Flaws
A girl is sitting side on with her face slightly tilted towards the camera.
Studio album by
Bombay Bicycle Club
Released9 July 2010 (2010-07-09)
RecordedFebruary 2009 - February 2010
The Church, Crouch End, London
GenreIndie folk[1]
Length33:26
LabelIsland
ProducerNeil MacColl, Jack Steadman
Bombay Bicycle Club chronology
I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose
(2009)		 Flaws
(2010)		 iTunes Festival: London 2010
(2010)
Singles from Flaws
  1. "Ivy & Gold"/"Flaws"
    Released: 9 May 2010
  2. "Rinse Me Down"/"Dorcas"
    Released: 20 September 2010

Flaws is the second studio album by the English indie rock band Bombay Bicycle Club, released on 9 July 2010 by Island Records.[2] Unlike the band's previous releases, the album is entirely acoustic music, consisting of versions of their own tracks as well as cover versions of other artists. The album was produced in part by the guitarist Jamie MacColl's father, Neil MacColl, with recording taking place in February 2009 at The Church in Crouch End, London. The band started work on the album after completing their first album, I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose.

Recording

Initial talks about an acoustic release began in February 2009, with the band confirming through MySpace that they were recording an acoustic EP in the Lake District, while continuing to promote their first album.[3] Following the completion of their first album during the same month,[4] the band regrouped at The Church, a recording studio in Crouch End, London. The album was produced in part by Neil MacColl, guitarist MacColl's father. The rest of the album's production was completed by the vocalist Jack Steadman in his bedroom.[5] In an interview with the Daily Record on 6 February 2010, the band revealed that they had completed recording the album, with MacColl confirming "[it's] hopefully going to come out in May or June".[6]

The album was completed in entirely acoustic music. Tracks include reworked versions of some of the band's previous releases, alongside original tracks and cover versions of songs by other artists.[7] The track "Dust on the Ground" was previously recorded on the band's first album, I Had the Blues.., and was released as the album's lead single on 29 June 2009.[8] "Jewel" had also been previously released, as a B-side to the 2010 single "Evening/Morning".[9] "Fairytale Lullaby" is a cover of a song by the late John Martyn (then titled "Fairy Tale Lullaby"), from his first album London Conversation.[10] "Swansea", the final track on the album, is a reworked version of the Joanna Newsom track of the same name.[5]

Promotion and release

Two acoustic guitarists and one bass guitarist are performing a song live on a stage. The stage is lined with large white lights.
Bombay Bicycle Club performing acoustically during the NME Awards Tour, 9 February 2010.

On 2 June 2009, the band supported Starsailor at the Union Chapel in London, performing an acoustic concert in aid of the homelessness charity Crisis.[11] During the set, the band aired acoustic versions of "Flaws" and "Ivy & Gold".[12] Later in the same month, the band embarked on the "Tour For Lulu" throughout June and July 2009, performing four dates in the United Kingdom at locations chosen by fans. The tour was possible because the band had a number of days off in between recording.[13] One location on the tour was a beach hut in Hengistbury Head, with the band including a cover version of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart".[14] The album was confirmed for release on 12 July 2010 in the United Kingdom, on CD and vinyl.[15]

Flaws was preceded by a 7-inch vinyl of "Ivy & Gold" and title track "Flaws", released on 5 July 2010.[16][17] Zane Lowe named "Ivy & Gold" his "Hottest Record in the World" on 12 May 2010,[18] an acclaim given to "Jewel"[9] and ..Blues.. single "Magnet"[19] previously. "Ivy & Gold" was also A-listed in the BBC Radio 1 playlist.[20] As well as this, the band announced a seven date tour of the United Kingdom, with most performances taking place in churches. All dates were performed acoustically.[21] The band also confirmed through Twitter that a video was to be recorded for each track, with "Flaws",[22] "Ivy & Gold",[23] "Swansea" and "Dust on the Ground"[24] in circulation before the album's release. A deluxe version of the album, released through the online retailer Play.com, includes a DVD containing the videos.[25]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic63/100[26]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[27]
BBC Music(favourable)[28]
Drowned In Sound(6/10)[29]
The Guardian[30]
NME(8/10)[31]
Pitchfork(4.0/10)[32]
PopMatters[33]

