Metropole (album)

Last updated

Metropole
Metropole (album cover).jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedJanuary 28, 2014
RecordedJune–September 2013
Genre Punk rock
Length34:26
Label Epitaph Records
Producer
  • Matt Allison
  • The Lawrence Arms
The Lawrence Arms chronology
Buttsweat and Tears
(2009)
Metropole
(2014)
We Are the Champions of the World
(2018)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 77/100 [1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Exclaim! 8/10 [3]

Metropole is the sixth studio album from the punk band The Lawrence Arms. The record was released by Epitaph Records on January 28, 2014. [4] Also released on the same date, as part of limited edition pre-order bundles, was the 7" vinyl-exclusive EP News From Yalta , which features three tracks from the same recording sessions that did not end up making it into the main release of Metropole. However, the digital Deluxe Edition (available on iTunes, Amazon, and so on) does include these 3 tracks in Metropole itself, numbering them tracks 13–15.

Contents

The album's lead single, "You Are Here", was released on November 18, 2013. [5] A music video for Seventeener (17th and 37th) premiered on January 4, 2014. [6]

Lawrence Arms bassist Brendan Kelly said in an interview with Noisey that during a trip to Italy he stayed at Hotel Metropole, which inspired the name of the album. He said many of the sound bites between the songs were recorded using his iPhone while he was in Italy. [7] The clips themselves showcase various types of street musicians and other urban sounds to convey the album's theme of life in a city.

Track listing

All tracks are written by The Lawrence Arms

No.TitleLength
1."Chilean District"1:22
2."You are Here"2:44
3."Hickey Avenue"3:33
4."Seventeener (17th and 37th)"2:45
5."Beautiful Things"3:02
6."Acheron River"3:27
7."Metropole"2:58
8."Drunk Tweets"1:25
9."The YMCA Down the Street From the Clinic"3:49
10."Never Fade Away"2:02
11."Paradise Shitty"4:18
12."October Blood"3:01
iTunes Deluxe Edition [8]
No.TitleLength
13."These Pigs Seem to be Getting the Best of Me"2:31
14."Bonfire Park"3:01
15."The Profiteers"3:00

Personnel

Related Research Articles

The Broadways was a short-lived American punk band from Chicago, Illinois, United States, formed in 1996 after the dissolution of the ska-punk band Slapstick. The latter's vocalist Brendan Kelly and trumpet player Dan Hanaway assumed the roles of bassist and guitarist, joined by Rob DePaola on drums and Chris McCaughan on guitar. All but DePaola also assumed vocal duties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Lawrence Arms</span>

The Lawrence Arms are an American punk rock band from Chicago, formed in 1999. They have released seven full-length albums and toured extensively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brendan Kelly (musician)</span> Musical artist

Brendan Kelly is the bassist/vocalist of Chicago-based punk band The Lawrence Arms, as well as guitarist/lead vocalist in The Falcon and Brendan Kelly and the Wandering Birds. Kelly's former bands include Slapstick and The Broadways. He is known for his raspy vocals, drunken demeanor, and onstage witticisms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Falcon (band)</span> American punk rock band

The Falcon is an America, Chicago-based punk rock supergroup. The band features The Lawrence Arms members Brendan Kelly and Neil Hennessy on drums, Alkaline Trio's Dan Andriano and The Loved Ones’ Dave Hause.

<i>Oh! Calcutta!</i> (The Lawrence Arms album) 2006 studio album by The Lawrence Arms

Oh! Calcutta! is the fifth studio album by American punk rock band the Lawrence Arms, released in 2006 by Fat Wreck Chords. It is the band's third and last studio album to be released on Fat Wreck Chords. Brendan Kelly has stated that this is his favorite Lawrence Arms album. Punknews named this album the #1 album of 2000-2009.

<i>Ghost Stories</i> (The Lawrence Arms album) 2000 studio album by The Lawrence Arms

Ghost Stories is a punk rock album by the Chicago, Illinois band The Lawrence Arms, released in 2000 by Asian Man Records. It was the band's second full-length album. With this release the band moved away from the political nature of some of their previous songs in favor of more introspective lyrics. Also, while singer/bassist Brendan Kelly had handled the majority of lead vocals on their previous album A Guided Tour of Chicago, on this album he and singer/guitarist Chris McCaughan split vocal duties almost equally. This singing style would continue throughout their next several albums, and eventually the two would begin to share lead vocals in an almost duet style on Oh Calcutta! It also features the only Lawrence Arms song written and sung by drummer Neil Hennessy, "106 South". The album was recorded at Scientific Studios in December 1999 by Mike Giampa. All of the drums were triggered, and the bass was recorded through a SansAmp. Accompanied by a heavily distorted guitar, this resulted in a very raw sounding album. It's loved by hardcore fans for its dark tones and lyrical themes. Brendan Kelly has stated that this is his second least favorite Lawrence Arms album, but called the cover his favorite. The album was released on vinyl for the first time in 2009 on Asian Man Records, with all new artwork.

