''Wall of Arms'' is the second studio album by the
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
indie
Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
Gaming
*Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies
*Indie game, any game (board ...
band
The Maccabees, released on 4 May 2009. The album was preceded by the single "Love You Better" on 27 April. The LP was produced by
Markus Dravs
Markus Dravs is a British music producer, songwriter, programmer, engineer and mixer. His credits include Arcade Fire, Coldplay, Wolf Alice, Björk, Brian Eno, Sheep on Drugs, Mumford & Sons, Florence + the Machine, The Maccabees and Kings of ...
, who has collaborated with
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...
,
Arcade Fire
Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Gara. The band's current touring line-up also includes former core member S ...
and
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University Col ...
in the past.
''Wall of Arms'' was also worked on in various cities including Liverpool and Paris, unlike their first long-player which was recorded in "dribs and drabs" according to frontman Orlando Weeks. The video to the album's first official single, "Love You Better", was uploaded exclusively to ClashMusic.com on 27 March ahead of a 27 April release. A review on the same website reads: "The Maccabees have made sure that no listener is going to leave the experience not feeling touched in some way – by the tonal dexterity, the lyrical openness, or something that’s not so obvious until the third or fourth listen."
The album leaked on 26 April 2009.
The album's cover art was created by British artist Boo Ritson, using her technique of coating her subjects with high gloss emulsion and photographing the result.
Reception
Many professional critics have said that this album, especially the track "No Kind Words", shows a much darker and evolved sound than former album ''
Colour It In
''Colour It In'' is the debut studio album by the British indie band The Maccabees. It was released in the UK on 14 May and in the US on 22 May 2007. It was released on the UK iTunes Store on 16 April 2007. The album name is from the B-Side ...
'':
*"the five-piece have set about traversing the opposite path to recognition, by delivering a distinctly darker second long-player. This shift in tone was showcased early on by the free download single 'No Kind Words'; said song sits dead in the middle of this collection like the itch that you just can’t scratch, oddly pleasurable for all its irritation."
''-
Clash''
*"Dismissed as lightweight by some, the band have used their debut as a platform for Wall of Arms, a far more accomplished album that toys with the dreaded 'm' word: maturity. Gone are the playful, youthful lyrics about toothpaste kisses and innocuous fleeting moments with the opposite sex." – ''musicOMH''
Inevitably, comparisons were drawn to
Arcade Fire
Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Gara. The band's current touring line-up also includes former core member S ...
's album ''
Neon Bible
''Neon Bible'' is the second studio album by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire. It was first released on March 5, 2007, in Europe and a day later in North America by Merge Records. Originally announced on December 16, 2006, through the band's ...
'', since Markus Dravs produced and used similar techniques on both records:
*"If this all sounds a bit Arcade Fire, note that production credits go to Markus Dravs, who worked on Neon Bible. Thankfully, though, the sound of cynical bandwagon-jumping has been edited out of the mix. In its place are a collection of atmospheric, heartfelt pop songs that frequently fly off at unexpected angles"
''-
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 ...
''
Track listing
All tracks by The Maccabees
# "
Love You Better" – 3:20
# "One Hand Holding" – 3:01
# "Can You Give It?" – 2:54
# "Young Lions" – 3:00
# "Wall of Arms" – 3:04
# "No Kind Words/Bag of Bones Part A" – 3:39
# "Dinosaurs" – 3:15
# "Kiss and Resolve" – 3:07
# "William Powers" – 3:30
# "Seventeen Hands" – 3:49
# "Bag of Bones Part B" – 4.41
iTunes extended version tracks
: 12. "Empty Vessels" (Single Version) Featuring Roots Manuva – 3.13
: 13. "Hearts that Strangle" – 1.32
: 14. "Accordion Song" – 2.49
: 15. "Sleep Tonight" – 4.04
: 16. "I Drove All Night" – 3.46
Singles
* "No Kind Words"
* "Love You Better" (27 April 2009)
* "Can You Give It?" (6 July 2009)
Personnel
Credits adapted from
Tidal
Tidal is the adjectival form of tide.
Tidal may also refer to:
* ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple
* Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim
* TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music
* Tidal (servic ...
.
The Maccabees
* Orlando Weeks – vocals , accordion , background vocals
*
Felix White
Felix Andrew Odell White (born 28 September 1984) is a British musician, best known as the guitarist of the British indie rock band The Maccabees. He is also co-presenter on the cricket podcast '' Tailenders'' alongside Greg James, James Anders ...
– guitar , background vocals
* Hugo White – guitar , background vocals
* Rupert Jarvis – bass guitar , background vocals
* Sam Doyle – drums , background vocals
Technical
* Markus Dravs – production , mixer , synthesizer programming
*
Iain Harvie
Iain Wallace Harvie (born 19 May 1962 in Glasgow, Scotland) is the guitarist with the Scottish rock band Del Amitri. Along with lead singer and bassist Justin Currie, Harvie is one of only two members to be present throughout Del Amitri's ...
– production , mixer
* Ruadhri Cushnan – mixer
* Bob Ludwig – mastering engineer
* John Davis – mastering engineer
* François Chevallier – engineer , programmer
* Ewan Davies – engineer
Additional musicians
* Jon Natchez – baritone saxophone , tenor saxophone
* Kelly Pratt – flugelhorn , trombone , trumpet
* Markus Dravs – keyboards , background vocals
* Katie Young – background vocals
* Laura-Mary Carter – background vocals
* Rosa Slade – background vocals
References
{{Authority control
The Maccabees (band) albums
2009 albums