For Screening Purposes Only

Last updated

For Screening Purposes Only
Test Icicles For screening purposes only.JPG
Studio album by
Released31 October 2005
Recorded2005 at Black Box Studios, France
Genre
Length55:06
Label Domino (UK)
Producer
Test Icicles chronology
For Screening Purposes Only
(2005)
Dig Your Own Grave EP
(2006)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 66/100 [1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [2]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
NME 8/10 [4]
Pitchfork 8.1/10 [5]
PopMatters 5/10 [6]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Tiny Mix Tapes TMT full.svgTMT full.svgTMT full.svgTMT full.svgTMT empty.svg [8]

For Screening Purposes Only is the debut studio album by UK dance-punk trio Test Icicles, released in 2005. It was critically praised for being unique and compelling in an increasingly homogenous indie music scene. Following the group's split in February 2006, the album remains Test Icicles' only LP.

Contents

Title

The name of the album is derived from the 1999 film Thicker Than Water . In the movie the phrase "For screening purposes only" appears on screen whenever any violence occurs in the film. Band member Rory Atwell has also stated that the first song on the album, "Your Biggest Mistake", is about the film. [9]

Composition

The sounds on Screening Purposes fit somewhere between "cleaned-up" death-disco and "manicured" noise rock and dons "dance-punk verve and hardcore mayhem". [2] [7] It also digs into "hook-filled, slash-and burn" post-hardcore. [5]

However, the trio bring in eclectic sounds of avant-pop, doom metal, funk and hip hop throughout. [4]

Track listing

Track listings and writing credits.

  1. "Your Biggest Mistake" - 4:01 (Sam Mehran)
  2. "Pull the Lever" - 3:58 (Rory Attwell)
  3. "Interlude" - 0:52 (Instrumental)
  4. "Boa vs. Python" - 3:02 (Sam Mehran)
  5. "Circle. Square. Triangle" - 3:06 (Sam Mehran, Rory Attwell, Devonte Hynes)
  6. "Catch It!" - 3:38 (lyrics by Devonte Hynes, music by Sam Mehran)
  7. "Maintain the Focus" - 3:35 (Sam Mehran)
  8. "Snowball" – 3:12 (Rory Attwell)
  9. "What's Your Damage?" - 4:09 (Sam Mehran)
  10. "All You Need Is Blood" - 4:07 (Devonte Hynes + reversed rap by Sam Mehran)
  11. "Sharks" – 3:42 (Sam Mehran)
  12. "Dancing on Pegs" - 2:16 (Rory Attwell)
  13. "Party on Dudes (Get Hype)" - 12:30 (Sam Mehran)
  14. "What's Michelle Like?" (Sam Mehran, Rory Attwell, Devonte Hynes) (US Bonus Track) (UK Hidden Track)
  15. "What's In the Box?" (Rory Attwell) (US Bonus Track)
  16. ""Circle. Square. Triangle (MC Lars Edit)" - 3:06 (Sam Mehran, Rory Attwell, Devonte Hynes) (Japan Bonus Track)
  17. ""Circle. Square. Triangle (James Ford Remix)" - 3:14 (Sam Mehran, Rory Attwell, Devonte Hynes) (Japan Bonus Track)

Related Research Articles

<i>Turn On the Bright Lights</i> 2002 studio album by Interpol

Turn On the Bright Lights is the debut studio album by American rock band Interpol. It was released in the United Kingdom on August 19, 2002, and in the United States the following day, through independent record label Matador Records. The album was recorded in November 2001 at Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and was co-produced, mixed and engineered by Peter Katis and Gareth Jones. Its title is taken from a repeated line in the song "NYC".

Test Icicles were a short-lived rock band that formed in England, primarily influenced by post-hardcore, dance-punk and indie rock but containing musical elements from a variety of genres. The band was formed in 2004 by Rory Attwell and Sam Mehran, who were later joined by Dev Hynes. Hynes and Mehran were both 18 years old at the time of the band's inception. The group has since become notable due to the later success of its members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">¡Forward, Russia!</span> English rock band

¡Forward, Russia! are an English rock band from Leeds, active from between 2004 and 2008, before reforming in 2013. The band's debut album, Give Me a Wall, was released in 2006. Until 2006, the band only named tracks with numbers, in the order that they were written. The band had used Faux Cyrillic, with its name occasionally typeset as ¡FФЯWДЯD, RUSSIД!. The band went on hiatus after the release of their second album, Life Processes, in 2008. They reformed in 2013 for a show at the Brudenell Social Club in Leeds in November 2013 for its 100th anniversary, and then played the Live at Leeds Festival at Leeds Town Hall in 2014.

<i>Dig Your Own Grave</i> 2006 EP by Test Icicles

Dig Your Own Grave was a CD/DVD EP released on 23 April 2006 by Test Icicles. It contained a CD of remixes and other previously unreleased material, which was accompanied by a DVD of music videos and live footage from a gig at the LSE in London, in November 2005. The EP was first sold on the band's final 5 show tour. "Dig Your Own Grave" then became available in record stores a week later.

NLS Crew was a short lived hip hop and thrash metal fusion group, formed as a spin-off from Test Icicles.

Die! Die! Die! is a three-piece New Zealand noise pop/punk/post-punk band. Formed in late 2003, they have released seven albums, all backed with extensive international touring. A number of different bassists have played alongside permanent members Andrew Wilson and Michael Prain (drums). Lachlan Anderson is currently in his second stint with the band.

