A Brief History of Love
Encyclopedia
A Brief History of Love is the debut album from British
electro-rock
duo The Big Pink
. The album was released on September 14, 2009 on 4AD
. The Big Pink signed with 4AD in February 2009, and won the prestigious NME
Philip Hall Radar Award for best new act. The band were also named as "one of the most likely breakout acts of 2009" by the BBC
. Prior to the album's release, the band issued three singles: "Too Young to Love"/"Crystal Visions"
on the House Anxiety label in October 2008, "Velvet
" on 4AD in April 2009, and the non-album track "Stop the World
" in June 2009. "Dominos
," the album's first proper single and the band's fourth single overall, preceded the album on September 7. Milo Cordell stated that the band produced the album themselves at Electric Lady Studios
in New York City
, and Rich Costey
mixed the album (with the exception of "Velvet," which was mixed by Alan Moulder
). Cordell also told BBC 6 Music
how A Brief History of Love came to be the title for the release:
In addition to the singles "Dominos" and "Velvet," the album features re-recorded versions of previously released tracks "Too Young to Love," "Crystal Visions" and "Countbackwards from Ten." A Brief History of Love charted on the UK Albums Chart
at #56, and "Dominos" charted on the UK Singles Chart
at #27. A reissue of "Velvet" in February 2010 charted at #149.
awarded the album 5 out of 5 stars, and said the album "shapes up as something of a modern masterpiece." Gigwise awarded the album 4 out of 5 stars, and wrote: "It's a testament to the notion of not judging a book by its cover then that The Pink's debut LP is a heavy and gallon deep adventure into a murky darkness which sees stadium pop choruses do battle with industrial noise and an almost constant whirr of feedback." Contact Music described the album as "reminiscent of the best bits of the '90s indie scene but with the added depth of synths and the wall of guitar 'noise'. A Brief History of Love is a brilliantly bold debut that would be an asset to any record collection - it will draw you in further with every listen." The duo was picked as one of Beyond Race
magazine's "50 Emerging Artists," resulting in a spot in the magazine's #11 issue as well as a lengthy Q&A on their website.
In August 2009, "Velvet" was included on Pitchfork Media
's Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s list, voted in at #500. On Pitchfork's end-of-the-year Top 100 Tracks of 2009 list, "Velvet" was voted at #42, while "Dominos" was voted in at #18. A Brief History of Love was voted as the seventh best album of 2009 on NMEs 50 Best Albums of 2009 list.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
electro-rock
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
duo The Big Pink
The Big Pink
The Big Pink is an English electro-rock duo comprising multi-instrumentalists Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell. The duo signed to the 4AD label in 2009, and won the prestigious NME Philip Hall Radar Award for best new act...
. The album was released on September 14, 2009 on 4AD
4AD
4AD is a British independent record label that was started in 1979 by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, funded by Beggars Banquet Records, and is still active today...
. The Big Pink signed with 4AD in February 2009, and won the prestigious NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
Philip Hall Radar Award for best new act. The band were also named as "one of the most likely breakout acts of 2009" by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. Prior to the album's release, the band issued three singles: "Too Young to Love"/"Crystal Visions"
Too Young to Love
"Too Young to Love" is the debut single by The Big Pink. "Too Young to Love" was released with the double A-side track "Crystal Visions" on 7" vinyl on October 7, 2008, and both tracks were later re-recorded and included on their debut album A Brief History of Love in September 2009...
on the House Anxiety label in October 2008, "Velvet
Velvet (The Big Pink song)
"Velvet" is the second single by The Big Pink, and their first single with the 4AD label. "Velvet" was released as a digital download and on 7" vinyl on April 20, 2009, and was later included on their debut album A Brief History of Love in September 2009. "Velvet" was re-issued as a single on...
" on 4AD in April 2009, and the non-album track "Stop the World
Stop the World (The Big Pink song)
"Stop the World" is the third single by The Big Pink. "Stop the World" was released as a digital download and on 7" vinyl on June 29, 2009, and is not included on their debut album A Brief History of Love. The song was co-produced by the band and British record producer Paul Epworth, and mixed by...
" in June 2009. "Dominos
Dominos (The Big Pink song)
"Dominos" is the first single from The Big Pink's debut album A Brief History of Love. "Dominos" was released as a digital download and on 7" vinyl on September 7, 2009, a week before the release of the album. The song was co-produced by the band and record producer Paul Epworth, and mixed by Rich...
