United In Isolation
Encyclopedia
United In Isolation is the ARIA
-nominated debut album
by Australian rock band
Papa Vs Pretty
. It was released in Australia on 27 May 2011 through Peace & Riot/EMI
. The album was recorded at BJB Studios and Oceanic Studios in Sydney
, Australia, throughout January and February 2011. It was produced and engineered by five time ARIA Award
winning producer Paul McKercher, and mixed by Scott Horscroft. The album was nominated for Rock Album of the Year at the 2011 25th Anniversary ARIA Music Awards
, and it has also been nominated for the 2011 Triple J J Award
for Album of the Year.
First single, "One of the Animals", had its radio premiere on Triple J
with Richard Kingsmill
on 20 March 2011, and a music video for the song directed by Byron Quandary was released online on 17 April 2011. The music video for "One of the Animals" was voted as Channel V
's RIPE Clip of the Week for 18 April 2010, and was also added to rotation on Rage
. "One Of The Animals" was featured in iTunes Store
's Must-Have Songs: April 2011 playlist, one of only three Australian artists in the 11-song collection. Singles "Honey" and "Darkest Way" have also received heavy radio rotation on Triple J.
The album has been met with positive reviews, with the mature songwriting and production in particular praised. Awarded a 9 out of 10 by both Triple J
Magazine and The AU Review, it was also awarded the coveted Triple J Feature Album spot for the week beginning 30 May 2011.
", with a main lyrical "focal point". "In a very broad sense, it's about human nature's desire to always be coupled with another, and how love can sometimes be a vessel of selfishness. It's almost like animal behaviour, and I guess we are animals, just with language and ego".
In regards to their previous releases from a musical perspective, bassist Angus Gardiner likens the band's musical evolution evident throughout United in Isolation as "like a windy road that’s slowly becoming straight. At the start we were covering so much ground and now it’s all sort of funnelling into one direction". Adding to the discussion of the more focused musical direction of United In Isolation, singer/guitarist Thomas Rawle said "I feel like people couldn’t really gauge our direction before [with previous EPs] but now they should have a very good idea of what we’re about".
The United in Isolation (Deluxe Edition) iTunes LP
, made available through the iTunes Store
, includes two bonus tracks, "Friend" and "(My Soul Was) Born on Death Row". In addition, it includes interactive hand-drawn artwork by Thomas Rawle, and various multimedia elements such as behind-the-scenes videos and photos.
A special pre-order
United in Isolation package was made available for JB Hi-Fi
and Red Eye Records online customers, including a signed copy of the album and a bonus limited edition 7 track EP titled Memoirs from a Bedroom: Issue 1, featuring previously unreleased new Papa Vs Pretty songs.
,, as well as being nominated for the 2011 Triple J J Award
for Album of the Year.
Awarding the album a 9 out of 10 for Triple J
Magazine, Christian Burling hailed their debut as being "worlds beyond their collective years, carried by youthful abandon, charisma and enthusiasm," and that the band had set the bar "ridiculously high". Giving a 4.5 out of 5 for The Brag, where the album was also awarded Album of the Week, Jonno Seidler wrote that the record "is orchestrated and aurally mapped to perfection," lavishly praising the often "exquisitely moody" songs and Rawle's vocal and "shredding" guitar talents. Nathan Jolly of The Music Network praised the album's production, saying "The twin attack of producer [Paul] McKercher and mixer Scott Horscroft makes for a mammoth sounding record," adding that, whilst "the sheer size of this album is what first attracts, it's the subtleties throughout that will give this album longevity." Jolly adds that the album thrives on its "space and size", found through the "perfect" marriage of the band's "poised delicacy" and "bombastic" rock elements. Mariam Digges of PagesDigital remarked that the album was "an earsplitting debut", and one "set to be a stand out Australian album for 2011." Reporting for the Australian Associated Press
, Ross Purdie stated that "Without doubt ones to watch, the indie rock three-piece have created a confident and assured debut," foreseeing a "bold future for the band".
Sam Hagaman of Brisbane's Rave Magazine called it a "well executed" album, praising in particular the band's vocal talents, stating that "lead singer Rawle's vocals fall into a warm, easy sound so natural it belies his age; at times the tone could even be mistaken for a young Freddie Mercury
." Hagaman also noted the "classic rock influences", "rawking, rampant guitar solos", and "the odd falsetto hit, male harmonies and a song-writing touch of ecstatic harmonic highs," reminiscent of The Darkness. Awarding the album 4 out of 5 stars and Album of the Week for Radar Radio, Declan Dickinson praised the album's "mixture of dirty, grungy guitar riffs with soaring vocal harmonies provided by the group's wealth of singing talent", and asserted that "whether they realise it or not, Papa Vs Pretty are fast becoming a part of the Australian Rock music canon."