Rory Attwell is an English musician, best known for his part in UK punk trio Test Icicles, who formed in 2004 and played a handful of concerts before disbanding on 22 April 2006, after their sold out final show at the Astoria in London. During their time together they released the album For Screening Purposes Only, and had UK Top 40 singles with "What's Your Damage" and "Circle. Square. Triangle".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dev Hynes</span> British musician (born 1985)

Devonté Hynes, also known as Blood Orange and formerly Lightspeed Champion, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and director based in New York City. From 2004 to 2006, Hynes was a member of the band Test Icicles, playing guitar, synth, and occasionally performing vocals. They released one full-length album in 2005. Hynes went on to release two solo studio albums as Lightspeed Champion and subsequently five more as Blood Orange, between 2008 and 2019.

<i>Falling Off the Lavender Bridge</i> 2008 studio album by Lightspeed Champion

Falling off the Lavender Bridge is the debut album by British artist Lightspeed Champion, which was released on 21 January 2008. The album features the singles "Galaxy of the Lost", "Midnight Surprise" and "Tell Me What It's Worth".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Mehran</span> American-Australian musician, songwriter, and producer

Sam Mehran was an American-Australian musician, songwriter, and producer who co-founded the punk band Test Icicles and later formed the solo projects Matrix Metals and Outer Limits Recordings (OLR). His solo work differed substantially from Test Icicles and was often produced in a lo-fi manner. He received little critical notice in his lifetime, a Dazed Digital editor commented, however, "Mehran possessed an incomparable talent that belied his relatively low public profile."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Circle. Square. Triangle</span> 2005 single by Test Icicles

"Circle. Square. Triangle" is a song by Test Icicles which was released as the second single from their debut album For Screening Purposes Only on 24 October 2005. The song is their most successful having peaked at No. 25 on the UK Singles Chart.

<i>A Flash Flood of Colour</i> 2012 studio album by Enter Shikari

A Flash Flood of Colour is the third studio album by English rock band Enter Shikari, and was produced by Dan Weller. The album was recorded in May and June 2011 at Karma Sound Studios in Bang Saray, Thailand, and at the Fortress in London, United Kingdom. It was released internationally on 16 January 2012 by Ambush Reality, the band's record label in the United Kingdom, and Hopeless Records in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Veronica Falls</span> British band

Veronica Falls were a British indie pop band that formed in London in 2009. The band consisted of Roxanne Clifford and James Hoare, both on vocals and guitar, Marion Herbain on bass guitar and Patrick Doyle on drums and backing vocals. The members of the band were formerly in the bands The Royal We and Sexy Kids. The band released several singles in the United Kingdom and the United States throughout the 2010s.

<i>Cupid Deluxe</i> 2013 studio album by Blood Orange

Cupid Deluxe is the second album by Dev Hynes as Blood Orange, and is the follow-up to 2011's Coastal Grooves. The album was released on 18 November 2013 in the UK, and was available worldwide a week earlier on iTunes on 12 November 2013.

<i>Coastal Grooves</i> 2011 studio album by Blood Orange

Coastal Grooves is the debut LP record by Blood Orange. It was released August 30, 2011 under Domino Recording Company. The album featured no guest appearances and was produced by Ariel Rechtshaid in Los Angeles. Domino Record Company describes the album as highlighting the glamour and drama of New York City in the 1980s.

The Computers are a British rock band from Exeter, England. Their sound initially fused hardcore punk and garage rock and progressed to a less heavy sound incorporating blues and soul. As of 2023, The Computers have released one mini-album and three albums, This Is the Computers (2011), Love Triangles Hate Squares (2013) which registered 70 and 75 points, respectively, on the Metacritic rating scale and Birth/Death (2016).

<i>The Ordinary Boys</i> (album) 2015 studio album by The Ordinary Boys

The Ordinary Boys is the self-titled fourth studio album by The Ordinary Boys released on 2 October 2015. The album spawned the singles "Awkward" and "Four Letter Word". It was produced by Rory Attwell of Test Icicles and Matt Johnson of Hookworms.

<i>Negro Swan</i> 2018 studio album by Blood Orange

Negro Swan is the fourth studio album by Blood Orange, an alias of British musician Dev Hynes. It was released on 24 August 2018 by Domino. The album was preceded by the singles "Charcoal Baby" and "Jewelry".

<i>Glow On</i> 2021 studio album by Turnstile

Glow On is the third studio album by the American hardcore punk band Turnstile, released on August 27, 2021, via Roadrunner Records. It is the band's last album to feature founding guitarist Brady Ebert, who departed from the band in August 2022.

Palo Alto (Music from the Motion Picture) is the soundtrack to the 2013 film Palo Alto directed by Gia Coppola. The album released by Domino Recording Company on June 3, 2014 features tracks from Devonté Hynes and Robert Schwartzman, the film's composers, along with Tonstartssbandht, Mac DeMarco, Nat Wolff and Jack Kilmer. A score album for the film was released on the same day.

References

  1. "Critic Reviews for For Screening Purposes Only - Metacritic". Metacritic . Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  2. 1 2 Allmusic review
  3. "CD: Test Icicles, For Screening Purposes Only". The Guardian . 28 October 2005. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023.
  4. 1 2 NME review
  5. 1 2 Ubl, Sam (3 November 2005). "Test Icicles: For Screening Purposes Only Album Review". Pitchfork . Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  6. Robertson, Philip (7 December 200). "Test Icicles: For Screening Purposes Only". PopMatters . Retrieved 27 August 2021.
  7. 1 2 Hoard, Christian (23 January 2006). "Test Icicles - For Screening Purposes Only". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on 18 February 2006. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
  8. Tiny Mix Tapes review
  9. "Test Icicles: 'Our Album Is About Musical Drug Dealing'". NME . Retrieved 29 April 2008.