Chop Chop (Bell X1 album)

Last updated

Chop Chop
Chopchopbellx1.png
Studio album by
Released28 June 2013
Recorded2012-2013, Ireland
Genre Rock
LanguageEnglish
Label BellyUp Records
Producer Thomas Bartlett, Peter Katis
Bell X1 chronology
Bloodless Coup
(2011)
Chop Chop
(2013)
Arms
(2016)
Singles from Chop Chop
  1. "The End Is Nigh"
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 76/100 [1]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Consequence of Sound Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [3]

Chop Chop is the sixth studio album by Irish band Bell X1. It was released on 28 June 2013 in Ireland, [4] Germany [5] and the Netherlands. [6] The album released in the United Kingdom on 1 July 2013 [7] and North America on 2 July 2013. [8]

Contents

The album

The album's artwork designed by Alexis Deacon and the album's track listing was revealed on 3 April 2013. [8] The band also revealed a special edition of the album which comes with a chopping board. [9]

Promo

The band completed a short tour in Ireland and the US in 2012 where some of the new tracks were introduced to fans. The band began promotion for the album in March 2013 with the promo release of 'Starlings Over Brighton Pier'. The band announced a number of live dates in the US and Ireland beginning in New York on 7 June 2013 and additional dates in Ireland in Dublin and Cork where they performed at Live at the Marquee. [10] On 25 June 2013 the band streamed their new album through Paste Magazine's website. [11] To celebrate the album's release the band opened up 'Pop-up shops' across the Republic of Ireland. The 'Pop-up Shops' feature sales of the album along with food and each purchase of the album features a voucher where buyers could attend a special acoustic set from the band at each venue. The 'Pop-up Shops' will feature in 10 different locations across the country from June 28 in Dublin and finishing in Limerick on 11 July. A special album launch takes place on 29 June at the National Concert Hall, Dublin. [12]

Reception

The album received positive reviews from critics, with many praising the quick, more acoustic, stripped back sound.

In a 5 star review, The Independent (UK) said "they've created a wholly originally sound -as fresh as a Summer storm." [13] Other significant reviews included Q Magazine who referred to the album as: "a more stately, echo-laden place....hushed and expansive", Magnet: " 4 Stars - a riveting album that finds Bell X1 pushing its established aesthetics in admirably new directions", [14] Mojo: "4 Stars - "oozes zest and focus", [15] Irish Times: "4 Stars - "the best album of their career -a superb album this way comes", [16] USA Today:"Strains of Motown wind through this Stunner", [17] Express (UK) "5 Stars - yes, its that good" [18] & Daily Metro: "5 Stars -they push things further than ever." Chop Chop was Bell X1's 3rd album to debut at No.1 in the Irish Charts & 4th album to be nominated for a Meteor Choice Music Prize for album of the year.

It debuted at No.1 in the Irish Albums Chart, knocking fellow Irish band Kodaline from the top spot. [19]

Singles

The first promo single taken off the album was 'Starlings Over Brighton Pier' debuted on 20 March 2013 along with the music video. [20] On 11 May 2013 the band streamed their first commercial single release from the new album 'The End Is Nigh' on SoundCloud. [21] On 4 June 2013 the band premièred the video for 'The End Is Nigh' on 4 June 2013. [22] This is the first commercial single release from the album.

Tour

Following the album's release the band toured Europe extensively along with live dates across North America. The band would return to perform in 2014 attending a number of European festivals before touring Australia for the first time in summer 2014. [23] The band toured the US in September 2014. [10] The band's last gig in support of Chop Chop will be in Sligo in October 2014.

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Starlings Over Brighton Pier"4:50
2."A Thousand Little Downers"4:50
3."Careful What You Wish For"4:32
4."Diorama"4:46
5."I Will Follow You"3:38
6."Drive-By Summer"3:18
7."Motorcades"4:11
8."Feint Praise"3:09
9."The End Is Nigh"4:03

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Frames</span> Irish rock band

The Frames are an Irish rock band based in Dublin. Founded in 1990 by Glen Hansard, the band has been influential in the Dublin rock music scene. The group has released six studio albums. In addition to Hansard, the band's current line-up includes original member Colm Mac Con Iomaire, Dave Hingerty, Joe Doyle, and Rob Bochnik.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damien Rice</span> Irish musician

Damien George Rice is an Irish musician, singer and songwriter. He began his career as a member of the 1990s rock group Juniper, who were signed to Polygram Records in 1997. The band enjoyed moderate success in Ireland with two released singles, "The World is Dead" and "Weatherman". After leaving the band in 1998, Rice worked as a farmer in Tuscany and busked throughout Europe before returning to Ireland in 2001 and beginning a solo career. The rest of Juniper went on to perform under the name Bell X1.

