Secrets of the Witching Hour | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 30 April 2007 | |||
Genre | Indie rock | |||
Length | 36:18 | |||
Label | Double Dragon, Free Two One | |||
Producer | The Crimea | |||
The Crimea chronology | ||||
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Secrets of the Witching Hour is the second album of the British indie band, The Crimea, released on 30 April 2007 as a free download on the band's website. The song "Loop A Loop" appeared in an advertisement for Trident Gum. [1]
The Crimea were a British indie band, based in Camden, London. The band were featured in John Peel's Festive Fifty, ranking higher than bands such as The White Stripes and all eleven of the initial album demos were played on his show. The Guardian has described The Crimea's songs as "mini-epics" that reduce frontman Davey MacManus to "spasms of jerking anguish". On 2 July 2013 they announced via their official Twitter account that they were calling time on their 11-years as a band and that their gig at the Jazz Café in London on 30 July 2013 would be their last.
Trident is a brand of sugar-free chewing gum. It was introduced by Cadbury in the United Kingdom. In many other European countries, Trident is branded as Stimorol gum; it is generally the same as Trident. The trident is also a symbol of the Greek sea god, Poseidon.
The Crimea were dropped by Warner Bros. Records in 2006 after the band's debut album, Tragedy Rocks , sold 35,000 copies worldwide. [2] [3] The band decided to self-finance their second album, titled Secrets of the Witching Hour, and make it available to download for free from its website. The album was released on 30 April 2007, almost two weeks before its original projected release date. [2] [3] Within the first 24 hours, the album was downloaded more than 5,000 times. Starting on June 4, a CD version was offered for sale on a mail-order basis from the band's website. [3]
Tragedy Rocks is the debut album by British indie band The Crimea, released on Warner Bros. Records in 2005.
Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Hot Press | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
NME | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Stylus Magazine | B [6] |
In a review of the album for NME , Jess Colman wrote: "Although slightly ruined by the frequent and unnecessary Americanised monologues, the record’s Technicolor fusion of dark, sombre tunes and vibrant, upbeat tracks proudly pushes aside any doubts." [5] Francis Jones of Hot Press said that on this album, "The Crimea manage to fashion epic tales from everyday material, intimate scenarios instilled with the heroic bombast of Greek myth, or a sense of tragedy befitting the Bard." [4] Andrew Iliff of Stylus Magazine remarked that "the Crimea pick up the swooning where they left off" on Tragedy Rocks. Iliff added that "MacManus' indiscriminate pop culture fetishism is undiminished, littering his lyrics with movie titles and cultural landmarks." [6]
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