''The Optimist LP'' is the first full-length album release by

Turin Brakes Turin Brakes are an English band, comprising original duo of Olly Knights and Gale Paridjanian, and long-term collaborators Rob Allum and Eddie Myer. They had a UK top 5 hit in 2003 with their song "Painkiller (Summer Rain)". Since starting ou ...

. Critically acclaimed by the UK music press, the album was released in 2001 and cemented the band's place in the UK "acoustic movement" (a term invented by the music press). "The Door" and "The Road" (previously released on ''The Door'' EP) were re-recorded for this album. Championed by radio DJs such as

Jo Whiley Johanne Whiley-Morton (born 4 July 1965), better known by her professional name Jo Whiley, is an English radio DJ and television presenter. She was the host of the long-running weekday later weekend '' Jo Whiley Show'' on BBC Radio 1. She curre ...

(

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

), the band provided a respite from the pop groups that dominated radio airplay at the time. The album was nominated for the

Mercury Music Prize The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album released in the United Kingdom by a British or Irish act. It was created by Jon Webster and Robert Chandler in association with the B ...

. In late 2011, Turin Brakes embarked on a national tour performing the whole of the album in its entirety for its tenth anniversary and again in 2021 for its twentieth anniversary.

Critical reception

'' Q'' listed ''The Optimist LP'' as one of the best 50 albums of 2001.

Track listing

#"Feeling Oblivion" – 3:52 #"Underdog (Save Me)" – 3:35 #"Emergency 72" – 4:05 #"Future Boy" – 4:00 #"The Door" – 3:52 #"State of Things" – 3:33 #"By TV Light" – 4:53 #"Slack" – 3:16 #"Starship" – 2:50 #"The Road" – 5:33 #"Mind Over Money" – 4:53 #"The Optimist" – 7:43 * The song "The Optimist" ends at 3:25. After 2 minutes of silence, at 5:25 the

hidden song In the field of recorded music, a hidden track (sometimes called a ghost track, secret track or unlisted track) is a song or a piece of audio that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, LP record, or other recorded medium, in such a way as t ...

Critical reception

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References