Breaking God's Heart is the debut full-length album by British indie rock band Hefner. The album was originally released by Too Pure in 1998, and a reissue was released by Darren Hayman, the band's lead singer, in September 2007. The album's cover was designed by Hayman and Flirt.[2]

Breaking God's Heart
Studio album by
Released6 July 1998[1]
StudioCaVa Studios, Glasgow
GenreIndie rock
LabelToo Pure
Hefner chronology
Breaking God's Heart
(1998)
The Fidelity Wars
(1999)

Critical reception

edit

Breaking God's Heart made many "best of the year" lists in various music magazines in both the UK and the United States, but Hayman later said he thought the album was one of the band's worst.[2] For example, it was named the 46th best album of 1998 by NME.[3] In a 2017 retrospective piece, it was named the 25th best Britpop album by Pitchfork Media.[4]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [5]
Calgary Herald3.5/5[6]
Drowned in Sound9/10[7]
The Gazette7.5/10[8]
NME8/10[9]
Ottawa Citizen     [10]
Pitchfork7.7/10[11]
Record Collector     [12]
The Times5/10[13]

Track listing

edit
  1. "The Sweetness Lies Within"
  2. "The Sad Witch"
  3. "A Hymn for the Postal Service"
  4. "Love Will Destroy Us in the End"
  5. "Librarian"
  6. "God Is on My Side"
  7. "Another Better Friend"
  8. "Love Inside the Stud Farm"
  9. "Tactile"
  10. "Eloping"

Track listing (2007 Reissue)

edit

CD1

  1. "The Sweetness Lies Within"
  2. "Sad Witch"
  3. "A Hymn for the Postal Service"
  4. "Love Will Destroy Us in the End"
  5. "Librarian"
  6. "God Is on My Side"
  7. "Another Better Friend"
  8. "Love Inside the Stud Farm"
  9. "Tactile"
  10. "Eloping"
  11. "Pull Yourself Together" (single)
  12. "Christ" (b side)
  13. "Smoking Girlfriend" (b side)
  14. "Wicker Girl" (b side)
  15. "Destroyed Cowboy Falls" (b side)
  16. "Blind Girl With Halo" (b side)
  17. "Goethe's Letter To Vic Chesnutt" (b side)
  18. "Hello Kitten" (b side)
  19. "Normal Molly" (b side)
  20. "The Hymn For Berlin" (b side)

CD2

  1. "The Sweetness Lies Within" (out take)
  2. "Tactile" (out take)
  3. "Flowers" (The Hefner Soul EP)
  4. "A Hymn For The Coffee" (The Hefner Soul EP)
  5. "Broodmare" (The Hefner Soul EP)
  6. "The Girl From The Coast" (The Hefner Soul EP)
  7. "More Christian Girls" (The Hefner Soul EP)
  8. "A Better Friend" (single)
  9. "Christian Girls" (b side)
  10. "Lee Remick" (single)
  11. "School Girls Knees" (b side)
  12. "Oblivious" (song for Galaxie 500 tribute)
  13. "Love Inside The Stud Farm" (4 track)
  14. "Eloping" (out take)
  15. "Goethe's Letter To Vic Chesnutt" (4 track)
  16. "A Hymn For The Postal Service" (4 track)
  17. "The Sad Witch" (4 track)
  18. "The Sweetness Lies Within" (4 track)
  19. "Broodmare" (rehearsal)
  20. "A Hymn For The Coffee" (rehearsal)

References

edit
  1. ^ "Hefner - Breaking God's Heart". Hefnet. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  2. ^ a b Miles, Barry (1 October 2016). The Greatest Album Covers of All Time. Pavilion Books. p. 494. ISBN 9781911163367.
  3. ^ "1998". NME. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  4. ^ "The 50 Best Britpop Albums". Pitchfork Media. 29 March 2017. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  5. ^ Marcus, Torey. "Hefner - Breaking God's Heart". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  6. ^ Muretich, James (14 January 1999). "CD Reviews". Calgary Herald.
  7. ^ McNally, Patrick (15 January 2008). "Album Review: Hefner - Breaking God's Heart - Expanded Edition". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 1 September 2017. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
  8. ^ Lepage, Mark (11 February 1999). "Gazelle's gone cushy: In Flight proof of Montreal's emerging indie electronica scene". The Gazette.
  9. ^ Williams, Simon (1998). "Breaking God's Heart". NME. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  10. ^ "Soundtracks". Ottawa Citizen. 13 February 1999.
  11. ^ Richard-San, Mark. "Hefner: Breaking God's Heart". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 22 November 2001. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  12. ^ Scott, Jono (January 2008). "Breaking God's Heart". Record Collector. No. 345. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  13. ^ Cusack, Elaine (4 July 1998). "New album releases". The Times.