Smother (album)

Smother
Studio album by Wild Beasts
Released	9 May 2011
Recorded	2010 in Snowdonia, North Wales [1]
Genre	Indie rock, dream pop, electronica
Length	42:02
Label	Domino
Producer	Richard Formby, Wild Beasts
Wild Beasts chronology
Two Dancers (2009) Smother (2011) Present Tense (2014)

Smother is the third studio album by British indie rock/dream pop band Wild Beasts released on 9 May 2011 by Domino Records. It reached #17 in the UK Albums Chart.^[2] According to the band, it represents a more synthesiser-based sound than previous efforts, influenced by "moving to Dalston", Brazilian writer Clarice Lispector, minimalist composer Steve Reich, noise pop duo Fuck Buttons,^[3] and Mary Shelley's book, Frankenstein.^[4]

Background

The band moved to London to make the record and that, according to Hayden Thorpe, drew them "back to the Lake District, the soundscape of that place." "Smother refers to the pillow we were resting our heads - the album really was the place where our heads, thoughts and dreams were at the time... The duality of the word 'smother' is important to us as well - that mad human dynamic of doing the right things for all the wrong reasons or doing the wrong things for all the right reasons", the singer said.^[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	85/100[6]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[7]
Clash	9/10[8]
Drowned in Sound	9/10[9]
The Guardian	[10]
The Independent	[11]
MusicOMH	[12]
NME	9/10[13]
Pitchfork Media	8.2/10[14]
Q	[5]
Spin	7/10[15]

Smother received widespread acclaim from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 85, based on 28 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".^[6]

Reviewing the album for BBC Music, Mike Diver wrote, "[Wild Beasts] are, right now, the most inspirational, intriguing, effortlessly enrapturing band at work [in Britain]. And Smother might well prove to be the album of 2011."^[16] Jon Pareles of The New York Times said, "In songs suffused with need and vulnerability, the music leaves itself open, waiting to be approached."^[17]

Uncut placed the album at number 8 on its list of "Top 50 albums of 2011".^[18] while Mojo placed the album at number 10.^[19]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Lion's Share"	4:14
2.	"Bed of Nails"	4:18
3.	"Deeper"	3:01
4.	"Loop the Loop"	4:06
5.	"Plaything"	4:21
6.	"Invisible"	2:58
7.	"Albatross"	3:12
8.	"Reach a Bit Further"	3:36
9.	"Burning"	4:44
10.	"End Come Too Soon"	7:32
Total length:		42:02

Personnel

• Hayden Thorpe – lead vocals (1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10), backing vocals, guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, production
• Tom Fleming – lead vocals (1, 3, 6, 8, 9), backing vocals, keyboards, guitar, production
• Ben Little – lead guitar, keyboards, production
• Chris Talbot – drums, production
• Richard Formby – production, additional arrangements
• Lexxx – mixing
• Dave Pye – engineering
• Jason Evans – photography, art direction, design
• Matthew Cooper – design

References

1. Wild Beasts to release new album 'Smother' in May | News | NME.COM
2. UK Albums Chart. Smother. Wild Beasts.
3. Wild Beasts on Finishing Their Third Album | Because Magazine
4. Wild Beasts looking to 'Frankenstein' as inspiration for new album | News | NME.COM
5. Segal, Victoria. Q magazine. June 2011. New Albums review/Making th album. Wild Beasts. Smother. p.112-113.
6. "Smother – Wild Beasts". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
7. AllMusic review
8. Clash review
9. Drowned in Sound review
10. The Guardian review
11. The Independent review
12. MusicOMH review
13. NME review
14. Pitchfork review
15. Spin review
16. BBC - Music - Review of Wild Beasts - Smother
17. Pareles, Jon; Chinen, Nate (9 May 2011). "New CDs From Antlers, Wild Beasts and Okkervil River". The New York Times.
18. Uncut's Top 50 of 2011 - Stereogum
19. "MOJO's Top 50 Albums Of 2011". Stereogum. December 2, 2011. Retrieved December 16, 2011.