As of 2018 [update] , the indie rock band Guillemots have recorded more than 80 songs for their four studio albums and other official releases. The band was formed in November 2004, [1] with their first official material being I Saw Such Things in My Sleep , an extended play (EP) released in September 2005. [2] The EP contained four songs, including "Made-Up Lovesong #43", a track that would also feature on their first studio album, Through the Windowpane . [3] The release of I Saw Such Things in My Sleep was followed three months later by Guillemots' debut single, "Trains to Brazil". [4] Like "Made-Up Lovesong #43", it was also included on Through the Windowpane, which was released in July 2006. [5] The album's songs were well received by critics: review aggregator Metacritic gave the record a score of 81 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim". [6] [7] Craig McLean of The Observer described them as "gorgeous tunes that are lithe enough to cope with the little bursts of sonic madness". [8] Two additional tracks were released as singles from the album: "We're Here" and "Annie, Let's Not Wait".
Contents
Of the twelve songs on Through the Windowpane, nine were written by lead singer Fyfe Dangerfield. [3] Speaking in 2008, Guillemots member MC Lord Magrão remarked: "For the first album, Fyfe handled most of the songs. ... We worked with him and developed [them]." [9] In October 2006, Guillemots brought out Of the Night , a four-track EP that featured one song written by each member of the band. [10] Eighteen months later, the band released their second album, Red . [11] This album's songs were more pop-orientated than their debut's, and were written by all four members of the group. [12] [13] Magrão explained: "With the second [album], we ended up improvising loads and getting all the new songs from all of the improvised sessions we had." [9] Of the eleven tracks on the record, nine were credited to Guillemots, with the remaining two being credited to Dangerfield alone. [14] Red's songs received less critical acclaim than their debut's; Metacritic awarded the album a score of 60 out of 100, suggesting "mixed or average reviews". [15] Four tracks—"Get Over It", "Falling Out of Reach" and a double A-side of "Kriss Kross" and "Clarion"—were released as singles in the UK.
Guillemots' third album, Walk the River , was released in April 2011. [16] It was the first Guillemots album to feature neither a strings nor brass section – its tracks were described by The Independent as being more "noticeably stripped down" than those of previous releases. [16] Unlike Through the Windowpane and Red, singles from Walk the River were distributed exclusively online, with no accompanying physical release. [17] Reviews were generally favourable, with Metacritic reporting a score of 69 out of 100 for the record. [18] Three singles were taken from the album: "The Basket", "I Must Be a Lover" and "I Don't Feel Amazing Now". On 7 May 2012, the band announced their intention to release four albums during the year, each representing a different season [19] – the first, Hello Land! , was released through Greedbag the same day. [20]