Many reviewers have favourably compared the album to such alternative rock luminaries as The Bends
-era Radiohead
, Jeff Buckley
"(both in their frenzied flight and simmering restraint)", Muse
, Silverchair
and "a handful of Australian Triple J
bands from the 90's," whilst Dickinson positively described the album as "AC/DC
meets Nick Cave
."
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
-nominated debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by Australian rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
Papa Vs Pretty
Papa VS Pretty
Papa Vs Pretty is an ARIA-nominated Australian rock band from Sydney, New South Wales. Originally the solo act of then 15-year old Thomas Rawle in 2006, Papa Vs Pretty became its current three-piece band in 2008 with the addition of Rawle’s friends Angus Gardiner and Tom Myers Papa Vs Pretty is...
. It was released in Australia on 27 May 2011 through Peace & Riot/EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
. The album was recorded at BJB Studios and Oceanic 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...
, Australia, throughout January and February 2011. It was produced and engineered by five time ARIA Award
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
winning producer Paul McKercher, and mixed by Scott Horscroft. The album was nominated for Rock Album of the Year at the 2011 25th Anniversary ARIA Music Awards
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
, and it has also been nominated for the 2011 Triple J 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...
for Album of the Year.
First single, "One of the Animals", had its radio premiere on 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...
with Richard Kingsmill
Richard Kingsmill
Richard "The King" Kingsmill is an Australian radio announcer and music journalist.He is best known for his work at national youth broadcaster triple j. His career at the station started in 1988 as a producer for station presenters George Wayne, Tracee Hutchison and Tim Ritchie...
on 20 March 2011, and a music video for the song directed by Byron Quandary was released online on 17 April 2011. The music video for "One of the Animals" was voted as Channel V
Channel V Australia
Channel [V] Australia is an Australian subscription television music channel, and also the newest Channel [V] channel. It is available on Foxtel, Optus TV and Austar satellite and cable services...
's RIPE Clip of the Week for 18 April 2010, and was also added to rotation on Rage
Rage (TV program)
Rage is a popular all-night Australian music video program broadcast on ABC1 on Friday nights, Saturday mornings and Saturday nights. It was first screened on the weekend of Friday, 17 April 1987. With Soul Train no longer being produced, it is the oldest music television program currently still...
. "One Of The Animals" was featured in iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
's Must-Have Songs: April 2011 playlist, one of only three Australian artists in the 11-song collection. Singles "Honey" and "Darkest Way" have also received heavy radio rotation on Triple J.
The album has been met with positive reviews, with the mature songwriting and production in particular praised. Awarded a 9 out of 10 by both 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...
Magazine and The AU Review, it was also awarded the coveted Triple J Feature Album spot for the week beginning 30 May 2011.
Concept and musical style
Conceptually, Thomas Rawle has described United in Isolation as "almost a concept albumConcept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
", with a main lyrical "focal point". "In a very broad sense, it's about human nature's desire to always be coupled with another, and how love can sometimes be a vessel of selfishness. It's almost like animal behaviour, and I guess we are animals, just with language and ego".
In regards to their previous releases from a musical perspective, bassist Angus Gardiner likens the band's musical evolution evident throughout United in Isolation as "like a windy road that’s slowly becoming straight. At the start we were covering so much ground and now it’s all sort of funnelling into one direction". Adding to the discussion of the more focused musical direction of United In Isolation, singer/guitarist Thomas Rawle said "I feel like people couldn’t really gauge our direction before [with previous EPs] but now they should have a very good idea of what we’re about".
Track listing
Bonus, Deluxe and Limited Edition releases
Various bonus, deluxe and limited editions of the album have been released.The United in Isolation (Deluxe Edition) iTunes LP
ITunes LP
iTunes LP is a format for interactive album artwork introduced by Apple Inc. on the 9 September 2009. It is similar to the CMX format being developed by the 4 major record labels, and operates within the iTunes 9 software, allowing the user to view multimedia elements alongside the music...
, made available through the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
, includes two bonus tracks, "Friend" and "(My Soul Was) Born on Death Row". In addition, it includes interactive hand-drawn artwork by Thomas Rawle, and various multimedia elements such as behind-the-scenes videos and photos.
