List of songs recorded by Guillemots

Colour photograph of Guillemots performing live in 2006
Guillemots performing live in Edinburgh in 2006. Left to right: MC Lord Magrão, Greig Stewart, Fyfe Dangerfield, Aristazabal Hawkes

As of 2018, the indie rock band Guillemots have recorded more than 80 songs for their four studio albums and other official releases. The band was formed in November 2004,[1] with their first official material being I Saw Such Things in My Sleep, an extended play (EP) released in September 2005.[2] The EP contained four songs, including "Made-Up Lovesong #43", a track that would also feature on their first studio album, Through the Windowpane.[3] The release of I Saw Such Things in My Sleep was followed three months later by Guillemots' debut single, "Trains to Brazil".[4] Like "Made-Up Lovesong #43", it was also included on Through the Windowpane, which was released in July 2006.[5] The album's songs were well received by critics: review aggregator Metacritic gave the record a score of 81 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim".[6][7] Craig McLean of The Observer described them as "gorgeous tunes that are lithe enough to cope with the little bursts of sonic madness".[8] Two additional tracks were released as singles from the album: "We're Here" and "Annie, Let's Not Wait".

Of the twelve songs on Through the Windowpane, nine were written by lead singer Fyfe Dangerfield.[3] Speaking in 2008, Guillemots member MC Lord Magrão remarked: "For the first album, Fyfe handled most of the songs. ... We worked with him and developed [them]."[9] In October 2006, Guillemots brought out Of the Night, a four-track EP that featured one song written by each member of the band.[10] Eighteen months later, the band released their second album, Red.[11] This album's songs were more pop-orientated than their debut's, and were written by all four members of the group.[12][13] Magrão explained: "With the second [album], we ended up improvising loads and getting all the new songs from all of the improvised sessions we had."[9] Of the eleven tracks on the record, nine were credited to Guillemots, with the remaining two being credited to Dangerfield alone.[14] Red's songs received less critical acclaim than their debut's; Metacritic awarded the album a score of 60 out of 100, suggesting "mixed or average reviews".[15] Four tracks—"Get Over It", "Falling Out of Reach" and a double A-side of "Kriss Kross" and "Clarion"—were released as singles in the UK.

Guillemots' third album, Walk the River, was released in April 2011.[16] It was the first Guillemots album to feature neither a strings nor brass section – its tracks were described by The Independent as being more "noticeably stripped down" than those of previous releases.[16] Unlike Through the Windowpane and Red, singles from Walk the River were distributed exclusively online, with no accompanying physical release.[17] Reviews were generally favourable, with Metacritic reporting a score of 69 out of 100 for the record.[18] Three singles were taken from the album: "The Basket", "I Must Be a Lover" and "I Don't Feel Amazing Now". On 7 May 2012, the band announced their intention to release four albums during the year, each representing a different season[19] – the first, Hello Land!, was released through Greedbag the same day.[20]

  1. ^ "Guillemots are flying high for festival". Evening Times. Glasgow: Newsquest. 17 August 2006. p. 12. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  2. ^ "Guillemots.(SNAPSHOT)". Music Week. London: CMP. 10 September 2005. ISSN 0265-1548. OCLC 60620772. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Through the Windowpane was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Lloyd, Jeremy (2006). "Guillemots – Trains To Brazil (Fantastic Plastic)". musicOMH. Archived from the original on 12 April 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  5. ^ Roberts, Colin (31 May 2006). "Win! Be one of the first to hear Guillemots' LP!". Drowned in Sound. London. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  6. ^ McNicholas, Conor, ed. (5 September 2006). "Arctic Monkeys win 2006 Mercury Music Prize". NME. London. ISSN 0028-6362. OCLC 317997735. Archived from the original on 12 January 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  7. ^ "Through The Windowpane". Metacritic. 2006. Archived from the original on 27 April 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  8. ^ McLean, Craig (16 July 2006). "Guillemots, Through the Window Pane". The Guardian. London. ISSN 0261-3077. OCLC 476290235. Archived from the original on 31 December 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  9. ^ a b "Episode 2". Guillemots Official Podcast. Series 1. Episode 2. 8 May 2008. 0:32 minutes in. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  10. ^ "Guillemots". The Guardian. London. 9 March 2011. ISSN 0261-3077. OCLC 476290235. Archived from the original on 20 September 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  11. ^ McCormick, Neil (1 March 2008). "Guillemots: Not like any other pop". The Daily Telegraph. London. ISSN 0307-1235. OCLC 613316876. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  12. ^ "Guillemots Return With Pop Record". London: XFM. 23 January 2008. Archived from the original on 2 December 2008. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  13. ^ Colothan, Scott (23 January 2008). "Guillemots Ready 'Prince-esque' Pop Record". Gigwise. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference Red was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ "Red". Metacritic. 2008. Archived from the original on 27 April 2012. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
  16. ^ a b Orr, Gillian (8 April 2011). "Guillemots – A band back in fine feather". The Independent. London. ISSN 0951-9467. OCLC 240904920. Archived from the original on 9 April 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
  17. ^ "Guillemots". iTunes Store. Archived from the original on 12 May 2012. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  18. ^ "Walk the River". Metacritic. 2011. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  19. ^ Goodacre, Kate (7 May 2012). "Guillemots to release four albums this year, confirms Fyfe Dangerfield". Digital Spy. London. Archived from the original on 15 May 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  20. ^ "Guillemots – Hello Land!". Greedbag. May 2012. Archived from the original on 10 May 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.