Flaws received a mixed reception from critics. The review aggregator Metacritic gave the album a normalised rating of 63, based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[26] Tessa Harris of NME praised the record for being more than an "acoustic diversion" for the band, highlighting the covers that show their ready to remove the "young-indie-upstarts label", concluding that "They've proved themselves to be a band who defy convention with an album stuffed full of subtle invention and an emotional intensity that you really wouldn't expect from a band still too young to grow a beard between them."[31] Mark Deming of AllMusic praised Steadman and MacColl for having "melodically strong and lyrically intelligent" material throughout the album and the former's performance for exuding dramatic flair and multiple moods, concluding that "Flaws sounds like a detour rather than a bold step in a new direction, but it speaks volumes about the strength and intelligence of Bombay Bicycle Club's songwriting; these tunes are impressive even as played by two guys with banjos and guitars in someone's bedroom, a trick not every band can pull off."[27]

April Clare Welsh of Drowned in Sound was critical of the covers being "disappointingly safe" and Lucy Rose's performance on the title track being "overly saccharine and contrived" but commended the band for showing their musical abilities through a "minimal aesthetic", concluding that "Flaws is perfectly executed and well produced and if you inhale the album in short, sharp breaths, then you may just find the middle of the road a charming place to be, for a brief moment anyway."[29] PopMatters contributor Max Feldman felt a "sense of displacement" throughout the record, noting a lack of "logical progression" for the band's soundscape between projects but gave credit to Steadman's folksy musicianship on tracks like "Dust on the Ground" and "Leaving Blues", concluding that, "[I]t's far more original then any of their previous efforts. However, where Flaws diverges so far from what we expect, it's likely that any further experimentation would make the band lose focus entirely."[33] Joshua Love of Pitchfork commended the album's production and instrumentation on tracks like "Rinse Me Down" and "Many Ways" but criticized Steadman for not having a distinct voice and providing said tracks with "empty floridity and moody romanticism."[32]

On 19 April 2011, it was announced that Flaws had been nominated for the 2011 Ivor Novello award for best album.[34]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Jack Steadman, except where noted

No.TitleLength
1."Rinse Me Down"3:10
2."Many Ways"2:44
3."Dust on the Ground"4:03
4."Ivy & Gold"2:56
5."Leaving Blues"2:56
6."Fairytale Lullaby" (cover of "Fairy Tale Lullaby"; John Martyn)2:20
7."Word by Word"2:38
8."Jewel"3:04
9."My God"2:26
10."Flaws" (feat. Lucy Rose)2:57
11."Swansea" (Joanna Newsom cover; feat. Lucy Rose)4:14

Personnel

  • Jack Steadman - lead vocals, guitar
  • Jamie MacColl - guitar
  • Ed Nash - bass guitar
  • Suren de Saram - drums
  • Lucy Rose - backing vocals

