Smother (album)

Smother is the third studio album by British indie rock/dream pop band Wild Beasts released on 9 May 2011 by Domino Records. It reached #17 in the UK Albums Chart.[2] According to the band, it represents a more synthesiser-based sound than previous efforts, influenced by "moving to Dalston", Brazilian writer Clarice Lispector, minimalist composer Steve Reich, noise pop duo Fuck Buttons,[3] and Mary Shelley's book, Frankenstein.[4]

Smother
Studio album by
Wild Beasts
Released9 May 2011 (2011-05-09)
Recorded2010 in Snowdonia, North Wales [1]
GenreIndie rock, dream pop
Length42:02
LabelDomino
ProducerRichard Formby, Wild Beasts
Wild Beasts chronology
Two Dancers
(2009)		 Smother
(2011)		 Present Tense
(2014)

Background

The band moved to London to make the record and that, according to Hayden Thorpe, drew them "back to the Lake District, the soundscape of that place." "Smother refers to the pillow we were resting our heads - the album really was the place where our heads, thoughts and dreams were at the time... The duality of the word 'smother' is important to us as well - that mad human dynamic of doing the right things for all the wrong reasons or doing the wrong things for all the right reasons", the singer said.[5]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.2/10[6]
Metacritic85/100[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
The A.V. ClubB+[9]
The Guardian[10]
The Independent[11]
Mojo[12]
NME9/10[13]
Pitchfork8.2/10[14]
Q[5]
Spin7/10[15]
Uncut[16]

Smother received widespread acclaim from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 85, based on 28 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".[7]

Reviewing the album for BBC Music, Mike Diver wrote, "[Wild Beasts] are, right now, the most inspirational, intriguing, effortlessly enrapturing band at work [in Britain]. And Smother might well prove to be the album of 2011."[17] Jon Pareles of The New York Times said, "In songs suffused with need and vulnerability, the music leaves itself open, waiting to be approached."[18]

Uncut placed the album at number 8 on its list of "Top 50 albums of 2011".[19] while Mojo placed the album at number 10.[20]

As of January 2012 UK sales stand at 30,000 copies according to The Guardian.[21]

Track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Lion's Share"4:14
2."Bed of Nails"4:18
3."Deeper"3:01
4."Loop the Loop"4:06
5."Plaything"4:21
6."Invisible"2:58
7."Albatross"3:12
8."Reach a Bit Further"3:36
9."Burning"4:44
10."End Come Too Soon"7:32
Total length:42:02

Personnel
  • Hayden Thorpe – lead vocals (1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10), backing vocals, guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, production
  • Tom Fleming – lead vocals (1, 3, 6, 8, 9), backing vocals, keyboards, guitar, production
  • Ben Little – lead guitar, keyboards, production
  • Chris Talbot – drums, production
  • Richard Formby – production, additional arrangements
  • Lexxx – mixing
  • Dave Pye – engineering
  • Jason Evans – photography, art direction, design
  • Matthew Cooper – design

References
  1. Wild Beasts to release new album 'Smother' in May | News | NME.COM
  2. UK Albums Chart. Smother. Wild Beasts.
  3. Wild Beasts on Finishing Their Third Album | Because Magazine Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Wild Beasts looking to 'Frankenstein' as inspiration for new album | News | NME.COM
  5. Segal, Victoria (June 2011). "Wild Beasts: Smother". Q (300): 112–13.
  6. "Smother by Wild Beasts reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 25 December 2019.
  7. "Reviews for Smother by Wild Beasts". Metacritic. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  8. Phares, Heather. "Smother – Wild Beasts". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  9. Wild, Matt (24 May 2011). "Wild Beasts: Smother". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  10. Simpson, Dave (5 May 2011). "Wild Beasts: Smother – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  11. Gill, Andy (6 May 2011). "Album: Wild Beasts, Smother (Domino)". The Independent. Archived from the original on 8 May 2011. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  12. "Wild Beasts: Smother". Mojo (211): 92. June 2011.
  13. Snapes, Laura (9 May 2011). "Album Review: Wild Beasts – 'Smother'". NME. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  14. Bevan, David (13 May 2011). "Wild Beasts: Smother". Pitchfork. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  15. Young, Jon (10 May 2011). "Wild Beasts, 'Smother' (Domino)". Spin. Archived from the original on 15 May 2011. Retrieved 28 March 2015.
  16. Pattison, Louis (June 2011). "Wild Beasts: Smother". Uncut (169): 90.
  17. BBC - Music - Review of Wild Beasts - Smother
  18. Pareles, Jon; Chinen, Nate (9 May 2011). "New CDs From Antlers, Wild Beasts and Okkervil River". The New York Times.
  19. Uncut's Top 50 of 2011 - Stereogum
  20. "MOJO's Top 50 Albums Of 2011". Stereogum. December 2, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
  21. https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2012/jan/16/indie-rock-slow-painful-death?newsfeed=true
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