Look Now Look Again

Look Now Look Again
Studio album by Rainer Maria
Released	April 20, 1999
Recorded	December 1998
Genre	Midwest emo[1]
Label	Polyvinyl
Producer	Mark Haines
Rainer Maria chronology
Past Worn Searching (1997) Look Now Look Again (1999) A Better Version of Me (2001)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Pitchfork	8.8/10 (1999)[3] 8.3/10 (2018)[4]
Spin	8/10[5]

Look Now Look Again is the second studio album by American indie rock band Rainer Maria. It is now regarded as an influential classic of second-wave emo.[1][4]

Critical reception and legacy

In recent years, Look's critical standing has remained positive. In a review of its 2018 reissue, Pitchfork's Jenn Pelly deemed it one of second-wave emo's greatest albums, calling it "a undeniable classic of a time when [the genre] broadcasted an ethic of intelligence." She saw the album pave the musical groundwork for future bands like Rilo Kiley, Paramore, and Camp Cope.[4] In 2020, Kerrang! included Look on their list of emo's 20 best albums released before the 2000s. The site's Ryan De Freitas dubbed it "a bona fide classic of the genre".[6]

In a 2019 Noisey list, Matt Lunsford, the co-founder of Look's record label Polyvinyl, placed it tenth out of what he believed the label's 10 most important releases.[7] The following year, Stereogum's Ian Cohen referred to Look as one Polyvinyl's "formative documents" of Midwest emo alongside Braid's Frame & Canvas and American Football's self-titled debut.[8]

Track listing

All songs by Rainer Maria.

1. "Rise" – 4:18
2. "Planetary" – 5:21
3. "Broken Radio" – 3:11
4. "Feeling Neglected?" – 4:43
5. "Breakfast of Champions" – 3:37
6. "The Reason The Night Is Long" – 3:48
7. "Lost, Dropped and Cancelled" – 2:45
8. "Centrifuge" – 3:37
9. "I'm Melting!" – 3:14

Personnel

• Caithlin De Marrais – bass/vocals
• Kaia Fischer – guitar/vocals
• William Kuehn – drums
• Mark Haines – producer, engineer
• Elliot Dicks – producer
• John Golden – mastering

References

1. Exposito, Suzy (March 1, 2016). "40 Greatest Emo Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 1, 2016.
2. Nicholls, Dale T. "Look Now Look Again Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
3. Schneyer, Jeremy. "Look Now Look Again". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on 2006-05-19.
4. Pelly, Jenn (November 29, 2018). "Rainer Maria: Look Now Look Again Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
5. Salamon, Jeff (July 1999). "Rainer Maria: Look Now Look Again". Spin. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
6. De Freitas, Ryan (May 12, 2020). "The 20 best pre-2000s emo albums". Kerrang!. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
7. Ozzi, Dan (August 8, 2019). "Polyvinyl Records Co-Founder Picks 10 Important Albums from Their Catalog". Noisey. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
8. Cohen, Ian (May 27, 2020). "Mark Duplass Is Ready To Face His Blog-Rock Past". Stereogum. Retrieved March 18, 2024.