Flaws | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 9 July 2010 | |||
Recorded | February 2009 - February 2010 The Church, Crouch End, London | |||
Genre | Indie folk [1] | |||
Length | 33:26 | |||
Label | Island | |||
Producer | Neil MacColl, Jack Steadman | |||
Bombay Bicycle Club chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Flaws | ||||
|
Flaws is the second studio album by the English indie rock band Bombay Bicycle Club, released on 9 July 2010 by Island Records. [2] Unlike the band's previous releases, the album is entirely acoustic music, consisting of versions of their own tracks as well as cover versions of other artists. The album was produced in part by the guitarist Jamie MacColl's father, Neil MacColl, with recording taking place in February 2009 at The Church in Crouch End, London. The band started work on the album after completing their first album, I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose .
Initial talks about an acoustic release began in February 2009, with the band confirming through MySpace that they were recording an acoustic EP in the Lake District, while continuing to promote their first album. [3] Following the completion of their first album during the same month, [4] the band regrouped at The Church, a recording studio in Crouch End, London. The album was produced in part by Neil MacColl, guitarist MacColl's father. The rest of the album's production was completed by the vocalist Jack Steadman in his bedroom. [5] In an interview with the Daily Record on 6 February 2010, the band revealed that they had completed recording the album, with MacColl confirming "[it's] hopefully going to come out in May or June". [6]
The album was completed in entirely acoustic music. Tracks include reworked versions of some of the band's previous releases, alongside original tracks and cover versions of songs by other artists. [7] The track "Dust on the Ground" was previously recorded on the band's first album, I Had the Blues.., and was released as the album's lead single on 29 June 2009. [8] "Jewel" had also been previously released, as a B-side to the 2010 single "Evening/Morning". [9] "Fairytale Lullaby" is a cover of a song by the late John Martyn (then titled "Fairy Tale Lullaby"), from his first album London Conversation . [10] "Swansea", the final track on the album, is a reworked version of the Joanna Newsom track of the same name. [5]
On 2 June 2009, the band supported Starsailor at the Union Chapel in London, performing an acoustic concert in aid of the homelessness charity Crisis. [11] During the set, the band aired acoustic versions of "Flaws" and "Ivy & Gold". [12] Later in the same month, the band embarked on the "Tour For Lulu" throughout June and July 2009, performing four dates in the United Kingdom at locations chosen by fans. The tour was possible because the band had a number of days off in between recording. [13] One location on the tour was a beach hut in Hengistbury Head, with the band including a cover version of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart". [14] The album was confirmed for release on 12 July 2010 in the United Kingdom, on CD and vinyl. [15]
Flaws was preceded by a 7-inch vinyl of "Ivy & Gold" and title track "Flaws", released on 5 July 2010. [16] [17] Zane Lowe named "Ivy & Gold" his "Hottest Record in the World" on 12 May 2010, [18] an acclaim given to "Jewel" [9] and ..Blues.. single "Magnet" [19] previously. "Ivy & Gold" was also A-listed in the BBC Radio 1 playlist. [20] As well as this, the band announced a seven date tour of the United Kingdom, with most performances taking place in churches. All dates were performed acoustically. [21] The band also confirmed through Twitter that a video was to be recorded for each track, with "Flaws", [22] "Ivy & Gold", [23] "Swansea"[ citation needed ] and "Dust on the Ground" [24] in circulation before the album's release. A deluxe version of the album, released through the online retailer Play.com, includes a DVD containing the videos. [25]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 63/100 [26] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [27] |
BBC Music | (favourable) [28] |
Drowned In Sound | (6/10) [29] |
The Guardian | [30] |
NME | (8/10) [31] |
Pitchfork | (4.0/10) [32] |
PopMatters | [33] |
