Veronica Falls (album)
Encyclopedia
Veronica Falls is the self-titled debut album by indie pop
band Veronica Falls
. The album was released on September 20, 2011, in the United States
through Slumberland Records
, and in the European Union
through Bella Union
.
" and "Beachy Head
" on the American label Captured Tracks.
After releasing their first two singles, the band released their self-titled debut album in September 2011 on Slumberland Records
in the United States
and Bella Union
in the European Union
, to generally favorable reviews. The album was recorded with veteran producer Guy Fixsen
. The album was followed by a single, "Bad Feeling", in August, 2011.
, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 76, based on 14 reviews, indicating "generally favourable reviews".
Allmusic writer Tim Sendra, gave a very positive review to the album and awarded it with 4 and half stars out of 5 and wrote: "The album sounds effortless and truly organic in the best sense of the word, like four people blending together to make one perfectly formed sound." Pitchfork
was also positive on the album and scored it 7.7 out of 10 and noted: "There's a striking physicality to these songs, and Guy Fixsen and Ash Workman's production makes every tambourine beat hit with the clarity of a shattering window." Now
magazine gave the album 4 stars out of 5 and said: "While the songs sound effortlessly crafted, there's a complexity to the melodies and structures that surprises on repeat listens." Dom Gourlay of Drowned in Sound
praised the album and scored it 9 out of 10 and wrote: "For an album with no discernible weak links – we'll deduct a mark simply because half these songs were previously available – the final quarter is where Veronica Falls finds itself elevated alongside 2011's best." Consequence of Sound
also gave a positive review to the album and gave it 3 and half stars out of 5 and said: "While this sense of restraint feels deliberate, it does raise hopes that the band will fully go off the deep end the next time around. Nevertheless, Veronica Falls is an overall engaging album of contrasts."
Clash
magazine was also positive on the album and commented: "Given time, it's enjoyably addictive" and scored it 7 out of 10. BBC
music gave favourable review and said: "Despite the odd patch of fluffier filler, it's still filled with enough dark delights to send tingles up and down your spine." Jon Caramanica of The New York Times
also gave a favourable review and noted: "The boy-girl harmonies on this album at least suggest the possibility of outside points of view, but really, Ms. Clifford's tension is everything."
The album also received some mixed reviews. One of them came from NME
which gave the album 6 out of 10 and said: "Even if they're a hard band to fall in love with, this record is ridiculously easy to admire." The other one was from MusicOMH
which gave it 3 stars out of 5 and wrote: "Veronica Falls have carved into a niche that will always have a small but loyal following which will baffle those on the outside. Newcomers would do well to do their homework first, and enjoy this debut with a thousand points of reference." The Guardian
also gave a mixed review to the album and said: "For a group so in thrall to death, there's a surprising amount of life here."
(*) These shows featured with Dum Dum Girls
(^) This show featured with Wild Flag
On Instruments
Technical and production
Sounding
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...
band Veronica Falls
Veronica Falls
Veronica Falls are an indie pop band which formed in London, United Kingdom, in 2009. The band consists of Roxanne Clifford and James Hoare both on vocals and guitar, Marion Herbain on bass guitar and Patrick Doyle on drums and back vocals. The members of the band were formerly in the bands The...
. The album was released on September 20, 2011, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
through Slumberland Records
Slumberland Records
Slumberland Records is an American independent record label formed in 1989 in Washington, D.C. area and currently based in Oakland, CA. The label has released recordings from artists including Velocity Girl, Honeybunch, Lilys, Stereolab, St...
, and in the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
through Bella Union
Bella Union
Bella Union is an independent record label that was started up by Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie in 1997.After releasing records with 4AD for a large part of their career, Cocteau Twins decided to take a step towards independence and started up the Bella Union record label, through which they...
.
