Up, Guards and at 'Em!

Last updated

Up, Guards and at 'Em!
The Pigeon Detectives - Up, Guards and at 'Em!.png
Studio album by
The Pigeon Detectives
Released4 April 2011 (UK)
RecordedApril–November 2010
Genre Indie rock [1]
Length36:52
Label Dance to the Radio
Producer Justin Gerrish
The Pigeon Detectives chronology
Emergency
(2008)		Up, Guards and at 'Em!
(2011)		 We Met at Sea
(2013)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?4.8/10 [2]
Metacritic 51/100 [3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [4]
DIY Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Drowned in Sound 4/10 [6]
Gigwise 5/10 [7]
MusicOMH Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]
NME Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]

Up, Guards and at 'Em! is the third studio album by Leeds-based Indie rock band The Pigeon Detectives. It was released on 4 April 2011 by Dance to the Radio, and follows the band's 2009 album Emergency

Contents

The band released two tracks off the album, "She Wants Me" and "Done in Secret", in the build-up to the album launch, with "Done in Secret" being the first single from the album.

Recording

After the release of their second album in as many years, The Pigeon Detectives took a break from touring and recording. In the summer of 2010 however they set about recording their third album. Working with producer Justin Gerrish and recorded in New York City, the album has been described by frontman Matt Bowman as coming from a "mature" slant.

Tour

Along with the release of the album, the band announced a UK tour covering 14 venues. They were also announced on the Main Stage for Reading and Leeds Festivals in August.

Critical reception

Up, Guards and at 'Em! was met with "mixed or averages" reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 51 based on 8 reviews. [3] Aggregate website AnyDecentMusic? gave the release a 4.8 out of 10 based on a critical consensus of 14 reviews. [2]

In a review for AllMusic, Jon O'Brien said: "Described as a rallying call to guitar bands by Bowman, Up, Guards and at 'Em isn't distinctive or original enough to inspire anyone to swap their synths for a six-string, and instead, sounds more like a final nail in the British indie coffin than the shot in the arm it needed." [4] At NME Tim Chester explained: "Those three seconds of stuttering electronica simply take their reputation for leftfield experimentalism too far. Thankfully, such wilful pretension buggers off, and the rest is a more quality-controlled set than last time of big-chorus." [1] Ben Weisz of MusicOMH wrote: "The latest effort is a progression, in that it's not straightforwardly another collection of variations on Take Her Back, but it's nothing spectacular either. There are one or two new ventures into the unknown, but by and large, The Pigeon Detectives haven’t made enough progression from Emergency." [8]

Chart performance

Up, Guards and at 'Em! charted at number 30 on the UK Albums Chart. [9]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Oliver Main and Matt Bowman

Up, Guards and at 'Em! track listing
No.TitleLength
1."She Wants Me"3:33
2."Lost"4:13
3."What Can I Say?"4:29
4."Need to Know This"2:42
5."Done in Secret"3:58
6."What You Gonna Do?"3:10
7."Turn Out the Lights"3:48
8."Through the Door"3:15
9."Go at It Completely"3:32
10."I Don't Know You"4:12

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance for Up, Guards and at 'Em!
Chart (2011)Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC) [10] 43
UK Albums (OCC) [9] 30
UK Independent Albums (OCC) [11] 8

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dance to the Radio</span> British record label

Dance To The Radio is a British independent record label, based in Leeds, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Pigeon Detectives</span> English indie rock band

The Pigeon Detectives are an English indie rock band from Rothwell in Leeds, West Yorkshire, who formed in 2004. The band have released six albums from 2007 to present.

<i>Total Life Forever</i> 2010 studio album by Foals

Total Life Forever is the second studio album by British indie rock band Foals, released on 10 May 2010 through Transgressive Records. Prior to the album's release, the band described it as sounding "like the dream of an eagle dying". It was produced by Luke Smith, and was recorded at Svenska Grammofon Studion in Gothenburg. Upon its release, the album charted in numerous countries worldwide, including number eight in the UK Albums Chart.

<i>We Met at Sea</i> 2013 studio album by The Pigeon Detectives

We Met at Sea is the fourth studio album by English band The Pigeon Detectives. It was released in April 2013.

<i>Otherness</i> (Kindness album) 2014 studio album by Kindness

Otherness is the second studio album by English musician Adam Bainbridge, under their solo project Kindness. It was released on October 13, 2014 through Mom + Pop Music and Female Energy.

