Ragged & Ecstatic is the debut and only studio album of Australian indie rock band Yves Klein Blue. It was released on 7 July 2009 by Dew Process. It was produced by Kevin Augunas and Caleb James, and recorded the album at Airlock Studios in Brisbane, and Fairfax Recordings in Hollywood. The debut single of the album, "Getting Wise", was included in the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2009 at No. 79.[1]

Ragged & Ecstatic
Studio album by
Released7 July 2009
StudioAirlock Studios, Brisbane, QLD
Fairfax Recordings, Hollywood, CA
GenreIndie rock
Length42:52
LabelDew Process
ProducerKevin Augunas, Caleb James
Yves Klein Blue chronology
Yves Klein Blue Draw Attention to Themselves
(2008)
Ragged & Ecstatic
(2009)
Singles from Ragged & Ecstatic
  1. "Getting Wise"
    Released: June 2008
  2. "Make Up Your Mind"
    Released: 5 October 2009

Promotion and singles

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The first single of the album, "Getting Wise", was released in June 2008, its music video was not uploaded to YouTube. Their second and final single, "Make Up Your Mind", was released on 5 October 2009 alongside its accompanying music video.[2] The track "Polka", originally released as a single for their debut EP, Yves Klein Blue Draw Attention to Themselves released in March 2008 alongside an accompanying music video, it was later included in this album.[3] The track "Polka" appeared in a 2008 advertisement for the Mitsubishi Lancer Sportsback.[4] To promote the album, Yves Blue Kein performed at the Big O Festival in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Newcastle, Canberra and Wollongong.[5] In May, they also played at The Great Escape in Brighton. They later performed a national tour for the album in late-June and early-July.[6]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The AU Review7/10[7]
Music Feeds7/10[8]
SputnikMusic     [9][10]

The album received generally favourable reviews. Alexandra Duguid of The AU Review, in a 7/10 review, noted it wasn't much of an improvement since their debut EP. She then went on to say that the album was full of "light-hearted pop songs, laced with bouncy tempos and witty lyrics" and cited the track "Summer Sheets" as a personal favourite.[7] Michael Carr from Music Feeds, in another 7/10 review, praised the album. However he stated that while the songs were good, the album as a whole could be forgettable.[8] In a review from SputnikMusic, the album was described as "everyone will know their songs, but will have no idea who they are."[9] In another review it was called "better than average debut, with pop-laiden guitar and a diverse range of influences."[10] The single "Getting Wise" was nominated at No. 79 in the 2009 Triple J Hottest 100.[1]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Michael Tomlinson

Ragged & Ecstatic
No.TitleLength
1."Make Up Your Mind"2:33
2."Soldier"3:05
3."Getting Wise"4:11
4."Digital Love"3:50
5."About the Future"2:38
6."Celebrity Death"4:32
7."Summer Sheets"3:01
8."Polka"4:11
9."Dinosaur"3:35
10."Queeny"4:01
11."Reprise"2:55
12."Gin Sling"4:20
Total length:44:52

Personnel

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Credits adapted from AllMusic.[11]

Yves Blue Klein
Production
  • Kevin Augunas - engineer, mixing, producer
  • Wayne Connolly - mixing
  • Scott Horscroft - mixing
  • Caleb James - engineer, pre-production, producer
  • Greg Koller - engineer
  • John Mullen - A&R
  • Paul Piticco - management
  • Yanto Shortis - assistant engineer
  • Steve Smart - mastering
  • Joe Syring - assistant engineer
  • Ken Taylor - artwork

References

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  1. ^ a b "Hottest 100 2009". Triple J. ABC. 26 January 2009. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  2. ^ Dew Process (5 October 2009). "Yves Klein Blue - "Make Up Your Mind"". Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2019 – via YouTube.
  3. ^ Dew Process (16 March 2008). "Yves Klein Blue - 'Polka'". Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2019 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ Dew Process (5 November 2008). "Yves Klein Blue - Mitusbishi Lancer ad". Retrieved 12 February 2019 – via YouTube.[dead YouTube link]
  5. ^ Heath, Larry (1 March 2009). "The Big O feat. The Music + Fratellis - Manning Bar (27.02.09)". The AU Review. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  6. ^ Smith, Toby (21 May 2009). "Yves Klein Blue Announce National Tour". Music Feeds. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  7. ^ a b Duguid, Alexandra (7 August 2009). "Yves Klein Blue - Ragged and Ecstatic (2009)". The AU Review. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  8. ^ a b Carr, Michael. "Yves Klein Blue - Ragged & Ecstatic". Music Feeds. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  9. ^ a b Douglas (14 August 2009). "Yves Klein Blue - Ragged and Ecstatic (album review 2)". Sputnik Music. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
  10. ^ a b suncorpsteve (24 November 2009). "Yves Blue Klein - Ragged and Ecstatic (album review)". Retrieved 12 February 2019.
  11. ^ "Ragged & Ecstatic - Yves Blue Klein | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 February 2019.