Bombay Bicycle Club | ||
| Allmusic Biography : A melodic, guitar-driven indie rock outfit from North London, Bombay Bicycle Club comprise frontman Jack Steadman, guitarist Jamie MacColl, drummer Suren de Saram, and bassist Ed Nash. Steadman, MacColl, and Saram -- who at the time were all students at University College School (attending at the same time as members of Cajun Dance Party), and not one of them over the age of 15 -- formed the group in Crouch End in 2005, initially calling themselves the Canals. They adopted different names over the course of the next year until Nash was brought on board in 2006, at which point the fledgling group dubbed itself Bombay Bicycle Club, in reference to an Indian restaurant chain. Bombay Bicycle Club entered Virgin Mobiles "Road to V" battle-of-the-bands contest soon after, a move that would effectively launch them out of obscurity and into the spotlight as one of that years most hyped indie acts in Britain. Blending together sensual, reverb-slicked, post-punk sensibilities with the kind of bubbly, rhythmically adventurous quirkiness that evoked acts like Orange Juice, Bloc Party, and Vampire Weekend, Bombay Bicycle Club ended up winning the competition -- which, in previous years, had been won by the likes of Young Knives -- and were given a spot opening up V Festival that August. A flurry of offers from several big labels came in, but Bombay Bicycle Club opted to self-release their first disc on their homegrown label, Mmm.... Produced by Jim Abiss (whod previously worked with the Arctic Monkeys), Bombay Bicycle Clubs debut EP, The Boy I Used to Be, was released in February 2007; the disc was given a warm critical reception, notably from the folks at NME. Another EP, How We Are, was released that October, debuting at the number two spot on the U.K. indie singles chart. The members of Bombay Bicycle Club graduated upper secondary school the following June, and the rest of their summer was dominated by the release of a new single, "Evening/Morning" (released on the Young and Lost Club label), and a flurry of U.K. tour dates. Teaming up once again with Abiss, they recorded their debut full-length at Konk Studios that fall. Bombay Bicycle Club signed with Island Records as the year came to a close; their debut full-length on the label, I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose, was released the following summer. In July of 2010, Bombay Bicycle Club released their sophomore effort, Flaws, which found the bandmates unplugging their instruments and recording acoustic songs, including a cover of Joanna Newsoms "Swansea." In 2011, Bombay Bicycle Club returned to a fully electric sound with the release of the Abiss-produced A Different Kind of Fix. The plugged-in pop/rock approach was evident on the atmospheric dance-oriented leadoff single, "Shuffle." Bombay Bicycle Club returned in 2014 with the hypnotic So Long, See You Tomorrow, featuring songs influenced by Steadmans trip through Europe and India. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 10 Title: The Boy I Used to Be Released: 2007-02-12 Tracks: 4 Duration: 16:36 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 The Hill (04:05) 2 Sixteen (04:08) 3 Open House (03:02) 4 Cancel on Me (05:21) |
 | Album: 2 of 10 Title: How We Are Released: 2007-10-22 Tracks: 4 Duration: 15:18 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 How Are You (04:06) 2 Ghost (03:31) 3 Maybe More (04:08) 4 Pedestal (03:33) |
 | Album: 3 of 10 Title: Always Like This Released: 2009-04-12 Tracks: 4 Duration: 18:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Always Like This (04:06) 2 Always Like This (Thee Loving Hand Remix by Tim Goldsworthy) (05:22) 3 Always Like This (James Rutledge Remix) (05:15) 4 Never Like That (03:51) |
 | Album: 4 of 10 Title: I Had the Blues but I Shook Them Loose Released: 2009-06-07 Tracks: 12 Duration: 47:49 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Emergency Contraception Blues (01:26) 2 Lamplight (03:44) 3 Evening/Morning (02:52) 4 Dust on the Ground (04:24) 5 Ghost (03:56) 6 Always Like This (04:05) 7 Magnet (04:50) 8 Cancel on Me (05:28) 9 Autumn (03:35) 10 The Hill (03:57) 11 What If (04:09) 12 The Giantess (05:17) |
