Metronomy | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Beginning as a scrappy, lo-fi side project and growing into one of the more creative acts mixing rock and electronic music, Metronomy is the project of London-based multi-instrumentalist and producer Joseph Mount. Named after the musical term for the measurement of time by an instrument, Mount started Metronomy in 1999 as a side project to the other bands he played with, using an old computer that his father gave him to record songs. Metronomys first full-band lineup also included keyboardist/saxophonist Oscar Cash and keyboardist/bassist Gabriel Stebbing. Prior to Metronomy, Mount and Stebbing played together in bands such as the Upsides, a pop group the pair described as "the original Busted," and the Customers, with whom they played in university. When his cousin Cash joined Metronomy, it became the trios main project. With a sound inspired by influences from Devo and David Bowie to N.E.R.D. and Pavement, Metronomy earned buzz for their engaging live shows as well as official and unofficial remixes of tracks by Gorillaz, Architecture in Helsinki, Sebastien Tellier, Kate Nash, U2, and Britney Spears. Their debut single, "You Could Easily Have Me," arrived in spring 2005 on the Holiphonic imprint, and the full-length Pip Paine (Pay the £5000 You Owe) was released that summer. In 2006, Metronomy signed to Because Music; the following year, the single Radio Ladio became their first and only release on its Need Now Future imprint. The label also issued 2008s Nights Out, which introduced their eclectic sound to a wider audience thanks to singles such as Heartbreaker and My Heart Rate Rapid. In 2009, Stebbing left Metronomy to focus on his other project, Your Twenties. Bassist Gbenga Adelekan and former Lightspeed Champion drummer Anna Prior joined the fold for 2011s The English Riviera, which boasted a sleeker sound than the bands previous work. It was their most commercially successful album to date, reaching number 28 on the U.K. charts, selling more than 60,000 copies, and earning them a Mercury Prize nomination. The albums popularity led to a sold-out show at Royal Albert Hall as well as comprehensive tours of both Europe and North America. Mount and crew went in a very different direction for Metronomys fourth album, Love Letters. Taking inspiration from acts such as the Supremes, the Zombies, and Sly & the Family Stone, the band recorded at Toe Rag, an all-analog London studio frequented by indie rock bands such as the White Stripes and the Cribs. The singles Im Aquarius and Love Letters -- which boasted a video directed by Michel Gondry -- signaled the albums mix of vintage warmth and cutting-edge pop ahead of its March 2014 release. The album peaked at number seven on the U.K. albums chart, their highest position on the chart yet. For Metronomys next album, Mount changed course again, booking a studio just outside Paris and writing and recording a set of songs by himself within two weeks. The funky Summer 08, which reflected on the exuberance of the Nights Out era and featured collaborations with Mix Master Mike, Erol Alkan, and Robyn, arrived in July 2016. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 8 Title: Pip Paine (Pay the £5000 You Owe) Released: 2006 Tracks: 12 Duration: 50:48 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 You Could Easily Have Me (03:07) 2 Love Song for Dog (03:19) 3 Danger Song (04:39) 4 This Could Be Beautiful (It Is) (04:10) 5 Black Eye / Burnt Thumb (04:43) 6 Peters Pan (05:22) 7 Trick or Treatz (04:41) 8 The 3rd (03:56) 9 1 String Strung (02:43) 10 Bearcan (06:38) 11 How Say (04:29) 12 New Toy (02:57) |
 | Album: 2 of 8 Title: Nights Out Released: 2008-09-08 Tracks: 12 Duration: 43:50 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Nights Out (02:39) 2 The End of You Too (03:43) 3 Radio Ladio (03:33) 4 My Heart Rate Rapid (04:09) 5 Heartbreaker (04:12) 6 On the Motorway (02:34) 7 Side 2 (03:29) 8 Holiday (04:14) 9 A Thing for Me (03:28) 10 Back on the Motorway (03:54) 11 On Dancefloors (04:43) 12 Nights Outro (03:12) |
| Nights Out : Allmusic album Review : Originally a solo vehicle for British singer/songwriter Joseph Mount, Metronomys follow-up to Pip Paine (Pay the £5000 You Owe), is the first to feature full-time band members Oscar Cash and Gabriel Stebbing. Released in 2008, Nights Out, conceived as a concept album based on an evening on the town, blends melancholic synth pop, minimal techno-funk, and falsetto-laden vocals to create an eclectic sound which recalls the experimental electronica of Hot Chip. Produced by Mount, it includes the singles "Radio Ladio," "My Heart Rate Rapid," "Holiday," "Heartbreaker," and "A Thing for Me." | ||
 | Album: 3 of 8 Title: A Thing for Me 2 Released: 2008-12-08 Tracks: 4 Duration: 17:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 A Thing for Me (03:30) 2 A Thing for Me (Breakbot remix) (03:54) 3 A Thing for Me (Fontan remix) (03:45) 4 A Thing for Me (Blackout Crew remix) (06:05) |
