The Lateness of the Hour | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 8 July 2011 | |||
Recorded | 2010 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 46:20 | |||
Label | Island | |||
Producer | ||||
Alex Clare chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from The Lateness of the Hour | ||||
|
The Lateness of the Hour is the debut studio album by British singer Alex Clare. It was released on 8 July 2011 by Island Records. The album peaked at number 17 on the UK Albums Chart, number 8 on the German Albums Chart and number 48 on the US Billboard 200. The album includes the singles "Up All Night", "Too Close" and "Treading Water".
All the songs on the album apart from a cover of Prince's "When Doves Cry" were co-written by Alex Clare. Most of these songs were about his personal relationships. According to Clare, they came from "a combination of lots of different situations I’ve been in with unrequited love or love that's gone terribly wrong." [1] "Too Close" for example was inspired by a particular relationship with a close friend that turned romantic but "didn't really work out and that felt too close." [1] Other album tracks like "Whispering" and "Tight Rope" were inspired by his childhood surroundings as well as his love for literature. [2]
The album was released in the UK in 2011, but sold poorly initially and Clare was effectively dropped from his label. A month after he was dropped, he was contacted for permission to use a song from the album, "Too Close", in an advertising campaign for Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9. The advertising campaign propelled the song up the chart, and soon after, Universal Republic Records signed Clare to a distribution deal that allowed The Lateness of the Hour to be rush-released in America on iTunes on 24 March 2012. [2]
After Alex Clare signed with Island Records, he teamed up with Diplo and Switch (Major Lazer) in 2010 to collaborate on his debut album. [3] The recording of the album took about 10 weeks in total, working around the Diplo's tour schedule. [4] It was first recorded in New Orleans, then later in the year in Jamaica and eventually five weeks in Los Angeles. [1] [2]
Clare wrote the album, and had a handful of songs including "Too Close" already in demo form before hitting the studio. [2] Clare described the experience of recording with Diplo and Switch "intense" but ultimately rewarding. [3] According to Clare, Diplo and Switch "wanted to focus more on live instruments which was something I don't think they're used to," and "It was a challenge for them, a challenge for me and good things came out of it. We clicked very quickly." [2]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 58/100 [7] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic (Jon O'Brien) | [8] |
Drowned in Sound (Robert Leedham) | (4/10) [9] |
The Independent (Andy Gill ) | [10] |
Mojo | [7] |
musicOMH (Ben Hogwood) | [11] |
Pitchfork (Ian Cohen) | (3.7/10) [12] |
Uncut | [7] |
The album got mixed impressions via Metacritic, which it received a 58 out of a possible 100 points. [7] The Lateness of the Hour got a few favourable ratings from the critics, and those come from Mojo , who gave the album a four-out-of-a-possible-five-stars. [7] They called the album "A majorly impressive debut." [7] Furthermore, the other one came from The Independent , who gave the album a four-out-of-a-possible-five-stars, and Andy Gill said the album was "An impressive debut, albeit one light on lyrical depth." [10]
The mixed reviews came in from AllMusic, who gave the album a three-out-of-a-possible-five-stars, and Jon O'Brien wrote that the album "appears to be more concerned with creating a bold statement of intent than in showcasing Clare's undeniable talents." [8] In addition, Drowned in Sound gave it a mixed impression review with a four-out-of-a-possible-ten, when Robert Leedham stated "Alex Clare is a fairly gifted gentleman. But here his talents have been squandered on a collection of songs that fail to establish him as either a dance-pop titan or an emotive warbler. It is [...] a shame that anyone thought dubstep, or several of the genre's hallmarks, could be so crudely co-opted into an obviously unwieldy vehicle." [9] To this, Uncut gave the album a two-out-of-a-possible-five-stars, and they noted "Much of it is a coffee-table approximation of the producer duo's more irreverent work." [7] On a more upbeat note, musicOMH gave the album a three-out-of-a-possible-five-stars because as Ben Hogwood noted "Is it dubstep? In parts. Is it soulful? When it wants to be. But perhaps the most crucial question is whether it shows potential or not – and happily for Clare the answer is affirmative. With a little more focus and a natural approach, he could find himself a unique voice that sits outside of the styles he is trying to embrace." [11]
The lone highly negative review came in from Pitchfork, who gave the album a 3.7-out-of-a-possible-ten points, and Ian Cohen wrote that "...Lateness never does much to prove Clare and his producers were on the same page (let alone reading from the same book)...Truth is, it's much easier getting mad at the marketing plan of Lateness of the Hour than the record itself: The total mismatch of artistic motivation makes everyone involved come off like innocent bystanders, not manipulators." [12]
The album performed poorly when it was first released in the UK where it debuted at number 156 in the chart. [13] After the launch of the advert for Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9 where the song "Too Close" was used, it sold 10 times better than they imagined it to sell. [13] It peaked at number 17 in the UK chart.
