The Broken Wave

Last updated

The Broken Wave
The Broken Wave.png
Studio album by
Released31 January 2011 (UK)
RecordedExpanding Studios (Benge Studios)
Genre Alternative rock/indie rock, folk, electronic
Label Static Caravan Recordings
Producer Mike Lindsay

The Broken Wave is the debut album by London-based alternative rock/indie folk artist Hannah Peel, released on 31 January 2011. [1]

Contents

Recording, production

Varying in mood and tone, The Broken Wave covers themes of "joy and hope of falling in love through to the pain and loss of betrayal". [2] In addition to eight original songs, the album features covers of "Cailin Deas Crúite na mBó" and "The Parting Glass", two traditional Irish folk songs.

The Broken Wave was mixed at Expanding Studios (Benge Studios) in London, UK by Ben Edwards and mastered at Electric Mastering in London, UK by Guy Davie. [1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
musicOMH Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [4]
The Fly Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [5]

The Broken Wave has generally received positive reviews.

Matt Conner of The Line of Best Fit commended the album, stating that "the release is best described as a house of cards, maintaining a certain grace and fragility throughout the ten songs present" and lauding its "authenticity and vulnerability few singers can approach". [6]

John Eyles of the BBC commented that the album was a "distinctive debut album" and suggested that the album's main strengths were Peel's use of "allusions and metaphors", her "insights into the break up of relationships [that] displays a maturity rare in a 28-year-old", and her voice. [2] Eyles also noted the "fragile beauty", which "ideally conveys the longing and yearning contained within the complex emotions of the songs". [2]

Ben Hogwood of musicOMH stated that "her songs have a fragility that makes them the musical equivalent of frosted glass, beautifully crafted but easily shattered if not handled with due care and attention" and characterised that "endearing and plaintive" Peel's voice as a strength. [4] However, Hogwood also noted that Peel's "candidly sing[ing] of falling in and out of love, as well as relatively ordinary day to day events ... occasionally finds her tripping over her own words". [4]

Will Fitzpatrick of The Fly gave a positive assessment of the album and claimed that Peel "wanders into territory reminiscent of Belle & Sebastian's fragile indie pop of yore", but distinguished the acts by adding "that's far from the sum of The Broken Wave's ambition". [5] Fitzpatrick also commented that the Peel's recording of the Irish traditional folk song "The Parting Glass" transcends its Irish roots to become a memorably eerie slab of folktronica". [5]

Track listing

All lyrics written and music composed by Hannah Peel, except where otherwise noted.

No.TitleLength
1."The Almond Tree"3:17
2."You Call This Your Home?"3:02
3."Song for the Sea"3:49
4."Today Is Not So Far Away"3:21
5."Don't Kiss the Broken One"3:06
6."Solitude"4:26
7."Unwound"2:59
8."Is This the Start?"3:02
9."Cailin Deas Crúite na mBó" (Trad.)4:28
10."The Parting Glass" (Trad.)3:42

Credits

Musicians
Production

Related Research Articles

<i>Life in a Day</i> (album) 1979 studio album by Simple Minds

Life in a Day is the debut album by Simple Minds, released in April 1979 by record label Zoom. It reached number 30 in the UK Albums Chart. The title track and "Chelsea Girl" were issued as singles.

<i>Horkstow Grange</i> 1998 studio album by Steeleye Span

Horkstow Grange is an album by British folk rock band Steeleye Span.

"True" is a song by American singer Brandy Norwood recorded for her fifth studio album Human (2008). Originally written and composed by RedOne along with Claude Kelly for entertainer Michael Jackson, the song deals with betrayal and heartbreak. A pop-R&B ballad that features instrumentation by the piano and strings, "True" deals with trust issues lyrically. The protagonist sings to an indifferent love interest, wondering whether she is his only one and whether he loves her.

<i>Songs from the Red Room</i> 2009 studio album by Shakespears Sister

Songs from the Red Room is the fourth studio album by British pop-rock project Shakespears Sister, released in November 2009 through SF Records.

<i>The Places Between: The Best of Doves</i> 2010 greatest hits album by Doves

The Places Between: The Best of Doves is a compilation album from Manchester-based indie rock band Doves. The compilation was released on 5 April 2010 in the UK via Heavenly Recordings, and on 20 April 2010 in North America via Astralwerks. The album encompasses the band's entire career, collecting from their 2000 debut album Lost Souls, 2002's The Last Broadcast, 2005's Some Cities, and their 2009 album Kingdom of Rust, as well as an assortment of EPs and singles. The compilation was released as a standard single-disc best-of, as well as a deluxe three-disc edition, featuring the best-of album along with a bonus disc of B-sides, rarities, alternate versions, and album cuts, plus a bonus DVD collecting all of the band's music videos from 1998 through 2009. It peaked at #12 on the UK Albums Chart.

<i>The Bairns</i> (album) 2007 studio album by Rachel Unthank and the Winterset

The Bairns was the second album by Rachel Unthank and the Winterset, which then comprised Rachel Unthank, her younger sister Becky, pianist Belinda O'Hooley and fiddle player Niopha Keegan. Produced by Adrian McNally and released by Rabble Rouser on 20 August 2007, it was nominated for the Best Album award at the 2008 BBC Folk Awards and was also nominated for the 2008 Mercury Prize. It received a four-starred review in The Guardian.

<i>Biscuits for Breakfast</i> 2006 studio album by Fink

Biscuits for Breakfast is the second album from British musician Fin Greenall and, collectively as Fink, the band's debut album. It was released in 2006 on Ninja Tune.

