Give Blood [ENHANCED] [EXPLICIT LYRICS]

Brakes (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 13, 2005)
• Original Release Date: September 13, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced, Explicit Lyrics
• Label: Rough Trade Us
• ASIN: B000ARG2DM
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #223,414 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist
Brakes formed when Tom and Alex and Eamon were drinking after Eamon had supported The Lonesome Organist at Palmer's Bar in Brighton in August 2002. "We'll play drums and guitar on your tunes," they said. "Rad," said Eamon. They went to Mokinbird studios, a rehearsal/recording space in Kemptown, Brighton run by Marc Beatty, and convinced him to play bass. After half an hour, they looked at each other and said "this sounds freshmode."

Between now and then, they played wherever and whenever they could, but they mostly played at the Freebutt, Brighton's 200 capacity sweat box where bands like Lift To Experience, American Analogue Set, Fuck You Planet Earth and Yeah Yeah Yeahs played. Eamon did a few more acoustic Brakes shows. Georg and Orri from Sigur Ros played as his backing band in Reykjavik. He supported Lach. "I like your anti-folk" said Lach. "I thought it was country-punk" said Eamon. Lach looked away. Tugboat Records offered to put out a single, so the band went to Mokinbird studios on 20th July 2004 and nailed Pick Up, Stand to Stand and Cheney in half a day. It was to be one of the final sessions at Mokinbird, which sadly closed that December.

Sea Power's bassist Hamilton (no relation) directed Brakes' first video, the 30 second long Pick Up The Phone. It was filmed in the basement of the house he rents along with Eamon and Marc, which they named 'The Princess' after a painting of a girl collecting wheat which hangs on one of the basement walls.

"Holy shit, I've just seen our video on MTV" texted Tom to Marc one night in September. "Lush,"said Brakes and went on tour around the UK later that month.

Rough Trade offered to release an album, so Brakes booked Metropolis studio 1 for a week in late January 2005, and put Iain Gore in control. The album was recorded in five days, all live on to 2" tape, and mixed in two days. Not a single computer screen was used in the whole process. They left it for a couple of weeks and then mastered it on the day after Valentines'.

Give Blood is the sound of four friends playing music in a room, recorded onto tape. Brakes have played a few shows since finishing the album, supporting The Others, British Sea Power, Finley Quaye, and Buck 65.

Product Description
Give Blood is the debut record from UK madcaps, Brakes. Consisting of one part British Sea Power (Eamon Hamilton), two parts Electric Soft Parade (Tom White and Alex White), and one part Tenderfoot (Marc Beatty), Brakes is a heroic endeavor, alive with a vigorous musical heartbeat. Give Blood is born of robust comradery and just enough magnetic tape to capture the incredible interplay between these four lads.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing sounds, September 22, 2005

By	alexander laurence (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This is a Britpop super group that includes members of British Sea Power, Electric Soft Parade, and Tenderfoot. You figure that Peter Doherty is in a few bands, so what not others? So this album is a curiosity. It is a combination of punk and alt-country. They recorded it in five days. This album is a legend. "The Most Fun" is a hilarious song. In the song "Heard About Your Band" there is stuff about Karen O and Sleater-Kinney. Many of these songs are short. There is a cover version of "Jackson" by Nancy Sinatra. One of the best songs is "You're So Pretty" which encapsulates a lot of college radio music. This is an excellent album. If it is a real band, I don't know.

5.0 out of 5 stars i *heart* brakes, November 2, 2006

By	office addict (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews

Oh man I love this band. Give Blood is just an amazing album... it's fun, it's poppy, it's dance-a-rific!! Can't wait for The Beatific Visions to come out. I've heard them referred to as "Country Punk"... I hate pigeonholing bands, but have to say I love the "Country Punk" classification - it really seems to fit. If you want some great new music check these guys out.

5.0 out of 5 stars Holy cr*p, September 24, 2006

By	Kari Gritzan (San Francisco) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This album kicks a**. If you're looking for something new...something that's punk and short and wonderful....look no further.