Major Arcana (album)

Major Arcana is the debut full-length studio album from the indie rock group Speedy Ortiz. It was released on July 9, 2013 by Carpark Records.

Major Arcana
Studio album by Speedy Ortiz
Released	July 9, 2013
Genre	Indie rock, noise pop, alternative rock, grunge
Length	34:30
Label	Carpark Records
Producer	Justin Pizzoferrato
Speedy Ortiz chronology
The Death of Speedy Ortiz (2011) Major Arcana (2013) Real Hair EP (2014)

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
The A.V. Club	A-[2]
Consequence of Sound	[3]
Pitchfork Media	(8.4/10)[4]
PopMatters	[5]
Rolling Stone	[6]

Major Arcana has received very positive reviews. The album has a score of 81 out of 100 on the review aggregate site Metacritic, based on 16 reviews.[7]

Pitchfork Media's Lindsay Zoladz gave the album a Best New Album designation, claiming that frontwoman Sadie Dupuis "writ[es] lyrics that are actually worth poring over".[4] David Brusie of The A.V. Club also praised the album, writing "a markedly assured debut, one that makes Speedy Ortiz an act to watch".[2] Consequence of Sound's Katherine Flynn called the album "strong, punchy musical concentrate".[3] Robin Smith of PopMatters described "its angular, moody ‘90s feel conjures the image of an overgrown punk hanging around a playground at night, drinking, smoking, wasting".[5]

Pitchfork Media ranked Major Arcana #48 on its list of the top 50 albums of 2013, writing: "Speedy Ortiz strains the strangled chords and corkscrew interplay of 90s guitar heroes [...] into jaggedly axed anthem".[8] The album was listed 31st on Stereogum's list of top 50 albums of 2013.[9]

The song "No Below" was featured in the 2017 Square Enix/Deck Nine game Life is Strange: Before the Storm.

Track listing

All songs by Speedy Ortiz.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Pioneer Spine"	3:37
2.	"Tiger Tank"	2:46
3.	"Hitch"	2:35
4.	"Casper (1995)"	2:48
5.	"No Below"	3:44
6.	"Gary"	3:26
7.	"Fun"	2:05
8.	"Cash Cab"	3:35
9.	"Plough"	2:53
10.	"MKVI"	7:08
Total length:		34:30

iTunes bonus track

No.	Title	Length
11.	"Speedy Ortiz"	2:17

Charts

Chart (2013)	Peak position
US Top Heatseekers[10]	30

References

1. Lymangrover, Jason. Major Arcana - Speedy Ortiz. Allmusic. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
2. Brusie, David. Speedy Ortiz: Major Arcana. The A.V. Club. 9 July 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
3. Flynn, Katherine. Speedy Ortiz - Major Arcana. Consequence of Sound. 15 July 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
4. Zoladz, Lindsay. Speedy Ortiz: Major Arcana. Pitchfork Media. 12 July 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
5. Smith, Robin. Speedy Ortiz: Major Arcana. PopMatters. 12 September 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
6. Powell, Mike. Speedy Ortiz, 'Major Arcana'. Rolling Stone. 12 August 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
7. Critic Reviews for Major Arcana. Metacritic. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
8. The Top 50 Albums of 2013. Pitchfork Media. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
9. The 50 Best Albums of 2013 - Stereogum. Stereogum. 3 December 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
10. "Major Arcana - Speedy Ortiz Awards". Retrieved 4 January 2014.