| Famous First Words | ||
|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Viva Brother | ||
| Released | August 1, 2011 | |
| Recorded | 2011 | |
| Genre | Alternative rock, Rock | |
| Label | Geffen Records | |
| Producer | Stephen Street | |
| Singles from Famous First Words | ||
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Famous First Words is the debut studio album by English pop-rock band Viva Brother, released on August 1, 2011, on Geffen Records in the United Kingdom. Preceded by the singles "Darling Buds of May", "Still Here" and "New Year's Day", the album was produced and mixed by Stephen Street, who had previously worked with acts such as Blur and The Smiths.
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| The Guardian | link |
| The Independent | link |
| musicOMH | link |
| NME | link |
| No Ripcord | link |
| The Observer | link |
| Pitchfork Media | (2.9/10.0) link |
| The Skinny | link |
The album was panned by critics upon release, with reviewers criticizing the lack of original content and the clumsiness with which the band attempted to emulate popular acts of the 90s. Alexis Petridis of the Guardian likened the band to a tragicomedy and remarked that "Viva Brother haven't got a new idea in their heads – as every song fades out, you somehow imagine the theme music from TFI Friday fading in".[1] Martin Headon of musicOMH praised certain aspects of the album, but noted that overall it was clichéd, had "few arresting melodies" and lacked courage.[2] Similarly, Hari Ashurst of Pitchfork Media lamented the "chugging guitar and infant grade lyrics", ultimately judging the album to be "pretty brainless stuff, the special kind that makes you feel somehow stupider for having listened".[3] John Meagher of the Irish Independent wrote that Viva Brother "might just be responsible for the most uninspired, downright awful British album of the year".[4]
NME's Emily Mackay gave the album a more moderate score of 5/10, commenting positively on "New Year's Day" and "Darling Buds of May", but going on to criticize the rest of the songs, saying, "there’s no lyrical content here with lasting weight or worth much comment at all..." The review ultimately described the album as "disappointing [and] formulaic".[5] On the other end of the spectrum, Daniel Dylan Wray of No Ripcord gave the album a scathing review with a score of 0/10, calling it, among other things, an "abomination", and going on to say, "This so-called ‘reinvention’ of Brit Pop is perhaps the most frustrating element ... it’s no re-birth ... [Viva Brother] are simply people with regressive tastes, mindsets and attitudes". He ultimately concluded with, "while everything about the persona of Viva Brother may scream ‘Like us or else…’ the content has nothing to say at all."[6]
All songs written and composed by Viva Brother.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "New Year's Day" | 3:22 |
| 2. | "Still Here" | 4:03 |
| 3. | "David" | 3:12 |
| 4. | "High Street Low Lives" | 3:02 |
| 5. | "Electric Daydream" | 3:46 |
| 6. | "Darling Buds of May" | 3:15 |
| 7. | "Otherside" | 3:40 |
| 8. | "Fly By Nights" | 2:50 |
| 9. | "False Alarm" | 3:49 |
| 10. | "Time Machine" | 3:17 |
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Total length:
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34:16 | |