Music for Tourists
| Music for Tourists | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 23 January 2007 | |||
| Recorded | 2005[1] | |||
| Genre | Indie pop | |||
| Label | Absolutely Kosher | |||
| Producer | Duncan Sheik | |||
| Chris Garneau chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music for Tourists is an indie pop album by Chris Garneau. It was released in the year of 2007 on January 23 on the Absolutely Kosher record label.
Recording[edit]
After playing in Brooklyn for some time, Garneau was recommended to record company Absolutely Kosher by Jamie Stewart, whose band Xiu Xiu was on that label.[2] According to Garneau the album took around two years to record before it was released, as producer Duncan Sheik was very busy and there was a lot of downtime during recording.[1]
Release[edit]
The album was released on January 23, 2007 and failed to chart in the US.[2] The release was followed by a tour that visited most of the UK and the US in 2007, as well as a few locations in France in 2008.[3]
Garneau said that he chose the 'cartoon-esque' cover art instead of a photo of himself because he wanted to keep it "kind of light".[1]
Critical reception[edit]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [4] |
| Pitchfork Media | (2.3/10)[5] |
| PopMatters | (4/10)[6] |
| Radar Online | [7] |
| Stylus Magazine | B+[8] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes |   [9] |
The response by critics was generally negative. Mark Hogan of Pitchfork Media was particularly critical, calling the lyrics of "Black & Blue" 'just terrible'.[10] PopMatters' Joe Tacopino agreed, calling the album "lyrically atrocious".[11] Matt Thompson of Radar also criticised the lyrics, but concluded that the album wasn't bad.[12] Allmusic's Marisa Brown called it a "cumbersome affair", giving it a rating of 2.5 out of 5.[13]
Track listing[edit]
- "Castle-Time" – 3:58
- "Relief" – 3:45
- "Black & Blue" – 5:32
- "Saturday" – 2:21
- "So Far" – 4:23
- "First Place!!!" – 4:14
- "Hymn" – 1:40
- "Baby's Romance" – 4:37
- "Not Nice" – 5:31
- "Blue Suede Shoes" – 3:09
- "We Don't Try" – 3:41
- "Sad News" – 6:01
- "Halloween" – 4:52
- "Between the Bars" (Elliott Smith cover) – 3:05
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "The Narcissist Issue: Chris Garneau". queerty.com. Archived from the original on 2007-01-25. Retrieved 2008-03-14.
- ^ a b "Chris Garneau chart history". Billboard magazine. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
- ^ "Past tours". Chris Garneau. Archived from the original on 2008-05-01. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ Pitchfork Media review
- ^ PopMatters review
- ^ Radar review
- ^ Foley, Ryan (January 30, 2007). "Chris Garneau – Music for Tourists". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
- ^ Tamec. "Chris Garneau – Music for Tourists". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
- ^ "Chris Garneau - Music for Tourists". Archived from the original on 2008-03-08. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
- ^ "Chris Garneau - Music for Tourists". Retrieved 2008-05-05.
- ^ "Chris Garneau - Music for Tourists". Archived from the original on 2007-07-25. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
- ^ Marisa Brown. "Chris Garneau - Music for Tourists". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-05-05.
