Jump to content

If You Wait

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If You Wait
Studio album by
Released6 September 2013 (2013-09-06)
Recorded2012–2013
Studio
Genre
Length43:22
Label
Producer
London Grammar chronology
If You Wait
(2013)
Truth Is a Beautiful Thing
(2017)
Singles from If You Wait
  1. "Metal & Dust"
    Released: 25 February 2013
  2. "Wasting My Young Years"
    Released: 16 June 2013
  3. "Strong"
    Released: 1 September 2013
  4. "Nightcall"
    Released: 8 December 2013
  5. "Hey Now"
    Released: 16 March 2014
  6. "Sights"
    Released: 1 June 2014[4]
  7. "If You Wait"
    Released: 12 October 2014[5]

If You Wait is the debut studio album by English indie pop band London Grammar, released on 6 September 2013 by Metal & Dust Recordings and Ministry of Sound. Seven singles were released from the album: "Metal & Dust", "Wasting My Young Years", "Strong", "Nightcall", "Hey Now", "Sights" and "If You Wait". The album debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart with first-week sales of 33,130 copies.

Background

[edit]

After signing with Ministry of Sound and Big Life Management, the band began the first sessions of the album in early 2012 with Cam Blackwood. Later that year he was replaced by Tim Bran and Roy Kerr. Hannah Reid commented on the collaboration, saying, "Tim is amazing at recording, of finding the best way of recording a guitar or my vocal. Roy had the strongest relationship with Dot and they worked on production together."[6]

The album's lyrics are mainly based upon vocalist Hannah Reid's personal life, in particular her troubled teenage years,[7] prompting The Guardian to suggest that this was "the first quarter-life-crisis album."[7]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?6.9/10[8]
Metacritic75/100[9]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[10]
Consequence of Sound[11]
The Guardian[12]
The Independent[13]
Mixmag4/5[14]
NME7/10[15]
The Observer[16]
Pitchfork7.1/10[17]
PopMatters9/10[18]
Q[19]

If You Wait received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 75, based on 19 reviews.[9]

Andy Gill of The Independent summarised the album's production and instrumentation as "all beautifully sketched to evoke the crepuscular intimacies of the songs."[13]

A large quantity of praise went to the vocal ability of Reid, whose husky contralto vocals have been described as "defining and soulful" by Clash magazine[20] and "emotive" and "folky" by Drowned in Sound.[3] Her voice has been compared to artists like Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine,[21] Annie Lennox,[13][22] and Julee Cruise.[13] Benji Taylor of Pretty Much Amazing wrote a favourable review of the album, calling it "an enthralling, stunning, deeply emotive album that perfectly marries understated electronica to sublime vocals and melodies." Vocalist Hannah Reid's voice was particularly praised: "underscored by an enduring brittle beauty and an underlying otherworldliness, as if she honed her craft singing amidst the gardens of Lothlorien, or some far-flung corner of Westeros."[1]

Commercial performance

[edit]

If You Wait entered the UK Albums Chart at number two, selling 33,130 copies in its first week.[23] As of June 2017, it had sold 642,301 copies in the United Kingdom.[24] In the United States, the album debuted at number 91 on the Billboard 200 with 4,000 copies sold.[25]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks produced by Tim Bran, Roy Kerr and London Grammar, except where noted.

No.TitleLyricsMusicLength
1."Hey Now"Hannah Reid
  • Reid
  • Daniel Rothman
  • Dot Major
3:27
2."Stay Awake"Reid
  • Reid
  • Rothman
  • Major
3:05
3."Shyer"Reid
3:07
4."Wasting My Young Years"ReidReid3:24
5."Sights"Reid
  • Reid
  • Rothman
  • Major
4:13
6."Strong"Reid
  • Reid
  • Rothman
  • Major
4:35
7."Nightcall"
  • Belorgey
  • Homem-Christo
4:30
8."Metal & Dust"Reid
  • Reid
  • Rothman
  • Major
3:28
9."Interlude" (live)ReidReid4:04
10."Flickers"
  • Reid
  • Rothman
  • Reid
  • Rothman
  • Major
4:45
11."If You Wait"ReidReid4:44
Total length:43:22
US edition bonus tracks[26][27]
No.TitleLyricsMusicProducer(s)Length
12."High Life"Reid
  • Reid
  • Rothman
  • Major
 4:03
13."Maybe"Reid
  • Reid
  • Rothman
  • Major
 4:23
14."Strong" (US radio edit)Reid
  • Reid
  • Rothman
  • Major
4:10
Total length:55:58
Japanese edition bonus tracks[28]
No.TitleLyricsMusicProducer(s)Length
12."Help"Reid
  • Reid
  • Rothman
  • Major
 3:53
13."Darling Are You Gonna Leave Me"Reid
  • Reid
  • Rothman
  • Major
  • Bran
  • Kerr
3:02
14."High Life"Reid
  • Reid
  • Rothman
  • Major
 4:03
15."Maybe"Reid
  • Reid
  • Rothman
  • Major
 4:23
16."When We Were Young"Reid
  • Reid
  • Rothman
  • Major
 3:06
17."Feelings"   3:46
18."Everywhere You Go"   3:42
Total length:69:17
Deluxe edition and French collector's edition bonus disc[29][30]
No.TitleLyricsMusicProducer(s)Length
1."Help"Reid
  • Reid
  • Rothman
  • Major
 3:53
2."Darling Are You Gonna Leave Me"Reid
  • Reid
  • Rothman
  • Major
  • Bran
  • Kerr
3:02
3."Help Me Lose My Mind" (Disclosure featuring London Grammar)ReidDisclosure4:06
4."High Life"Reid
  • Reid
  • Rothman
  • Major
 4:03
5."Maybe"Reid
  • Reid
  • Rothman
  • Major
 4:23
6."When We Were Young"Reid
  • Reid
  • Rothman
  • Major
 3:06
Total length:22:33

