The Painted Side of the Rocket

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The Painted Side of the Rocket
Art008 frontcover 200x200.png
Studio album by Fosca
Released March 5, 2008
Recorded 2007/2008
Genre Indie pop
Length38:11
Label But Is it Art?
Producer Alex Mayor, Tom Edwards
Fosca chronology
Diary of an Antibody
(2002)		The Painted Side of the Rocket
(2008)

The Painted Side of the Rocket is the third album by the English indie pop band Fosca. It was released on March 5, 2008.

England Country in north-west Europe, part of the United Kingdom

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to the west and Scotland to the north-northwest. The Irish Sea lies west of England and the Celtic Sea lies to the southwest. England is separated from continental Europe by the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south. The country covers five-eighths of the island of Great Britain, which lies in the North Atlantic, and includes over 100 smaller islands, such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.

Indie pop is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and subsequently generated a thriving fanzine, label, and club and gig circuit. Compared to its counterpart, indie rock, the genre is more melodic, less abrasive, and relatively angst-free. In later years, the definition of indie pop has bifurcated to also mean bands from unrelated DIY scenes/movements with pop leanings. Subgenres include chamber pop and twee pop.

Fosca was a British band, combining indie pop songwriting with synthpop instrumentation. Initially, the band was formed by bassist Peter Theobalds and Orlando guitarist/lyricist Dickon Edwards plus Orlando drummer David Gray, before settling into being a vehicle for Edwards and his songs. Over the next decade, Edwards fronted several lineups of the band including guitarist Charley Stone. They released a total of three studio albums between 2000-2008. The band was named after the protagonist in Stephen Sondheim's Passion based upon the translation of Lawrence Venuti of the novel Fosca by Iginio Ugo Tarchetti, 1869. They received press coverage from The Independent.

Contents

Title

Dickon named the album The Painted Side of the Rocket because he and Tom, his younger brother, received a "rocket" from their father one Christmas and played with it throughout their childhood. The rocket was fashioned from a single piece of hardboard, with one side painted glossy green and silver, and two portholes cut out. Tom pointed out to Dickon that their childhood interaction with the rocket was a perfect symbol for the leap of faith all artists take - the artist creating on the unpainted side, all the while never fully aware of the effect.

Christmas holiday originating in Christianity, usually celebrated on December 25 (in the Gregorian or Julian calendars)

Christmas is an annual festival, commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, it is preceded by the season of Advent or the Nativity Fast and initiates the season of Christmastide, which historically in the West lasts twelve days and culminates on Twelfth Night; in some traditions, Christmastide includes an octave. Christmas Day is a public holiday in many of the world's nations, is celebrated religiously by a majority of Christians, as well as culturally by many non-Christians, and forms an integral part of the holiday season centered around it.

Hardboard type of fiberboard

Hardboard, also called high-density fiberboard (HDF), is a type of fiberboard, which is an engineered wood product.

Production

The track "Confused and Proud" was previously released as a B-side on The Agony Without the Ecstasy EP. This "dreamier" version was re-recorded specifically for the album. The track "I've Agreed To Something I Shouldn't Have" featured on the 2006 compilation album, The Kids At The Club, released by How Does It Feel To Be Loved? "Evening Dress at 3pm" is the only track Dickon did not have any hand in writing. The lyrics and music are by Kate, with lead vocals by Rachel.

<i>The Agony Without the Ecstasy</i> extended play by Fosca

The Agony Without the Ecstasy is an EP released by British Indie pop band Fosca. The EP was produced by Ian Catt and released on 26 June 2000 by independent record label, Shinkansen Records. The EP is Fosca's second release following the November 1999 EP, Nervous, London. The EP contains 3 songs and runs for 13 minutes and 57 seconds. It was released as a single ahead of Fosca's second album, On Earth to Make the Numbers Up and the EP's title track appears as the first track on the album. At the time the EP was recorded, the band members were Dickon Edwards, Rachel Stevenson, Alex Sharkey and Sheila B. This EP was the second last recording with Sharkey as a band member. The last album Sharkey recorded with the band was Supine On The Astroturf.

Extended play musical recording longer than a single, but shorter than a full album

An extended play record, often referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single, but is usually unqualified as an album or LP. EPs generally contain a minimum of four tracks and maximum of six tracks, and are considered "less expensive and time-consuming" for an artist to produce than an album. An EP originally referred to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play (SP) and LP, but it is now applied to mid-length CDs and downloads as well.

Release

Copies of The Portable Dickon Edwards were sold together with the album via the But Is it Art? and Entangled Records website upon release.

Track listing

  1. "I've Agreed to Something I Shouldn't Have" - 4:15
  2. "It Only Matters to Those to Whom It Matters" - 3:23
  3. "Head Boy" - 2:52
  4. "We See the World as Our Stunt Doubles" - 4:35
  5. "Kim" - 5:05
  6. "In-Joke for One" - 3:06
  7. "Don't Be a DJ" - 2:35
  8. "Confused and Proud" - 5:05
  9. "Evening Dress at 3pm" - 2:51
  10. "Come Down from the Cross (Someone Else Needs the Wood)" - 4:27

Personnel

Dickon Edwards British musician

Dickon Edwards, also known as Dickon Angel, is a London-based indie pop musician and diarist. He was a founding member of the bands Orlando and Fosca, and briefly played guitar in the band Spearmint.


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