Checkmate Savage
| Checkmate Savage | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by The Phantom Band | ||||
| Released | 26 January 2009 | |||
| Recorded | Chem 19, Blantyre | |||
| Genre | Indie,[1] folk,[1] pop,[1] blues,[1] post-rock[1] folktronica,[2] krautrock[2] | |||
| Length | 55:01 | |||
| Label | Chemikal Underground | |||
| Producer | Paul Savage | |||
| The Phantom Band chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [3] |
| Drowned in Sound | (7/10)[4] |
| The Guardian | [5] |
| The List | [1] |
| Mojo | [6] |
| NME | (8/10)[7] |
| Pitchfork | (7.3/10)[8] |
| Q | [9] |
| Scotland on Sunday | [10] |
| The Times | [11] |
Checkmate Savage is the debut studio album by Scottish indie rock band The Phantom Band, released January 26, 2009 through Chemikal Underground Records to critical acclaim.[12]
The album was produced by Paul Savage, formerly of The Delgados.
Title
According to the band, the album's title refers to: "over-population, dwindling natural resources and the yawning void within every one of us caused by society's unnatural social contracts, and mass sexual repression, means one thing: it's checkmate for the human animal."[13]
Accolades
In December 2009, Checkmate Savage entered The Skinny's "Scottish Albums of the Decade" list at #28.[14]
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Skinny | Scotland | Scottish Albums of the Decade | 2009 | 28[14] |
The album placed at number 17 in MOJO magazine's top 50 albums of 2009.[15]
In January 2010 the album was given the inaugural "Soundcheck Award" for album of 2009 by Radioeins and Der Tagesspiegel in Berlin.[16]
Track listing
- "The Howling" - 6:35
- "Burial Sounds" - 4:47
- "Folk Song Oblivion - 4:14
- "Crocodile" - 7:42
- "Halfhound" - 4:11
- "Left Hand Wave" - 5:40
- "Island" - 8:51
- "Throwing Bones" - 5:01
- "The Whole is on My Side" - 7:53
Personnel
- Duncan Marquiss - guitar, vocals, percussion, fx, artwork
- Gerry Hart - bass, vocals, percussion, fx, artwork
- Andy Wake - synthesizers, vocals, samples, percussion, fx, artwork
- Rick Anthony - guitar, vocals, percussion, fx, artwork
- Damien Tonner - drums, percussion, fx, artwork
- Greg Sinclair - guitar, pedals/fx, percussion, artwork
- Paul Savage - producer
- Jamie Savage - engineer
- Kenny MacLeod - mastering
- Christopher O'Donnell - flexatone ("Throwing Bones")
- Aztext - design
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 The List review
- 1 2 Chris McCall, Chris (21 April 2016). "Emma Pollock on Record Labels and Solo Careers". The Skinny. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
- ↑ Raggett, Ned. "Review: Checkmate Savage". Allmusic. Retrieved 24 December 2009.
- ↑ Drowned in Sound review
- ↑ The Guardian review
- ↑ [Feb. Mojo review]
- ↑ [24 NME review]
- ↑ Pitchfork Media review
- ↑ [Feb. Q review]
- ↑ Scotland on Sunday review
- ↑ The Times review
- ↑ "Chemikal Underground Records - Glasgow, Scotland". Chemikal.co.uk. 2011-05-12. Retrieved 2012-02-09.
- ↑ Archived January 29, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
- 1 2 The Skinny, Dec 2009, pg 10
- ↑ "MOJO's Top 50 Albums of 2009". Albumoftheyear.org. Retrieved 2012-02-09.
- ↑ "Musikpreis: The Phantom Band gewinnt Soundcheck Award - Pop - Kultur - Tagesspiegel" (in German). Tagesspiegel.de. 2010-01-29. Retrieved 2012-02-09.