Apocalypso (album)
Encyclopedia
Apocalypso is the second full-length album by Australia
n electronic
duo The Presets
. The album was released by Modular Recordings
on the 12 April 2008 in Australia, on 13 May in the United States
, and 2 June in the United Kingdom
. The album features the singles "My People", "This Boy's in Love
", "Talk Like That
", "Yippiyo-Ay
", "If I Know You
" and "Kicking and Screaming".
for two weeks. The duo had no songs written or any idea what the album would sound like before hitting the farm. Basing themselves in Berlin
, the band continued work on the album while touring in Europe. The majority of the album was recorded by the band themselves at their own individual home studios. The songs were finished at a friend's studio and the album was mixed at BJB Studios in Sydney
and at Seedy Underbelly in Los Angeles
. The album was mastered at The Exchange in London
.
Kim Moyes
, describing the album, said "There is a few songs on Apocalypso that have been informed by our live shows in terms of their energy, after 2 and a bit years of touring we really found out what we liked playing and what works well live, but the album as a whole however is not all bangers, there are some very delicate moments too."
The group also wanted Apocalypso to be far more song-focused. Moyes told Rolling Stone Australia
: "With [previous album] Beams, we didn't think too much about it. The more fucked up it was, the better. But now the vision’s been refined and instead of instrumentals, now we're like 'fuck, let’s just have killer songs.'"
In an interview with Australian national radio station Triple J
, the band members discussed how they came up with the album's title, stating that it evolved from "Apocalypse Wow", a suggestion by Hamilton. "Y'know the idea of the apocalypse
and a calypso
together. Something very dark, very intense, you can't get much worse than an apocalypse. And then a calypso which is just super fun, like mojitos, steel drums."
, and achieved gold certification
within two weeks. The album has since gone platinum. In October 2008, the album won the 2008 ARIA Awards for "Best Dance Release" and "Album Of The Year". By winning the ARIA for "Album Of The Year", Apocalypso became the first dance album to win the award. It also won the Artisan Awards for "Best Cover Art" (Jonathan Zawada) and "Producer of the Year" (The Presets), missing out on the award for "Engineer of the Year" (Scott Horscroft). In December, the album won the J Award
. In October 2010, it was listed in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums
.
. A double CD Collector's edition was later released with an extra disc of remixes, plus a weblink to download exclusive content:
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n electronic
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 Presets
The Presets
The Presets are an Australian electronic duo formed in 2003, consisting of Julian Hamilton on vocals and keyboards, and Kim Moyes on drums and keyboards. They released their debut album Beams in 2005 to positive critical response. Their 2008 release Apocalypso debuted at number-one on the ARIA...
. The album was released by Modular Recordings
Modular Recordings
Modular Records is an Australian record label. It was established by Sydney-based music promoter Steve Pavlovic as a joint-venture with EMI, but is now distributed by Universal Music in Australia...
on the 12 April 2008 in Australia, on 13 May in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and 2 June in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The album features the singles "My People", "This Boy's in Love
This Boy's in Love
"This Boy's in Love" is a song by Australian electronic duo The Presets. It is the second single from their 2008 album Apocalypso.-Music video:...
", "Talk Like That
Talk Like That
"Talk Like That" is the third single of The Presets' Platinum-accredited album Apocalypso. The song was released in September 2008.Presets member Kim Moyes has described the track as "a calypso house track with these weird cathedral organs, techno tom toms and a ballsy bassline."-Track listing:#...
", "Yippiyo-Ay
Yippiyo-Ay
"Yippiyo-Ay" is the fourth single by The Presets, taken from their second studio album Apocalypso. "Yippiyo-Ay" debuted on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart on November 24, 2008 at number #95. No music video was made for the song...
", "If I Know You
If I Know You
"If I Know You" is the fifth single by The Presets, taken from their second studio album Apocalypso. It was originally the proposed third single but was replaced by "Talk Like That"...
" and "Kicking and Screaming".
Production
After two years of non-stop touring, The Presets began production of Apocalypso in early 2007 by going to a farm in Byron BayByron Bay, New South Wales
Byron Bay is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a headland adjacent to the town, is the easternmost point of mainland Australia. At the 2006 Census, the town had a...
for two weeks. The duo had no songs written or any idea what the album would sound like before hitting the farm. Basing themselves in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, the band continued work on the album while touring in Europe. The majority of the album was recorded by the band themselves at their own individual home studios. The songs were finished at a friend's studio and the album was mixed at BJB Studios in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and at Seedy Underbelly in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The album was mastered at The Exchange in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Kim Moyes
Kim Moyes
Kimberley "Kim" Isaac Moyes or K.I.M. is half of a Sydney-based electronica duo, The Presets with Julian Hamilton. Moyes provides keyboard and drums, as well as production . His involvement with The Presets has resulted in a total of six ARIA Music Awards...
, describing the album, said "There is a few songs on Apocalypso that have been informed by our live shows in terms of their energy, after 2 and a bit years of touring we really found out what we liked playing and what works well live, but the album as a whole however is not all bangers, there are some very delicate moments too."
The group also wanted Apocalypso to be far more song-focused. Moyes told Rolling Stone Australia
Rolling Stone Australia
Rolling Stone Australia is an Australian-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published monthly, it is the Australian edition of the United States' Rolling Stone. Rolling Stone was initially released in Melbourne in May 1970 as a supplement in Revolution, an...
: "With [previous album] Beams, we didn't think too much about it. The more fucked up it was, the better. But now the vision’s been refined and instead of instrumentals, now we're like 'fuck, let’s just have killer songs.'"