The album entered the Billboard 200 at number 123 with sales of 4,000 after its rush-release on iTunes on 24 March 2012. [2] It peaked at number 48. [14]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Up All Night" |
| 2:43 |
2. | "Treading Water" | 3:38 | |
3. | "Relax My Beloved" |
| 3:31 |
4. | "Too Close" |
| 4:17 |
5. | "When Doves Cry" | Prince | 4:07 |
6. | "Hummingbird" |
| 3:50 |
7. | "Hands Are Clever" |
| 3:16 |
8. | "Tightrope" |
| 3:37 |
9. | "Whispering" |
| 4:30 |
10. | "Love You" |
| 4:39 |
11. | "Sanctuary" |
| 4:00 |
12. | "I Won't Let You Down" | 4:09 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
13. | "Damn Your Eyes" (Etta James cover) | 2:26 |
14. | "Caroline" | 5:04 |
15. | "Where Is The Heart?" | 3:26 |
16. | "Too Close" (Nadastrom Remix) | 4:28 |
17. | "Too Close" (Distance Remix) | 4:00 |
18. | "Treading Water" (Unplugged) | 3:42 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
13. | "Damn Your Eyes" (Etta James cover) | 2:26 |
14. | "Caroline" | 5:04 |
15. | "Too Close" (Nadastrom Remix) | 4:28 |
16. | "Too Close" (Distance Remix) | 4:00 |
17. | "Too Close" (Music video) | 4:30 |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Country | Release date | Format | Label |
---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 8 July 2011 | Digital download [16] [19] | Island |
11 July 2011 | CD [15] | ||
United States | 24 March 2012 | Digital download [2] | |
8 May 2012 | CD [31] |
American singer and songwriter Kelis has released six studio albums, one live album, one compilation album, 40 singles, and 29 music videos. At age 16, she left her parents' home; at the age of 20 she was signed to Virgin Records. Her debut single, "Caught Out There", was released in 1999, reaching number 54 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number four on the UK Singles Chart in the United Kingdom. Her debut album, Kaleidoscope, was released in December 1999 and charted at number 144 on the Billboard 200, and has sold 249,000 copies in the country to date. In the United Kingdom, it was certified gold and has sold over 167,000 copies. Two more singles were released from the album: "Good Stuff" which reached the UK top twenty and "Get Along with You" which failed to chart in the US and charted poorly in the UK. In 2001, her second studio album, Wanderland, was released and featured similar "raw emotion and sophisticated musicianship" of her debut album. The album was not released in the United States, however, and the only single, "Young, Fresh n' New", charted poorly.
Major Lazer is an American electronic dance music and DJ trio, which includes record producer Diplo, and DJs Walshy Fire and Ape Drums. They were founded in 2008 by Diplo and Switch, with Switch leaving after three years in 2011. He was then replaced by both Jillionaire and Walshy Fire. In June 2019, Jillionaire left the group and was replaced by Ape Drums. Their music spans numerous genres, mixing reggae with dancehall, reggaeton, soca, house and moombahton.
All of Me is the third studio album by British rapper and singer Estelle. It was first released on 24 February 2012 in Ireland, 28 February in the United States and 12 March in the United Kingdom.
"Look at Me Now" is a song by American singer Chris Brown featuring American rappers Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes released as the second single from Brown's fourth studio album F.A.M.E. on February 1, 2011. The artists co-wrote the song with its producers Afrojack, Diplo, and Free School, with additional writing from Ryan Buendia. Musically, "Look at Me Now" is a "dirty south–inspired" hip hop song that features "thumping bass, spacy synth and horn jam sounds."
Who You Are is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter Jessie J. It was released on 28 February 2011 by Lava Records, Island Records and Universal Republic Records. In such a high demand and interest from fans, the release was advanced by a month from 28 March, as previously planned. Recording sessions took place between 2005 and 2011, with several other record producers contributing on the album such as Dr. Luke, Toby Gad and K-Gee, among others.
The Night the Sun Came Up is the debut studio album by American recording artist Dev, released on September 2, 2011 by Universal Republic Records. Dev worked exclusively with American Electropop production duo The Cataracs and Alan De la Rosa, who helmed the production of the entire album along with co-writing songs with Dev. Production on the album took place mainly in January 2011 and continued into 2012 as the North American release date for the album was delayed from September 20, 2011 to January 10, 2012 as per Dev's request to add more songs to the album, with Amazon.com announcing that the North American release would be pushed back further to March 26, 2012.
Alexander George Clare is a British singer and songwriter. His debut album, The Lateness of the Hour, was released in the UK on 11 July 2011 on Island Records and was produced by Mike Spencer and Major Lazer.
Our Version of Events is the debut studio album by Scottish recording artist Emeli Sandé. The album was released on 13 February 2012 by Virgin Records, following Sandé's winning of the Critics' Choice Award at the BRIT Awards 2012. Though Our Version of Events is her first album release, Sandé has been active in the industry since 2009, most notably appearing on singles by Chipmunk and Wiley. The album features R&B, soul and pop music.
