From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1997 studio album by The Dambuilders
Against the Stars
is the sixth studio album by
Boston
-based
indie rock
band
the Dambuilders
,
[1]
and their third for a
major label
.
[2]
It was released on July 29, 1997 on
East West
and
Elektra Records
.
[3]
[4]
Background and recording
[
edit
]
Against the Stars
was recorded in the basement of the Dambuilders' drummer,
Kevin March
, and produced by the band's guitarist, Eric Masunaga.
[5]
Release and promotion
[
edit
]
Against the Stars
was released on July 29, 1997 on both
East West
and
Elektra Records
.
[3]
[4]
The album's first
single
was "Burn this Bridge".
[6]
The song "Break Up With Your Boyfriend" was released as another single from the album on October 27, 1997. To promote it, the band collected fans' stories of their worst
breakups
via their website.
[3]
Critical reception
[
edit
]
JT Griffith of
AllMusic
gave
Against the Stars
3 out of 5 stars. He compared it to the Dambuilders' previous albums, writing, "If
Encendedor
and
Ruby Red
were more akin to
Sub Pop
records, then
Against the Stars
is closer to
Cheap Trick
arena rock."
[2]
Jim Sullivan of
the Boston Globe
was highly favorable in his assessment of the album, writing, "The 13 tracks show a mix of pop-craft smarts and art-rock leanings. There's variety and wit, bracing guitar and violin parts, and a keen sense of melody that is consistent throughout."
[5]
Writing in
the Hartford Courant
, Roberto Gonzalez praised both the album and the band as a whole: "Intelligent, well-crafted and intense, Boston's Dambuilders create a swirling sound of violin and electric guitar, wrapped around a tight rhythm section. While their last album, "Ruby Red," was all prickly pop, their new effort displays their true influences."
[6]
Mark Lepage of
the Montreal Gazette
was less favorable in his review. He gave the album a rating of 5 out of 10, quipping, "Decades of technological progress, and we get a new
Missing Persons
with
Howard Jones
fronting."
[8]
Track listing
[
edit
]
All tracks are written by The Dambuilders
Title
|
---|
1.
| "Digitize"
| 1
:
40
|
---|
2.
| "Break Up With Your Boyfriend"
| 2
:
34
|
---|
3.
| "Burn This Bridge"
| 3
:
19
|
---|
4.
| "Herstory"
| 3
:
55
|
---|
5.
| "You Might Want Me Around"
| 3
:
35
|
---|
6.
| "You'll Never Know"
| 3
:
54
|
---|
7.
| "Itch It"
| 2
:
25
|
---|
8.
| "Discopolis"
| 4
:
02
|
---|
9.
| "Luster"
| 4
:
17
|
---|
10.
| "I Was Wrong"
| 3
:
30
|
---|
11.
| "On The Slide"
| 2
:
48
|
---|
12.
| "Seek And Destroy"
| 3
:
24
|
---|
13.
| "Wished On The Wrong Star"
| 6
:
24
|
---|
Total length:
| 45
:
47
|
---|
References
[
edit
]