Flaws received a mixed reception from critics. The review aggregator Metacritic gave the album a normalised rating of 63, based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [26] Tessa Harris of NME praised the record for being more than an "acoustic diversion" for the band, highlighting the covers that show their ready to remove the "young-indie-upstarts label", concluding that "They've proved themselves to be a band who defy convention with an album stuffed full of subtle invention and an emotional intensity that you really wouldn't expect from a band still too young to grow a beard between them." [31] Mark Deming of AllMusic praised Steadman and MacColl for having "melodically strong and lyrically intelligent" material throughout the album and the former's performance for exuding dramatic flair and multiple moods, concluding that "Flaws sounds like a detour rather than a bold step in a new direction, but it speaks volumes about the strength and intelligence of Bombay Bicycle Club's songwriting; these tunes are impressive even as played by two guys with banjos and guitars in someone's bedroom, a trick not every band can pull off." [27]
April Clare Welsh of Drowned in Sound was critical of the covers being "disappointingly safe" and Lucy Rose's performance on the title track being "overly saccharine and contrived" but commended the band for showing their musical abilities through a "minimal aesthetic", concluding that "Flaws is perfectly executed and well produced and if you inhale the album in short, sharp breaths, then you may just find the middle of the road a charming place to be, for a brief moment anyway." [29] PopMatters contributor Max Feldman felt a "sense of displacement" throughout the record, noting a lack of "logical progression" for the band's soundscape between projects but gave credit to Steadman's folksy musicianship on tracks like "Dust on the Ground" and "Leaving Blues", concluding that, "[I]t's far more original then any of their previous efforts. However, where Flaws diverges so far from what we expect, it's likely that any further experimentation would make the band lose focus entirely." [33] Joshua Love of Pitchfork commended the album's production and instrumentation on tracks like "Rinse Me Down" and "Many Ways" but criticized Steadman for not having a distinct voice and providing said tracks with "empty floridity and moody romanticism." [32]
On 19 April 2011, it was announced that Flaws had been nominated for the 2011 Ivor Novello award for best album. [34]
All tracks are written by Jack Steadman, except where noted
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Rinse Me Down" | 3:10 |
2. | "Many Ways" | 2:44 |
3. | "Dust on the Ground" | 4:03 |
4. | "Ivy & Gold" | 2:56 |
5. | "Leaving Blues" | 2:56 |
6. | "Fairytale Lullaby" (cover of "Fairy Tale Lullaby"; John Martyn) | 2:20 |
7. | "Word by Word" | 2:38 |
8. | "Jewel" | 3:04 |
9. | "My God" | 2:26 |
10. | "Flaws" (feat. Lucy Rose) | 2:57 |
11. | "Swansea" (Joanna Newsom cover; feat. Lucy Rose) | 4:14 |
Chart (2010) | Peak Position |
---|---|
UK Albums Chart | 8 |
The Milk-Eyed Mender is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Joanna Newsom, released on March 23, 2004, by Drag City.
Delphic were an alternative dance band from Manchester, England. They are signed to Polydor but released their first single "Counterpoint", produced by Ewan Pearson, in April 2009 through R&S Records. The band started out as a trio – Richard "Rick" Boardman, Matt Cocksedge, and James Cook – after their previous group, Snowfight in the City Centre, disbanded. They are now a four-piece band, augmented by drummer Dan Hadley, incorrectly identified as "Dan Theman" on early news coverage such as Paul Lester's "New Band of the Day" feature.
Kathryn Williams is an English singer-songwriter who to date has released 14 studio albums, written and arranged for a multitude of artists, and was nominated for the 2000 Mercury Music Prize.
The Maccabees were an English indie rock band, formed in 2004 in London. They released four albums: Colour It In in 2007, followed by Wall of Arms in 2009, Given to the Wild which was released on 9 January 2012 and their last album Marks to Prove It released on 31 July 2015. The band announced that they decided to disband in August 2016, with farewell gigs in 2017.
"Days" is a song by the Kinks, written by lead singer Ray Davies, released as a single in 1968. It also appeared on an early version of the album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society. It now appears as a bonus track of the remastered CD. On the original Pye 7N 17573 label, the name of the song is "Day's" due to a grammatical error.
Bombay Bicycle Club are an English indie rock band from Crouch End, London, consisting of Jack Steadman, Jamie MacColl, Suren de Saram, and Ed Nash. They are guitar-fronted and have experimented with different genres, including folk, electronica, world music and indie rock.
