''Soundboy Rock'' is the fifth studio album by English
electronic music
Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroa ...
duo
Groove Armada
Groove Armada are an English electronic music duo, composed of Andy Cato and Tom Findlay. They achieved chart success with their singles "At the River", " I See You Baby" and " Superstylin'". The duo have released nine studio albums, four of w ...
, released on 4 May 2007 by
Columbia Records.
Content
The cover art was created by pixel artists
eBoy
eBoy is a pixel art group founded in 1997 by Kai Vermehr, Steffen Sauerteig and Svend Smital.
Their complex illustrations have been made into posters, shirts, souvenirs, and displayed in gallery exhibitions. They were founded on May 2, 1997. " ...
.
The song "From the Rooftops" contains an uncredited sample of
Jesus Loves You's 1989 single, "After the Love" (written by
Boy George
George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer, songwriter, DJ, author and mixed media artist. Best known for his soulful voice and his androgynous appearance, Boy George has been the lead singer ...
and
Jon Moss).
Release
The album was released on 4 May 2007 on
CD, vinyl and also as a limited CD package with two bonus tracks (listed below). The first single from the album, "Get Down", was released prior to the album's release on 23 April 2007. The second single, "Song 4 Mutya (Out of Control)", followed in July. The two singles reached, respectively, numbers 8 and 9 on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
, the duo's highest chart positions ever.
The third single, "Love Sweet Sound", was released in late 2007.
Critical reception
Although the duo claimed the album was their best,
the reviews were not always positive. In a three-star review for ''
Slant Magazine'', Dave Hughes criticised Groove Armada's lack of innovation, but praised the level of execution on the record. His observed that the album "manages to be familiar without being boring" concluding that "though it fails to inspire, it also, happily, fails to annoy." John Burghess of ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' was of a similar opinion calling the album "derivative, but sparky and well-executed." Writing for
''Pitchfork'', Tom Ewing agreed with the duo's claim that ''Soundboy Rock'' was their best offering, but commented that their creative limitations were also obvious. He noted that every track missed a "killer idea that would make it vital." Two tracks did stand out for him, however: the first single, "Get Down," and the follow-up, "Song 4 Mutya," which he called inspired.
A very positive review came from Gemma Padley of ''
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
''. She described the album as eclectic and unpredictable, with every track representing a different genre as
. Despite this, she commented, the album maintains continuity.
# "Hasta Luego Mr. Fab (Interlude)"