<i>The Glow</i> (DMAs album) 2020 studio album by DMAs

The Glow is the third studio album by Australian indie rock band DMA's. It was released on 10 July 2020.

<i>England Is a Garden</i> 2020 studio album by Cornershop

England Is a Garden is a studio album by British indie rock band Cornershop. It was released on 6 March 2020 under the band's own label, Ample Play Records.

<i>The Night Chancers</i> 2020 studio album by Baxter Dury

The Night Chancers is the sixth studio album by English musician Baxter Dury. It was released on 20 March 2020 under [PIAS] France LE LABEL for the world and under Heavenly Recordings for the UK, Ireland and USA.

<i>I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep</i> 2020 studio album by Ghostpoet

I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep is the fifth studio album by British musician Ghostpoet. It was released 1 May 2020 under PIAS Recordings.

<i>Kitchen Sink</i> (album) 2020 studio album by Nadine Shah

Kitchen Sink is the fourth studio album by English musician Nadine Shah. It was released on 26 June 2020 under Infectious Music.

<i>Spare Ribs</i> 2021 studio album by Sleaford Mods

Spare Ribs is the eleventh studio album by English post-punk band Sleaford Mods. It was released on 15 January 2021 on the Rough Trade Records. Production was handled by Andrew Fearn. It features guest appearances from Amy Taylor and Billy Nomates. It was later nominated for the Best Album Ivor Novello Award in May 2022.

<i>The Hope List</i> 2021 studio album by Lonely the Brave

The Hope List is the third studio album by English alternative rock band Lonely the Brave. It was released on 22 January 2021, through Easy Life Records.

<i>On All Fours</i> 2021 studio album by Goat Girl

On All Fours is the second studio album by English band Goat Girl. It was released on 29 January 2021 by Rough Trade Records.

<i>Uppers</i> (album) 2021 studio album by TV Priest

Uppers is the debut studio album by the English post-punk band TV Priest, released on 5 February 2021 by Sub Pop.

<i>Good Woman</i> (The Staves album) 2021 studio album by The Staves

Good Woman is the fourth studio album by the English band the Staves. It was released on 5 February 2021 by Atlantic Records UK in the UK and Nonesuch Records worldwide.

<i>Smiling with No Teeth</i> 2021 studio album by Genesis Owusu

Smiling with No Teeth is the debut studio album by Australian musician Genesis Owusu, released on 5 March 2021 through Ourness. The album features a guest appearance from Kirin J. Callinan and production from Callinan, Andrew Klippel, Dave Hammer, Harvey Sutherland, Joe LaPorta, and Matt Corby.

<i>Written & Directed</i> 2021 studio album by Black Honey

Written & Directed is the second studio album by British indie rock band Black Honey. It was released on 19 March 2021 through Foxfive Records.

<i>Seek Shelter</i> 2021 studio album by Iceage

Seek Shelter is the fifth studio album by Danish punk rock band Iceage. It was released on 7 May 2021, by Mexican Summer. A post-punk album with classic rock and Britpop influences, Seek Shelter experiments with diverse sounds that recalls the music of the Pogues, the Replacements, the Rolling Stones, and the Velvet Underground. Upon release, the album was met with widespread critical acclaim with praise towards its eclectic sound and poetic lyricism.

<i>Oochya!</i> 2022 studio album by Stereophonics

Oochya! is the twelfth studio album by Welsh rock band Stereophonics, released on 4 March 2022 on Ignition Records. It is scheduled to be supported by a 2022 arena tour.

<i>UK Grim</i> 2023 studio album by Sleaford Mods

UK Grim is the twelfth studio album by English post-punk band Sleaford Mods. It was released on 10 March 2023 on the Rough Trade Records. Production was handled by Andrew Fearn. It features guest appearances from Florence Shaw and Perry Farrell and Dave Navarro.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Chester, Tim (6 April 2011). "NME Review". NME . Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  2. 1 2 "AnyDecentMusic? Review". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Metacritic Review". Metacritic . Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  4. 1 2 O'Brien, Jon. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic . Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  5. ↑ O'Malley, Gareth (4 April 2011). "DIY Magazine Review". DIY . Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  6. ↑ Leivers, Dannii (14 April 2011). "Drowned in Sound Review". Drowned in Sound . Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  7. ↑ Stirling, Hayley (4 April 2011). "Gigwise review". Gigwise . Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  8. 1 2 Weisz, Ben (4 April 2011). "MusicOMH Review". MusicOMH . Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  9. 1 2 "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  10. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  11. ↑ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.