| The Menace | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 3 April 2000 | |||
| Recorded | November 1996, September–October 1999 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 38:39 | |||
| Label | Deceptive | |||
| Producer | Marc Waterman, Elastica, Alan Moulder, Bruce Lampcov | |||
| Elastica chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Menace | ||||
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The Menace is the second and final studio album by English rock band Elastica, released in the UK via Deceptive Records on 3 April 2000, and internationally on 22 August 2000 through Atlantic Records. [2]
After the release of their eponymous debut record in 1995, the band started touring and in the process started partying ferociously and dabbling in drugs. The first attempt to record their second work was in France and Ireland at the end of 1996, but internal problems caused the departure of members (including vocalist/guitarist Donna Matthews and bassist Annie Holland) and the temporary dissolution of the group.
Leader Justine Frischmann, who had recently broken up with boyfriend Damon Albarn of Blur, started to work on Brian Eno-influenced mood music with flatmate Loz Hardy of Kingmaker, resulting on tracks like "Miami Nice" and "My Sex", which ended up on the album. Frischmann reconnected with Annie Holland in early 1999 and formed a new line-up of the band, including Justin Welch, keyboardist/vocalist Sharon Mew, formerly of Heave, guitarist Paul Jones (Linoleum's former member) and keyboardist Dave Bush, formerly of The Fall.
The band listened to previous recordings of the material and decided to re-do it all in the autumn of 1999. Recording took only six weeks and cost around £10,000. [3] Bush's ex-bandmate Mark E. Smith participated in the writing and recording process of two songs in the album, "How He Wrote Elastica Man" – (a play on the title of the Fall's 1980 single "How I Wrote 'Elastic Man'"), and "KB". The album also features two early sessions with Donna Matthews ("Image Change" and "How He Wrote Elastica Man") and a Trio cover, "Da Da Da", featuring the keyboards of Damon Albarn, under the anagram alias Norman Balda.
In a 2013 interview, Frischmann would reveal her regrets over the album's worth by claiming Elastica should have been a "one-album project". [3]
The cover photograph was taken by visual artist and musician Maya Arulpragasam, later to be known as M.I.A., who also directed the video for "Mad Dog God Dam" and designed the cover for the band's last single "The Bitch Don't Work".
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 69/100 [4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Christgau's Consumer Guide | A− [6] |
| Entertainment Weekly | C [7] |
| The Guardian | [8] |
| Los Angeles Times | [9] |
| NME | 6/10 [10] |
| Q | [11] |
| Rolling Stone | [12] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [13] |
| Select | 3/5 [14] |
The album reached number 24 on the UK Albums Chart. [15]
At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, The Menace has an average score of 69 based on 19 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [4]
All tracks written by Justine Frischmann, except where noted. [16]
Damon Albarn is an English musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer. He is the frontman and main lyricist of the rock band Blur and the co-creator and primary musical contributor of the virtual band Gorillaz.
Seven More Minutes is the second studio album by American rock band The Rentals, released on April 13, 1999, and features numerous guests, including Petra Haden, Donna Matthews, Miki Berenyi, Tim Wheeler, Kevin March, and Damon Albarn.
Blur is the fifth studio album by the English rock band Blur, released on 10 February 1997 by Food Records. Blur had previously been broadly critical of American popular culture and their previous albums had become associated with the Britpop movement, particularly Parklife, which had helped them become one of Britain's leading pop acts. After their previous album, The Great Escape, the band faced media backlash and relationships between the members became strained.
13 is the sixth studio album by the English alternative rock band Blur, released on 15 March 1999. Continuing the stylistic shift away from the Britpop sound of the band's early career, 13 explores experimental, psychedelic and electronic music.
Elastica is the debut studio album by English alternative rock band Elastica. It was released in March 1995 through Deceptive Records in the UK and DCG/Geffen Records internationally. The album was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. This is the only album to feature the original line-up, and guitarist Donna Matthews.
Justine Elinor Frischmann is an English artist and retired musician. After forming Suede, she co-founded the Britpop band Elastica before retiring from the music industry and pursuing a career as an artist.
