Within and Without

by 
AlbumJul 12 / 20119 songs, 40m 45s
Chillwave
Popular

The first full-length release by producer and multi-instrumentalist Ernest Greene helped define the sound of the chillwave movement. *Within and Without* is a heady mix of throbbing bass and cleverly layered synth sounds underpinning Greene\'s tender, faded vocals. The single \"You and I,\" featuring Chairlift’s Caroline Polachek, is a particular high point. But from the sumptuous melodies of \"Eyes Be Closed\" and the uplifting \"Amor Fati\" to the blissed-out haze of \"Soft\" and the title track, Greene\'s relaxed, sensual vibe creates a sustained mood of pleasurable nostalgia.

Washed Out is the operational alias for Atlanta, GA’s Ernest Greene, and on July 12th, we at Sub Pop Records will be releasing the first Washed Out full-length, Within and Without. We are excited about this, to an almost unseemly degree. Greene recorded Within and Without with Ben Allen, who, among a great many other things, co-produced Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavillion, Gnarls Barkley’s St. Elsewhere and Deerhunter’s Halcyon Digest. In 2009 Washed Out released two critically-acclaimed EPs; Life of Leisure (Mexican Summer) and High Times (Mirror Universe Tapes). Most recently, the Washed Out song “Feel It All Around,” from Life of Leisure, was chosen as the theme song for the new and very funny IFC series Portlandia, which features Saturday Night Live cast member Fred Armisen and Sleater-Kinney/Sub Pop alum and current Wild Flag member Carrie Brownstein. Early confirmed press for Within and Without includes a “Breaking Out” feature in the June issue of SPIN, as well as NPR “Song of the Day” coverage for the album’s lead track “Eyes Be Closed.”

8.3 / 10

Two years after helping to define a genre with the Life of Leisure EP, Ernest Greene returns with a satisfying full-length expansion of his sound.

C

One measure of an uncertain economy might be the number of artists who have been finding big audiences while building beats in their parents’ basements. Washed Out, a.k.a. Ernest Greene, has two solid EPs to his name, and he supplied IFC’s Portlandia with its theme song. But he’s just now clambering out of bed to…

6 / 10

7.7 / 10

For his first full-length and Sub Pop debut, Georgia good-old boy Ernest Greene hasn’t moved too far from the sound that…

Check out our album review of Artist's Within and Without on Rolling Stone.com.

A perfectly crafted album that sounds exactly like we hoped it would.

Within and Without is Washed Out's debut album for Sub Pop and the first chance a wide audience will have to hear Ernest Greene’s brand of dreamy, drowsy synth pop.

This debut full-length from Ernest Greene - the Atlanta-born musician operating as Washed Out - provides plenty of irrefutable evidence to back the statement.

8.0 / 10

You can't blame Ernest Greene for the chillwave label and whatever came after just like you can't blame The Beatles for every crappy band they inspired.

8 / 10

Washed Out is Atlanta-born Ernest Greene, whose 2009 ‘Life Of Leisure’ EP lit up the blogosphere.

<p>Washed Out's blissful mellowness recalls the Beloved, but flirts with inconsequentiality, writes <strong>Kitty Empire</strong></p>

No musician has mastered the slippery genre called “bedroom music” quite as well as Ernest Greene.

7 / 10

Atlanta’s Ernest Greene, who records and performs under the moniker Washed Out, has been riding a boatload of hype in the indie rock sphere.

<p>What sets Washed Out apart from the thousands of bedroom chillwavers, reckons <strong>Alexis Petridis</strong>, is the quality of the songwriting</p>

52 %

71 %

2.5 / 5

Washed Out - Within and Without review: Ernest Greene presents Within and Without, a new fragrance from Washed Out, a pleasant aroma that refrains from being too obtrusive. Or, for that matter, interesting.

Within and Without Weird World ****

6 / 10