Eisspeedway

Tricks (album)

Tricks
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 18, 2018 (digital)
Genre
Length45:43
ProducerMark Walk
OhGr chronology
UnDeveloped
(2011)
Tricks
(2018)

Tricks (stylized as TrickS) is the fifth studio album by electro-industrial band ohGr. The album was funded via a PledgeMusic campaign and was released on June 18, 2018, after a number of delays.[1] The band raised $20,000 within a few days of announcing their campaign. The band embarked on a North American tour alongside Paul Barker's Lead into Gold and Omniflux.

In January 2019, producer Mark Walk told Billboard that PledgeMusic had owed the band $100,000 and that they had been unable to manufacture merchandise and fulfill orders since the album's release.

Background

Work on Tricks began as early as 2011, directly after the release of the band's fourth album, UnDeveloped,[2] and continued through 2018.[3] The album was officially announced on May 13, 2017[4][5] and was originally intended for release in October, 2017.[6] When it became clear that the album still needed post-production refinement and would not be ready for October, Ohgr announced a tour co-headlining with fellow industrial band KMFDM.[7] Ultimately, the album was released digitally on June 18, 2018.[1] It was immediately followed by the announcement of a full North American tour with Lead into Gold as the opening act.[8]

PledgeMusic controversy

Producer Mark Walk said that they chose to use PledgeMusic because it appeared to be "a safe place for supporters’ funds to be held while the project was being produced". They raised $20,000 within the first few days of the campaign and delivered the finished album to the company, who remained silent regarding payments.[9] In a January 2019 article for Billboard, Walk explained that PledgeMusic owed the band $100,000 of their funds and that, due to the lack of money, had been unable to manufacture merchandise that had been promised during the campaign.[10] They had only been paid $40,000.[11] The band was forced to release the album digitally and go on tour without physical media to sell.[12] When Walk threatened that he would take the issue to the press, a company employee reportedly asked "if anyone would care."[10]

The band suspended their campaign and told fans that they were looking into alternative platforms and refunds.[13] In February 2019, Sound Royalties, a music-finance firm, announced they had devoted $3 million in loans to help the dozens of artists affected by PledgeMusic's financial issues.[14]

Track listing

All songs written by Nivek Ogre and Mark Walk.

No.TitleLength
1."Freaky"4:09
2."Subject"4:31
3."Tricks"3:55
4."Due They Know"5:04
5."Blowby"4:54
6."Toxick"4:31
7."Resolute"4:22
8."Mind Made God"5:16
9."Muddle"4:59
10."Lye"3:58
Total length:45:43
CD-only bonus track[15]
No.TitleLength
11.Untitled (hidden track begins after 9:09 of silence)13:31
Total length:59:14

Notes

  • The following are the album's stylized track titles: "FreAky", "SubjecT", "TrickS", "dUe they kNow", "BlowBy", "ToxicK", "ResoLuTe", "Mind made goD", "MudDle", "LYe", and "uNtitleD".[16]

Personnel

All credits adapted from Tricks liner notes.[16]

Ohgr

Additional personnel

  • Rob Robinson – additional mixing, writing, mastering, and production
  • Roman Dirge – artwork

References

  1. ^ a b "ohGr: Tricks on PledgeMusic". PledgeMusic. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  2. ^ Yücel, Ilker (23 August 2017). "ohGr InterView: Tricks of the Trade". ReGen Magazine. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  3. ^ Ogre, Nivek (14 September 2016). "Ogre of Skinny Puppy on New Records, New Role on Teen Wolf, Animals or People? More" (Interview). Interviewed by Elliott Fullam. Little Punk People. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  4. ^ Yücel, Ilker (13 May 2017). "Ohgr Announces PledgeMusic Campaign for Fifth Album". ReGen Magazine. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  5. ^ Alexander, Chris (15 May 2017). "ohGr Preps New Album 'Tricks'". comingsoon.net. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  6. ^ "Trick or Treat: Support Ogre of Skinny Puppy in the Production of a New Ohgr Album". Sonic Seducer. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  7. ^ Marotta, Michael (24 April 2017). "KMFDM and Ohgr (Skinny Puppy) Announce North American Dates After Cold Waves Festival". Vanyaland. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  8. ^ Pryor, Terrance. "Ohgr Announce 2018 North American Tour". AXS. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
  9. ^ Trapp, Philip (24 January 2019). "Crowdfunding Platform PledgeMusic Owes Its Artists Thousands (January 24, 2019)". Alternative Press. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  10. ^ a b Stutz, Colin. "PledgeMusic, Once a Crowdfunding Haven for Artists, Now Owes Them Thousands of Dollars (January 24, 2019)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  11. ^ Stutz, Colin. "PledgeMusic's Failed Promise Leaves Artists in Limbo and the Future of Music Crowdfunding in Jeopardy (February 8, 2019)". Billboard. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  12. ^ Jones, Byron (24 January 2019). "Report: PledgeMusic Owes Its Artists Thousands of Dollars (January 25, 2019)". The Music Network. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
  13. ^ Walk, Mark. "Refunds/Unfulfilled Orders/Mailing List (February 5, 2019)". PledgeMusic. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  14. ^ Cirisano, Tatiana. "Sound Royalties Commits $3M in Loans to Artists Impacted by PledgeMusic's Financial Troubles (February 25, 2019)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  15. ^ Tricks (CD liner notes). Ohgr. self-released. 2018.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. ^ a b Tricks (Digital liner notes). Ohgr. self-released. 2018.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)