| Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans | ||
|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Uffie | ||
| Released | June 14, 2010 | |
| Recorded | 2005–2010 | |
| Genre | Alternative dance[1] | |
| Length | 48:03 | |
| Label | Ed Banger, Because, Elektra | |
| Producer | Feadz, J-Mat, Mr. Oizo, Mirwais, SebastiAn | |
| Singles from Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans | ||
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Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans is the debut studio album by French-American recording artist Uffie. It was released June 14, 2010 in Europe and June 22, 2010 in the United States by Ed Banger Records, Because Music and Elektra Records. Produced by Feadz, J-Mat, Mr. Oizo, Mirwais and SebastiAn, the album features guest appearances by Pharrell Williams and Matt Safer from acclaimed indie rock band The Rapture, and includes a cover of Siouxsie and the Banshees' 1978 song "Hong Kong Garden",[2] which Uffie said was one of her favorite songs.[3]
The album was included in Drowned in Sound's 50 best albums of 2010, at number 35[4] and was also included as one of the top albums of 2010 in other various publications, including Chart Magazine,[5] WBEZ,[6] QRO Magazine,[7] idsNEWS,[8] WTSR,[9] among others. It was also announced in 2011, that the album had been nominated in the French Victoires de la Musique for Best Electronic Album.[10][11]
Contents |
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
| BLARE Magazine | [12] |
| BBC Music | (favorable)[13] |
| Drowned in Sound | [14] |
| Gigwise | [15] |
| The Independent | (favorable)[16] |
| musicOMH | [17] |
| Real Detroit Weekly | [18] |
| Rolling Stone | [19] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | [20] |
| Virgin Media | [21] |
Uffie's record label Ed Banger Records first stated in late 2006 that her debut album would be released "mid-to-late 2007", then "sometime in 2008". Hectic traveling and touring schedules, her marriage and divorce, news of her pregnancy and growing as an artist delayed the release of the album. She stated that her new sound is very different with a much more mature sound and there would be more singing on the album than her previous EPs. She describes the album as "schizophrenic" and "worth the wait". On October 3, 2009, Busy P, founder and owner of Ed Banger Records, stated that Uffie's album had just been completed and was due out in spring 2010.[22] Feadz, J-Mat, Mr. Oizo, Mirwais and SebastiAn served as producers on the album, while both Pharrell Williams and Mattie Safer from The Rapture made guest appearances.[2]
Before the release of the album there was a contract-conflict between Uffie and Lou Reed as to who would be credited as the writer of the title track, "Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans", which once again delayed the album from "early 2010" to June 15, 2010. The song uses an instrumental sample of The Velvet Underground track "Rock & Roll" and the only way Lou Reed would allow her to use the sample was by calling "Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans" an "adaptation" of "Rock & Roll" and receiving the sole credit as the writer of the song as well. This dispute delayed the album by about six months and Uffie notoriously labeled Lou Reed as "fucking difficult"[23] and when asked if he had heard the song, she stated "yes he has, he had to clear it. And it was a very not nice experience dealing with him, I have to say. I don't know what this guy's problem is but on the credits I think it even says something like he wrote it. He gets everything."[24]
In a later interview with BBC Radio 1, Uffie stated that the album was heavily acid-influenced and that Mirwais produced five tracks, while Feadz, Mr. Oizo and SebastiAn produced a couple of tracks each. She also went on to refer to the album as "the end of my crazy youth and the intro to my adult life."[25] "Pop the Glock", "First Love" and "Brand New Car" were all previously released as singles at least three years prior to the album's release.
