The English Riviera (album)

The English Riviera
Studio album by Metronomy
Released	8 April 2011 (2011-04-08)
Recorded	Smokehouse Studios (London), Motorbass (Paris)
Genre	Indietronica, Neo soul, New wave
Length	45:04
Label	Because
Producer	Joseph Mount
Metronomy chronology
Nights Out (2008) The English Riviera (2011) Love Letters (2014)

The English Riviera is the third studio album by English electronic band Metronomy, released in the United Kingdom on 8 April 2011 by Because Music. Since the release of their last album Nights Out in 2008, original member Gabriel Stebbing left the band and Gbenga Adelekan had joined on bass and Anna Prior on drums. However, Stebbing recorded the bass parts on this album.

The album was nominated for the 2011 Mercury Prize.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	77/100[1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]
BBC Music	favourable[3]
The Daily Telegraph	[4]
Drowned in Sound	9/10[5]
The Guardian	[6]
The Independent	favourable[7]
musicOMH	[8]
NME	9/10[9]
The Observer	[10]
Pitchfork	6.4/10[11]

The NME placed the album at number two on its list of the Top 50 Albums of 2011,^[12] while Uncut and Q listed the album at numbers three and seventeen, respectively.^[13][14] Mike Williams of NME wrote, "With this, his third full-length album, Joe Mount has transformed his Metronomy project from a jaunty, brilliant, yet ultimately niche electro outfit into one of the most expansive and visionary pop bands in the country," awarding the record 9/10.^[9]

Singles

• "She Wants" was released as the lead single from the album on 26 January 2011. The promo video (directed in Jul & Mat) takes place during a house party with the action being played out in reverse in one continuous take. The bandmembers are absent although pictures of the group's faces can be seen throughout the video. At one point a QR code is mounted on a wall, providing an interactive feature that allows fans to access the Metronomy website after being scanned.
• "The Look" was released as the second single on 11 March 2011. The video, directed by Lorenzo Fonda, depicts the band performing the song in a white room alongside stop motion animated sequences featuring seagulls. The band scenes were filmed in London while the animation was produced in Los Angeles. Frontman Joseph Mount is seen playing a Yamaha Electone EX-2 organ. The song is played over the end titles of the 2013 Pedro Almodóvar film "I'm So Excited" (Los amantes pasajeros).
• "The Bay" was released as the third single on 10 June 2011. The video, directed by David Wilson, intersperses bird's-eye views of Torbay (known as the English Riviera) and the band performing the song at various places in Torquay where the video was shot.
• "Everything Goes My Way" was released on 17 October 2011. The video features the band along with guest vocalist Roxanne Clifford having a stroll in a nature reserve surrounded by deer.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Joseph Mount. 

Personnel

Band

• Joseph Mount – arranger, art direction, producer (all tracks); vocals (tracks 2–11); bass guitar (tracks 6, 7); clavinet, Yamaha CS2x (track 11); conga, EDP Wasp (track 7); drums (tracks 2–7, 10); guitar (tracks 2, 4–7, 9); handclaps (track 3); Minimoog (tracks 4, 7); Moog modular (track 8); Moog Source (tracks 4, 8, 10); percussion (tracks 3–11); Roland Juno-60 (tracks 2, 4); Solina String Ensemble (track 5); talk box, Yamaha CS-80 (track 6); Wurlitzer 200A (tracks 6, 10); Yamaha CS-50 (track 10)
• Oscar Cash – guitar (track 3); handclaps (tracks 3, 4, 9); saxophone (tracks 3, 7); Siel Orchestra (track 4); Roland Juno-60 (tracks 5, 9)
• Gbenga Adelekan – bass guitar, backing vocals, handclaps (track 9)
• Anna Prior – backing vocals (track 5); drums (tracks 9, 11); vocals, handclaps (track 9)

Additional

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References