Shulamith (album)

The album title refers to the radical feminist Shulamith Firestone whose book The Dialectic of Sex was the main inspiration to singer and lyricist Channy Leaneagh after the recording of the album.{{cite web|last1=Roper|first1=Tamara|title="The Unlikely Front Woman: We Meet Channy Leneagh from Poliça"|url=http://noisey.vice.com/en_uk/blog/the-unlikely-front-woman-we-met-channy-leanagh-from-polica|website=noisey|accessdate=28 May 2015}} Describing Firestone as "This woman to me is like my pop star. I want to try and be more like her," Leaneagh insisted that the name wasn't chosen "because I wanted to make a statement about feminism." At the same time, themes explored in the album dovetail with feminist concerns such as the conflict of desire and frustration that attend living up to cultural ideals as well as the pitfalls of materialism and perfectionism.{{cite web|last1=Swensson|first1=Andrea|title="First Listen: Poliça 'Shulamith'"|url=https://www.npr.org/2013/10/13/230923589/first-listen-polica-shulamith|website=npr.org|accessdate=28 May 2015}}

"Tiff" was released as the album's lead single on April 15, 2013.{{cite web |url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/tiff-feat-justin-vernon-single/632719306 |title=Tiff (feat. Justin Vernon) – Single by POLIÇA |date=15 April 2013 |publisher=iTunes Store US. Apple |access-date=October 20, 2013}} An expanded/deluxe edition of the album was released on 10 June 2014. The edition contained four new tracks by the band; include "Raw Exit", which the band demoed a little after the release of their debut, Give You the Ghost.{{Cite web|url = http://www.thelineofbestfit.com/reviews/albums/polica-raw-exit|title = Poliça - Raw Exit EP|website = The Line of Best Fit|access-date = 2016-03-20}} The track was never officially released but the band played at concerts. These four tracks were also made available in the form of Raw Exit EP, Leaneagh stated in their blog: "'Raw Exit' still sounds like Poliça but goes to a different place topically than the rest of Shulamith—it's about wanting someone, which is rare in our songs."[http://inyourspeakers.com/content/review/286-poli%C3%A7a-raw-exit-ep-06092014#sthash.mg7QSLTC.dpuf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140812203840/http://inyourspeakers.com/content/review/286-poli%C3%A7a-raw-exit-ep-06092014#sthash.mg7QSLTC.dpuf |date=2014-08-12 }} 'Poliça: Raw Exit EP', In Your Speakers, June 9, 2014. The EP was also released as a 10" vinyl record.{{Cite web|url=http://www.factmag.com/2014/05/14/polica-announce-raw-exit-ep-on-10-hear-the-title-track/|title=Poliça announce Raw Exit EP on 10" – hear the title track|website=FACT Magazine: Music News, New Music.|date=14 May 2014 |access-date=2016-03-20}}

The cover of the album features a bust-length view of a young Caucasian woman against a royal blue background and turned away from the spectator at a 45 degree angle. Her long brown hair appears wet and is wrapped around the left side of her neck to expose the right side that is stained with a deep red liquid. The red substance stains her right ear and hairline as well as parts of her upper back. The ambiguity of the image - is it blood or hair dye? - played a role in its censorship on iTunes, among other music retailers. When asked about the censorship, Leneagh replied in this way:

"It's a very violent society that we live in, so I was confused when the image on our cover was censored. You look on iTunes and there's some really violent-sounding music. My music isn't really that, I don't have anything specifically violent about my music. That cover was exploring the life of a woman that's a mix of blood and beauty and the brutal existence of a woman. A lot of the covers on iTunes are just a face of the singer. Not like everybody has to have a message on their record cover, but it just infuriates me that iTunes is dumbing down the opportunity for musicians to have a voice."{{cite web|last1=Fischer|first1=Reed|title="Poliça's Channy Leneagh: you can't ignore north minneapolis forever"|url=http://blogs.citypages.com/gimmenoise/2014/07/polica_channy_leaneagh_interview.php|website=City Pages|accessdate=28 May 2015|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529194335/http://blogs.citypages.com/gimmenoise/2014/07/polica_channy_leaneagh_interview.php|archivedate=29 May 2015}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Shulamith track listing

| total_length = 55:35

| all_lyrics = Channy Leaneagh

| all_music = Ryan Olson

| title1 = Chain My Name

| length1 = 4:07

| title2 = Smug

| length2 = 3:59

| title3 = Vegas

| length3 = 4:11

| title4 = Warrior Lord

| length4 = 4:30

| title5 = Very Cruel

| length5 = 4:45

| title6 = Torre

| length6 = 4:27

| title7 = Trippin

| length7 = 4:15

| title8 = Tiff

| note8 = featuring Justin Vernon

| length8 = 4:26

| title9 = Spilling Lines

| length9 = 3:02

| title10 = Matty

| length10 = 4:58

| title11 = I Need $

| length11 = 4:38

| title12 = So Leave

| length12 = 3:36

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Shulamith expanded edition{{cite web|title=In Rolling Waves (Deluxe)|date=9 June 2014 |url=https://music.apple.com/my/album/shulamith-expanded-edition/875236875|publisher=iTunes|access-date=12 August 2014}}

| total_length = 61:35

| title13 = Raw Exit

| length13 = 4:15

| title14 = Baby Blue

| length14 = 3:30

| title15 = Great Regret

| length15 = 2:18

| title16 = You Don't Own Me

| length16 = 3:16

}}

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Shulamith.{{cite AV media notes |title=Shulamith |type=CD liner notes |others=Poliça |publisher=Mom + Pop Music |year=2013 |id=MP119-2}}

Poliça

• Poliça – production
• Channy Leaneagh – vocals
• Chris Bierden – bass, harmony vocals
• Drew Christopherson – drums
• Ben Ivascu – drums
• Ryan Olson – beats programming, production, synth

Additional personnel

• BJ Burton – engineering, mixing
• Isaac Gale – back photography, cover
• Michael Gaughan – watercolor painting
• Andrea Hyde – design
• Huntley Miller – mastering

{{Reflist}}

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Category:2013 albums

Category:Mom + Pop Music albums

Category:Poliça albums