A Brief History of Love
Debut album by British electronic rock duo the Big Pink.
A Brief History of Love is the debut album by British electronic rock duo the Big Pink, released on 4AD on 14 September 2009. The band signed with the label in February 2009 and won the NME Philip Hall Radar Award for best new act. The album was preceded by the singles "Too Young to Love"/"Crystal Visions", "Velvet", and "Dominos".
Quick Facts
- Artist
- the Big Pink
- Released
- 14 September 2009
- Recorded
- Electric Lady Studios, New York
- Genre
- Indie rock, noise pop
- Language
- English
- Label
- 4AD (CAD 2916)
- Producer
- Robbie Furze, Milo Cordell
Facts from the source article.
Critical reception
Critics generally liked A Brief History of Love. The Daily Telegraph gave it a perfect five stars, calling it a modern masterpiece. Gigwise awarded four stars and described the debut as a deep, heavy dive into darkness where big pop choruses clash with industrial noise and constant feedback. Contact Music said it recalled the best 1990s indie music but with added synths and guitar noise, calling it a brilliantly bold album that rewards repeated listening. In August 2009, the track "Velvet" appeared at number 500 on Pitchfork Media's list of the Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s. On Pitchfork's year-end list for 2009, "Velvet" ranked 42nd and "Dominos" came in at 18th. NME placed the album seventh on its list of the 50 Best Albums of 2009.
Credits
Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell handled all music and vocals on this album. Production duties were carried out by the Big Pink at their own studio and at Electric Lady Studios in New York. For the track "Dominos," Paul Epworth joined the Big Pink as co-producer at Miloco Studios in London. Jimmy Robertson provided additional production on "Tonight."
Rich Costey handled mixing at Electric Lady Studios, with the exception of "Velvet," which Alan Moulder mixed at Assault and Battery Studios in London. Jimmy Robertson also served as engineer. Chris Bigg at v23 designed the album, with photography credits going to Chris Bigg for Crystal Visions, Marc Atkin for the ladies photography, and Mick Rock for the 2009 portrait. Art direction was overseen by the Big Pink.
The "Velvet" (BDG Remix) 12-inch vinyl etching was designed by Will Bankhead. "Stop the World" was produced by Paul Epworth and the Big Pink, engineered by Mark Rankin, recorded at the Big Pink and Miloco Garden, and mixed by Rich Costey at Electric Lady Studios. The track "Lovesong" originally appeared on the Cure tribute album Pictures of You: A Tribute to Godlike Geniuses The Cure, which was included with the 25 February 2009 issue of NME, and was produced and recorded by the Big Pink.
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