Sound & Color


Sound & Color is the second studio album by American rock band Alabama Shakes. It was released on April 17, 2015 via ATO Records, MapleMusic Recordings and Rough Trade Records.
The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 in the U.S., giving the band their first chart-topper; globally, the album hit the top ten in Australia, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Sound & Color was a critical success and received six Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year. It ultimately won 4 for Best Alternative Music Album, Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, as well as Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song for "Don't Wanna Fight". It spawned four singles; "Don't Wanna Fight" was the most successful, peaking at number two on Billboard Adult Alternative Songs chart.

Background

Alabama Shakes began recording their second album in late 2013. The group listened to anything and everything for influence, without regard for its public reception in the end. They spent over a year in the studio, with no clear end-goal, as they had not written any new songs due to their exhaustive touring schedule. Sound & Color is steeped in several different genres, touching on shoegaze to bands such as MC5.
In promotion of Sound & Color, the group appeared on Saturday Night Live on February 28, 2015; they performed the singles "Gimme All Your Love" and "Don't Wanna Fight".
The title song, "Sound & Color" was used in the final episode of the first season of Mr. Robot.
In 2017, the song "This Feeling" was used in the first season of the HBO miniseries Big Little Lies, and in 2019, it was used in the end scene of the final episode of the British TV show Fleabag. The song "Sound & Color" was used in the end credits of the 2019 film Waves, directed by Trey Edward Shults and produced by A24. "Don't Wanna Fight" was used in the 2019 film Just Mercy.

Commercial performance

The album debuted atop the US Billboard 200 chart, earning 96,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, in the week ending April 26, 2015, making it the band's first number one album. The album has sold 306,000 copies in the US as of December 2015.

Critical reception

Upon its release, Sound & Color received positive reviews. At the review aggregator Metacritic, the album currently holds a score of 80 based on 30 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Writing for Exclaim!, Andrea Warner called the record a "deliberately weird record, but authentically weird; it's chaotic yet cohesive, full of sound, colour and unshakable vision." Barry Nicholson of NME compared it favorably to the band's first album, writing, "whereas their debut was cast in sepia hues and downhome earthiness, its follow-up is a more kaleidoscopic affair."

Accolades

Sound & Color garnered six nominations at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards; it was nominated for the Album of the Year, marking the group's first nomination in the category. The album was also nominated for Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical, and won Best Alternative Music Album, Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. "Don't Wanna Fight" won for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song.
CountryPublicationListRank
USBillboard25 Best Albums of 20157
USComplexThe Best Albums of 201529
USConsequence of SoundTop 50 Albums of 201536
USEntertainment WeeklyThe 40 Best Albums of 201513
USPitchforkTop 200 Best Albums of the 2010s138
USRolling StoneThe 50 Best Albums of 201537
USRough TradeAlbums of the Year 201531
USThe New York TimesThe Best Albums of 2015 7

* denotes an unordered list

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from Sound & Color liner notes.
Alabama Shakes
Additional musicians
Production

Year-end charts

Chart Peak
position
US Billboard 200169
US Alternative Albums16
US Independent Albums7
US Top Rock Albums15

Certifications