Chart performance

Chart (2010) Peak
Position
UK Albums Chart 8

References

  1. ↑ "Bombay Bicycle Club". smh. 14 August 2014. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
  2. ↑ "Flaws by Bombay Bicycle Club". iTunes. January 2010.
  3. ↑ "What the hell has Bombay Bicycle Club been up to?". Nu Rave Brain Wave. 5 February 2009. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  4. ↑ Gregory, Jason (11 May 2010). "Bombay Bicycle Club Announce Acoustic Album 'Flaws'". Gigwise.com. Retrieved 27 May 2010.
  5. 1 2 "Bombay Bicycle Club 'Flaws'". Mint magazine. 14 June 2010. Archived from the original on 19 June 2010. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  6. ↑ Lyons, Bev (6 February 2010). "Exclusive: Thieves hit magazine's gig at Barrowlands". The Daily Record. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  7. ↑ "Bombay Bicycle Club announce acoustic album title and tracklisting". NME. 11 May 2010. Retrieved 27 May 2010.
  8. ↑ "Bombay Bicycle Club - Single". Island Records. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  9. 1 2 Lowe, Zane (3 March 2010). "Hottest Record - Bombay Bicycle Club - Jewel". BBC Radio 1. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  10. ↑ Gibsone, Harriet (10 June 2010). "Bombay Bicycle Club 'Flaws' // First Listen". The Fly. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  11. ↑ "Starsailor set to play Crisis gig". South Wales Evening Post. 16 April 2009. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  12. ↑ Chang, Mary (7 June 2010). "In the Post #62: Bombay Bicycle Club". theregoesthefear.com. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  13. ↑ "Bombay Bicycle Club Announce 'Tour For Lulu'". The Fly. 16 June 2009. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  14. ↑ Cutter, Allana (30 June 2009). "Bombay Bicycle Club review". Bournemouth Daily Echo. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  15. ↑ "Bombay Bicycle Club Acoustic Album To Get Summer Release". Click Music. 26 April 2010. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  16. ↑ "Floorpaper: Bombay Bicycle Club : Flaws". floorpaper.com. 22 May 2010. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
  17. ↑ "Bombay Bicycle Club debut". redhotvelvet.co.uk. 14 June 2010. Archived from the original on 30 December 2010. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  18. ↑ Lowe, Zane (12 May 2010). "Hottest Record - Bombay Bicycle Club - Ivy & Gold". BBC Radio 1. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  19. ↑ Lowe, Zane (29 July 2009). "Hottest Record - Bombay Bicycle Club - Magnet". BBC Radio 1. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  20. ↑ "The Flaws acoustic videos, new album Bombay Bicycle Club" (in Spanish). Away From Here. 25 June 2010. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
  21. ↑ "Bombay Bicycle Club Acoustic Album & Tour". This Is Fake DIY. 28 April 2010. Archived from the original on 3 May 2012. Retrieved 17 June 2010.
  22. ↑ Slater, Luke (11 June 2010). "Watch: Bombay Bicycle Club - 'Flaws'". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 13 June 2010. Retrieved 19 June 2010.
  23. ↑ "Bombay Bicycle Club Ivy & Gold (Acoustic) Music Video". MUZU TV. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
  24. ↑ "Bombay Bicycle Club - Dust On The Ground". Watch Listen Tell (via YouTube). 16 July 2009. Archived from the original on 15 December 2021. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
  25. ↑ "Bombay Bicycle Club - Flaws (Deluxe CD & DVD Digipack)". Play.com. Archived from the original on 2 September 2010. Retrieved 27 June 2010.
  26. 1 2 "Flaws". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  27. 1 2 Deming, Mark. "Flaws - Bombay Bicycle Club". AllMusic. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  28. ↑ Lester, Paul (15 July 2010). "Review of Bombay Bicycle Club - Flaws". BBC Music (BBC Online). Archived from the original on 27 June 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  29. 1 2 Welsh, April Clare (12 July 2010). "Bombay Bicycle Club - Flaws". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 10 February 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  30. ↑ Simpson, Dave (9 July 2010). "Bombay Bicycle Club: Flaws". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 30 October 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  31. 1 2 Harris, Tessa (11 July 2010). "Album review: Bombay Bicycle Club - 'Flaws'". NME. Archived from the original on 19 July 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  32. 1 2 Love, Joshua (20 July 2010). "Bombay Bicycle Club: Flaws". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
  33. 1 2 Feldman, Max (13 August 2010). "Bombay Bicycle Club: Flaws". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  34. ↑ "Ivor Novello Nominations".
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