The Boy I Used to Be is the first extended play (EP) by Bombay Bicycle Club, released in 2007. It was released on CD and 1,000 limited edition numbered 10-inch vinyl. 500 vinyl copies were also pressed by the independent record label Nettwerk. It was the band's first release since winning Channel 4's "Road to V" competition, where they won the opportunity to be the opening act at the 2006 V Festival.
I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose is the first album by the London indie rock band, Bombay Bicycle Club released on 3 July 2009. The band announced the title through MySpace and their official website on 31 March 2009. The album was recorded during October and November 2008, with the long-term producer Jim Abbiss. The title comes from a line in the song "After Hours" by A Tribe Called Quest, from their 1990 album People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm.
D.I.D, formerly known as Dog Is Dead, are a five-piece indie pop band from West Bridgford, Nottingham, who have described their music as "an original blend of harmonious, indie-pop in the disco, with a cheeky jazz hint" and "uplifting pop for jazz junkies and choir folk". The band consists of Robert Howie Milton, Rob 'Paul Roberts' White, Joss Van Wilder, Lawrence 'Trev' Cole and Daniel Harvey (drums).
"Ivy & Gold" is the first single by British alternative rock band Bombay Bicycle Club from their second studio album, Flaws. Released through Island Records on 5 July 2010, the single was a double A-side with the album's title track "Flaws", and reached a peak of number 56 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Shuffle", by British alternative rock band Bombay Bicycle Club, is the first single released from their third studio album, A Different Kind of Fix. Through Island Records, the single was released on 23 June 2011 as a digital download in the United Kingdom. The song was chosen as "Record of The Week" by UK radio DJ Zane Lowe. "Shuffle" would become one of the band's most commercially successful singles.
A Different Kind of Fix is the third studio album by the English indie rock band Bombay Bicycle Club. It was released on 26 August 2011 by Island Records in the United Kingdom and 17 January 2012 on A&M/Octone Records in the United States.
Lucy Rose Parton is an English singer-songwriter. Her debut album, Like I Used To, was released in 2012. Rose released her second album, Work It Out, in 2015 on Columbia Records. Her third album, Something's Changing, was released in 2017 on Communion Records.
So Long, See You Tomorrow is the fourth album by the London indie rock band Bombay Bicycle Club, released on 3 February 2014. The album is named after the novel of the same name by William Maxwell.
Liz Lawrence is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist, known for her solo work and for being half of electro-pop duo Cash+David.
"Pleader" is a song by British indie rock band alt-J. It is the eighth and final track from their third studio album, Relaxer, and was released as a shortened radio edit digital single on 15 September 2017 by Infectious Music and Atlantic Records. The song was written by Joe Newman, Gus Unger-Hamilton and Thom Sonny Green and produced by Charlie Andrew.
Jack Steadman, also known by his stage name Mr Jukes, is an English singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer best known as the vocalist and primary songwriter of the indie rock band Bombay Bicycle Club since its formation in 2005. He released his debut album as Mr Jukes, God First, in 2017.
Everything Else Has Gone Wrong is the fifth studio album by the English indie rock band Bombay Bicycle Club. It was released on 17 January 2020 by the band's own Mmm... Records imprint of Island Records, Caroline International and Arts & Crafts. It is their first album in nearly six years, since the release of So Long, See You Tomorrow (2014).
English indie rock band Bombay Bicycle Club have released six studio albums, four extended plays and twenty-five singles. Their debut studio album, I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose, was released in July 2009 and peaked at number forty-six on the UK Albums Chart. Their second studio album, Flaws, was released in July 2010 and peaked at number eight on the UK Albums Chart. Their third studio album, A Different Kind of Fix, was released in August 2011 and peaked at number six on the UK Albums Chart. Their fourth studio album, So Long, See You Tomorrow, was released in February 2014 and peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart.
My Big Day is the sixth studio album by the English indie rock band Bombay Bicycle Club. It was released on 20 October 2023 by the band's own Mmm... imprint of Island Records, and was produced by frontman Jack Steadman; the first to be produced entirely by him since 2014's So Long, See You Tomorrow. The album includes collaborations with Jay Som, Nilüfer Yanya, Damon Albarn, Chaka Khan and Holly Humberstone. It received acclaim from critics.