<i>Queen of the Wave</i> 2012 studio album by Pepe Deluxé

Queen of the Wave is the fourth album by Pepe Deluxé, released on CD by Catskills in the UK on January 30, 2012, and digitally by Asthmatic Kitty Records in the US on January 31. The album's cover art and liner notes were designed by James Spectrum. It is styled as "an esoteric pop opera in three parts."

"Sacramento" is a song by Deep Dish.

<i>The Silicone Veil</i> 2012 studio album by Susanne Sundfør

The Silicone Veil is the third studio album by Norwegian singer-songwriter Susanne Sundfør, released on 23 March 2012 in Norway and on 15 October in the United Kingdom. It is her first album to be released in the UK. The album was recorded at Pooka Studio and Kikitépe Tearoom Studio. Three singles were released from the album, "White Foxes", "The Silicone Veil" and "Among Us". The video for "Among Us" was directed by Evan McNary and was premiered on Vice's Noisey. Sundfør chose the video as part of a competition by Genero.tv for fans to make a video for the single.

<i>Chance of a Start</i> 2012 studio album by Patrick Clifford

Chance of a Start is the second studio album by American Irish folk musician Patrick Clifford, released in 2012. It was named by the Irish Voice newspaper as one of the eight best Irish music albums of 2012.

<i>Country Mile</i> (Johnny Flynn album) 2013 studio album by Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit

Country Mile is the fourth full-length album by Johnny Flynn, released in 2013. The album was recorded with members of his backing band The Sussex Wit and was announced in conjunction with a tour, as well as the release of a single "The Lady is Risen". Country Mile was issued by Transgressive Records and became Flynn's first UK Top 75 hit, peaking at number 58 on the chart dated 12 October 2013.

<i>Taiga</i> (Zola Jesus album) 2014 studio album by Zola Jesus

Taiga is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Zola Jesus. It was released on October 6, 2014 in the UK and EU and on October 7, 2014 in the US through Mute. The album was produced by Nika Roza Danilova and co-produced by Dean Hurley. It marks the first Zola Jesus record to be released through Mute Records. The album title Taiga is the Russian word for boreal forests. A music video was released for the album's first single "Dangerous Days". The music video was directed by Timothy Saccenti and filmed in Hoh Rainforest, Washington.

<i>Strange Trails</i> 2015 studio album by Lord Huron

Strange Trails is the second studio album by indie rock band Lord Huron. It was released by PIAS Recordings on April 7, 2015, in the United Kingdom, and by Iamsound the next day in the United States. The album received positive reviews from music critics, and charted in Belgium, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada.

<i>Wanderlust</i> (Blancmange album) 2018 studio album by Blancmange

Wanderlust is the tenth studio album by British synth-pop band Blancmange, released in 2018. It was produced by Neil Arthur and Benge, and reached No. 22 on the UK Independent Albums Chart. The single "Not a Priority" features Hannah Peel on backing vocals.

<i>Ei8ht</i> (album) 2012 studio album by Nik Kershaw

Ei8ht is the eighth studio album by Nik Kershaw, released on his independent label Shorthouse Records in 2012. The album reached No. 91 on the UK Albums Chart and No. 12 on the UK Independent Albums Chart.

<i>Drift Code</i> 2019 studio album by Rustin Man

Drift Code is the second studio album by English musician and former Talk Talk bassist Paul Webb, under his moniker Rustin Man. It was released on 1 February 2019 through Domino Recording Company.

<i>Brightest Blue</i> 2020 studio album by Ellie Goulding

Brightest Blue is the fourth studio album by English singer and songwriter Ellie Goulding. It was released on 17 July 2020 through Polydor Records. Originally scheduled for 5 June 2020, the album's release was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The album was preceded by three singles: "Worry About Me", "Power" and "Slow Grenade", and features guest vocals from Blackbear, Diplo, Juice WRLD, Lauv, serpentwithfeet and Swae Lee. It is Goulding's first album since Delirium (2015). Brightest Blue received generally positive reviews from music critics. The album was also a commercial success. It became Goulding's third album to peak at number one in the UK and fourth album to debut inside the top three on the chart. The album also peaked inside the top ten in several other countries. To promote the album, Goulding was set to embark on the Brightest Blue Tour on 28 April 2021, however this was pushed back to 5 October 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions in the UK.

<i>Hearts Ease</i> (album) 2020 studio album by Shirley Collins

Heart's Ease is the eighth solo studio album by English folk singer Shirley Collins. It was released on 24 July 2020 via Domino Recording Company, a follow-up to her 2016 comeback album Lodestar. Recording sessions took place at Metway Studios in Brighton. Produced by Ian Kearey, the album features contributions from Dave Arthur, Matthew Shaw, Nathan Salsburg, Ossian Brown, Pete Cooper, Pip Barnes, John Watcham and Glen Redman.

<i>My Echo</i> 2020 studio album by Laura Veirs

My Echo is the eleventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Laura Veirs, released on October 23, 2020 by Raven Marching Band. The album received a positive reception from music critics.

References

  1. 1 2 "Hannah Peel - The Broken Wave". Discogs.
  2. 1 2 3 Eyles, John. "Music: Review of Hannah Peel - The Broken Wave". BBC.
  3. Costa, Maddy (28 January 2011). "Hannah Peel: The Broken Wave - review". The Guardian.
  4. 1 2 3 Hogwood, Ben (31 January 2011). "Hannah Peel - The Broken Wave". musicOMH.
  5. 1 2 3 Fitzpatrick, Will (27 January 2011). "Hannah Peel: The Broken Wave". The Fly.
  6. Conner, Matt (1 February 2011). "Hannah Peel - The Broken Wave". The Line of Best Fit.
Reviews