In an interview with Australian national radio station Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
, the band members discussed how they came up with the album's title, stating that it evolved from "Apocalypse Wow", a suggestion by Hamilton. "Y'know the idea of the apocalypse
Apocalypse
An Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The Apocalypse of John is the Book of Revelation, the last book of the New Testament...
and a calypso
Calypso music
Calypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago from African and European roots. The roots of the genre lay in the arrival of enslaved Africans, who, not being allowed to speak with each other, communicated through song...
together. Something very dark, very intense, you can't get much worse than an apocalypse. And then a calypso which is just super fun, like mojitos, steel drums."
Reception
Apocalypso was the album that brought the Presets to mainstream audiences. The album debuted at number one on the ARIA chartsARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
, and achieved gold certification
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
within two weeks. The album has since gone platinum. In October 2008, the album won the 2008 ARIA Awards for "Best Dance Release" and "Album Of The Year". By winning the ARIA for "Album Of The Year", Apocalypso became the first dance album to win the award. It also won the Artisan Awards for "Best Cover Art" (Jonathan Zawada) and "Producer of the Year" (The Presets), missing out on the award for "Engineer of the Year" (Scott Horscroft). In December, the album won the J Award
J Award
The J Award is an award given by influential Australian youth radio station Triple J to Australian Album of the Year. It is judged by a panel of members of the music industry, led by Richard Kingsmill...
. In October 2010, it was listed in the book, 100 Best Australian Albums
100 Best Australian Albums
100 Best Australian Albums is a compendium of rock and pop albums of the past 50 years as compiled by music journalists Toby Creswell, Craig Mathieson and John O'Donnell. The book was published on 25 October 2010 by Hardie Grant Books...
.
Track listing
All songs written and performed by The PresetsThe Presets
The Presets are an Australian electronic duo formed in 2003, consisting of Julian Hamilton on vocals and keyboards, and Kim Moyes on drums and keyboards. They released their debut album Beams in 2005 to positive critical response. Their 2008 release Apocalypso debuted at number-one on the ARIA...
. A double CD Collector's edition was later released with an extra disc of remixes, plus a weblink to download exclusive content:
Remix Disc
Singles
- "My People"
- The first single released in late 2007. The song continued to climb the ARIA Singles chart after successful performances, and heavy radio airplay. It peaked at #14 on the ARIA singles chart, and certified Double Platinum - the first ARIA-accredited single to do so that never reached the Top 10.
- "This Boy's in LoveThis Boy's in Love"This Boy's in Love" is a song by Australian electronic duo The Presets. It is the second single from their 2008 album Apocalypso.-Music video:...
"- Released as the second single in early 2008, it peaked at #23 early on, and continuous climbing and falling the single maintained sales. After the band's win at the 2008 ARIA awards the song re-entered top 50, and certified Gold.
- "Talk Like ThatTalk Like That"Talk Like That" is the third single of The Presets' Platinum-accredited album Apocalypso. The song was released in September 2008.Presets member Kim Moyes has described the track as "a calypso house track with these weird cathedral organs, techno tom toms and a ballsy bassline."-Track listing:#...
"- Released as the official third single in September 2008, the song was a club hit, peaking at #19 on the Singles Chart, it spent several weeks outside top 20. When the band won at the ARIA's the song re-entered and continued to climb the charts and reached at new peak of #19. A few weeks before falling out of the singles chart completely it certified Gold.
- "Yippiyo-AyYippiyo-Ay"Yippiyo-Ay" is the fourth single by The Presets, taken from their second studio album Apocalypso. "Yippiyo-Ay" debuted on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart on November 24, 2008 at number #95. No music video was made for the song...
"- Released as a digital only single, the song has been gaining more airplay week-by-week, and gaining popularity among the radio, and several times been #1 on request shows. It peaked at #94 on the Singles chart, based on downloads alone, and continues to re-enter as the song gains more airplay.
- "If I Know YouIf I Know You"If I Know You" is the fifth single by The Presets, taken from their second studio album Apocalypso. It was originally the proposed third single but was replaced by "Talk Like That"...
"- Speculated as the album's third single when it received airplay numerous times, the official third single was announced as "Talk Like That". Peaking at #57 on the singles chart in May 2009, the song charted on downloads alone. The song is now the fifth single from ApocalypsoApocalypsoApocalypso is a novel by the British author Robert Rankin....
, and was officially released on 27 March 2009.
- Speculated as the album's third single when it received airplay numerous times, the official third single was announced as "Talk Like That". Peaking at #57 on the singles chart in May 2009, the song charted on downloads alone. The song is now the fifth single from Apocalypso
- "Kicking and Screaming"
- Announced as the 6th single in late May, 2009 a live video was released to accompany the radio release. Coverart has been released, but it is unknown whether a physical single will be released.
Charts
| Year | Chart | Peak Position | Certification | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | ARIA Albums Chart | #1 | 3xPlatinum | 210,000+ |
End of Year Charts
| Year | Country | Chart | Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Australia | ARIA End of Year Albums | #5 |
Personnel
- Julian HamiltonJulian HamiltonJulian Thomas Hamilton is a singer, song-writer and keyboardist, who, with bandmate Kim Moyes, makes up successful Sydney electronica duo, The Presets.-Biography:...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, keyboardsElectronic keyboardAn electronic keyboard is an electronic or digital keyboard instrument.The major components of a typical modern electronic keyboard are:... - Kim MoyesKim MoyesKimberley "Kim" Isaac Moyes or K.I.M. is half of a Sydney-based electronica duo, The Presets with Julian Hamilton. Moyes provides keyboard and drums, as well as production . His involvement with The Presets has resulted in a total of six ARIA Music Awards...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, keyboards - Scott Horscroft – mixerAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
- John Fields – mixer
- Nilesh Patel – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
- Lyn Balzer – photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
- Anthony Perkins – photography
- Jonathan Zawada – art direction