Memento Mori (Flyleaf album)
Encyclopedia
Memento Mori is the second studio album
by American rock
band Flyleaf
, released through A&M/Octone Records
on November 10, 2009. The title is a Latin
phrase meaning "be mindful of death" or "remember you will die." Memento Mori debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200
, selling 56,000 units in its opening week. To date, the album has sold 300,274
copies in the U.S.
. It contains 14 songs, which were selected out of 30 already written. The band reunited with producer Howard Benson to make the album. The album was recorded at Bay7 Studios in Los Angeles, California
. It was released on November 10, 2009. The band debuted two songs, "Chasm
" and "Circle", from Memento Mori
live during a small acoustic tour in Afghanistan for United States Troops.
songs date back as early as 2005 and 2006. "In The Dark" was written after the band released Flyleaf
, though it was never played live. "Again
",
", "Have We Lost", and "Beautiful Bride
" were the first songs to be played live
before they were released on the album.
"Again
", the first single from Memento Mori, was released to radio and digital retail stores August 25, 2009. Don Tyler directed the music video for "Beautiful Bride
", released October 6, 2009. Meiert Avis
directed the video for "Again", released at midnight September 30, 2009 on MTV. Giles Timms directed, animated and illustrated the animated viral music video for "Chasm", released on September 22, 2010.
The album premiered on the official Flyleaf MySpace page November 6, 2009.
Fans could see Lacey Sturm, Sameer Bhattacharya and Jared Hartmann, who made special appearances at these intimate gatherings across the country.
.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Flyleaf
Flyleaf
Flyleaf is an American alternative metal band, formed in the Belton and Temple, Texas regions in 2000. The band has charted on mainstream rock, Christian pop and Christian metal genres. They performed around the United States in 2003 until releasing their eponymous debut album, Flyleaf, in 2005....
, released through A&M/Octone Records
A&M/Octone Records
A&M/Octone Records is an American record label and a joint venture between Universal Music Group and Octone Records, also known as OctoScope Music...
on November 10, 2009. The title is a Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
phrase meaning "be mindful of death" or "remember you will die." Memento Mori debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, selling 56,000 units in its opening week. To date, the album has sold 300,274
copies in the U.S.
Background
The new album is their follow-up to their 2005 platinum debutFlyleaf (album)
Flyleaf is the debut studio album by the American rock band Flyleaf. It was released on October 4, 2005 through Octone Records. A re-packaged CD/DVD Special Edition was released on October 30, 2007, which included additional acoustic tracks and music videos...
. It contains 14 songs, which were selected out of 30 already written. The band reunited with producer Howard Benson to make the album. The album was recorded at Bay7 Studios in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. It was released on November 10, 2009. The band debuted two songs, "Chasm
Chasm (Flyleaf song)
"Chasm" is the fourth single by Flyleaf from their second album, Memento Mori. The song was officially available for digital download on September 27, 2010.-Content:...
" and "Circle", from Memento Mori
Memento mori
Memento mori is a Latin phrase translated as "Remember your mortality", "Remember you must die" or "Remember you will die". It names a genre of artistic work which varies widely, but which all share the same purpose: to remind people of their own mortality...
live during a small acoustic tour in Afghanistan for United States Troops.
Writing
The band began writing new music after their debut album was released. Most of the material was written while the band toured, but somesongs date back as early as 2005 and 2006. "In The Dark" was written after the band released Flyleaf
Flyleaf (album)
Flyleaf is the debut studio album by the American rock band Flyleaf. It was released on October 4, 2005 through Octone Records. A re-packaged CD/DVD Special Edition was released on October 30, 2007, which included additional acoustic tracks and music videos...
, though it was never played live. "Again
Again (Flyleaf song)
"Again" is the first single by Flyleaf from their second album, Memento Mori. It was announced on July 29, 2009, that "Again" would be hitting radio August 25, 2009. The song was added to the play lists on Flyleaf's official site and the band's official Myspace page on August 19, 2009. The song was...
",
", "Have We Lost", and "Beautiful Bride
Beautiful Bride
"Beautiful Bride" is the second single by Flyleaf from their second album, Memento Mori. The song was officially available for digital download on October 6, 2009...
" were the first songs to be played live
before they were released on the album.
"Again
Again (Flyleaf song)
"Again" is the first single by Flyleaf from their second album, Memento Mori. It was announced on July 29, 2009, that "Again" would be hitting radio August 25, 2009. The song was added to the play lists on Flyleaf's official site and the band's official Myspace page on August 19, 2009. The song was...
", the first single from Memento Mori, was released to radio and digital retail stores August 25, 2009. Don Tyler directed the music video for "Beautiful Bride
Beautiful Bride
"Beautiful Bride" is the second single by Flyleaf from their second album, Memento Mori. The song was officially available for digital download on October 6, 2009...