"MC's Can Kiss" was the first single released from Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans and was released on January 12, 2010 to very strong critical praise, describing it as "an old school soundclash of heavy beats and sharp rhymes" and "shows off the French-American's ballsy schtick to full effect."[26][27] Gigwise went on to say that the single was "a razor-sharp lyrical assault with enough bombast to fuel the war in Afghanistan"[28] and BBC noted that the single was a "sarky bling-killing single." Also, "MCs Can Kiss" charted very successfully in Japan, peaking at number forty-eight and charted in France as well.[29][30]
On April 15, 2010 Uffie's second and lead single from "Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans", "ADD SUV" featuring Pharrell Williams and produced by Mirwais, it premiered on BBC Radio 1. Uffie describes "ADD SUV" as "poking fun at the rap fraternity's obsession with possessions, particularly their cars...",[31] but was more seriously influenced by the 1966 classic novel Valley of the Dolls, which Uffie was reading at the time she wrote the song.[32] A music video for "ADD SUV", filmed in Los Angeles and starring both Uffie and Pharrell Williams was directed by Nathalie Canguilhem and was released on June 14, 2010. The single was praised by critics from The New York Post,[33] Prefix Magazine,[34] Spin,[35] and BBC[36] and charted very successfully in the UK, peaking at number six in the UK Independent Singles Chart.
Upon release, Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans reached number seven on both the French Digital Albums Chart[37] and the Belgian Heatseekers Albums,[38] as well as number fifty-nine on the main French Albums Chart.[38] Also, the album was an underground hit in both the United Kingdom and the United States. It charted at number seventeen on the Dance/Electronic Albums and number thirty-two on the Heatseekers Albums in the U.S.,[39] while reaching number eighteen on the UK Dance Albums Chart[40] and number thirty-one on the UK Independent Albums Chart.[41] Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans would also go on to reach number forty-three in Greece, number sixty-two in Switzerland and number seventy-seven in Germany. Singles "MCs Can Kiss", "ADD SUV", "F1rst Love" and "Pop the Glock" also managed to chart in various countries such as France, Japan, and the UK.
Ed Banger Records confirmed through their Facebook page on August 11, 2010 that Uffie's next single to be released would be "Difficult", produced by label-mate and friend SebastiAn.[42] It was later announced that "Difficult" would be released as an EP on October 18, 2010, containing remixes by SebastiAn and Azari & III. A music video for the single was also announced to be released on October 6, 2010.[43]
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Pop the Glock" | Anna Hartley, Fabien Pianta, Johann Mattar | Feadz, J-Mat | 3:30 |
| 2. | "Art of Uff" | Hartley, Pianta, Quentin Dupieux | Mr. Oizo | 3:05 |
| 3. | "ADD SUV" (featuring Pharrell Williams) |
Hartley, Pharrell Williams, Mirwais Ahmadzaï | Mirwais | 3:29 |
| 4. | "Give It Away" | Pianta, Mattar | Feadz, J-Mat | 3:20 |
| 5. | "MCs Can Kiss" | Dupieux / Hartley, Pianta | Mr. Oizo | 3:09 |
| 6. | "Difficult" | Pianta, Sebastian Akchoté | SebastiAn | 2:56 |
| 7. | "First Love" | Hartley, Pianta, Dupieux | Mr. Oizo | 4:57 |
| 8. | "Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans" | Lou Reed | Mirwais | 2:37 |
| 9. | "Our Song" | Pianta, Dupieux | Feadz, Mr. Oizo | 3:19 |
| 10. | "Illusion of Love" (featuring Mattie Safer) |
Hartley, Matthew Safer, Ahmadzaï | Mirwais | 5:19 |
| 11. | "Neuneu" | Pianta, Dupieux | Mr. Oizo | 2:30 |
| 12. | "Brand New Car" | Pianta | Feadz | 3:19 |
| 13. | "Hong Kong Garden" | John McKay, Kenny Morris, Siouxsie Sioux, Steven Severin | Mirwais | 2:20 |
| 14. | "Ricky" | Pianta, Mattar | Feadz, J-Mat | 4:12 |
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Heatseekers Albums (Flanders)[38] | 7 |
| Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[38] | 76 |
| French Albums Chart[38] | 59 |
| German Albums Chart[45] | 77 |
| Greek Albums Chart[38] | 43 |
| Swiss Albums Chart[38] | 62 |
| UK Dance Albums Chart[40] | 18 |
| UK Independent Albums Chart[41] | 31 |
| US Dance/Electronic Albums[39] | 17 |
| US Heatseekers Albums[39] | 32 |