accessdate=11 October 2020}} Speaking on the release, Carter explained:
"If there’s an influence on the album, it’s definitely ‘60s radiophonic. Over the last few years I’ve also been listening to old English folk music, almost like a guilty pleasure, and so some tracks on the album hark back to an almost ingrained DNA we have for those kinds of melodies. They’re not dissimilar to nursery rhymes in some ways."
Critical reception
Chemistry Lessons: Volume One was met with "universal acclaim" 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 81 based on 11 reviews. Aggregator Album of the Year gave the release a 77 out of 100 based on a critical consensus of 5 reviews.{{cite web|url=https://www.albumoftheyear.org/album/99296-chris-carter-chris-carters-chemistry-lessons-vol-1.php|title=Album of the Year Review|website=Album of the Year|accessdate=11 October 2020}}
Paul Simpson of AllMusic explained the album was "created using a fusion of modular synthesizers, digital signal processing, drum machines, field recordings, and vocal manipulation." He also went on to say "the vocals on this album are androgynous, amorphous, and alien, and it's hard to tell if they're manipulated human voices or entirely synthetic." Kevin Press from Exclaim! gave the release an 8 out of 10, noting "the 67-minute album features 25 remarkably accessible tracks. Carter has also incorporated treated vocals he's field-recorded from a variety of sources. It adds real dimension to the album."
=Accolades=
Track listing
{{Track listing
|headline =Chemistry Lessons track listing
|title1=Blissters
|length1=2:49
|title2=Tangerines
|length2=2:00
|title3=Nineteen 7
|length3=2:06
|title4=Cernubicua
|length4=3:31
|title5=Pillars of Wah
|length5=2:19
|title6=Modularity
|length6=4:48
|title7=Field Depth
|length7=2:39
|title8=Moon Two
|length8=2:36
|title9=Durlin
|length9=2:57
|title10=Corvus
|length10=3:51
|title11=Tones Map
|length11=2:14
|title12=Dust & Spiders
|length12=1:40
|title13=Gradients
|length13=1:46
|title14=Lab Test
|length14=3:13
|title15=Shildreke
|length15=3:04
|title16=Uysring
|length16=2:02
|title17=Ghosting
|length17=2:52
|title18=Noise Floor
|length18=2:44
|title19=Post Industrial
|length19=3:18
|title20=Rehndim
|length20=2:20
|title21=Roane
|length21=2:01
|title22=Time Curious Glows
|length22=2:10
|title23=Ars Vetus
|length23=2:58
|title24=Hobbs End
|length24=2:05
|title25=Inkstain
|length25=1:58
}}
Charts
class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+Chart performance for Chemistry Lessons: Volume One |
Chart (2018)
! Peak |
---|
{{album chart|Scotland|75|date=20180406|rowheader=true|accessdate=11 October 2020}} |
{{album chart|UKIndependent|16|date=20180406|rowheader=true|accessdate=11 October 2020}} |