<i>Galactic Conquest</i> 2007 studio album by Eleventyseven

Galactic Conquest is the second full-length album by the Christian pop punk band Eleventyseven. The album was released on September 4, 2007, through Flicker Records.

<i>Crack the Skye</i> 2009 studio album by Mastodon

Crack the Skye is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Mastodon, released on March 24, 2009, through Reprise, Sire and Relapse Records. The album debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200, selling 41,000 copies in its first week. In Australia, the album debuted at number 19. It had sold 200,000 copies in the US as of September 2010, making it one of their highest-selling albums to date.

<i>Here I Am</i> (Kelly Rowland album) Album by American recording artist Kelly Rowland

Here I Am is the third studio album by American singer Kelly Rowland, released through Universal Motown and Universal Music Group on July 22, 2011. The album is Rowland's first release since parting ways with her manager Mathew Knowles and longtime Sony Music record label Columbia Records. Here I Am is predominately a pop, R&B and dance album. It follows Rowland's assertion that "no one puts her in a box" with common themes around womanhood, sexual intimacy and love. Originally scheduled for release in 2010, the album was pushed back after the first round of singles were released to mixed critical and commercial reception.

<i>Weapons</i> (album) 2012 studio album by Lostprophets

Weapons is the fifth and final studio album by the Welsh alternative rock band Lostprophets. It was released through Epic Records on 2 April 2012. It was the first and only record featuring Luke Johnson on drums, after being with two other drummers previously, Mike Chiplin and Ilan Rubin. This was the last album to ever be released by the band before lead vocalist Ian Watkins was convicted of numerous sex offences, which led to their disbandment.

<i>Sounds That Cant Be Made</i> 2012 studio album by Marillion

Sounds That Can't Be Made is Marillion's 17th studio album, released on 17 September 2012. Besides the standard edition there is also a "deluxe campaign edition" containing a bonus DVD with a feature-length documentary called Making Sounds.

<i>Clarity</i> (Zedd album) 2012 studio album by Zedd

Clarity is the debut studio album by Russian-German electronic music producer Zedd, released on October 5, 2012 by Interscope Records. A deluxe edition of the album was released on September 24, 2013, preceded by the release of the single "Stay the Night", which features Hayley Williams of Paramore, on September 10, 2013. Upon its release, the album garnered mixed reviews from critics.

<i>Greatest Hits – Chapter One</i> (Kelly Clarkson album) 2012 greatest hits album by Kelly Clarkson

Greatest Hits – Chapter One is the first greatest hits album by American singer Kelly Clarkson, released on November 16, 2012, by RCA Records. It contains material from Clarkson's first five studio albums: Thankful (2003), Breakaway (2004), My December (2007), All I Ever Wanted (2009), and Stronger (2011). Its three newly recorded songs, "Catch My Breath", "Don't Rush", and "People Like Us", served as singles; contributions to their production came from Sound Kollectiv, Greg Kurstin, and Dann Huff.

<i>Talk a Good Game</i> 2013 studio album by Kelly Rowland

Talk a Good Game is the fourth studio album by American singer Kelly Rowland. Formerly titled Year of the Woman, the album was released on June 18, 2013 through Universal Republic and its affiliated record labels. Incorporating a base core of R&B and pop music, Talk a Good Game was influenced by the likes of Whitney Houston, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder amongst other of Rowland's idols. Rowland wanted the album to be a celebration of womanhood and referred to the record as her most personal album to date. On the album, she co-wrote all but one song, "Freak", a cover of the same 2010 song by entertainer Jamie Foxx from his fourth studio album Best Night of My Life. A deluxe edition, and Target-exclusive edition of the album featuring bonus tracks, was released simultaneously alongside the twelve-track standard edition.