 | Album: 4 of 8 Title: The English Riviera Released: 2011-04-11 Tracks: 11 Duration: 45:06 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The English Riviera (00:37) 2 We Broke Free (04:06) 3 Everything Goes My Way (03:30) 4 The Look (04:38) 5 She Wants (03:51) 6 Trouble (04:46) 7 The Bay (04:50) 8 Loving Arm (03:31) 9 Corinne (03:16) 10 Some Written (06:03) 11 Love Underlined (05:58) |
| The English Riviera : Allmusic album Review : Previously a nu-rave trio in the mould of Klaxons, Metronomy, the brainchild of Joseph Mount, have changed tack for their third studio album, The English Riviera, following the departure of original member Gabriel Stebbing three years earlier. Having permanently recruited the talents of bassist Gbenga Adelekan and former Lightspeed Champion drummer Anna Prior, the follow-up to 2008s Nights Out, abandons their indie-disco sensibilities in favor of a more laid-back but equally idiosyncratic, sun-kissed sound which positions them as avant-garde purveyors in the vein of Saint Etienne rather than debauched glowstick wavers. But while its opening number, a 37-second snatch of cowing seagulls and distant waves lapping against the shore, may evoke the glamorous beaches of California, its remaining self-produced ten tracks are very much a love letter to both Mounts hometown of Totnes in Devon, and a romantic fantasy of the titles seaside resort he used to drive around in, blasting Ace of Base as a youth. While thankfully there arent any attempts at European faux-reggae, there are nods to the rich and warm West Coast sounds of 70s Fleetwood Mac and the Eagles on the swaying, country-tinged "Trouble" and the ominous, fretless, bass-led "She Wants." But ultimately, as the title implies, the bands third album is unmistakably an English affair, and none more so than "Some Written," which kicks off with a shuffling end-of-the-pier waltz rhythm and the kind of old-fashioned Wurlitzer last heard in wartime ballrooms, before ending in a cavalcade of stylophones, cymbals, and even kazoos that sounds like a particularly clumsy one-man-band falling down the stairs. Its utterly bonkers, but fits right in when placed among the likes of "The Look," which borrows the hook from Perez Prados "Guaglione" and fuses it with summery Beach Boys harmonies and archaic video game style synths, the lolloping Serge Gainsbourg-esque jazz-rock, and psychedelic guitar solos of "We Broke Free" and "Everything Goes My Way," a gorgeous 60s-inspired slice of cooing lounge-funk featuring the deadpan vocals of Veronica Falls Roxanne Clifford. The band occasionally revert back to their more familiar electronic roots, such as on the ambient, Orbital-esque "Loving Arm," and the woozy synth wizardry of closing number "Love Underlined," but as sonically interesting as they are, they feel like slightly jarring interruptions to the albums underlying vaudeville nature. Relentless in its pursuit to soundtrack the uniqueness of the British summer, The English Riviera is a challenging but ultimately rewarding effort which cements Mounts reputation as one of Britains most intriguing pop mavericks. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 8 Title: The English Riviera (Unreleased Remixes) Released: 2012-03-06 Tracks: 13 Duration: 1:06:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Corinne (Benoit & Sergio cover) (04:13) 2 Everything Goes My Way (Ewan Pearson dub) (07:15) 3 The Look (Two Inch Punchs Shook Shook refix) (03:46) 4 Loving Arm (Soul Claps Shake a Leg mix) (05:25) 5 Corinne (Night Angles remix) (04:55) 6 The Bay (Clock Opera remix) (04:38) 7 The Look (Camo & Krooked remix) (05:17) 8 She Wants (C-Berg remix) (04:14) 9 Corinne (Leodoris remix) (05:53) 10 Everything Goes My Way (Jesse Rose & Duke Dumont re-dub) (05:11) 11 Some Written (New Villager remix) (03:10) 12 Corinne (Mario Basanov remix) (05:43) 13 The Bay (Wax Cotton remix) (07:11) |
 | Album: 6 of 8 Title: LateNightTales: Metronomy Released: 2012-08-31 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:16:57 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Prototype (04:50) 2 Drunk (03:29) 3 Cosmic Ball (02:46) 4 El Bozo, Part 1 (02:23) 5 Blue Flowers (02:45) 6 Cache Vocal (03:08) 7 Hypnose (03:57) 8 Seabird (03:08) 9 Fold4,Wrap5 (03:57) 10 Weather the Windmill (02:45) 11 Eye in the Sky (03:21) 12 Love Caboose (02:40) 13 You Are… (03:42) 14 Cybernaut (04:16) 15 Forever (02:25) 16 The Day (We Fell in Love) (03:46) 17 Complainte pour Ste. Catherine (02:32) 18 Winners Lose (04:50) 19 Werewolf (05:59) 20 Lost for Words, Part 4 (10:09) |
 | Album: 7 of 8 Title: Love Letters Released: 2014-03-10 Tracks: 10 Duration: 41:24 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 The Upsetter (04:15) 2 I’m Aquarius (04:01) 3 Monstrous (03:53) 4 Love Letters (05:15) 5 Month of Sundays (03:26) 6 Boy Racers (04:18) 7 Call Me (03:51) 8 The Most Immaculate Haircut (04:30) 9 Reservoir (03:14) 10 Never Wanted (04:36) |
