''Post Electric Blues'' is the seventh studio album by
Scottish indie rock
Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...
band
Idlewild, self-released to around 3000 fans in June 2009. The album was subsequently released on 5 October 2009 on
Cooking Vinyl.
Prior to recording, guitarist
Rod Jones revealed that the album has "quite an upbeat musical feel," and that it sounds "like a band having a good time."
Upon the album's traditional release, Jones stated: "I think the way we approached making this record, and doing things ourselves and involving our fans just gave us the freedom and time to do what we wanted to do without any pressure. I think it has been a turning point for us."
The album peaked at No. 90 in the UK Album Charts in its first week of physical release. It might have charted higher but the band sold a number of pre-order copies via their website, which is not a registered chart company.
The album's first single, "Readers & Writers" was released digitally on 28 September.
The album was performed in full on 19 May 2009 at
Dingwalls
Dingwalls was a live music and comedy venue adjacent to Camden Lock, Camden, London, England. The building itself is one of many industrial Victorian buildings that were put to new use in the 20th century. The original owner of the building, ...
, in London.
Background and recording
Following the release of ''
Make Another World'', Idlewild's label,
Sanctuary Records
Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and is as of 2013 a subsidiary of BMG Rights Management solely for reissues. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest m ...
, went into administration, leaving the band without a recording contract. Idlewild subsequently decided to release their next studio album directly to their fanbase. In November 2008, the band launched a new website, www.idlewildmusic.com, with the following message:
Those that pre-ordered the album received fifteen exclusive live tracks from the band's recent
King Tut's residency, blog entries from band members and exclusive video footage from the recording process.
In early January 2009, the band entered pre-production with frequent producer
Dave Eringa
David James Eringa (born 30 July 1971 in Brentwood, Essex, Brentwood, Essex) is an English people, English record producer, sound and mix engineer.
Biography
He has a career long association with the Manic Street Preachers, he was on tea makin ...
at their rehearsal space in
Rosyth
Rosyth ( gd, Ros Fhìobh, "headland of Fife") is a town on the Firth of Forth, south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to the census of 2011, the town has a population of 13,440.
The new town was founded as a Garden city-style suburb ...
, Fife. In February and March 2009, the band recorded at Bryn Derwyn in Bethesda, Wales, and then moved to Chem19 in Glasgow, Scotland. Eringa served as the producer and engineer during the sessions. He later mixed the recordings at Beethoven Street Studios in London in March 2009, with mix engineer Tom Loffman; the album was then mastered by Ed Woods.
[ At this time, Jones began recording his debut solo album, '' A Sentimental Education'' using Eringa's equipment.
]
Composition and lyrics
According to vocalist Roddy Woomble
Roddy Woomble (born 13 August 1976) is a Scottish singer, songwriter and writer. He is the lead vocalist of indie rock band Idlewild, with whom he has recorded nine studio albums. Celebrated for his poetic lyrics and warm, baritone voice, In 2 ...
, the first track written for ''Post Electric Blues'' was album opener "Younger Than America". Influenced by Westerns
The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...
and Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fura ...
, Woomble states that:
Regarding the album's lyrical content, Woomble states that he wanted "to have a more off-the-cuff feel to the record".
Release
The album was subsequently posted to fans in June 2009, and released on 5 October 2009 on Cooking Vinyl records.
Artwork
The album's artwork features band photographs taken by photographer David Gillanders. The photographs were taken in January 2009 at the band's rehearsal studio in Rosyth
Rosyth ( gd, Ros Fhìobh, "headland of Fife") is a town on the Firth of Forth, south of the centre of Dunfermline. According to the census of 2011, the town has a population of 13,440.
The new town was founded as a Garden city-style suburb ...
. Regarding the album's artwork, vocalist Roddy Woomble
Roddy Woomble (born 13 August 1976) is a Scottish singer, songwriter and writer. He is the lead vocalist of indie rock band Idlewild, with whom he has recorded nine studio albums. Celebrated for his poetic lyrics and warm, baritone voice, In 2 ...
states that:
Leak
A note was included with the pre-order album package thanking fans for their patience and asking them not to upload the album on to the internet. However, this note was ignored and it has been freely available on the internet since mid-June 2009.[Note included within package]
Track listing
All songs written by Idlewild.[
#"Younger Than America" – 3:57
#"Readers & Writers" – 2:50
#"City Hall" – 3:21
#"(The Night Will) Bring You Back to Life" – 3:24
#"Dreams of Nothing" – 3:08
#"Take Me Back to the Islands" – 4:58
#"Post-Electric" – 5:08
#"All Over the Town" – 2:07
#"To Be Forgotten" – 3:23
#"Circles in Stars" – 3:47
#"Take Me Back in Time" – 4:38
]
B-sides
*"No Wiser" – 3:26 (pre-order bonus track)
*"Take Away the Night Time" (standard release bonus track)
*"Take Me Back in Time" (demo) (standard release bonus track)
*"(The Night Will) Bring You Back to Life" (demo) ("Readers & Writers" b-side)
*"Again (Let the Buildings Burn Bright)" (City Hall single)
Personnel
Personnel per booklet.
Idlewild
* Rod Jones – guitar, keyboards, vocals
* Colin Newton – drums, percussion
* Gareth Russell – bass guitar
* Allan Stewart – guitars, vocals
* Roddy Woomble
Roddy Woomble (born 13 August 1976) is a Scottish singer, songwriter and writer. He is the lead vocalist of indie rock band Idlewild, with whom he has recorded nine studio albums. Celebrated for his poetic lyrics and warm, baritone voice, In 2 ...
– lead vocals
Additional musicians
* John Blackshaw – trumpet (track 3)
* Dave Eringa
David James Eringa (born 30 July 1971 in Brentwood, Essex, Brentwood, Essex) is an English people, English record producer, sound and mix engineer.
Biography
He has a career long association with the Manic Street Preachers, he was on tea makin ...
– Hammond organ (tracks 1, 2 and 6)
* John McCusker
John McCusker (born 15 May 1973) is a Scottish folk musician, record producer, and composer. An accomplished fiddle player, he had a long association as a member of the Battlefield Band beginning in the 1990s and was later a band member and p ...
– violin (tracks 1 and 6)
* Heidi Talbot
Heidi Talbot (born 1980) is an Irish folk singer from Kill, County Kildare, Ireland. Talbot is a former singer of Irish-American musical group Cherish the Ladies.
Early life and education
Born in the rural village of Kill, County Kildare, Ire ...
– vocals (tracks 1 and 6)
Production and design
* Dave Eringa – producer, engineer, mixing
* Tom Loffman – mix engineer
* Ed Woods – mastering
* David Gillanders – photography
* Monkeywithapen – design
References
{{Authority control
Self-released albums
2009 albums