," the album's first proper single and the band's fourth single overall, preceded the album on September 7. Milo Cordell stated that the band produced the album themselves at Electric Lady Studios
Electric Lady Studios
Electric Lady Studios, at 52 West 8th Street, in New York City's Greenwich Village, is a recording studio originally built by Jimi Hendrix and designed by John Storyk in 1970...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and Rich Costey
Rich Costey
Rich Costey is an American record producer, engineer, and mixer who has worked with many bands including Muse, Cave In, Thursday, Franz Ferdinand, Glasvegas, The Mars Volta, Doves, Bloc Party, Ontronik , Jimmy Eat World, My Chemical Romance, Supergrass, Audioslave, Rage Against the Machine, Nine...
mixed the album (with the exception of "Velvet," which was mixed by Alan Moulder
Alan Moulder
Alan Moulder is one of Britain's premier alternative rock record producers. He has worked with such artists as Depeche Mode, Erasure, Elastica, Gary Numan, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Curve, Ride, Lush and My Bloody Valentine, Lostprophets, Shihad, Ivyrise and Placebo, as well as with many American...
). Cordell also told BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music
BBC 6 Music is one of the BBC's digital radio stations, was launched on 11 March 2002 and originally codenamed Network Y. It was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years....
how A Brief History of Love came to be the title for the release:
In addition to the singles "Dominos" and "Velvet," the album features re-recorded versions of previously released tracks "Too Young to Love," "Crystal Visions" and "Countbackwards from Ten." A Brief History of Love charted on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
at #56, and "Dominos" charted on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
at #27. A reissue of "Velvet" in February 2010 charted at #149.
Critical reception
Critical reception to A Brief History of Love has been overwhelmingly positive. The Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
awarded the album 5 out of 5 stars, and said the album "shapes up as something of a modern masterpiece." Gigwise awarded the album 4 out of 5 stars, and wrote: "It's a testament to the notion of not judging a book by its cover then that The Pink's debut LP is a heavy and gallon deep adventure into a murky darkness which sees stadium pop choruses do battle with industrial noise and an almost constant whirr of feedback." Contact Music described the album as "reminiscent of the best bits of the '90s indie scene but with the added depth of synths and the wall of guitar 'noise'. A Brief History of Love is a brilliantly bold debut that would be an asset to any record collection - it will draw you in further with every listen." The duo was picked as one of Beyond Race
Beyond Race
Beyond Race Magazine is a quarterly magazine based in New York primarily centered on independent and emerging artists, covering music, film, and other arts, such as literature, graffiti, tattooing, and visual arts...
magazine's "50 Emerging Artists," resulting in a spot in the magazine's #11 issue as well as a lengthy Q&A on their website.
In August 2009, "Velvet" was included on Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
's Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s list, voted in at #500. On Pitchfork's end-of-the-year Top 100 Tracks of 2009 list, "Velvet" was voted at #42, while "Dominos" was voted in at #18. A Brief History of Love was voted as the seventh best album of 2009 on NMEs 50 Best Albums of 2009 list.
Track listing
Release history
| Country | Date | Label | Format | Catalogue # |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | September 14, 2009 | 4AD 4AD 4AD is a British independent record label that was started in 1979 by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, funded by Beggars Banquet Records, and is still active today... |
CD | CAD 2916 CD |
| 2LP | CAD 2916 | |||
| 2LP/bonus 12" single (MIX 2916) | CAD D 2916 | |||
| Worldwide | Digital download | EAD 2916 A | ||
| United States | September 22, 2009 | CD | CAD 2916 CD | |
| October 20, 2009 | 2LP | CAD 2916 | ||
| Japan | October 14, 2009 | Beggars Japan Beggars Banquet Records Beggars Banquet is an English independent record label that began as a chain of record shops owned by Martin Mills and Nick Austin, and is part of the Beggars Group of labels... /Hostess Entertainment |
CD (three bonus tracks) | CAD 2916 CDJ/BGJ-10008 |
Accolades
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NME NME The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles... |
UK | Best 50 Albums of the Year | 2009 | #7 |
| Spin Spin (magazine) Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard... |
US | The 40 Best Albums of the Year | 2009 | #25 |
Musicians
- All music and vocals by Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell.
- "Crystal Visions"
- Joanne Apps: backing vocals
- Joe Scotcher: backing vocals
- Valentine Fillol-Cordier: backing vocals
- Akiko MatsuuraAkiko MatsuuraAkiko Matsuura is a drummer and vocalist who is a member of the bands Pre and Comanechi. She also plays drums with The Big Pink and has a side project called Sperm Javelin.-References:...