| Love Letters : Allmusic album Review : Given the critical and commercial success of The English Riviera, Metronomy could have easily spent another album or two expanding on its polished, erudite pop. However, theyre too mercurial a band to do the obvious thing. On Love Letters, they abandon their previous albums sleek precision for fuzzy analog charm. Metronomy recorded the album at Londons Toe Rag studio, a fixture of British indie rock, and Joe Mount and company imbue these songs with the rooms warmth and intimacy. Musically and emotionally, Love Letters is rawer than what came before it, trading breezy synth pop for insistent psych-rock and soul influences. The main carryover from The English Riviera is the increasing sophistication, and melancholy, in Mounts songwriting. Previously, his best songs were playful and ever so slightly emotional; on Love Letters, he flips this formula, penning songs filled with lost love, regrets, and just enough wit to sting. The album opens with three striking portraits of heartbreak: "The Upsetter" equals its distance with its urgency, capping it all with an achingly gorgeous guitar solo. "Im Aquarius" traces the fallout of a star-crossed relationship impressionistically, with girl group-style "shoop doop"s almost overpowering Mounts reasons why it didnt work ("youre a novice/Im a tourist"), as if memories of his ex crowd out everything else. "Monstrous" turns Metronomys signature jaunty keyboards Baroque and paranoid, with a doomy organ that closes in when Mount sings "hold on tight to everything you love," and a counterpoint that captures the way loneliness and heartbreak circle each other. These songs set the stage perfectly for the desperate romance of "Love Letters" itself, which updates punchy, late-60s Motown drama so well that its easy to imagine the Four Tops singing it. Here and on "Month of Sundays"s acid rock vistas, Metronomys nods to the past feel more like footnotes than following too closely in anyones footsteps. However, they sound more comfortable with their own quirks as well, giving more muscle to "Boy Racers" than their previous instrumentals, and more depth to "Reservoir," which is the closest it gets to a typical Metronomy song (if there is such a thing anymore). Confessional and insular, Love Letters is the work of a band willing to take pop success on their own terms and reveal a different -- but just as appealing -- side of their artistry in the process. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 8 Title: Summer 08 Released: 2016-07-01 Tracks: 10 Duration: 39:09 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Back Together (03:40) 2 Miami Logic (03:21) 3 Old Skool (05:13) 4 16 Beat (03:16) 5 Hang Me Out to Dry (03:50) 6 Mick Slow (05:02) 7 My House (03:19) 8 Night Owl (04:28) 9 Loves Not an Obstacle (03:15) 10 Summer Jam (03:44) |
| Summer 08 : Allmusic album Review : From the lo-fi quirks of Pip Paine (Pay the £5000 You Owe) to The English Rivieras pop brilliance, Metronomys albums balance eccentric experiments and chart-worthy melodies in varying proportions. Following The English Rivieras success, Joe Mount reclaimed some of his fondness for the unexpected, first with the introspective, Motown-tinged Love Letters and then with Summer 08. As the title suggests, the fifth Metronomy album finds him reflecting on that period of time, just after the release of Nights Out and just before his wonky synth pop project won widespread acclaim. Its an approach that could be called back to basics, if the basics werent so unusual: though the instincts that made The English Riviera possible were already there, Nights Outs chronicle of a disastrous night on the town sounded like club bangers played on toy instruments. Here, Mount filters those gawky grooves through years of experience, though the moody, slow-building finale "Summer Jam" proves hes as mischievous as ever. The albums first half, however, delivers bona fide jams: "Back Together" alternates between lurching riffs and luminous disco-funk as Mount reminisces about a long-ago lunch date, recalling the off-kilter catchiness of Nights Outs "My Heart Rate Rapid" while proving that not all nostalgia is comforting. The effects of time are more apparent on "Miami Logic," which takes a more expansive approach to rubbery textures and rhythms, and on "Old Skool," an envious portrait of posh West London frenemies thats funkier and meaner than anything on Nights Out. Meanwhile, "16 Beat" celebrates the love between a boy and his drum machine -- quite possibly Summer 08s longest-lasting relationship. However, Mounts reflections on this era dont occur in a vacuum, and the melancholia of his later work resurfaces on Summer 08s second half. Sleekly bittersweet songs like "Night Owl" and "My House" evoke The English Rivieras winning blend of motion and emotions, while "Hang Me Out to Dry," a pulsing duet with Robyn mixed by Errol Alkan (who helped raise Mounts profile back in the day), continues Metronomys tradition of inspired collaborations. Summer 08s ballads are more precisely poignant than those on Love Letters, whether Mount tempers his optimism on "Loves Not an Obstacle" or tries to make a moment last forever on "Mick Slow." Turning moments into music is the next best thing, and something that Mount excelled at in the years after Nights Out as he became a more eclectic, emotive artist. Summer 08s exuberance and sophistication are a testament to those skills, as well as to musics power to define and evoke a period in time -- and one of Metronomys most enjoyable albums yet. | ||