Club Anthems [Enhanced]

Ballboy | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 5, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: Manifesto Records
• ASIN: B00005YMFS
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #315,363 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Don't be fooled by the ironic title. Club Anthems isn't a trance collection. This compilation of Ballboy's last three EPs chronicles an outfit poised between the wide-eyed philosophical Looper and the darker, melancholy Arab Strap. Club Anthems is a very Scottish album, but it's frontman Gordon McIntyre's spoken vocals--funny, poignant, heavy with pathos--that help Ballboy rise above simple pastiche. "One Sailor Was Waving" explodes grim Scottish fatalism into a celebratory adrenaline rush, MacIntyre wearing the line "I'm not the brightest hope/ I'm not the shining light/ Of my generation" like a badge of victory. Meanwhile, the stark, expansive, two-chord "I Hate Scotland" scribbles bratty discontent over Ballboy's cultural heritage. "I hate the way we expect to fail," sneers McIntyre, "and then we fail, and we get bitter because we failed." Well, this album proves that's just not true. --Louis Pattison

Product Description

Manifesto Records release 'Club Anthems', 'The cream of the Edinburgh scene', Melody Maker... 'a lot like The Wedding Present playing hopscotch with Belle & Sebastian', NME. Includes video for I Hate Scotland. 2002.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disjointed But Not, August 6, 2003

By 

Bostonian "kke227" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Club Anthems (Audio CD)

This album somehow manages to feel coherent and all over the place at the same time. There is a great deal of wit in the lyrics, and I enjoy the overall "Scottishness." If you're considering buying this after hearing the "I Hate Scotland" single, you should know that much of the CD is quite different from that song. It's a fun listen.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, May 12, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Club Anthems (Audio CD)

This is the album I've been waiting for. Big, bright, witty and thoughtful, you can't ask for much more in a UK release like this.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I hate ballboy, July 26, 2002

By 

"nghproductions" (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Club Anthems (Audio CD)

I am psyched that I bought this ballboy album. The songs are very clever, catchy, and you don't get sick of them after playing them over and over. Not surprisingly, John Peel (responsible for the Peel Sessions on Radio 1 in the UK) is a huge fan. I can't wait to hear what's next from them!