No One Can Ever Know
No One Can Ever Know | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 6 February 2012 | |||
Recorded | January – March 2011 | |||
Studio | The Pool and Sub Bubble Studios, London | |||
Genre | Post-punk revival, dark wave, industrial | |||
Length | 44:50 | |||
Language | Scottish English | |||
Label | FatCat | |||
Producer | The Twilight Sad, Andrew Weatherall | |||
The Twilight Sad chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from No One Can Ever Know | ||||
|
No One Can Ever Know is the third studio album by
The album follows over two years since their previous full-length
The album also yielded two companion releases: No One Can Ever Know: The Remixes, featuring remixes from Liars, Com Truise, and Tom Furse from The Horrors; and N/O/C/E/K Tour EP, a limited release featuring alternate and demo recordings. In 2020, the original vinyl LP, after long being out of print, was repressed as a burgundy-coloured limited edition.
Background and recording
While on tour with
Writing and composition
In late January 2012, an exclusive interview with James Graham by
Regarding the album's lyrical content, Graham noted, "It's definitely not a happy album, put it that way. [...] I mean, the themes of the record are kind of tied in with the title – so I'm not going to tell anyone what they're about. I kind of wanted the whole thing to be a story."[12] The album's title comes from a lyric in the song "Dead City".
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Pitchfork | (7.4/10)[22] |
PopMatters | (7/10)[23] |
No One Can Ever Know was met with highly positive reviews and was featured in many year-end best-of lists of music magazines.[13] In an early preview album review, online website The Blue Walrus noted comparisons to Manic Street Preachers' The Holy Bible and Nine Inch Nails' The Downward Spiral, and finalised that "Some people may think that they know what to expect with a new Twilight Sad record, but if you thought you knew this band, you're in for the shock of your life. This is going to turn heads come early February, make no mistake."[24] Drowned in Sound praised the album as "a third consecutive triumph... one that's best appreciated with uneasy moonlight and sandpaper-on-brain loudness."[19] Dusted magazine wrote in a similarly positive review, "The band that used to build shimmering, gorgeous, barely moving walls of tone is in a hurry to get on now, pushing post-punk style through dystopian, jittery landscapes of romantic disconnection."[25] Crackle Feedback gave the album an 8 out of 10 rating, finalising that "Attempting to replace sledgehammer guitar noise with glacial synth is in no way detrimental to this album, it is a new and different approach which, whilst making no obvious attempt to develop on previous styles, adds to their canon an album which contrasts well with its predecessors and shows refreshing imagination."[26] London based entertainment website London24 awarded the album four stars, and called the album "taut, sparse, ominous and occasionally threatening – in the best and most evocative sense."[27]
The Skinny voted the album as the #9 best album of 2012.[28] In an accompanying interview, James Graham stated that, "No One Can Ever Know has opened the door to so many ideas and things we can do musically. ... Our fourth album will be very important in deciding the future of this band."[28] The album was also shortlisted for the Scottish Album of the Year Award.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Andy MacFarlane (music) and James Graham (lyrics)
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Alphabet" | 4:27 |
2. | "Dead City" | 6:26 |
3. | "Sick" | 4:24 |
4. | "Don't Move" | 4:20 |
5. | "Nil" | 5:19 |
6. | "Don't Look at Me" | 4:09 |
7. | "Not Sleeping" | 5:11 |
8. | "Another Bed" | 4:39 |
9. | "Kill It in the Morning" | 5:53 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
10. | "A Million Ignorants" | 3:32 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
10. | "Tell Me When We're Having Fun" | 5:48 |
Credits
Musicians
- James Graham – vocals
- Andy MacFarlane – guitars
- Mark Devine – drums, programming
Production
- Recording personnel
- The Twilight Sad – production
- James Graham – lyrics
- Andy MacFarlane – composition
- Andrew Weatherall – "anti-producer"
- Jim Anderson – engineering, mixing, additional production
- Tobin Jones – assistant engineering
- Joseph Rogers – assistant engineering
