Lovesongs for Underdogs | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 8, 1997 | |||
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Genre | Alternative rock | |||
Length | 45:04 | |||
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Producer |
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Tanya Donelly chronology | ||||
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Singles from Lovesongs for Underdogs | ||||
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Lovesongs for Underdogs is the solo debut album by American musician Tanya Donelly, who had formerly recorded with Throwing Muses, The Breeders, and Belly. It was released on September 8, 1997 and issued by 4AD and Sire Records.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Entertainment Weekly | B [2] |
The Guardian | [3] |
Los Angeles Times | [4] |
NME | 4/10 [5] |
Pitchfork | 8.9/10 [6] |
Q | [7] |
Rolling Stone | [8] |
Select | 4/5 [9] |
Uncut | [10] |
Lovesongs for Underdogs was released by Donelly's European label 4AD on September 8, 1997, [11] while Sire Records issued the album in the United States the following day. [12] It peaked at number 36 on the UK Albums Chart upon its release. [13]
Two singles were released from Lovesongs for Underdogs: "Pretty Deep" on August 18, 1997, [14] and "The Bright Light" on November 24, 1997. [15] Both singles were issued in CD format in two parts, [14] [15] each including two newly-released B-sides. "Pretty Deep" featured "Spaghetti", "Morna", "These Days", and "Influenza", [16] while "The Bright Light" featured "Bury My Heart", "How Can You Sleep", "Life on Sirius", and "Moon Over Boston". [17] "Pretty Deep" and "The Bright Light" peaked at numbers 55 and 64 respectively on the UK Singles Chart. [18] A music video for each single was produced and aired on VH1 and MTV2. Both videos differed highly in creative and artistic direction from previous Belly videos and exclusively featured Donelly solo, in movie-like settings.
All tracks are written by Tanya Donelly, except where noted.
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. [19]
Musicians
Production
Design
Chart (1997) | Peak position |
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Scottish Albums (OCC) [20] | 54 |
UK Albums (OCC) [13] | 36 |
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [21] | 7 |
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) [22] | 20 |
The Breeders are an American alternative rock band based in Dayton, Ohio, consisting of members Kim Deal, her twin sister Kelley Deal, Josephine Wiggs and Jim Macpherson (drums).
Lords of Acid is a Belgian electronic music group, originally formed in 1988 by Praga Khan, Oliver Adams, and Jade 4U. The band is known for their provocative lyrics, blending techno, acid house, and industrial music with themes of sexuality, drug use, and hedonism. Their debut album, Lust (1991), became an underground hit, establishing their signature sound.
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Tanya Donelly is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist based in New England. She came to prominence as a co-founder of the band Throwing Muses with her step-sister Kristin Hersh. Donelly went on to co-form the alternative rock band The Breeders alongside Kim Deal in 1989, before leaving to front her own band Belly in 1991. By the late 1990s, she settled into a solo recording career, working largely with musicians connected to the Boston music scene.
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Miranda Cordelia Susan Josephine Wiggs, simply known as Josephine Wiggs, is an English multi-instrumentalist rock musician, best known for her work as bassist in the alternative rock bands The Breeders and The Perfect Disaster. She has also formed multiple side-projects, including her own bands Honey Tongue, The Josephine Wiggs Experience, and Dusty Trails.
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The Fat Skier is a mini-album by Throwing Muses, released on 6 July 1987 on the 4AD label in the UK and licensed to Sire Records in the US. It played at 33 ⅓ RPM on the A-side and at 45 RPM on the B-side. It reached number two in the Independent Albums Chart in the UK.
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