Bell X1 are an Irish rock band from County Kildare. The group consists of Paul Noonan, David Geraghty and Dominic Phillips.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gemma Hayes</span> Irish musician

Gemma Hayes is an Irish musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments, including the piano and the harmonica. She is also a member of The Cake Sale and Printer Clips.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Point Theatre</span>

The Point Theatre (sometimes referred to as the Point Depot or simply as the Point) was a concert and events venue in Dublin, Ireland, that operated from 1988 to 2007, visited by in excess of 2 million people. It was located on the North Wall Quay of the River Liffey, amongst the Dublin Docklands. The Point was closed in the middle of 2007 for a major redevelopment and underwent a rebranding as The O2 in July 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Noonan</span> Musical artist

Paul Anthony Noonan is a songwriter, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist from Lucan, County Dublin. He is best known as the frontman of the Irish group Bell X1 and as a solo artist and collaborator on various musical projects.

This is a summary of the year 2006 in the Irish music industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Coronas</span> Irish rock band from Dublin

The Coronas are an Irish rock band that originated in Dublin. They release their music by their own independent record label, 3ú Records, and are based between Dublin and London. They have released seven studio albums, Heroes or Ghosts (2007), Tony Was an Ex-Con (2009), Closer to You (2011) The Long Way (2014), Trust The Wire (2017), True Love Waits (2020) Time Stopped (2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Delorentos</span> Irish alternative rock band

Delorentos are a Dublin-based Irish alternative rock band, formed in 2005. They consist of Rónan Yourell, Kieran McGuinness, Níal Conlan and Ross McCormick. The band's debut album In Love with Detail was critically acclaimed in Ireland, being nominated for the Choice Music Prize and in the Best Irish Album category at the 2007 Meteor Awards, at which Delorentos were also nominated for Best New Irish Band. Two extended plays have also been released; their debut release, titled Leave It On, in October 2005, and the follow-up EP, titled Do You Realise, came out in November 2007. The Delorentos discography consists of a selection of singles which impacted on the Irish Singles Chart, such as "The Rules" in May 2006 and "Stop" in July 2007.

This is a summary of the year 2008 in the Irish music industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocky Took a Lover</span> 2006 single by Bell X1

"Rocky Took a Lover" is a single by the Irish pop rock quintet, Bell X1, and the third to be taken from the band's third album Flock. It was released on 28 August 2006. It entered the Irish Singles Chart on 31 August 2006, spending four weeks there and peaking at #18. The single included a cover of the Depeche Mode song "Enjoy the Silence".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Script</span> Irish rock band

The Script are an Irish rock band formed in 2001 in Dublin, by lead vocalist, keyboardist, guitarist Danny O'Donoghue, lead guitarist Mark Sheehan and drummer Glen Power. The band moved to London after signing to Sony Label Group imprint Phonogenic and released their first album The Script in August 2008, preceded by the debut single "We Cry" as well as other singles such as "The Man Who Can't Be Moved", "Breakeven" and "Before the Worst". The album peaked at number one in both Ireland and the UK. Their next three albums, Science & Faith (2010), #3 (2012) and No Sound Without Silence (2014), all topped the album charts in Ireland and the UK, while Science & Faith reached number two in Australia and number three in the United States. Some of the hit singles from the albums include "For the First Time", "Nothing", "Hall of Fame" and "Superheroes". The band's fifth studio album, Freedom Child, was released on 1 September 2017, and features the UK Top 20 single "Rain". Their sixth studio album, Sunsets & Full Moons, was released on 8 November 2019, and features the single "The Last Time". A Greatest Hits album was released on 1 October 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fight Like Apes</span> Irish alternative rock band

Fight Like Apes were an Irish alternative rock band formed in Dublin in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Amidon</span> American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Vermont

Samuel Tear Amidon is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist.