", released October 6, 2009. Meiert Avis
Meiert Avis
Meiert Avis is an Irish music video and commercial director. Avis has directed videos for artists such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Avril Lavigne, Jennifer Lopez, New Found Glory and Josh Groban amongst many others....
directed the video for "Again", released at midnight September 30, 2009 on MTV. Giles Timms directed, animated and illustrated the animated viral music video for "Chasm", released on September 22, 2010.
The album premiered on the official Flyleaf MySpace page November 6, 2009.
Promotion
The group, starting on September 28, held VIP listening parties throughout the country inviting fans to be the first to hear a selection of songs from the new record and view brand new music videos before they aired nationwide. By partnering with Eventful, fans were given the opportunity to demand that their city get routed into the "Road To Memento Mori" using Eventful's "Demand It!" service. Based on overwhelming demand there were 10-plus events.Fans could see Lacey Sturm, Sameer Bhattacharya and Jared Hartmann, who made special appearances at these intimate gatherings across the country.
Reception
Memento Mori currently holds generally favorable reviews on Metacritic with a 69.Track listing
Bonus tracks
Track notes
- "Tiny Heart" is a re-worked demo of a song that was written in the mid 2000s, before the release of Flyleaf's debut album.
- "AgainAgain (Flyleaf song)"Again" is the first single by Flyleaf from their second album, Memento Mori. It was announced on July 29, 2009, that "Again" would be hitting radio August 25, 2009. The song was added to the play lists on Flyleaf's official site and the band's official Myspace page on August 19, 2009. The song was...
" and "Have We Lost" were written in 2007 and often performed live. These songs underwent lyrical changes during the Memento Mori sessions. - "Uncle Bobby" is a hidden track that is placed before "Beautiful Bride". The song can be heard by rewinding the disc to -4:28. On digital versions of the album, the song is track 15, after "Arise".
- "Set Apart This Dream" was inspired by the best-selling, inspirational John EldredgeJohn EldredgeJohn Eldredge is an author, counselor, and lecturer of Christianity.-Life and work:While living in Los Angeles Eldredge was looking for a "worldview." After exploring other religions, Eastern mysticism, Lao-Tzu, and New Age spirituality, he discovered the writings of Francis Schaeffer, whom he...
book Wild at HeartWild at Heart (book)Wild at Heart is a book by John Eldredge published in 2001, on the subject of the role of masculinity in contemporary evangelical Christian culture and doctrine. Its subtitle is: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul...
. - "Treasure" was written about Lacey's engagement to Joshua Sturm.
- The expanded edition bonus track "Enemy" was used during the opening segment of the season 5 Criminal MindsCriminal MindsCriminal Minds is an American police procedural drama that premiered September 22, 2005, on CBS. The series follows a team of profilers from the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit based in Quantico, Virginia. The BAU is part of the FBI National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime...
episode "Risky Business".
Chart performance
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
8 |
| US Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Alternative Albums Billboard charts The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine... |
1 |
| US Billboard Christian Albums | 1 |
| US Billboard Hard Rock Albums | 1 |
| US Billboard Rock Albums | 2 |
| US Billboard Digital Albums | 2 |
| US Billboard Tastemaker Albums | 4 |
Awards
The album was nominated for a Dove Award for Rock Album of the Year at the 42nd GMA Dove Awards42nd GMA Dove Awards
The 42nd Annual GMA Dove Awards were held on April 20, 2011 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia. The show will be broadcast on gmc on April 24, 2011. It will be hosted by Sherri Shepherd from The Newlywed Game....
.
Band
- Lacey Sturm – Lead vocals
- Sameer Bhattacharya – lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
- Jared Hartmann – rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
- James Culpepper – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, timpaniTimpaniTimpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
, and wind chimesWind Chimes"Wind Chimes" is a song composed by Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks for the American rock band The Beach Boys. The original version of the song was written and recorded for the aborted 1966 album Smile. The band completely re-recorded the song for inclusion on their next album, Smiley Smile... - Pat Seals – bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, Cover ArtCover artCover art is the illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book , magazine, comic book, video game , DVD, CD, videotape, or music album. The art has a primarily commercial function, i.e...
Production
- Howard BensonHoward BensonHoward Benson is a two-time Grammy-nominated music producer and aerospace engineer.-Biography:Howard Benson has a degree in materials engineering from Drexel University and studied composition at the Philadelphia College for Performing Arts. Later he worked for Garrett AiResearch, where he worked...
- producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Chris Lord-AlgeChris Lord-AlgeChris Lord-Alge is a mixer who has worked on various albums. He is the brother of Tom Lord-Alge, another audio engineer. Chris Lord-Alge is known for his extreme use of dynamic range compression in both hardware and software plug-in versions....
- mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may... - Dave McNair - masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...