A special pre-order
Pre-order
A pre-order is an order placed for an item which has not yet been released. The idea for pre-orders came when people found it hard to get popular items in stores due to their popularity. Companies were then given the idea to allow people to reserve their own personal copy, before the release, ...
United in Isolation package was made available for JB Hi-Fi
JB Hi-Fi
JB Hi-Fi is an Australian CD, DVD, Blu-ray disc, video game and consumer electronics chain store.-History:JB Hi-Fi was established in Melbourne suburb of Keilor East by John Barbuto in 1974...
and Red Eye Records online customers, including a signed copy of the album and a bonus limited edition 7 track EP titled Memoirs from a Bedroom: Issue 1, featuring previously unreleased new Papa Vs Pretty songs.
Reception
The album has received positive reviews, with the mature and "confident" songwriting and production in particular praised, and was nominated for Rock Album of the Year at the 2011 25th Anniversary ARIA Music AwardsARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
,, as well as being nominated for the 2011 Triple J 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...
for Album of the Year.
Awarding the album a 9 out of 10 for 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...
Magazine, Christian Burling hailed their debut as being "worlds beyond their collective years, carried by youthful abandon, charisma and enthusiasm," and that the band had set the bar "ridiculously high". Giving a 4.5 out of 5 for The Brag, where the album was also awarded Album of the Week, Jonno Seidler wrote that the record "is orchestrated and aurally mapped to perfection," lavishly praising the often "exquisitely moody" songs and Rawle's vocal and "shredding" guitar talents. Nathan Jolly of The Music Network praised the album's production, saying "The twin attack of producer [Paul] McKercher and mixer Scott Horscroft makes for a mammoth sounding record," adding that, whilst "the sheer size of this album is what first attracts, it's the subtleties throughout that will give this album longevity." Jolly adds that the album thrives on its "space and size", found through the "perfect" marriage of the band's "poised delicacy" and "bombastic" rock elements. Mariam Digges of PagesDigital remarked that the album was "an earsplitting debut", and one "set to be a stand out Australian album for 2011." Reporting for the Australian Associated Press
Australian Associated Press
Australian Associated Press is Australia's national news agency. The organisation was established in 1935 by Fairfax and The Herald and Weekly Times.AAP employs more than 175 journalists who work in bureaux in all Australian states and territories...
, Ross Purdie stated that "Without doubt ones to watch, the indie rock three-piece have created a confident and assured debut," foreseeing a "bold future for the band".
Sam Hagaman of Brisbane's Rave Magazine called it a "well executed" album, praising in particular the band's vocal talents, stating that "lead singer Rawle's vocals fall into a warm, easy sound so natural it belies his age; at times the tone could even be mistaken for a young Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range...
." Hagaman also noted the "classic rock influences", "rawking, rampant guitar solos", and "the odd falsetto hit, male harmonies and a song-writing touch of ecstatic harmonic highs," reminiscent of The Darkness. Awarding the album 4 out of 5 stars and Album of the Week for Radar Radio, Declan Dickinson praised the album's "mixture of dirty, grungy guitar riffs with soaring vocal harmonies provided by the group's wealth of singing talent", and asserted that "whether they realise it or not, Papa Vs Pretty are fast becoming a part of the Australian Rock music canon."
Many reviewers have favourably compared the album to such alternative rock luminaries as The Bends
The Bends
The Bends is the second studio album by the English alternative rock band Radiohead, released on 13 March 1995 by Parlophone. The Bends was produced by John Leckie at EMI's studios in London, and engineered by Nigel Godrich, who would go on to produce all future albums by the band...
-era Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
, Jeff Buckley
Jeff Buckley
Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" Buckley , raised as Scotty Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was the son of Tim Buckley, also a musician...
"(both in their frenzied flight and simmering restraint)", Muse
Muse (band)
Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...
, Silverchair
Silverchair
Silverchair were an Australian rock band, which formed in 1992 as Innocent Criminals in Merewether, Newcastle with the line-up of Ben Gillies on drums, Chris Joannou on bass guitar and Daniel Johns on vocals and guitars. The group got their big break in mid-1994 when they won a national demo...
and "a handful of Australian 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...
bands from the 90's," whilst Dickinson positively described the album as "AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...
meets Nick Cave
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
."
Personnel
- Thomas Rawle – guitar, vocals, keyboards
- Angus Gardiner – bass, vocals, keyboards, violoncello
- Tom Myers – drums, vocals