Bloodsports (album)

Last updated

Bloodsports
Bloodsports album cover.png
Studio album by
Released18 March 2013
Recorded2012
Genre
Length39:46
Label Warner Bros.
Producer Ed Buller
Suede chronology
The Best of Suede
(2010)
Bloodsports
(2013)
Night Thoughts
(2016)
Singles from Bloodsports
  1. "It Starts and Ends with You"
    Released: 4 February 2013
  2. "Hit Me"
    Released: 27 May 2013
  3. "For the Strangers"
    Released: 21 October 2013

Bloodsports is the sixth studio album by English alternative rock band Suede. It was released on 18 March 2013, via Warner Bros. Records. It is their first studio album since A New Morning in 2002.

Contents

The album was the first since Coming Up to be produced by their longtime producer Ed Buller, and also the first album to feature keyboardist Neil Codling since his departure in 2001.

Background and production

Frontman Brett Anderson commented that the album would sound like a cross between Dog Man Star and Coming Up . [3] He stated that Bloodsports is "about lust, it's about the chase, it's about the endless carnal game of love. It was possibly the hardest we've ever made but certainly the most satisfying". [4]

The band performed new material in 2011, most of which got scrapped when they went into the studio with Ed Buller, the producer of their first three albums. [5]

Release

In January 2013, Suede released a free download of opening track "Barriers". [4] The lead single, "It Starts and Ends with You", followed in February. [4] Second single "Hit Me" was released 27 May. [6] Third single "For the Strangers" was released in October on the same day the band released The Vinyl Collection, a box set of the band's six studio albums and b-side collection on vinyl. [7] Bloodsports debuted on the Official UK Albums Chart at number 10, [8] on first-week sales of 10,453 copies. [9] It went on to sell 22,410 units after 12 weeks. [9] A 7-inch double a-side of "Barriers"/"Animal Nitrate" was released 20 April on Record Store Day. [10]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic? 7.3/10 [11]
Metacritic 80/100 [12]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]
The Daily Telegraph Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [14]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [15]
The Independent Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [16]
Mojo Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [17]
NME 7/10 [18]
Pitchfork 7.6/10 [19]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [20]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [21]
Uncut 7/10 [22]

Bloodsports has been very well received by critics, their most acclaimed album since Coming Up in 1996. At Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 80, based on 29 reviews, indicating "generally favourable reviews". [12]

Year-end lists

Bloodsports has been included in many Best Albums of 2013 lists including:

PublicationCountryAccoladeYearRank
ABC News USThe 50 Best Albums of 2013 [23] 201329
AllMusic USBest of 2013 – Top 50 Albums [24] 2013N/A
PopMatters USThe 75 Best Albums of the Year [25] 201357
Q UK50 Albums of the Year [26] 201322
The Quietus UKAlbums of the Year [27] 201342
Rough Trade UKTop 100 Albums of the Year [28] 201367
Under the Radar USTop 125 Albums of 2013 [29] 201323

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Barriers"3:42
2."Snowblind"
  • Anderson
  • Oakes
4:03
3."It Starts and Ends with You"
  • Anderson
  • Codling
3:51
4."Sabotage"
  • Anderson
  • Codling
3:45
5."For the Strangers"
  • Anderson
  • Oakes
  • Codling
4:12
6."Hit Me"
  • Anderson
  • Oakes
  • Codling
4:03
7."Sometimes I Feel I'll Float Away"
  • Anderson
  • Oakes
4:12
8."What Are You Not Telling Me?"
  • Anderson
  • Oakes
  • Codling
3:12
9."Always"
4:42
10."Faultlines"
  • Anderson
  • Oakes
  • Codling
4:05
iTunes deluxe edition and Australia CD bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Dawn Chorus"
  • Anderson
  • Oakes
4:03
12."Howl"
  • Anderson
  • Osman
3:35
Japan bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Dawn Chorus"
  • Anderson
  • Oakes
4:03
12."Nothing Can Stop Us"
  • Anderson
  • Oakes
  • Codling
3:35
Box set bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Dawn Chorus"
  • Anderson
  • Oakes
4:03
12."No Holding Back"
  • Anderson
  • Oakes
  • Codling
3:52

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance for Bloodsports
Chart (2013)Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [30] 74
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [31] 77
Danish Albums (Hitlisten) [32] 12
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [33] 65
French Albums (SNEP) [34] 97
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [35] 95
Irish Albums (IRMA) [36] 22
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [37] 18
Scottish Albums (OCC) [38] 15
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [39] 36
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [40] 32
UK Albums (OCC) [41] 10
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [42] 2

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