I Forget Where We Were

Last updated

I Forget Where We Were
Ben Howard - I Forget Where We Were.jpg
Studio album by
Released20 October 2014 (2014-10-20)
Recorded2014
StudioStart Point Farm Studios (Devon)
Genre
Length54:11
Label
Producer Chris Bond
Ben Howard chronology
The Burgh Island E.P.
(2012)
I Forget Where We Were
(2014)
Noonday Dream
(2018)
Singles from I Forget Where We Were
  1. "I Forget Where We Were"
    Released: 19 August 2014
  2. "End of the Affair"
    Released: 26 August 2014
  3. "Conrad"
    Released: 17 September 2014

I Forget Where We Were is the second studio album by the English singer-songwriter Ben Howard, released on 20 October 2014 by Island Records. It was produced by Howard's drummer Chris Bond at Start Point Farm Studios in Devon, and recorded almost completely live. [1]

Contents

Following the success of his debut studio album Every Kingdom (2011), it peaked at number-one on the UK Albums Chart, and the Scottish Albums Chart. It also peaked at number two in Belgium, and the Netherlands, and the top ten in Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia.

Critical reception

The album was met with positive reviews from music critics. On Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100, the album was scored a 77, which indicates generally favourable reviews. [2] MusicOMH's Graeme Marsh gave the album 4 and a half stars, saying "I Forget Where We Were is an album to grow into rather than one of instant satisfaction, one that blossoms upon every subsequent listen, one to clutch close to your heart and cherish forever." [3] Henry Boon of DIY gave the album 4 stars, saying "...for those who didn’t care for Every Kingdom , it may also be easy to write off I Forget Where We Were as just another lame indie-folk album. On closer inspection however, it actually forgoes both attitudes; this album is more complex, more imaginative and technically worlds away from Every Kingdom." He explains, "The crowning glory lays with the lead single 'End of the Affair', an eight minute perfectly subtle build of complex classical guitar and strained emotive vocals." [4] In a 3-and-a-half star review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic says that "Howard expects you to meet him on his own terms and provides just enough aural enticement to give him not just one listen but a second, which is when I Forget Where We Were really begins to sink in its hooks." [5]

In a more mixed review, Molloy Woodcraft of The Observer says that "Individual tracks take their time to get going (only one song here comes in under four minutes) and numbers such as opener 'Small Things' break after two or three minutes to build back up from a pleasant plod to a sustained fug of sound", but comments that "the title track is a winner but it’s with 'In Dreams', and its fast folky picking, that the record really takes off... [and] the near eight-minute 'End of the Affair' aims to give John Martyn’s Rather Be the Devil a run for its money". [6] Rolling Stones' Hilary Hughes comments that "As mild as the music might often sound, this is an album that cuts deep." [7]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 77/100 [2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Clash 7/10 [9]
Consequence C+ [10]
Digital Spy Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [11]
DIY Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Drowned in Sound 7/10 [13]
MusicOMH Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [14]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg
The Daily Telegraph Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [15]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [16]

Accolades

PublicationAccoladeRank
Digital Spy Top 30 Albums of 2014
15 [17]
MusicOMH Top 100 Albums of 2014
57 [18]
Sputnikmusic Top 100 Albums of the 2010s
63 [19]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ben Howard.

No.TitleLength
1."Small Things"5:43
2."Rivers in Your Mouth"5:12
3."I Forget Where We Were"4:43
4."In Dreams"3:34
5."She Treats Me Well"5:18
6."Time Is Dancing"6:49
7."Evergreen"4:05
8."End of the Affair"7:46
9."Conrad"6:09
10."All Is Now Harmed"5:03
Total length:53:04
Vinyl and iTunes extra track
No.TitleLength
11."Am I in Your Light?"4:49
Total length:54:44
Deluxe edition bonus disc
No.TitleLength
1."How Are You Feeling?"4:29
2."I Follow Stars"4:18
3."The Burren"5:25
4."Quiet Me Down" (Live)5:01
5."Lotus Flower"7:09

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the I Forget Where We Were liner notes. [20]

Musicians

Production and artwork

Charts and certifications

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