History
In 2010, Veronica Falls released two singles under the name of "Found Love in a GraveyardFound Love in a Graveyard
"Found Love in a Graveyard" is the first single of the debut self-titled studio album, Veronica Falls by British indie pop band, Veronica Falls. the single released a year before the release of the album in February 09, 2010 which gained positive reviews from critics.-Receptions:Tim Sendra of...
" and "Beachy Head
Beachy Head (song)
"Beachy Head" is the second single of the debut self-titled studio album, Veronica Falls by British indie pop band, Veronica Falls. the single released a year before the release of the album, just like the fist single, in September 21, 2010 which gained positive reviews from critics.-Reception:As...
" on the American label Captured Tracks.
After releasing their first two singles, the band released their self-titled debut album in September 2011 on Slumberland Records
Slumberland Records
Slumberland Records is an American independent record label formed in 1989 in Washington, D.C. area and currently based in Oakland, CA. The label has released recordings from artists including Velocity Girl, Honeybunch, Lilys, Stereolab, St...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Bella Union
Bella Union
Bella Union is an independent record label that was started up by Simon Raymonde and Robin Guthrie in 1997.After releasing records with 4AD for a large part of their career, Cocteau Twins decided to take a step towards independence and started up the Bella Union record label, through which they...
in the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, to generally favorable reviews. The album was recorded with veteran producer Guy Fixsen
Guy Fixsen
Guy Fixsen is a producer/engineer/musician based in London. He is best-known for his producing/engineering work with various indie rock, shoegazer, and experimental rock bands, and for forming the band Laika....
. The album was followed by a single, "Bad Feeling", in August, 2011.
Reception
Veronica Falls received positive reviews from music critics. At MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 76, based on 14 reviews, indicating "generally favourable reviews".
Allmusic writer Tim Sendra, gave a very positive review to the album and awarded it with 4 and half stars out of 5 and wrote: "The album sounds effortless and truly organic in the best sense of the word, like four people blending together to make one perfectly formed sound." Pitchfork
Pitchfork
A pitchfork is an agricultural tool with a long handle and long, thin, widely separated pointed tines used to lift and pitch loose material, such as hay, leaves, grapes, dung or other agricultural materials. Pitchforks typically have two or three tines...
was also positive on the album and scored it 7.7 out of 10 and noted: "There's a striking physicality to these songs, and Guy Fixsen and Ash Workman's production makes every tambourine beat hit with the clarity of a shattering window." Now
NOW (magazine)
Now is a free weekly newspaper in Toronto, Canada. It was first printed on September 10, 1981 by Michael Hollett and Alice Klein. Now is an alternative weekly mixing arts and entertainment news with political coverage....
magazine gave the album 4 stars out of 5 and said: "While the songs sound effortlessly crafted, there's a complexity to the melodies and structures that surprises on repeat listens." Dom Gourlay of Drowned in Sound
Drowned in Sound
DrownedinSound.com or DiS is a UK based music webzine financed by artist management company Silentway . The site is an editorially independent music website.-History:...
praised the album and scored it 9 out of 10 and wrote: "For an album with no discernible weak links – we'll deduct a mark simply because half these songs were previously available – the final quarter is where Veronica Falls finds itself elevated alongside 2011's best." Consequence of Sound
Consequence of Sound
Consequence of Sound, also known often as CoS, is a Chicago-based music website featuring news, album and concert reviews, and editorials. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook micro-site, which serves as an on-line database for music festival news and rumors...
also gave a positive review to the album and gave it 3 and half stars out of 5 and said: "While this sense of restraint feels deliberate, it does raise hopes that the band will fully go off the deep end the next time around. Nevertheless, Veronica Falls is an overall engaging album of contrasts."
Clash
Clash (magazine)
Clash is a popular music and fashion magazine based in the United Kingdom. Its magazine title is published 12 times a year. It has a circulation of around 40,000....
magazine was also positive on the album and commented: "Given time, it's enjoyably addictive" and scored it 7 out of 10. BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
music gave favourable review and said: "Despite the odd patch of fluffier filler, it's still filled with enough dark delights to send tingles up and down your spine." Jon Caramanica of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
also gave a favourable review and noted: "The boy-girl harmonies on this album at least suggest the possibility of outside points of view, but really, Ms. Clifford's tension is everything."