<i>X</i> (Chris Brown album) 2014 studio album by Chris Brown

X is the sixth studio album by American singer Chris Brown. It was released on September 16, 2014, by CBE Entertainment and RCA Records. The album serves as the follow-up to his fifth album Fortune (2012). Brown for the album worked with several producers, including RoccStar, Danja, Nic Nac, Diplo and others. The album also features guest appearances by various urban artists, including Kendrick Lamar, R. Kelly, Akon, Nicki Minaj, Usher, Trey Songz, Tyga, Rick Ross, Brandy, Lil Wayne, Jhené Aiko and Aaliyah.

<i>Demi</i> (album) 2013 studio album by Demi Lovato

Demi is the fourth studio album by American singer Demi Lovato. It was released on May 10, 2013, by Hollywood Records. Looking to transition from her self-described "generic" third album Unbroken (2011), Lovato wanted her fourth album to "have songs that excited her". Demi is primarily a pop record with elements of synthpop, and bubblegum pop.

<i>Beyoncé</i> (album) 2013 studio album by Beyoncé

Beyoncé is the fifth studio album by American singer Beyoncé. It was released in the early hours of December 13, 2013, through Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records as a complete surprise. Developed as a visual album, every song is accompanied by a non-linear short film that illustrates the musical concepts conceived during production. Beyoncé's desire to assert her full artistic freedom served as inspiration for the album's dark, personal subject matter, which incorporated feminist themes of sex, monogamy, beauty standards, relationship problems and criticism of capitalism. Beyoncé and its release is frequently credited with inventing the modern definition of the visual album, popularizing the surprise album release strategy, and provoking the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry to change the day of the week when music is released worldwide from Tuesday to Friday.

<i>Listen</i> (David Guetta album) 2014 studio album by David Guetta

Listen is the sixth studio album by French DJ and record producer David Guetta. It was released on 21 November 2014. It features collaborations with artists from the R&B, hip hop, alternative rock and pop worlds such as Sam Martin, Emeli Sandé, The Script, Nicki Minaj, John Legend, Nico & Vinz, Ryan Tedder, Sia, Magic!, Bebe Rexha, South African male choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Ms. Dynamite, Elliphant, Birdy, Jaymes Young, Sonny Wilson, Vassy, and Skylar Grey. It also features additional production from Guetta's frequent collaborator Giorgio Tuinfort, Avicii, Afrojack, Nicky Romero, Showtek, and Stadiumx among others, with additional writing credits from Austin Bisnow, Jason Evigan, Julie Frost, and The-Dream among others.

<i>Piece by Piece</i> (Kelly Clarkson album) 2015 studio album by Kelly Clarkson

Piece by Piece is the seventh studio album by American pop singer Kelly Clarkson. It was released on February 27, 2015, by RCA Records. It was her final album under her recording contract with the label, to which she signed after winning the first season of American Idol in 2002. She then made the switch to Atlantic in 2016. The album saw Clarkson reuniting with frequent collaborators Greg Kurstin, Jesse Shatkin, Jason Halbert, Eric Olson, and Chris DeStefano. She also gathered material from songwriters such as Sia, Matthew Koma, MoZella, Bonnie McKee, David Jost, Semi Precious Weapons lead singer Justin Tranter, and former Cobra Starship member Ryland Blackinton, among others. Inspired by the orchestral production on Wrapped in Red, Clarkson wanted all the songs on Piece by Piece to resonate like its own film soundtrack, taking a cue from the soundtracks of the feature motion pictures Cruel Intentions (1999) and Love Actually (2003) and commissioning orchestral arrangements by Joseph Trapanese.

<i>We Are the Champions of the World</i> 2018 compilation album by The Lawrence Arms

We Are the Champions of the World is a compilation album of material by the Chicago punk rock band The Lawrence Arms. Released in 2018 by Fat Wreck Chords, it spans the band's entire career, and includes songs that were released on Fat Wreck Chords, Asian Man Records, and Epitaph Records. It concludes with 5 non-album tracks taken from recording sessions for the 2006 album Oh! Calcutta!, four of which were previously unreleased on any format.

References

  1. "Metropole Review". Metacritic.com. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  2. "Metropole Review". Allmusic.com. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  3. Gormely, Ian (January 27, 2014). "Metropole Review". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  4. "Metropole – The Lawrence Arms". discogs.com . Retrieved February 9, 2014.
  5. "Music: The Lawrence Arms: "You Are Here"".
  6. "Videos: The Lawrence Arms: "Seventeener (17th and 37th)"".
  7. "Listen to a Song from the First Lawrence Arms Album in Eight Years".
  8. "Metropole – iTunes". itunes.apple.com. Retrieved December 17, 2014.