General Fiasco are an indie rock group from Bellaghy, Northern Ireland. Since their formation in 2006, they have toured with Little Comets, Fighting With Wire, The Wombats, One Night Only, The Pigeon Detectives, The Enemy, Jet and Kids in Glass Houses. They released their debut album Buildings on 22 March 2010 on Infectious Records and released their second album Unfaithfully Yours on 30 July 2012 on Dirty Hit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Villagers (band)</span> Irish indie folk band

Villagers are an Irish indie folk band and the musical project of the sole long-term member, Conor J O'Brien who is a singer-songwriter based in Dublin, Ireland.. Widely known for his production, arrangements and thought-provoking lyrics, O'Brien currently releases Villagers material via Domino Recording Co.

<i>Bloodless Coup</i> 2011 studio album by Bell X1

Bloodless Coup is the fifth studio album by Irish band Bell X1. It was released on 1 April 2011 in Ireland, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, on 4 April in the United Kingdom, and on 5 April in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Original Rudeboys</span> Irish band, formerly known as The Original Rude Boys

The Original Rudeboys (O.R.B.) are an acoustic pop/hip hop group from Dublin. They are notable for their debut album This Life which was released in 2012 and debuted at number one on the Irish iTunes Charts, and their single "Stars in My Eyes", which hit number 2 on iTunes and received national airplay. They have played at venues such as the Olympia Theatre and at festivals such as Oxegen and the Reading and Leeds Festivals.

The end is nigh is a phrase frequently used in relation to potential apocalyptical and eschatological events or the Biblical Apocalypse.

<i>Arms</i> (album) 2016 studio album by Bell X1

Arms is the seventh studio album by Irish band Bell X1, released worldwide on 14 October 2016. Recorded in Dublin and County Donegal, Ireland, Arms is the follow-up to 2013's much acclaimed Chop Chop, which was their third number-one album in Ireland and fourth consecutive album to be nominated for a Choice Music Prize.

References

  1. "Chop Chop Reviews". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  2. Collar, Matt. "Chop Chop - Bell X1". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  3. Hardy, Tony (18 July 2013). "Album Review: Bell X1 - Chop Chop". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  4. "Chop Chop by Bell X1". iTunes . 28 June 2013.
  5. ""Chop Chop" von Bell X1". iTunes . 28 June 2013.
  6. "'Chop Chop' van Bell X1". iTunes . 28 June 2013.
  7. "Chop Chop by Bell X1". iTunes . 28 June 2013.
  8. 1 2 "Introducing …..Chop Chop! | Bell X1".
  9. "Chop Chop Preorder Begins Tomorrow! | Bell X1".
  10. 1 2 "On Tour | Bell X1".
  11. "Paste Music - Guides to the Best Albums, Reviews and Live Music Video".
  12. "Bell X1 open pop-up shops". RTÉ.ie . 18 June 2013.
  13. Male, Howard. "Bell X1 Chop Chop". The Independent UK. The Independent UK. Retrieved 10 August 2013.
  14. . Magnet. 17 July 2013.{{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. Staff, Mojo (17 September 2013). "Bell X1 Premiere Painterly Video". Mojo. Archived from the original on 8 March 2015. Retrieved 28 April 2015.
  16. Clayton-Lea, Tony (28 June 2013). "Bell X1 Chop Chp". Irish Times. Irish Times. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  17. Feint Praise. USA Today https://twitter.com/usatodaymusic/status/357580522177822720 . Retrieved 17 July 2013.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  18. Townsend, Martin (11 August 2013). "CD Review Bell X1 Chop Chop". Express. Daily Express.
  19. "Music News | Bell X1 Reach No.1 with Chop Chop - the Journalist". Archived from the original on 3 August 2013.
  20. "Starlings over Brighton Pier | Bell X1".
  21. "The End is Nigh | Bell X1".
  22. "The End is Nigh – VIDEO | Bell X1".
  23. "Bell X1". 21 December 2023.