Australian singer-songwriter Sia has released 10 studio albums, six live albums, 68 singles, and 45 music videos. In 1997, she released her debut studio album entitled OnlySee. It was commercially unsuccessful, and none of its songs were released as a single. Sia released her second album, Healing Is Difficult, in 2001. The album yielded three singles: "Taken for Granted", "Little Man" and "Drink to Get Drunk". The lead single, "Taken for Granted", peaked at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Too Close" is a song by British singer Alex Clare. The track was first released in the United Kingdom on 15 April 2011 as the second single from Clare's debut studio album, The Lateness of the Hour (2011). The track was written by Clare, Jim Duguid and produced by Major Lazer, with co-production from Ariel Rechtshaid and Mike Spencer. Lyrically, the song describes the protagonist who is not ready for a committed relationship and he must end things with his love interest in good terms.
Looking 4 Myself is the seventh studio album by American singer Usher. Released on June 8, 2012 by RCA Records, it is his first album for RCA after the October 2011 merger of the Jive Records group which also included his label, Arista Records, that resulted in both labels being consolidated into the RCA label group. Many producers worked on the songs, and the album features appearances from Luke Steele and ASAP Rocky. Inspired by the electronic duo Empire of the Sun and listening to music originating from several locations, Usher intended the album to contain a more experimental sound, that remained relevant to the music of its time. Defined as "revolutionary pop" by the singer, critics noted that Looking 4 Myself is a dance-pop and R&B album that incorporates the genres pop, hip hop, electronic, Europop, and dubstep. Critic Barry Walters has noted how elements of some of its R&B songs were inspired by the emerging alternative R&B genre.
1991 is the debut EP by American rapper Azealia Banks. It was first released on May 28, 2012, in the United Kingdom through Polydor Records and a day later in the United States by Interscope Records. Its lead single, "212", preceded its release on December 6, 2011. Its second single, "Liquorice", was released on December 4, 2012. Banks also released music videos for every song, including the non-singles "1991" and "Van Vogue".
Reincarnated is the twelfth studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg, his sole release using the reggae persona Snoop Lion. Berhane Sound System and RCA Records released the album April 23, 2013.
Jim Duguid is a Scottish musician and songwriter best known for co-writing the Alex Clare song "Too Close".
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.
"Earthquake" is a single by British disc jockey DJ Fresh and American counterpart Diplo featuring vocals from Dominique Young Unique. The song was released in the United Kingdom on 18 August 2013 as the lead single from his fourth studio album. An edited version of the song with extra production and sound effects features in the film Kick-Ass 2, under the name "Motherquake". It contains a sample from the song "Teach Me How to Dougie" by the hip hop group Cali Swag District. "Earthquake" peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart, number three on the UK Dance Chart and topped the UK Indie Chart.
"Up All Night" is the debut single by English singer Alex Clare, released in December 2010. It is from his debut studio album The Lateness of the Hour. The song was written by Alex Clare and producers Diplo and Switch of Major Lazer and features addition production from Mike Spencer and co-writer Ariel Rechtshaid. It was first released on 9 December 2010 as a digital download in the United Kingdom. Remixes were later released digitally and physically on various vinyl formats. It has been used as the opening theme for the BBC science fiction show Class which is an official spin-off from Doctor Who.
Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ü is the only studio album by American DJ duo Jack Ü, individually known as Skrillex and Diplo. It was released on February 27, 2015, by Owsla and Mad Decent, Skrillex and Diplo's respective labels. The album features collaborations with a range of artists including Kiesza, AlunaGeorge, 2 Chainz, Missy Elliott and Justin Bieber. It also features the Trinidadian soca artist Bunji Garlin. The album produced the internationally successful single "Where Are Ü Now" featuring Justin Bieber.
"Where Are Ü Now" is a song produced by American EDM artists Skrillex and Diplo under their collaborative effort Jack Ü, with vocals from Canadian singer Justin Bieber. The song was released as the second single from the duo's debut studio album, Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ü (2015), on their respective labels Owsla and Mad Decent, and is also included on Bieber's fourth studio album Purpose (2015). It was released simultaneously with the album on February 27, 2015, later sent to mainstream radio on April 21, 2015.
American DJ and record producer Diplo has released four studio albums, two reissue albums, ten EPs, six compilation albums, five mixtapes, one live album and a series of singles, music videos and other appearances. His alias, short for Diplodocus, derives from his childhood fascination with dinosaurs. During his rise to fame, Diplo worked with British musician M.I.A., an artist who is credited with giving him exposure in his early career. Since then, Diplo has worked on production and mixtape projects with many other pop artists, such as Die Antwoord, Britney Spears, Madonna, Shakira, Beyoncé, No Doubt, Justin Bieber, Usher, Snoop Dogg, Chris Brown, CL, and G-Dragon. As an artist, Diplo, combined with his other collaborations Major Lazer, Jack Ü and Silk City, three electronic groups.