: drums - Richard "Dickie" Landry: saxophone feedback
- "Too Young to Love"
- Joanne Apps: backing vocals
- Valentine Fillol-Cordier: backing vocals
- Al O'Connell: bass
- "Dominos"
- Valentine Fillol-Cordier: backing vocals
- Akiko Matsuura: drums
- "Love in Vain"
- Valentine Fillol-Cordier: backing vocals
- Akiko Matsuura: drums
- William Rees: guitar
- Richard "Dickie" Landry: saxophone
- "At War with the Sun"
- Valentine Fillol-Cordier: backing vocals
- Akiko Matsuura: drums
- "Velvet"
- Lauren Jones: vocals
- Akiko Matsuura: drums
- "Golden Pendulum"
- Valentine Fillol-Cordier: backing vocals
- "Frisk"
- Valentine Fillol-Cordier: backing vocals
- Akiko Matsuura: drums
- "A Brief History of Love"
- Joanne Robertson: vocals
- Akiko Matsuura: drums, piano
- Daniel O'SullivanDaniel O'SullivanDaniel O'Sullivan is a multi-instrumentalist/composer from Manchester, England best known for playing in experimental art-rock bands Guapo, Miasma & the Carousel of Headless Horses, Ulver, Æthenor, Miracle and Mothlite....
: keyboards, guitar
- "Tonight"
- Valentine Fillol-Cordier: backing vocals
- Akiko Matsuura: drums
- "Countbackwards from Ten"
- Valentine Fillol-Cordier: backing vocals
- Akiko Matsuura: drums
- Jamie ReynoldsKlaxonsKlaxons are a British indie rock band, based in London. Following the release of numerous 7-inch singles on different independent record labels, as well as the success of previous singles "Magick" and "Golden Skans", the band released their debut album, Myths of the Near Future on 29 January 2007....
: vibes
Production
- Produced by The Big Pink at The Big Pink and Electric Lady Studios, New York.
- "Dominos" co-produced by The Big Pink and Paul EpworthPaul EpworthPaul Epworth is an award-winning British music producer, musician, and songwriter. His production credits include Adele, Cee Lo Green, Florence and the Machine, Plan B, Friendly Fires, Bloc Party, Primal Scream, The Rapture, Jack Peñate, Kate Nash and Maxïmo Park.-Lomax:From 2002-2004 Paul provided...
at Miloco, London. - Additional production on "Tonight" by Jimmy Robertson.
- Mixed by Rich CosteyRich CosteyRich Costey is an American record producer, engineer, and mixer who has worked with many bands including Muse, Cave In, Thursday, Franz Ferdinand, Glasvegas, The Mars Volta, Doves, Bloc Party, Ontronik , Jimmy Eat World, My Chemical Romance, Supergrass, Audioslave, Rage Against the Machine, Nine...
at Electric Lady Studios. - "Velvet" mixed by Alan MoulderAlan MoulderAlan Moulder is one of Britain's premier alternative rock record producers. He has worked with such artists as Depeche Mode, Erasure, Elastica, Gary Numan, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Curve, Ride, Lush and My Bloody Valentine, Lostprophets, Shihad, Ivyrise and Placebo, as well as with many American...
at Assault and Battery, London. - Engineered by Jimmy Robertson.
- Design by Chris Bigg at v23Vaughan OliverVaughan Oliver is a British graphic designer based in Epsom, South of London. Oliver is most noted for his work with graphic design studios 23 Envelope and v23...
. - Crystal Visions photography by Chris Bigg. Ladies photography by Marc Atkins at panoptika.net. Portrait by Mick RockMick RockMick Rock is a British photographer best known for his iconic shots of rock and roll legends such as Queen, David Bowie, Syd Barrett, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and The Stooges, The Sex Pistols, The Ramones, Joan Jett, Talking Heads, Roxy Music, Crossfade, Thin Lizzy, Motley Crue, and Blondie...
, 2009. - Art direction by The Big Pink.
- "Velvet" (BDG Remix) 12" vinyl etching design by Will Bankhead.
Credits for bonus tracks
- "Stop the World"
- Produced by Paul Epworth and The Big Pink.
- Engineered by Mark Rankin.
- Mixed by Rich Costey.
- Recorded at The Big Pink and Miloco Garden.
- Mixed at Electric Lady Studios.
- "Lovesong"
- First appeared on The CureThe CureThe Cure are an English rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
tribute album Pictures of You: A Tribute to Godlike Geniuses The Cure, made available with the February 25, 2009 issue of NMENMEThe New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
. - Produced and recorded by The Big Pink.
- First appeared on The Cure