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Product details
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Track Listings
| 1. Flashing Red Light Means Go |
| 2. Move On |
| 3. Evacuate |
| 4. Soviets |
| 5. Spitting Fire |
| 6. Misplaced |
| 7. The Gospel Of Goro Adachi |
| 8. These Walls Are Thin |
| 9. Forces |
| 10. Semi-Automatic |
| 11. Silent Movie |
| 12. Broken Glass (Bonus Track) |
Product Description
Review
The UK music industry is dying, we’re told. And fast. But here’s what that really means: the days of whacking profits that record label fat cats can stuff in their Savile Row suit pockets are over. The musicians – the music – will always prevail.
The Boxer Rebellion serve as a perfect barometer for these times. After carefully building a large following with countless live shows and a superb first album, Exits, released on Alan McGee’s Poptones label back in 2005, the band were suddenly homeless when the imprint folded shortly after their debut’s release.
That could so easily have been that, but The Boxer Rebellion refused to be beaten – even singer Nathan Nicholson’s burst appendix couldn’t stop them. The band continued to tour, spreading the word and gradually airing new material. Scraping funds together, they were finally able to commit the new songs to tape, and the band self-released the follow-up, Union, back in January this year as a digital-only download through iTunes.
The fact that Union has now arrived as a real, hard-copy release hints at the band’s digital success: the debut single from Union, Evacuate, became the first ever global iTunes Single of the Week, and was downloaded 560,000 times in its first week. Union then became the first digital-only release by an unsigned band to land in the Billboard Top 100 Albums Chart.
None of this, of course, would have been possible if the music wasn’t good. Union is that rare beast – an indie record with huge commercial potential, crammed with arena-filling melodies, that also wriggles with complexities and revels in brooding atmospheres.
Nicholson’s versatile vocals swoop through registers, in low murmurs, angst-ridden cries and graceful falsettos that scrape the sky. Shuffling rhythms borrowed from The National bubble beneath him, while ricocheting guitars slowly emerge from the darkness and take flight. It’s Mew-meets-Editors, but conveyed with delicate brushstrokes.
Union is a measured, beautifully crafted album that signals an exciting new dawn for The Boxer Rebellion – one where they’re in charge of their own destiny. --Mike Haydock
Find more music at the BBC This link will take you off Amazon in a new window
Q
Arena-sized rock music, redolent of The Bends-era Radiohead and full of shimmering grace.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
They were playing a track from this in HMV when I was wandering around it recently. 'Evacuate'. On the strength of that - and the album cover - I went and bought it. And it was one of those gambles that pays off. I just knew from the immediacy of that one song that this band were going to be good.
And there is something so powerful and beautiful, lovelorn and wasted, throughout this album. Particularly the track 'Soviets', which is just one of the best songs I've heard for a long time. It is the essence of unrequited love.
It would be easy to try to define influences here. There are many. Joy Division for one. The drumming is Stephen Morris/'Closer'. But it has its own propulsion too.
At certain points I thought of U2 songs being played by the Cocteau Twins!! - or the other way around - and while that might sound fairly, (if not scarily), grotesque to some people, I mean it in terms of the ethereal sound of the guitars and the big arena 'landscape' of the song structures themselves. It is an exceptionally difficult balance to achieve and 'The Boxer Rebellion' have done it. And created a unique sonic voice of their own.
But, the main focus of 'Union' is the soul/grace/sadness within the music. It is music that touches deep. Like being in a hopeless love affair - but just being glad that it happened anyway.
This an album of a rare and poignant quality.
And there is something so powerful and beautiful, lovelorn and wasted, throughout this album. Particularly the track 'Soviets', which is just one of the best songs I've heard for a long time. It is the essence of unrequited love.
It would be easy to try to define influences here. There are many. Joy Division for one. The drumming is Stephen Morris/'Closer'. But it has its own propulsion too.
At certain points I thought of U2 songs being played by the Cocteau Twins!! - or the other way around - and while that might sound fairly, (if not scarily), grotesque to some people, I mean it in terms of the ethereal sound of the guitars and the big arena 'landscape' of the song structures themselves. It is an exceptionally difficult balance to achieve and 'The Boxer Rebellion' have done it. And created a unique sonic voice of their own.
But, the main focus of 'Union' is the soul/grace/sadness within the music. It is music that touches deep. Like being in a hopeless love affair - but just being glad that it happened anyway.
This an album of a rare and poignant quality.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
All credit to these four young musicians.
Their history records a more than usually uphill struggle
to make a place for their music in the listening world.
That 'Union' has risen into daylight at all is a measure
of their determination, fortitude and persistence.
The Boxer Rebellion are : Nathan Nicholson/vocals, guitar
and keyboards; Todd Howe/lead guitar; Adam Harrison/bass and
Piers Hewitt/percussion. Together they make a splendid noise.
Their sound is dense and layered. Chiming chords, solid
blocks of ground shaking rhythm and Mr Nicholson's
passionately committed vocal delivery. Not a great voice
but a fine one and a more than worthy communicator of the
essence of these eleven memorable songs.