"Beetlebum" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur. It was released on 20 January 1997 as the lead single from the band's eponymous fifth album, Blur (1997). Written about Blur frontman Damon Albarn's experiences with heroin, the song features Beatles-influenced music and a mood that Albarn described as "sleepy" and "sexy". Despite fears of the song's uncommercial nature, the single debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Blur's second track to top the chart. It has since appeared on several Blur compilations.
"Stutter" is the debut single by the Britpop group Elastica and was written by lead singer Justine Frischmann. It was originally released as a single in the UK in November 1993 and in the US in September 1994. The song was later included on the band's 1995 self-titled debut album. The single, which received positive reviews from critics, charted in the US and Canada.
"Tender" is a song by English rock band Blur from their sixth studio album, 13 (1999). Written by the four band members about Blur frontman Damon Albarn's breakup with musician turned painter Justine Frischmann, the song was released in Japan on 17 February 1999 and in the United Kingdom on 22 February as the album's lead single. "Tender" became Blur's 11th top-10 hit on the UK Singles Chart, debuting and peaking at number two the week after its release. It also reached the top 20 in Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, and Spain.
"No Distance Left to Run" is a song by English rock band Blur from their sixth studio album, 13 (1999). It was released as the third and final single from the album on 15 November 1999, reaching number 14 on the UK Singles Chart. It is widely understood to refer to Blur vocalist Damon Albarn's split from long-term partner Justine Frischmann.
Justin Steven Welch is an English musician, best known as the drummer in Elastica, Suede, and later the drummer in Lush. Welch is currently the drummer of The Jesus and Mary Chain.
Elastica were an English rock band formed in London in 1992 by guitarist/singer Justine Frischmann and drummer Justin Welch after their departure from Suede. The band was stylistically influenced by punk rock, post-punk and new wave music. The band's members changed several times, with Frischmann and Welch being the only members who remained in Elastica from its formation to its dissolution.
Donna Lorraine Matthews is a Welsh musician who was the lead guitarist of the Britpop band Elastica.
"End of a Century" is a song by English alternative rock band Blur. Released in November 1994 by Food Records, it was the last single to be released from their third album, Parklife (1994). The song reached number 19 on the UK Singles Chart, considered a disappointment by Andy Ross of Food. Damon Albarn later stated that "End of a Century" may not have been the best choice for the album's fourth single, and that "This Is a Low" would have been a better alternative.
The Radio One Sessions is a compilation of BBC Radio One sessions recorded by Britpop group Elastica. The album is notable for the appearance of several songs not included on any other Elastica release.
When released in 1999, Elastica's 6 Track EP was the first new material issued by the band since the B-Sides from the Car Song single from 1996. According to bandleader Justine Frischmann the EP represented more of a document of what the band was up to during the interim rather than a return to form: "The material has been chosen to allow people to hear rarities and demos which reflect all stages of the bands recording between 1996 and 1999. The EP is certainly not intended to be some big comeback record." Indeed, several of the songs would later find themselves on their second album The Menace (2000) although in more polished form.
Love and Poison is the official biography of the English alternative rock band Suede. The book, written by long-time band associate David Barnett, reveals the real stories behind singer Brett Anderson's battle with drugs, his relationship with Elastica's Justine Frischmann and the subsequent feud with Blur after she started stepping out with Damon Albarn.
"Waking Up" is a song by Britpop group Elastica. It was released as a single in February 1995 and reached number 13 on the UK Singles Chart. It preceded the release of their self-titled debut album, which came out the following month.
Rocket Juice & the Moon is the only album by the supergroup of the same name, formed in 2008. The group consisted of Damon Albarn, Flea, and Tony Allen.
The solo discography of British musician Damon Albarn consists of four collaboration albums, four soundtrack albums, three extended plays and twelve singles. Also included are releases by Albarn's various side-projects and groups such as Mali Music, The Good the Bad & the Queen, Monkey, DRC Music and Rocket Juice & the Moon. Most of Albarn's work is either released by Honest Jon's Records, Parlophone or EMI Records.
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