Dim Lit
| Dim Lit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1 September 2004 | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 64:00 | |||
| Label | Babel Label and The Leaf Label | |||
| Producer | Robert Harder, Sebastian Rochford | |||
| Polar Bear chronology | ||||
| ||||
Dim Lit is the debut album by British jazz band Polar Bear, formed and led by drummer Sebastian Rochford.
Background
[edit]Polar Bear were awarded Best Band at the BBC Jazz Awards 2004, giving Dim Lit a platform for small scale success.[1] It was eventually surpassed by their following album Held on the Tips Of Fingers (2005), which was nominated for a Mercury Music Prize.[2]
The album was initially released on Babel Label and re-issued by The Leaf Label in 2014.[3]
Reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The Guardian |   [4] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [5] |
The Guardian write that this album "captures (Polar Bear's) unique virtues" and that it "goes straight on to the albums-of-2004 longlist".[4] The BBC call Dim Lit "a finely crafted album" in their review of the follow-up album.[6]
Track listing
[edit]All tracks written by Seb Rochford
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Heavy Paws on the Purple Floor" | 6:27 |
| 2. | "Not Here, Not Near" | 6:51 |
| 3. | "Eve's Apple" | 8:02 |
| 4. | "Polar Bear Standing and Ready" | 4:34 |
| 5. | "Urban Kilt" | 6:21 |
| 6. | "Snow" | 4:30 |
| 7. | "Underneath You Can See Too Much" | 7:00 |
| 8. | "The Shapes in the Clouds Aren't Always Happy" | 7:28 |
| 9. | "New Dark Park" | 9:32 |
| 10. | "Wild Horses" | 5:13 |
Personnel
[edit]Polar Bear
[edit]- Pete Wareham — tenor saxophone
- Mark Lockheart — tenor saxophone
- Sebastian Rochford – drums, percussion, drum programming
- Tom Herbert – double bass
Additional musicians
[edit]- Julia Biel – vocals (6)
- Ben Davis – cello (3, 10)
- John Greswell – viola (3, 6, 10)
- Adam Bishop – bass clarinet (6)
- Robert Harder – piano (7)
References
[edit]- ^ "Review: Polar Bear at The Lantern (Colston Hall)". Bristol Post. 24 April 2015. Archived from the original on 28 April 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
- ^ "Polar Bear, Held On The Tips Of Fingers". Mercury Prize, Albums of the Year. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
- ^ "Polar Bear Album Reissues". The Leaf Label. December 8, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
- ^ a b Fordham, John (May 21, 2004). "Reviews: Polar Bear, Dim Lit". The Guardian. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
- ^ Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1171. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
- ^ Finch, Russell. "Polar Bear Held On The Tips Of Fingers Review". BBC. Retrieved 28 May 2015.