Maps of Music

Imperfect Harmonies (2010)

Where the lyrics of Imperfect Harmonies take you, and where it was really made.

Imperfect Harmonies was delayed two weeks because the paper plant that printed its booklet ran out of tree-free paper.

Key places

Recorded at Serjical Strike Studios (2010)

Recording site Motown Recording Studios — The album was recorded at Serjical Strike Studios in Los Angeles, California. The point is placed at the city centre, not the studio building itself. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Imperfect Harmonies is the second studio album by Armenian-American singer Serj Tankian
• Released 21 September 2010 through Reprise Records and Serjical Strike Records
• Originally scheduled for 7 September 2010, then pushed back two weeks
• The delay came from the booklet paper plant, which ran out of tree-free paper
• The album mixes orchestral music with rock and takes influences from jazz and electronica
• It follows Tankian's first solo effort, Elect the Dead

Background

• In 2009, Tankian worked with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra on a symphonic version of Elect the Dead
• That collaboration produced the live album Elect the Dead Symphony, released in 2010
• The experiment of mixing orchestra and rock inspired Tankian to explore this blend further
• Tankian is environmentally conscious and chose tree-free paper for the booklet
• He researched this type of paper on his own

Recording

• Recorded at Serjical Strike Studios, Los Angeles, California
• Live orchestral recordings made at East West Studios, Los Angeles
• Tracks 1 to 9 and 11 mixed at Record One Studios in Sherman Oaks
• Track 10 mixed at Paramount Recording Studios, with additional mixing at Serjical Strike Studios
• Drums on track 10 recorded at The Pass, Los Angeles
• Album mastered at Universal Mastering Studios, New York

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com · pt.wikipedia.org · es.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Born August 21, 1967 in Beirut, Lebanon, to Armenian parents.
• Moved to Los Angeles at age 7 during the Lebanese Civil War.
• Known as lead vocalist and primary lyricist of System of a Down, formed in 1994.

Career

• Five albums with System of a Down; five solo albums including Elect the Dead (2007), Imperfect Harmonies (2010), Harakiri (2012), Orca Symphony No. 1 (2013), and Elasticity (2021).
• Co-founded the activist organization Axis of Justice with Tom Morello in 2002.
• Composed music for film and television, including I Am Not Alone (2019) and Netflix's Down to Earth with Zac Efron.
• Published the memoir Down With the System in 2024.

Recognition

• Ranked No. 26 on Hit Parader's "Top 100 Heavy Metal Vocalists" (2006).
• Awarded the Armenian Prime Minister's Medal in 2011.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• The album divided critics: some praised Tankian's new direction, while others criticised it for being too much of a departure
• Overall, the album received generally favourable reviews
• First-week sales figures were notably lower than those of Elect the Dead
• The world tour in support of the album began on 7 August in Pori, Finland
• The Imperfect Harmonies tour was postponed on 7 September and never resumed

Records

• Opened at No. 35 on the Billboard 200 with 10,200 copies
• Released on 21 September 2010, after the delay from 7 September

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Tree-free paper was used in the booklet, as Tankian had used it on Elect the Dead, Hypnotize and Mezmerize
• A lyric video for Borders Are... was made by George Tonikian as a promotional tool while Tankian was on tour, and Tankian had no involvement with it
• Tankian's team chose a paper plant to print the booklet, and that plant's shortage of tree-free paper pushed the release back
• The Lowlands Festival performance was an exception to the usual tour setup, with the band backed by the Metropole Orchestra instead of local classical players
• As with earlier tours, only material from Tankian's solo career was played on this tour

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · pt.wikipedia.org

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