Come Clean is the third studio album by English alternative rock band Curve. It was released on 10 March 1998 by Estupendo Records and Universal, and was the first Curve album to be released following their temporary split in 1994 and reformation in 1996.
| Come Clean | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 10 March 1998 | |||
| Recorded | July 1996 – September 1997 | |||
| Studio | Todal (London) | |||
| Genre | Electronic rock | |||
| Length | 57:08 | |||
| Label |
| |||
| Producer | ||||
| Curve chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Come Clean | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Independent | 2/5[2] |
| NME | 4/10[3] |
| Pitchfork | 7.6/10[4] |
| Q |  [5] |
| Select | 2/5[6] |
Come Clean marked a shift to a style more informed by dance and electronic music than Curve's earlier records. Significantly, the commercial success of and critical acclaim for Come Clean – at least relative to the reception that the group's harsher and less accessible 1993 album Cuckoo had received – encouraged Curve to continue recording.[citation needed]
Musical style
editStuart Derdeyn of The Province wrote that Come Clean found Curve "updating its sound to better reflect the noise and punch of contemporary electronic rock".[7] The A.V. Club's Joshua Klein said that the band expanded on the dance and electronic elements of their previous albums, with the music on Come Clean placing a heavier emphasis on "big beats".[8] Pitchfork critic Chris Ott noted the album's "danceable drum loops" and "blurry, detached" vocals, as well as its influence from trip hop band Portishead and the "ascendant club-techno" sound of The Chemical Brothers.[9] According to Ott, the record forgoes the "sexual intensity" and "icy shoegaze guitars" of Curve's earlier work.[9]
Release
editAfter disbanding two years earlier, Curve reformed in 1996 and within the year announced the forthcoming release of a new album, which was tentatively titled Magic Music Medicine and set to be issued by the band's self-operated label FatLip Recordings.[10] In 1997, Curve signed to Universal, which ultimately issued the album, newly titled Come Clean.[11]
Come Clean was released by Estupendo Records and its parent label Universal on 10 March 1998 in the United States,[12] and on 18 May 1998 in the United Kingdom.[13] The lead single from Come Clean, "Chinese Burn", was released on 18 November 1997.[14] "Coming Up Roses" was issued as the album's second single on 4 May 1998.[15]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Dean Garcia and Toni Halliday
| No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Chinese Burn" |
| 4:50 |
| 2. | "Coming Up Roses" |
| 4:31 |
| 3. | "Something Familiar" |
| 4:08 |
| 4. | "Dog Bone" | Curve | 3:13 |
| 5. | "Alligators Getting Up" |
| 4:36 |
| 6. | "Dirty High" |
| 5:21 |
| 7. | "Killer Baby" |
| 3:55 |
| 8. | "Sweetback" |
| 4:31 |
| 9. | "Forgotten Sanity" |
| 4:32 |
| 10. | "Cotton Candy" |
| 5:32 |
| 11. | "Beyond Reach" |
| 4:55 |
| 12. | "Come Clean" | Curve | 2:16 |
| 13. | "Recovery" |
| 4:48 |
| Total length: | 57:08 | ||
Personnel
editCredits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[16]
Curve
- Dean Garcia – bass, drums, guitar, keyboard and electronics programming
- Toni Halliday – vocals, guitar, sound effects
Additional musicians
- Flood – electronics on "Dirty High"
- Sally Herbert – violin on "Something Familiar" and "Forgotten Sanity"
- Ben Hillier – additional drum programming on "Killer Baby"
- Alan Moulder – guitar on "Coming Up Roses", "Killer Baby", "Forgotten Sanity", "Cotton Candy" and "Recovery"
- Toshio Nakanishi – electronics on "Alligators Getting Up" and "Killer Baby"
- Steve Osborne – arrangement on "Chinese Burn", "Coming Up Roses" and "Dirty High"
- Tim Simenon – arrangement
- Óskar Páll Sveinsson – Moog synthesizer on "Cotton Candy"
- Justin Welch – drums on "Something Familiar"
Production
- James Brown – mixing (assistant)
- Curve – production, engineering, recording, mixing on "Come Clean"
- Ben Hillier – engineering on "Chinese Burn", "Coming Up Roses" and "Dirty High", mixing (assistant) on "Chinese Burn"
- Graham Hog – mixing (assistant)
- Guy Massey – mixing (assistant)
- Kevin Metcalfe – mastering
- Alan Moulder – mixing
- Darren Nash – engineering (assistant) on "Chinese Burn", "Coming Up Roses" and "Dirty High", mixing (assistant) on "Chinese Burn"
- Steve Osborne – production and transferral on "Chinese Burn", "Coming Up Roses" and "Dirty High", mixing on "Chinese Burn"
- Tom Rixton – engineering (assistant), sorting
- Dave Russell – mixing (assistant)
- Tim Simenon – production, mixing, transferral
- Óskar Páll Sveinsson – engineering, Pro Tools
Design
- Brooksy – cover photography
- Richard Harrington – art direction, design
- Anna Pretty – metal brand creation
Charts
edit| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums (OCC)[17] | 103 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[18] | 26 |
References
edit- ^ Prato, Greg. "Come Clean – Curve". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ Lewis, Angela (15 May 1998). "Pop & Jazz: Album Reviews". The Independent. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
- ^ Oldham, James (16 May 1998). "Curve – Come Clean". NME. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ DiCrescenzo, Brent (March 1998). "Curve: Come Clean". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 14 December 2005. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ Duerden, Nick (1998). "Curve: Come Clean". Q. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ Mullen, John (July 1998). "Curve: Come Clean". Select. No. 97. p. 78. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ Derdeyn, Stuart (25 June 1998). "Friday offers slice of the Bacons". The Province.
- ^ Klein, Joshua (19 April 2002). "Curve: Come Clean". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ a b Ott, Chris (September 2003). "Castoffs and Cutouts: The Top 50 Most Common Used CDs". Pitchfork. p. 3. Archived from the original on 2 October 2003. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ "Curve's Full Circle". NME. 17 August 1996. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ Lanham, Tom (March 1998). "Curve: Reunited and It Feels So Good". CMJ New Music Monthly. No. 55. pp. 24–25. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ Roberts, Randall (April 1998). "Curve: Come Clean". CMJ New Music Monthly. No. 56. p. 48. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ Come Clean (press advertisement). Estupendo Records / Universal. 1998. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Other discs scheduled for release Tuesday". Detroit Free Press. 16 November 1997.
- ^ Coming Up Roses (press advertisement). Estupendo Records / Universal. 1998. Archived from the original on 5 May 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Come Clean (liner notes). Curve. Estupendo Records / Universal. 1998. UD-53121.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Chart Log UK: Chris C. – CZR". Zobbel.de. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ "Heatseekers Albums". Billboard. 28 March 1998. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
External links
edit- Come Clean at Discogs (list of releases)
- Come Clean at MusicBrainz (list of releases)