| I Had the Blues but I Shook Them Loose : Allmusic album Review : Bombay Bicycle Club were the center of quite a bit of attention, both in their native England and abroad, thanks to their big win in Virgin Mobiles Road to V battle-of-the-bands competition. Following their win, they played dozens of live shows, were tirelessly blogged about, were featured in NME, and entertained a good number of offers from big labels -- all of this before they graduated from upper secondary school. This is pretty heavy stuff for any up-and-coming band, let alone one comprised of a bunch of teenagers, so it made sense that Bombay Bicycle Club dodged the major-label offers and took some time to get their bearings; they self-released a couple EPs (with the help of Arctic Monkeys producer Jim Abbiss, who produced this album as well) and finished up their studies before taking the plunge and signing with Island Records. And their level-headed approach seems to have paid off -- I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose is a sleek, polished, balanced listen made up of the kind of punchy, angular, brooding-vocals-and-pounding-bass indie rock that brings to mind Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party. "Dust on the Ground" finds the band at its most similar to Franz Ferdinand (or even Editors). Its also one of the albums better tracks: a prickling blast of lead singer Jack Steadmans tremulous caterwaul, some blissed-out reverb guitars, and a punchy hook. The band really shines, though, when it edges into more playful territory, specifically on the Vampire Weekend-esque "Always Like This"; Steadmans anxious vocals are luminous when set against the tracks bright background of jumpy, Afro-beat-influenced basslines. Both of these songs have heart, and they make I Had the Blues stand out as something more than just another take on the angular, moody, post-punk-influenced sound that dominated the U.K. indie scene for most of the early 2000s. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 10 Title: Dust on the Ground Released: 2009-06-28 Tracks: 4 Duration: 18:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Dust on the Ground (04:24) 2 Curl Up Like a Dead Leaf and Go Where the Wind Blows (06:52) 3 Glass to Glass (02:28) 4 Dust on the Ground (Banjo or Freakout remix) (05:04) |
 | Album: 6 of 10 Title: Magnet Released: 2009-09-27 Tracks: 4 Duration: 14:33 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Magnet (04:50) 2 Motel Blues (02:49) 3 Magnet (Paul White Remix) [Paul White vs. BBC] (03:10) 4 Magnet (Rootah Remix) (03:44) |
 | Album: 7 of 10 Title: Flaws Released: 2010-07-12 Tracks: 11 Duration: 33:26 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Rinse Me Down (03:10) 2 Many Ways (02:42) 3 Dust on the Ground (04:03) 4 Ivy & Gold (02:56) 5 Leaving Blues (02:56) 6 Fairytale Lullaby (02:20) 7 Word by Word (02:38) 8 Jewel (03:04) 9 My God (02:26) 10 Flaws (02:57) 11 Swansea (04:14) |
| Flaws : Allmusic album Review : After a brief run as the flavor of the month in the British music press (a fate that has killed lesser bands) and making their much anticipated debut with the smart and tuneful indie rock of 2009s I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose, Bombay Bicycle Club have switched gears rather dramatically on their second album, Flaws -- namely, while they still sound indie, theyve decided that, for the meantime theyll do without the rock. Flaws is a gentle, low-key acoustic set, most of which was recorded in Jack Steadmans bedroom, and the four songs that were cut in proper studios dont sound particularly more elaborate. Drummer Suren de Saram and bassist Ed Nash are audible, but theyre pushed to the back of the mix and do little more than lend a gentle pulse to the songs, and singer/guitarist Steadman and guitarist Jamie MacColl are practically the whole show on much of the album. An album like Flaws lives and dies on the strength of the songs and the ability of the singer to make them work without excess artifice, and its Steadman and MacColls good fortune that their material is melodically strong and lyrically intelligent, and Steadmans voice has just enough presence to carry the tunes. Steadman also has a flair for the dramatic that allows him to recast himself in different styles with élan, conjuring a