The album also received some mixed reviews. One of them came from NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
which gave the album 6 out of 10 and said: "Even if they're a hard band to fall in love with, this record is ridiculously easy to admire." The other one was from MusicOMH
MusicOMH
musicOMH is a United Kingdom-based website which publishes independent reviews, featues and interviews from across all musical genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B.-History:...
which gave it 3 stars out of 5 and wrote: "Veronica Falls have carved into a niche that will always have a small but loyal following which will baffle those on the outside. Newcomers would do well to do their homework first, and enjoy this debut with a thousand points of reference." The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
also gave a mixed review to the album and said: "For a group so in thrall to death, there's a surprising amount of life here."
Track listing
Chart positions
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
150 |
Tour Dates
Tour dates confirmed by the band official webiste| Date | City | Country | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 27, 2011 | London London London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... |
United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
Barfly Barfly (club) Barfly is a chain of live music venues nightclubs in the UK operating as part of the MAMA Group. It has venues in Brighton, London & York. They regularly feature live music. Their club nights tend to feature rock, alternative and independent music... |
| November 04, 2011 | Ghent Ghent Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of... |
Belgium Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... |
Democrazy |
| November 05, 2011 | Hamburg Hamburg -History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808... |
Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
Molotw |
| November 06, 2011 | Berlin Berlin Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union... |
Roter Salon | |
| November 08, 2011 | Paris Paris Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region... |
France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
Le Pont Ephemere |
| November 10, 2011 | Luxembourg Luxembourg Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south... |
EXIT07 | |
| November 11, 2011 | Amsterdam Amsterdam Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population... |
Netherlands Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... |
London Calling |
| November 13, 2011* | Manchester Manchester Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater... |
United Kingdom | FAC 251 |
| November 14, 2011* | Newcastle Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne... |
The Cluny The Cluny The Cluny is a live music venue, pub and café, on Lime Street, in the Ouseburn Valley area of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Based in a former flax spinning mill, The Cluny occupies part of the wider building at 36 Lime Street, sharing the space with artists, offices and recording studios.The Cluny... |
|
| November 15, 2011* | Leeds Leeds Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial... |
Brudenell | |
| November 16, 2011* | Wrexham Wrexham Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England... |
Wales Wales Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²... |
Central Station |
| November 17, 2011* | London | United Kingdom | ULU |
| November 23, 2011 | Barcelona Barcelona Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of... |
Spain Spain Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula... |
Primavera Club |
| November 24, 2011 | Madrid Madrid Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan... |
Primavera Club | |
| December 08, 2011^ | London | United Kingdom | The Lexington |
| December 16, 2011 | Stockholm Stockholm Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area... |
Sweden Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
Debaser Slussen |
(*) These shows featured with Dum Dum Girls
Dum Dum Girls
Dum Dum Girls are an American indie pop band from California that formed in 2008. Their name comes from both The Vaselines' album Dum Dum and the Iggy Pop song "Dum Dum Boys"...
(^) This show featured with Wild Flag
Wild Flag
Wild Flag is an American four-piece group based in Portland, Oregon and Washington, D.C.. The group consists of Carrie Brownstein , Mary Timony , Rebecca Cole and Janet Weiss...
Personnel
Additional credits confirmed by Allmusic:On Instruments
- Roxanne Clifford - guitar
- Patrick Doyle - giutar
- Marion Herbain - drums
- James Hoare - bass guitar
Technical and production
- Engineering - Ash Workman, Simon Trout, Guy Fixsen
- Mastering - Guy Davie
- Mixing - Ash Workman, Woodie Taylor
Sounding
- Vocals - Roxanne Clifford, Patrick Doyle
- Back vocal - Marion Herbain
- Vocal Engineer - Charlie Alex March