There is a marvelous energy running through 'Evacuate'.
(A certain Irish rock band comes to mind here and there
but this should not distract us in valuing what makes
it different). It is a rip-roaring anthem.
'Soviets' demonstrates the band's ability to manage both
light and shade. The delicately simple but beautiful melody
evolves into a richly glowing minor-key soundscape of
considerable harmonic complexity. Mr Hewitt's drums
deserve a special mention all their own. He is the glue
which holds it all together.
'Misplaced' is a bit of an epic. Once again from slow,
measured beginnings the piece grows gently in shape and
form until the incandescent chorus bursts out of its
warm and generous heart. Truly magnificent stuff!
'These Walls Are Thin' is a short and sweet minature lacking
none of the emotional clout of the rest of the album.
Knowing when to stop is a skill many other bands would do well
to learn. Giving less sometimes leaves your audience wanting more
(and I would have happily listened to another five minutes!)
Final track 'Silent Movie' creates a wonderfully haunting
atmosphere. Mr Nicholson's clear-as-a-bell falsetto floats
like a bird over the rolling guitar and percussion ostinato.
Once again the arrangement builds and builds to a resounding
crescendo before falling away enigmatically into nothing.
Dropping into my lap at the end of a year filled with so many
diverse, exciting and wonderful musical experiences, 'Union'
feels like another precious Christmas gift delivered just a
little late in the day by our postman. I'm glad it arrived!
Listening to the magical contents made an Old Wolf smile.
Essential.
Their history records a more than usually uphill struggle
to make a place for their music in the listening world.
That 'Union' has risen into daylight at all is a measure
of their determination, fortitude and persistence.
The Boxer Rebellion are : Nathan Nicholson/vocals, guitar
and keyboards; Todd Howe/lead guitar; Adam Harrison/bass and
Piers Hewitt/percussion. Together they make a splendid noise.
Their sound is dense and layered. Chiming chords, solid
blocks of ground shaking rhythm and Mr Nicholson's
passionately committed vocal delivery. Not a great voice
but a fine one and a more than worthy communicator of the
essence of these eleven memorable songs.
There is a marvelous energy running through 'Evacuate'.
(A certain Irish rock band comes to mind here and there
but this should not distract us in valuing what makes
it different). It is a rip-roaring anthem.
'Soviets' demonstrates the band's ability to manage both
light and shade. The delicately simple but beautiful melody
evolves into a richly glowing minor-key soundscape of
considerable harmonic complexity. Mr Hewitt's drums
deserve a special mention all their own. He is the glue
which holds it all together.
'Misplaced' is a bit of an epic. Once again from slow,
measured beginnings the piece grows gently in shape and
form until the incandescent chorus bursts out of its
warm and generous heart. Truly magnificent stuff!
'These Walls Are Thin' is a short and sweet minature lacking
none of the emotional clout of the rest of the album.
Knowing when to stop is a skill many other bands would do well
to learn. Giving less sometimes leaves your audience wanting more
(and I would have happily listened to another five minutes!)
Final track 'Silent Movie' creates a wonderfully haunting
atmosphere. Mr Nicholson's clear-as-a-bell falsetto floats
like a bird over the rolling guitar and percussion ostinato.
Once again the arrangement builds and builds to a resounding
crescendo before falling away enigmatically into nothing.
Dropping into my lap at the end of a year filled with so many
diverse, exciting and wonderful musical experiences, 'Union'
feels like another precious Christmas gift delivered just a
little late in the day by our postman. I'm glad it arrived!
Listening to the magical contents made an Old Wolf smile.
Essential.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I First got into Boxers in 2005, I'm not sure how I ended up listening to Exits, but I did, and I loved it and promptly went to see them at the ICA, support was by Redjetson (RIP :() and Pure Reason Revolution and it was an epically good gig.
Exits was a fantastic debut, bad luck, mis-management or just the ineptness of the British public to see past the Kaiser Chiefs albums meant it was completely missed and alongside illness of the lead singer Nathan Nicholson(which lead them to cancel a well documented tour support slot with The Killers) I for one thought TBR might not return with album two.
2008 there were signs of a return, myspace only singles (at that time) Broken Glass / JKKFC / Waiting hinted at things to come. Fast foward to January 2009 and itunes of all places out of nowhere picks Evacuate as single of the week and releases Union, the second Boxers album exclusively.
It kicks off with Flashing Red Light Means Go, a fantastic drum beat resounding throughout the track and is one of my favourites. Evacuate was a perfect choice for first single of the album, heavy guitars duelling throughout with another great drum beat behind. Another faster paced highlight is a reworking of an old song, These Walls Are Thin, a fast paced guitar number that highlights Nathan's fantastic vocal ability.
Union has more melodic tracks than its predecessor, this isn't a bad thing. Soviets is a beautiful acoustic song then accompanied with yet more drumming and another stand-out is the atmospherics during the enigmatic `The Gospel Of Goro Adachi' whilst final track the beautifully haunting Silent Movie closes the album with wonderful grace.
