"Don't You Wanna Be Relevant? / Our Bovine Public" arrived in October 2007 as a Double A-side single by British indie rock band The Cribs. The first song, "Don't You Wanna be Relevant?', provides listeners with a new non-LP single, whereas the second, 'Our Bovine Public', opens Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever, the album released in May 2007. Along with "Get Yr Hands Out of My Grave", the Cribs and Will Jackson produced "Don't You Wanna be Relevant?" at Soundworks Studios, Leeds, with "Our Bovine Public" recorded at the Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, British Columbia with Franz Ferdinand vocalist and guitarist Alex Kapranos. Both songs received mastering treatment at Alchemy, London, United Kingdom.[1]
| "Don't You Wanna Be Relevant? / Our Bovine Public" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Cribs | ||||
| from the album Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | 29 October 2007 | |||
| Recorded | Vancouver, British Columbia | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:02 / 2:18 | |||
| Label |
| |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jarman, Jarman and Jarman | |||
| Producer(s) | Alex Kapranos | |||
| The Cribs singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Physical release
editThe song received a physical release in numerous forms, through two seven inch records and a CD single, in addition to digital download. Frequent band collaborator Nick Scott designed the sleeve, including a picture disc, with the releases featured as catalogue numbers 'WEBB156S', 'WEBB156SX' and 'WEBB156SCD'.[2]
B-Sides
edit"My Adolescent Dreams", the CD single B-side, and "Kind Words from the Broken Hearted", the second vinyl flip, came from sessions recorded at West Heath Studios, London, where the band recorded their second LP The New Fellas. Moreover, Edwyn Collins and Sebastian Lewsley, who both worked on that record, returned for production duties. "Kind Words from the Broken Hearted" features Gary on guitar and bass, with Ryan playing organ.[3]
Chart position and critical reception
editThe single received positive reviews from a number of music publications. The song went on to reach number thirty-nine in the UK Singles Chart.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Digital Spy |   [4] |
| Drowned in Sound |   [5] |
| MusicOMH | (Positive)[6] |
| Gigwise |  [7] |
| NME | (Positive) link |
Music video and fanzine
editThe video for "Don't You Wanna be Relevant?" features an animated version of the band playing the song, alongside some people dancing to their music. The viewer sees Ryan experience his heart exploding, which goes on affect everyone else in the video, as they in turn disintegrate, teeth fall out and discolour, and insects infest their bodies. The three band members follow suit and fall apart at the end.
"Our Bovine Public" features footage from a short UK tour undertaken in early 2007, documented in the Leave Too Neat film that came with some editions of Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever.
The second vinyl B-side, "Kind Words from the Broken Hearted", gives name to a print fanzine based around the band.[8]
Track listings
editAll tracks are written by Gary Jarman, Ross Jarman and Ryan Jarman
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Don't You Wanna Be Relevant?" | 3:02 |
| 2. | "Our Bovine Public" | 2:18 |
| 3. | "My Adolescent Dreams" | 2:32 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Our Bovine Public" | 2:18 |
| 2. | "Don't You Wanna Be Relevant?" | 3:02 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Don't You Wanna Be Relevant?" | 3:02 |
| 2. | "Kind Words from the Broken Hearted" | 3:43 |
Footnotes
edit- ^ "'The Cribs Find a Home with Alex Kapranos'". Archived from the original on 2007-05-20. Retrieved 2012-09-10.
- ^ "Narcsville". 13 September 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-13.
- ^ Liner notes from "Don't You Wanna be Relevant? / Our Bovine Public" singles (London: Wichita Recordings, 2007)
- ^ Fletcher, Alex (October 25, 2007). "The Cribs: 'Don't You Wanna Be Relevant?'". digitalspy.co.uk. Digital Spy.
- ^ Diver, Mike. "The Cribs: Don't You Wanna Be Relevant?". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 2007-11-06.
- ^ Lee, Tim. "The Cribs - Don't You Wanna Be Relevant? / Our Bovine Public (Wichita)". MusicOMH. Archived from the original on 2007-11-07.
- ^ Warner, Emily (October 29, 2007). "The Cribs - 'Don't You Want To Be Relevant?'". Gigwise. Archived from the original on 2007-11-07.
- ^ "Kind Words from the Broken Hearted". 13 September 2012. Retrieved 2012-09-13.