Stir the Blood

Stir the Blood
Studio album by The Bravery
Released December 1, 2009
Recorded 2009
Genre Indie rock, post-punk revival
Length 35:26
Label Island
Producer John Hill & Sam Endicott
The Bravery chronology

The Sun and the Moon Complete
(2008)		 Stir the Blood
(2009)
Singles from Stir the Blood
  1. "Slow Poison"
    Released: September 13, 2009
  2. "I Am Your Skin"
    Released: November 6, 2009
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
Alternative Press [2]
BLARE [3]
NME (6/10)[4]
Pitchfork Media (2.3/10)[5]
Rolling Stone [6]
Spin [7]

Stir the Blood is the third and final studio album by New York-based rock band The Bravery. The album was released on December 1, 2009, and features the single "Slow Poison".[8]

Production

To record the album, the band had to leave New York City behind and head upstate and into the woods. The group set up shop for Stir the Blood at Dreamland Recording: a recording facility in an old 1800's church which, years ago, housed the Pixies for an unnamed project and the B52s as they recorded "Love Shack". There, as most of the band came in and out, Endicott stayed in a neighboring house for several months as he helmed the producer's desk for the new record alongside John Hill (Santigold, Shakira). Songs, like "Slow Poison," "She's So Bendable," "I Am Your Skin" and "Hatefuck," came about as Endicott picked through riffs recorded here and there from the band's tour in support of 2007's The Sun and the Moon.

Endicott claims "there is a dark tone to this album," and that "There's an angry undertone to it. I was pretty pissed off when I wrote a lot of the songs." Endicott also claims that while the lyrics, which also focus on "intimacy," may be dark, the music stays upbeat.[9]

Singles/music videos

The first single off the album, "Slow Poison" has reached numbers 24 and 40 on the U.S. Alternative Songs chart and Billboard Rock Songs Chart. The second single, "I Am Your Skin" was released in November 2009 on iTunes.

A music video for the song "Hatefuck" was released in October 2009. In November a music video for "Slow Poison" was released.

A music video for "Sugar Pill" was also released in November 2009.

Album art

The cover of the album features a detail from 'Carrion Call' by British artist Polly Morgan.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Sam Endicott, except where noted.

  1. "Adored" – 3:42
  2. "Song for Jacob" – 3:23
  3. "Slow Poison" – 3:31
  4. "Hatefuck" – 2:55
  5. "I Am Your Skin" – 3:01
  6. "She's So Bendable" (M. Hindert) – 2:21
  7. "The Spectator" – 3:50
  8. "I Have Seen the Future" – 3:15
  9. "Red Hands and White Knuckles" – 3:21
  10. "Jack-O'-Lantern Man" – 2:50
  11. "Sugar Pill" – 3:17

Best Buy bonus tracks

  1. "Slow Poison" (Villains Remix)
  2. "Slow Poison" (Drop the Lime Remix)
  3. "Slow Poison" (Of Montreal Remix)

iTunes bonus tracks

  1. "Slow Poison" (Lego My Echo Remix)
  2. "Slow Poison" (Roy G and the Biv Remix)

Personnel

References

  1. ↑ Allmusic review
  2. ↑ Zalesi, Annie (January 2010). "File Under: Neo-New Wave". Alternative Press (Cleveland, Ohio: Alternative Press Magazines Inc.) (258): 92. ISSN 1065-1667.
  3. ↑ BLARE review
  4. ↑ NME review
  5. ↑ Pitchfork Media review
  6. ↑ Rolling Stone review
  7. ↑ Spin review
  8. ↑ "The Bravery - Stir the Blood". Island Records. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
  9. ↑ "Celebrity News, Gossip and Photo Galleries - HuffPost Celebrity UK". Spinnermusic.co.uk. 2012-02-14. Retrieved 2012-03-10.