Music for Tourists is an indie pop

Indie pop

Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...

 album by Chris Garneau

Chris Garneau

Chris Garneau is an American singer and songwriter and musician. Garneau's sound combines elements of folk, Americana, pop, baroque, and carnival music. Since releasing his debut album, Garneau has toured throughout the United States, Canada, Brazil, Europe, and Asia.Garneau cites Jeff Buckley,...

. It was released on January 23, 2007 on the Absolutely Kosher record label.

Recording

After playing in Brooklyn

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

 for some time, Garneau was recommended to record company Absolutely Kosher by Jamie Stewart

Jamie Stewart

James "Jamie" Cyrus Stewart is the front-man of the American musical group Xiu Xiu , a former front-man of IBOPA and Ten in the Swear Jar and a current member of Former Ghosts. He was also a member of 7 Year Rabbit Cycle which has since disbanded...

, whose band Xiu Xiu

Xiu Xiu

Xiu Xiu is an American avant-garde group originally from San Jose, California. The band is the brainchild of singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart, who has been its only constant member since its inception in 2002. His current bandmate is Angela Seo...

 was on that label. According to Garneau the album took around two years to record before it was released, as producer Duncan Sheik

Duncan Sheik

Duncan Scott Sheik is an American singer-songwriter and composer. Sheik initially found success as a singer, most notably for his 1996 debut single "Barely Breathing". He later expanded his work to include compositions for motion pictures and the Broadway stage, leading him to involvement in the...

 was very busy and there was a lot of downtime during recording.

Release

The album was released on January 23, 2007 and failed to chart in the US. The release was followed by a tour that visited most of the UK and the US in 2007, as well as a few locations in France in 2008.

Garneau said that he chose the 'cartoon-esque' cover art instead of a photo of himself because he wanted to keep it "kind of light".

Critical reception

The response by critics was generally negative. Mark Hogan of 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...

 was particularly critical, calling the lyrics of "Black & Blue" 'just terrible'. PopMatters

PopMatters

PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...

' Joe Tacopino agreed, calling the album "lyrically atrocious". Matt Thompson of Radar

Radar (magazine)

RadarOnline is an American online publication. It started as a magazine first printed in 2003 as a test issue, relaunched twice in 2005 and 2006, and ceased publication in 2008. The magazine published articles on entertainment, fashion, politics, and human interest...

 also criticised the lyrics, but concluded that the album wasn't bad. Allmusic's Marisa Brown called it a "cumbersome affair", giving it a rating of 2.5 out of 5.

Tracklisting

1. "Castle-Time" – 3:58
2. "Relief" – 3:45
3. "Black & Blue" – 5:32
4. "Saturday" – 2:21
5. "So Far" – 4:23
6. "First Place!!!" – 4:14
7. "Hymn" – 1:40
8. "Baby's Romance" – 4:37
9. "Not Nice" – 5:31
10. "Blue Suede Shoes" – 3:09
11. "We Don't Try" – 3:41
12. "Sad News" – 6:01
13. "Halloween" – 4:52
14. "Between the Bars" (Elliott Smith
    Elliott Smith
    Steven Paul "Elliott" Smith was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and resided for a significant portion of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity...
    
    cover) – 3:05