variety of moods on his own songs as well as shaping himself to the work of other writers. Steadmans take on John Martyns "Fairytale Lullaby" doesnt add much to the original, but the light quaver of his voice is well-suited to the songs fragile beauty, and the groups reimagining of Joanna Newsoms "Swansea" is the most full-bodied performance on the album and honors the spirit of Newsoms gossamer original while finding something new in it. Flaws sounds like a detour rather than a bold step in a new direction, but it speaks volumes about the strength and intelligence of Bombay Bicycle Clubs songwriting; these tunes are impressive even as played by two guys with banjos and guitars in someones bedroom, a trick not every band can pull off. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 10 Title: A Different Kind of Fix Released: 2011-08-26 Tracks: 12 Duration: 50:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep (03:30) 2 Bad Timing (03:34) 3 Your Eyes (05:20) 4 Lights Out, Words Gone (05:01) 5 Take the Right One (03:35) 6 Shuffle (03:55) 7 Beggars (04:11) 8 Leave It (03:53) 9 Fracture (04:03) 10 What You Want (04:19) 11 Favourite Day (04:56) 12 Still (04:25) |
| A Different Kind of Fix : Allmusic album Review : Bombay Bicycle Clubs 2011 album A Different Kind of Fix is a melodically compelling work that builds upon the bands eclectic guitar-based indie rock sound. Featuring production from Jim Abbiss, who produced the bands 2009 debut I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose, Fix is a move away from the more acoustic vibe of 2010s Flaws and back toward an electric, oft dance-oriented sound. Tracks like the circular and funky "How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep" and the hummable "Shuffle" are perfect late summer afternoon jams that bring to mind a mix of 80s Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush. Elsewhere, you get the light prog-meets-shoegaze of "Bad Timing," the similarly blissed-out anthem "Take the Right One," and the yearning, percussive echo chamber number "Leave It." | ||
 | Album: 9 of 10 Title: Leave It Released: 2012-01-01 Tracks: 4 Duration: 03:12 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify AlbumCover | 1 Leave It (Acoustic) (?) 2 Leave It (Flipbook Mix) (?) 3 Lights Out, Words Gone (Rub A Dub) (03:12) 4 Shuffle (Acoustic Version) (?) |
 | Album: 10 of 10 Title: So Long, See You Tomorrow Released: 2014-02-03 Tracks: 10 Duration: 44:54 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Overdone (03:38) 2 Its Alright Now (04:09) 3 Carry Me (04:25) 4 Home by Now (04:34) 5 Whenever, Wherever (05:30) 6 Luna (03:10) 7 Eyes Off You (03:57) 8 Feel (04:59) 9 Come To (04:24) 10 So Long, See You Tomorrow (06:02) |
| So Long, See You Tomorrow : Allmusic album Review : Bombay Bicycle Clubs fourth studio album, 2014s So Long, See You Tomorrow, finds the band building upon the dance-oriented sound of 2011s A Different Kind of Fix while still remaining faithful to their melodic, introspective indie rock roots. Once again centered around the lead vocals of Jack Steadman, the album was purportedly written while Steadman was traveling through Europe and India, and many of the songs on So Long, See You Tomorrow contain samples of the various sounds, music, and rhythms Steadman encountered on his trip. And while there are definitely Bollywood-esque qualities here, especially on such songs as the hypnotic and driving "Overdone" and the equally as swirling "Carry Me," the results are never overt or heavy-handed. These are organic, living productions that touch upon rave culture and world music while remaining rooted in melodic songcraft. The album also features guest lead and harmony vocals from British singer/songwriters and rising pop divas Lucy Rose and Rae Morris. All of this stylistic and creative synergy lends the album a layered, late-80s adult contemporary vibe. In fact, cuts like the sparkling "Luna" and the yearning "Home by Now" definitely bring to mind So-era Peter Gabriel. Similarly, the moving ballad "Eyes Off You" has sustained drama that recalls Gabriels classic 1986 duet with Kate Bush, "Dont Give Up." Ultimately, So Long, See You Tomorrow is highly engaging, thoughtful, kaleidoscopic pop music for citizens of the world. | ||