The Turning Wheel

SPELLLING - The Turning Wheel
Critic Score
Based on 13 reviews
2021 Ratings: #114 / 753
User Score
2021 Rank: #19
Liked by 688 people
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CRITIC REVIEWS

90
The Line of Best Fit

Some musicians slowly grow into greatness, producing solid work, and suddenly arrive at a classic. Others do this all at once, in the space between records. With Turning Wheel, SPELLLING falls very strongly into the latter camp.

90
Spectrum Culture

The writing style and compositions are reminiscent of centuries-old folk songs and lullabies, further lending to the notion of Spellling singing as some omniscient being.

90
FLOOD Magazine

Such warmth and whimsicality in our musicians is rare these days. It’s also rare that an album is as full of charm and magic as The Turning Wheel.

90
Louder Than War

Cosmic ballads infused with hope for a better tomorrow. If the reality of the daily grind is starting to wear a little thin then I can’t think of a better piece of artful escapism to immerse yourself in than The Turning Wheel.

80
musicOMH

On the whole this is a significant artistic leap, a progressive album of dazzling stylistic pluralities that demands attention.

80
NME

Most off-kilter electronic acts only sink deeper into the synthetic depths in search of new sounds to debase, but SPElLLING’s third album is more of a grand statement of organic authenticity.

76
Beats Per Minute

Slap as many abstract adjectives and kitschy references you want on it, you’re not going to pin The Turning Wheel down. Its ineffability can be its greatest strength.

75
Pitchfork

The myth-skewing, Oakland-based artist is a chameleonic pop singer on her third album. Whimsical and urgent, these are fairy tales meant to wake us up.

75
Under the Radar

The Turning Wheel, sees her taking her affinity for campy theatrics and spacey sci-fi production seen on her previous two albums to another height, thus creating her most maximalist and lavish project yet.

70
AllMusic

The Turning Wheel has several standouts along with a handful of other tracks that don't leave as much of an impression. However, this is undeniably her best-produced work yet, and clearly demonstrates her impressive growth as an artist.

70
Uncut

Her third LP The Turning Wheel has the feel of a big reveal. Her voice, as dramatic and flamboyant as a young Kate Bush, now pirouettes amid a backdrop of warm brass and orchestral funk supplied by an extended cast of players.

60
Loud and Quiet

There seems to be a wall between artist and audience, something stopping listeners from being fully immersed in the world-building that no doubt took many painstaking hours to create.

August
100

this is my opinion

Chode
90

edit: do you guys like weezer

2020s Kate Bush

With a firm grasp on what makes the music of art-pop legends such as Kate Bush and Björk so gorgeous, Spellling eloquently cries out every note on ‘The Turning Wheel’ with the force of a thunderstorm yet simultaneously with the elegance and opulence of a diamond. Three albums in, Spellling has reached a point of pure brilliance that many artists, who are twenty albums deep, wish they could have just a mere smidgen of. With every ... read more

BradTasteMusic
90

1. Little Deer (Score: 10)
Great intro atmosphere. Feels like a story book. Love the strings. Feels like an enchanted forest. Drums are great. Love the chimes. Very floaty. Whimsical. I love the lyrics. Tons of range. Love the otherworldly lyrics. Insanely immersive. Horns are amazing. Low vocals remind me of the woman on swans. This is physically doing some thing to me.
2. Always (Score: 10)
Starts with Vocals. Really pretty. Singing is so insanely good. Lyrics and feeling are similar to ... read more

100

hell yeah
bald man was right
10/10

fionatheapple
88

litter deer might be the best opening track ever !
this is such a fun project, the production on this goes INSANE and the lyrics are soooo good and also funny at some moments. her vocals are unique and really interesting
my favorite tracks are little deer and awaken ! soty material

1leslieliver
93

A once in a lifetime world-building and beautiful album that could've used a bit more lyrical cohesion.
Favorite - Sweet Talk
Least Favorite - Awaken

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Track List

Above
1Little Deer
5:39
93
2Always
5:14
89
3Turning Wheel
3:33
89
4The Future
3:27
88
5Awaken
4:31
87
6Emperor with an Egg
3:09
87
Below
7Boys at School
7:28
95
8Legacy
3:51
88
9Queen of Wands
5:21
87
10Magic Act
5:40
88
11Revolution
5:59
91
12Sweet Talk
3:33
86
Total Length: 57 minutes
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Added on: February 1, 2020