Beachcomber's Windowsill is the debut album by Stornoway. The title is that of an early, unreleased song by the band. It was released on 24 May 2010 on the 4AD label. It entered the UK Album Chart at number 14 and received silver certification for sales in the UK (silver certification is awarded for the sales of 60,000).
| Beachcomber's Windowsill | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 24 May 2010 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock, indie folk, chamber pop | |||
| Label | 4AD | |||
| Producer | Brian Briggs and Jonathan Ouin | |||
| Stornoway chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Beachcomber's Windowsill | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| All Music |    [1] |
| God Is In The TV | [2] |
| Drowned in Sound | (7/10)[3] |
| The Guardian | [4] |
| The Independent | [5] |
| NME | (8/10)[6] |
| The Times | [7] |
Singles
edit- Zorbing was released as the first single of Beachcomber's Windowsill, however it failed to chart in the UK Official top 200. It was self-released by the band and a music video was released on YouTube. The unofficial video, home-made by the band with help from friend Hilary O'Hare, reached 1,000,000 views in October 2012.
- I Saw You Blink was released as the second single from Beachcomber's Windowsill, and again, the music video featured on YouTube. The single debuted at number 119, becoming the band's first single to chart in the UK top 150, 'I Saw You Blink' also charted at number 12 on the UK Indie Chart.
- Zorbing was re-released as a single and charted at number 74, as well as number 11 in Belgium, it also charted at number 4 on the UK Indie Chart.
Critical reception
editThe album received generally positive reviews; however, The Independent gave the album a below-average score 2 stars out of 5.
Track listing
edit- "Zorbing" (3:30)
- "I Saw You Blink" (3:50)
- "Fuel Up" (4:20)
- "The Coldharbour Road" (4:28)
- "Boats and Trains" (4:19)
- "We Are the Battery Human" (4:01)
- "Here Comes the Blackout...!" (2:03)
- "Watching Birds" (3:23)
- "On the Rocks" (4:49)
- "The End of the Movie" (4:20)
- "Long-Distance Lullaby" (4:17)
"Live 7" single
editEarly versions of the album sold at some Independent Music stores in the UK also included a 7" vinyl single containing two live versions of tracks from the album recorded at the Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford on 30 October 2009.
- Side A: "We Are The Battery Human"
- Side B: "On The Rocks (Feat. The Oxford Millennium Orchestra)"
References
edit- ^ "Beachcomber's Windowsill - Stornoway | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ^ Broad, Craig (25 June 2010). "Stornoway: Beachcomber's Windowsill". God Is In The TV Zine. Archived from the original on 24 November 2010. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
- ^ Skinner, James (25 May 2010). "Stornoway: Beachcomber's Windowsill". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 28 May 2010. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
- ^ Petridis, Alexis (20 May 2010). "Stornoway: Beachcomber's Windowsill". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
- ^ Gill, Andy (21 May 2010). "Album: Stornaway, Beachcomber's Windowsill (4AD)". The Independent. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
- ^ "Album review: Stornoway – 'Beachcomber's Windowsill' (4AD)". NME. 24 May 2010. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
- ^ Paphides, Pete (22 May 2010). "Stornoway: Beachcomber's Windowsill". The Times. Archived from the original on 15 June 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2010.