The album doesn't die with a whimper either, Forces and live favourite Semi-Automatic give it a final gloss and catapults the LP into a must buy of recent times.
Union shows the great confidence displayed by TBR, four years is a long time, but a solid album that shows great development from Exits and is an essential album of 2009.
Released by HMV(!) in September on CD finally, the CD has some nice video extras and a couple of bonus tracks - one of them the stunning Broken Glass.
See them on tour in October in the UK.
Exits was a fantastic debut, bad luck, mis-management or just the ineptness of the British public to see past the Kaiser Chiefs albums meant it was completely missed and alongside illness of the lead singer Nathan Nicholson(which lead them to cancel a well documented tour support slot with The Killers) I for one thought TBR might not return with album two.
2008 there were signs of a return, myspace only singles (at that time) Broken Glass / JKKFC / Waiting hinted at things to come. Fast foward to January 2009 and itunes of all places out of nowhere picks Evacuate as single of the week and releases Union, the second Boxers album exclusively.
It kicks off with Flashing Red Light Means Go, a fantastic drum beat resounding throughout the track and is one of my favourites. Evacuate was a perfect choice for first single of the album, heavy guitars duelling throughout with another great drum beat behind. Another faster paced highlight is a reworking of an old song, These Walls Are Thin, a fast paced guitar number that highlights Nathan's fantastic vocal ability.
Union has more melodic tracks than its predecessor, this isn't a bad thing. Soviets is a beautiful acoustic song then accompanied with yet more drumming and another stand-out is the atmospherics during the enigmatic `The Gospel Of Goro Adachi' whilst final track the beautifully haunting Silent Movie closes the album with wonderful grace.
The album doesn't die with a whimper either, Forces and live favourite Semi-Automatic give it a final gloss and catapults the LP into a must buy of recent times.
Union shows the great confidence displayed by TBR, four years is a long time, but a solid album that shows great development from Exits and is an essential album of 2009.
Released by HMV(!) in September on CD finally, the CD has some nice video extras and a couple of bonus tracks - one of them the stunning Broken Glass.
See them on tour in October in the UK.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Where have you been all my life?!!
WOW!
This is one incredible album! I was actually forced into listening to the Boxer Rebellion by a friend who had been on for some time to me about their incredible guitar... Read more
This is one incredible album! I was actually forced into listening to the Boxer Rebellion by a friend who had been on for some time to me about their incredible guitar... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Thomas Walsh
Where were they hiding?
I bought this album on the basis of 'The Cold Still'. Frankly I'm amazed this album didn't disappoint, because I like TCS so much. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Doasyouwouldbedoneby
Sublime
I watched the movie "Going The Distance" which featured this band.
On the strength of that, I ordered all three albums through Amazon. Read more
On the strength of that, I ordered all three albums through Amazon. Read more
Published 13 months ago by DLK
Simply stunning
Like another reviewer this was bought on a whim and without even hearing it - a sticker on the cover compared TBR to Radiohead and that was enough for me (and the fact it was on... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Darren McCormac
Boxer Rebellion - Union
First heard of this band only a few months ago on a Manchester tv channel.Union takes a step forward from Exits and in my view is the better of the two.Superb tracks. Read more
Published on 13 May 2010 by Michael Rogers
Fantastic Emotive Album
There have been very few bands that have really grabbed me in the same way that TBR have. Strangely enough the first one was Radiohead especially when they released The Bends. Read more
Published on 30 April 2010 by Iain Anderson
One question:
Why aren't this lot better known?
This is a superb album and one of the best I've heard in a while. If you like 'indie' rock then buy this, you will not be disappointed.
This is a superb album and one of the best I've heard in a while. If you like 'indie' rock then buy this, you will not be disappointed.
Published on 25 April 2010 by joshfishkins
JOURNEY INTO THE UNKNOWN
I HAVE NEVER BOUGHT A CD BEFORE WITHOUT AT LEAST HEARING ONE TRACK BY THE ARTIST.UNTIL NOW.
ALTHOUGH THE COMPARISON WITH 'BENDS ERA' RADIOHEAD IS A LITTLE TENUOUS IT DID... Read more
ALTHOUGH THE COMPARISON WITH 'BENDS ERA' RADIOHEAD IS A LITTLE TENUOUS IT DID... Read more
Published on 30 Mar 2010 by Bryan R. Morris
Good Indie band - well worth a listen
Bought this after hearing Boxer Rebellion on the "Long Way Round" soundtrack (the tv programme which documented Ewan McGregor & Charley Boorman's motorbike trip). Read more
Published on 12 Feb 2010 by Jack WB
I'm British and I know what I like ...
And I like this a lot. Moving effortlessly from chunky riffs to heartbreakingly beautiful melodies. Superbly accomplished songwriting.
Published on 27 Nov 2009 by Mr. A. J. Rice
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