Hour of Bewilderbeast

Rating

Album: Hour of Bewilderbeast
#	Song Title		Time
	Disc 1
1)	The Shining	More Info...	0:05
2)	Everybody's Stalking	More Info...	0:03
3)	Bewilder	More Info...
4)	Fall in a River	More Info...	0:02
5)	Camping Next to Water	More Info...	0:04
6)	Stone On the Water	More Info...	0:04
7)	Another Pearl	More Info...	0:04
8)	Body Rap	More Info...
9)	Once Around the Block	More Info...	0:03
10)	This Song	More Info...	0:01
11)	Bewilderbeast	More Info...	0:03
12)	Magic in the Air	More Info...	0:03
13)	Cause a Rockslide	More Info...	0:06
14)	Pissing in the Wind	More Info...	0:04
15)	Blistered Heart	More Info...	0:02
16)	Disillusion	More Info...	0:05
17)	Say It Again	More Info...	0:04
18)	Epitaph	More Info...	0:04

Album: Hour of Bewilderbeast
#	Song Title		Time
	Disc 1
1)	The Shining	More Info...	0:05
2)	Everybody's Stalking	More Info...	0:03
3)	Bewilder	More Info...
4)	Fall in a River	More Info...	0:02
5)	Camping Next to Water	More Info...	0:04
6)	Stone On the Water	More Info...	0:04
7)	Another Pearl	More Info...	0:04
8)	Body Rap	More Info...
9)	Once Around the Block	More Info...	0:03
10)	This Song	More Info...	0:01
11)	Bewilderbeast	More Info...	0:03
12)	Magic in the Air	More Info...	0:03
13)	Cause a Rockslide	More Info...	0:06
14)	Pissing in the Wind	More Info...	0:04
15)	Blistered Heart	More Info...	0:02
16)	Disillusion	More Info...	0:05
17)	Say It Again	More Info...	0:04
18)	Epitaph	More Info...	0:04

Performer Notes

Personnel includes: Badly Drawn Boy (vocals, acoustic & electric guitar, slide guitar, piano, bass, tambourine, programming); Matt McGeever (cello); Sam Morris (French horn); Andy Votel (piano, keyboards, programming, sound effects, samples); Ian Smith (vibraphone, drums); Adrian Darce (drums); Joe Robinson (sound effects).
Garnering Britain's coveted Mercury Prize in 2000, THE HOUR OF BEWILDERBEAST announced the arrival of Badly Drawn Boy (AKA Damon Gough), the most gleefully eccentric singer/songwriter the UK had seen in decades. With his ever-present multi-colored knit cap, loopy stage presence, and an arsenal of beautifully ramshackle songs, Gough charmed listeners with BEWILDERBEAST's surprisingly eclectic array of songs.
Beginning with the utterly gorgeous, string-laden "The Shining," the album takes a sharp turn into lo-fi rock with "Everybody's Stalking," eventually moving on to the melancholy folk of "Stone on the Water," the shimmering jazz-pop of "Once Around the Block," and the delirious funk of "Disillusion." Although Gough occasionally borders on being too quirky for his own good, he always sets up enough loose boundaries to keep the music from wandering too far off the mark. An album of striking energy and originality, BEWILDERBEAST cements Badly Drawn Boy's reputation as an intriguing performer.

Professional Reviews

Rolling Stone (10/12/00, p.89) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...Sensitive white-boy blues for white boys who really oughta know better....sweet, gently burning songs..."

Entertainment Weekly (12/29/00, p.140) - Ranked #7 in EW's Top 10 Albums of 2000.

Entertainment Weekly (10/27/00, p.116) - "...A slippery and surprising little record - an oblique song cycle tracing a relationship from balmy beginning to corrosive end....an intimate hour that's far from bewildering." - Rating: A-

Q (10/01, p.56) - Ranked #32 in Q's "Best 50 Albums of Q's Lifetime"

Q (1/01, p.90) - Included in Q's "50 Best Albums of 2000" - "...Intelligent singer-songwriting had at last been updated for the dance age..."

Alternative Press (12/00, p.90) - 4 out of 5 - "...Stunning....giving as full a portrait as possible if [his] musical and personal life....he'll eventually win your heart..."

Magnet (1-2/01, p.44) - Included in Magnet's "20 Best Albums of 2000" - "...An emotional singer adrift on seas of music-hall pianos, grabdly strummed guitars and even grander sentiments..."

CMJ (1/08/01, p.9) - Included in CMJ's "Best of the Year" for 2000.

CMJ (10/2/00, p.3) - "...A sincere songwriter's flowing meditation on relationships that by turn caroms and glides between heartbreak and romance..."

NME (Magazine) (12/30/00, p.77) - Rated #4 in NME's "Top 50 Albums Of The Year" - "...Rough around the edges but uncommonly pure at heart....a testament to Gough's timeless songwriting..."