Bloodsports (album)
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
Bloodsports is the sixth studio album by English alternative rock band Suede, released in March 2013. Their first studio album since A New Morning in 2002.
Background
Frontman Brett Anderson commented that the album would sound like cross between Dog Man Star and Coming Up.[1] He stated that Bloodsports is "about lust, it's about the chase, it's about the endless carnal game of love. It was possibly the hardest we've ever made but certainly the most satisfying".[2]
The band performed new material in 2011, most of which got scrapped when they went into the studio with Ed Buller, the producer of their first three albums.[3]
In January 2013, Suede released a free download of opening track "Barriers". The first single proper, "It Starts and Ends with You", followed in February.[2][4] Second single "Hit Me" was released in May[5] and a third single, "For the Strangers", was released in October. A 7-inch of "Barriers" marked Record Store Day on 20 April, the studio version of "Animal Nitrate" its b-side.[6]
Reception
Critical
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 80/100[7] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [8] |
| Clash | 8/10[9] |
| The Daily Telegraph | [10] |
| Digital Spy | [11] |
| The Guardian | [12] |
| Metro | [13] |
| musicOMH |  [14] |
| NME | 7/10[15] |
| Pitchfork Media | 7.6/10[16] |
| PopMatters | 8/10[17] |
| The Quietus | Very favourable[18] |
| Under the Radar | (8.5/10)[19] |
Bloodsports has been very well received by critics, their most acclaimed album since Coming Up in 1996. At Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 80, based on 27 reviews.[7]
Commercial
Bloodsports debuted on the Official UK Albums Chart at number 10, making it the band's first top 10 album since Head Music in 1999.[20]
Tracklisting
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Barriers" | Brett Anderson, Richard Oakes, Neil Codling | 3:42 |
| 2. | "Snowblind" | Anderson, Oakes | 4:03 |
| 3. | "It Starts and Ends with You" | Anderson, Codling | 3:51 |
| 4. | "Sabotage" | Anderson, Codling | 3:45 |
| 5. | "For the Strangers" | Anderson, Oakes, Codling | 4:12 |
| 6. | "Hit Me" | Anderson, Oakes, Codling | 4:03 |
| 7. | "Sometimes I Feel I'll Float Away" | Anderson, Oakes | 4:12 |
| 8. | "What Are You Not Telling Me?" | Anderson, Oakes, Codling | 3:12 |
| 9. | "Always" | Anderson, Oakes, Codling, Simon Gilbert, Mat Osman | 4:42 |
| 10. | "Faultlines" | Anderson, Oakes, Codling | 4:05 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Dawn Chorus" | Anderson, Oakes | 4:03 |
| 12. | "Howl" | Anderson, Osman | 3:35 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Dawn Chorus" | Anderson, Oakes | 4:03 |
| 12. | "Nothing Can Stop Us" | Anderson, Oakes, Codling | 3:35 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Dawn Chorus" | Anderson, Oakes | 4:03 |
| 12. | "Howl" | Anderson, Osman | 3:35 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Dawn Chorus" | Anderson, Oakes | 4:03 |
| 12. | "No Holding Back" | Anderson, Oakes, Codling | 3:52 |
References
- ^ Author unknown. "Suede Unveil New Album and Live Show Countdown". nme. 30 November 2012.
- ^ a b Hart, Tina. "Suede to Release First New Material in 10 Years". MusicWeek. 7 January 2013.
- ^ Neighbour, Flora . "Suede Ditch All Material Recorded for New Album". Gigwise. 11 May 2012.
- ^ Author unknown. "Suede Reveal Tracklisting For New Album Bloodsports". nme. 16 January 2013.
- ^ [1] Suede Announce Release of New Single "Hit Me"
- ^ [2] Barriers/Animal Nitrate 7″ – Exclusive Record Store Day 2013
- ^ a b "Bloodsports – Suede". Metacritic. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ Clash review
- ^ The Daily Telegraph review
- ^ Digital Spy review
- ^ The Guardian review
- ^ Metro review
- ^ MusicOMH review
- ^ NME review
- ^ Stuart Berman (22 March 2013). "Suede: Bloodsports". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
- ^ PopMatters review
- ^ The Quietus review
- ^ Trunick, Austin (15 March 2015). "Suede – Bloodsports". Under the Radar. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Author unknown. "Recently reunited indie rockers Suede are back with their first Top 10 album in almost 14 years". Official Charts Company. 24 March 2013.