- Alan Douches – mastering (at West West Side Music)
- Lee A. Cohen – management (for Get Some Management)
Artwork
- DLT – design
- DLT and Daninski – illustrations
No One Can Ever Know: The Remixes
No One Can Ever Know: The Remixes | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Dark Wave, industrial | ||||
Length | 45:40 | |||
Language | Scottish English | |||
Label | FatCat | |||
Producer | The Twilight Sad, Andrew Weatherall | |||
The Twilight Sad chronology | ||||
|
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
This Is Fake DIY | (8/10)[33] |
In November 2012, FatCat Records released No One Can Ever Know: The Remixes, a collection of remixes of songs from the album. The album features remixes from
Remix album track listing
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Sick" (Brokenchord Remix) | 3:35 |
2. | "Sick" (Com Truise Remix) | 4:40 |
3. | "Nil" (Liars Remix) | 7:46 |
4. | "Not Sleeping" (The Horrors Dub Mix) | 6:56 |
5. | "Alphabet" (JD Twitch / Optimo Remix) | 6:38 |
6. | "Not Sleeping" (Warsnare Remix) | 3:54 |
7. | "Nil" (bretonLABS Remix) | 3:27 |
8. | "Alphabet" (Ambassadeurs Remix) | 4:17 |
9. | "Sick" (Brokenchord Remix 2) | 4:31 |
Credits
- "Not Sleeping" (The Horrors Dub Mix) remix and additional production by Tom Furse
- "Nil" (bretonLABS Remix) remixed by Roman Rappak and Breton at bretonLABS London, 2012; traffic sample recorded in Geneva
No One Can Ever Know: Tour EP
No One Can Ever Know: Tour EP | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Dark Wave, industrial | ||||
Length | 25:53 | |||
Language | Scottish English | |||
Label | Self-released | |||
Producer | The Twilight Sad | |||
The Twilight Sad chronology | ||||
|
Following the release of No One Can Ever Know: The Remixes, The Twilight Sad announced the release of the limited edition No One Can Ever Know: Tour EP (stylised as N/O/C/E/K Tour EP). The EP features a new song titled "Idiots" as well as alternate versions of tracks from the album, plus the B-sides "Untitled #67" and "A Million Ignorants". The EP was made available as a digital download included with all orders from the band's webstore, and also as a special handmade CD-R inside a custom-printed cardboard sleeve. The CD-R version was limited to 300 copies[35] and was only available at the band's European shows.[36][37]
Tour EP track listing
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Idiots" (Demo) | 4:16 |
2. | "Alphabet" (Alternate Version) | 4:08 |
3. | "Not Sleeping" (Alternate Version) | 5:18 |
4. | "Untitled #67" | 3:53 |
5. | "Another Bed" (Alternate Version) | 4:52 |
6. | "A Million Ignorants" | 3:33 |
Release history
Country | Date | Label | Format | Catalogue # | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 6 February 2012 | FatCat Records | CD, LP | FATCD98; FATLP98 | |
2LP | FATLP98LTD | Limited 2LP on heavyweight vinyl[38] | |||
United States | 7 February 2012 | CD, LP | FATCD98; FATLP98[39] | ||
LP (clear vinyl) | FATLP98 | Limited edition of 100, available exclusively from the band's webstore[40] | |||
United Kingdom | 19 November 2012 | CD; LP | FATCD99; FATLP99 | No One Can Ever Know: The Remixes | |
United States | CD | FATCD99 |
References
- ^ "FatCat Records : News - The Twilight Sad Interview with The Journal". 6 December 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
- ^ a b Martin, Andrew (14 November 2011). "Twilight Sad Releasing New LP, 'No One Can Ever Know,' In February". Retrieved 9 December 2011.
- ^ Wright, Danny (10 February 2012). "Standing on Our Own The 405 meets The Twilight Sad". Thefourohfive.com. Archived from the original on 28 June 2018. Retrieved 23 December 2016.
- ^ "FatCat Records: News - The Twilight Sad break their silence! New Album Announced, Free Track 'Kill It In The Morning'". 21 September 2011. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
- ^ "Twilight Sad to Release New Single "Another Bed" February 20". 5 January 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
- ^ "TotallyVivid: The Twilight Sad - Another Bed". 28 November 2011. Archived from the original on 6 December 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
- ^ "The Twilight Sad - No One Can Ever Know (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs. 7 February 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
- ^ Peenko, Boab (15 October 2010). "Peenko: An Interview with: The Twilight Sad". Retrieved 9 December 2011.
- ^ Brine, Harris (30 November 2011). "Twilight Sad". Retrieved 9 December 2011.
- ^ Abrams, Jonny (3 November 2011). "ROCKSUCKER: Interview: The Twilight Sad". Retrieved 9 December 2011.
- ^ a b c "Listen: The Twilight Sad - No One Can Ever Know". 30 January 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
- ^ Gallagher, Marianne (7 February 2012). "Another Bed: The Twilight Sad | Clash Music". clashmusic.com. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
- ^ a b "No One Can Ever Know by The Twilight Sad". Metacritic. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
- ^ Phares, Heather. "No One Can Ever Know - The Twilight Sad - Allmusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 February 2012.
- ^ Schild, Matt (7 February 2012). "The Twilight Sad: No One Can Ever Know". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 12 February 2012.
- ^ Loucaides, Darren (23 January 2012). "BBC - Music - Review of The Twilight Sad - No One Can Ever Know". Retrieved 1 February 2012.
- ^ De Revere, Paul (7 February 2012). "Album Review: The Twilight Sad - No One Can Ever Know". Retrieved 12 February 2012.
- ^ Gourlay, Dom (26 January 2012). "The Twilight Sad - No One Can Ever Know Album Review". Retrieved 1 February 2012.
- ^ a b Monroe, Jazz (31 January 2012). "The Twilight Sad - No One Can Ever Know / Release". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 2 February 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2012.
- ^ Young, Martyn (January 2012). "The Twilight Sad - No One Can Ever Know - album reviews". Retrieved 3 February 2012.
- ^ Crossan, Jamie (6 February 2012). "NME Reviews - The Twilight Sad - 'No One Can Ever Know'". NME. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
- ^ Cohen, Ian (2 February 2012). "The Twilight Sad: No One Can Ever Know - Album Reviews". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
- ^ Beasley, Corey (10 February 2012). "The Twilight Sad: No One Can Ever Know". Retrieved 12 February 2012.
- ^ "First Listen: The Twilight Sad - No One Can Ever Know". 20 December 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
- ^ Kelly, Jennifer (14 February 2012). "Dusted Reviews: The Twilight Sad - No One Can Ever Know". Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ Taylor, Adam (3 February 2012). "Crackle Feedback: The Twilight Sad - No One Can Ever Know". Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ Moore, Stephen (6 February 2012). "Album review: The Twilight Sad - No One Can Ever Know". Archived from the original on 10 February 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2012.
- ^ a b Kerr, Dave (5 December 2012). "The Albums of 2012 (#9): The Twilight Sad - No One Can Ever Know (FatCat)". Retrieved 6 December 2012.
- ^ "Download No One Can Ever Know by The Twilight Sad". Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- ^ "No One Can Ever Know: The Remixes by The Twilight Sad". Metacritic. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
- ^ a b Phares, Heather. "No One Can Ever Know: The Remixes - The Twilight Sad - Allmusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 December 2012.
- ^ Elingburg, Scott (27 November 2012). "The Twilight Sad: No One Can Ever Know: The Remixes". Retrieved 6 December 2012.
- ^ Morris, Hugh. "The Twilight Sad - No One Can Ever Know: The Remixes". Retrieved 6 December 2012.
- ^ "FatCat Records - News: The Twilight Sad - Remix Album And Tour Dates". Retrieved 29 August 2012.
- ^ "We have a new EP". Facebook. 12 October 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
- ^ "The Twilight Sad - News". 18 November 2012. Archived from the original on 1 September 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
- ^ "NOCEK Tour EP CD-R image". Retrieved 5 December 2012.
- ^ "The Twilight Sad - No One Can Ever Know Ltd Edition Double Vinyl 180 Gram". Archived from the original on 1 September 2013. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
- ^ "ADA Music - Release - No One Can Ever Know". Archived from the original on 2 May 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
- ^ "The Twilight Sad - No One Can Ever Know Ltd Edition Clear Vinyl". Archived from the original on 15 April 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2012.