Notes

[edit]
  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer

Personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of If You Wait.[31]

London Grammar

[edit]
  • Hannah Reid
  • Daniel Rothman
  • Dot Major

Additional musicians

[edit]
  • Tim Bran – additional programming (all tracks); additional keyboards (tracks 4, 7)
  • Roy Kerr – additional programming
  • Dot Major – additional programming (tracks 4, 7)
  • Wil Malone – string arrangements, string conducting (tracks 4, 5, 8, 11)
  • Tony Stanton – strings preparation (tracks 4, 5, 8, 11)
  • City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra – strings (tracks 4, 5, 8, 11)

Technical

[edit]
  • Tim Bran – production
  • Roy Kerr – production
  • London Grammar – production
  • Manon Grandjean – engineering
  • Ben Siegal – engineering (tracks 3, 8, 10, 11); vocal recording, piano recording (track 11)
  • Jan Holzner – string recording (tracks 4, 5, 8, 11)
  • James Fitzpatrick – orchestra contractor (tracks 4, 5, 8, 11)
  • Kevin "KD" Davis – mixing
  • Tom Coyne – mastering

Artwork

[edit]
  • Mat Maitland – art direction
  • Markus Karlsson – art direction
  • Lee Kirby – photography

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications for If You Wait
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[69] Platinum 70,000^
Belgium (BEA)[70] Platinum 30,000*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[71] Gold 10,000
Germany (BVMI)[72] Gold 100,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[73] 2× Platinum 642,301[24]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

[edit]
Release dates and formats for If You Wait
Region Date Format Edition Label Ref(s)
Australia 6 September 2013
  • Standard
  • deluxe
Dew Process [74][75][76][77]
LP Standard [78]
France 9 September 2013 CD Because [79]
United Kingdom
  • CD
  • digital download
  • Standard
  • deluxe
[80][81][82][83]
LP Standard [84]
United States 10 September 2013 Digital download Columbia [85]
Germany 11 October 2013 Deluxe [86]
15 November 2013 CD
  • Standard
  • deluxe
Island [87][88]
United States 25 March 2014 US standard Columbia [89]
Digital download US deluxe [27]
1 April 2014 LP US standard [90]
France 28 April 2014 LP + CD
  • Standard (LP)
  • deluxe (CD)
Because [91]
Japan 18 June 2014
  • CD
  • digital download
Japan standard Universal [28][92]
France 24 November 2014 CD Collector's Because [30]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Vocals on tracks 2–10
  2. ^ Strings on tracks 4, 5, 8 and 11

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Taylor, Benji (9 September 2013). "Review: London Grammar – If You Wait". Pretty Much Amazing. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  2. ^ Bracaglia, Kate (28 January 2015). "Our weekly concert picks: January 28–February 3". Philly.com. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  3. ^ a b Fenwick, Tom (5 September 2013). "London Grammar – If You Wait". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 7 September 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  4. ^ "Sights: London Grammar: MP3 Downloads". United Kingdom: Amazon. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  5. ^ "If You Wait: London Grammar: MP3 Downloads". United Kingdom: Amazon. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  6. ^ [1] Archived 7 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Russell Dean Stone, London Grammar', BEAT Magazine, 16 October 2013
  7. ^ a b Wolfson, Sam (5 September 2013). "London Grammar: 'A lot of our friends are really lost'". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  8. ^ "If You Wait by London Grammar reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Reviews for If You Wait by London Grammar". Metacritic. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  10. ^ Kerr, Scott. "If You Wait – London Grammar". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  11. ^ Porter, Zander (10 September 2013). "Album Review: London Grammar – If You Wait". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on 12 September 2013. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
  12. ^ Sullivan, Caroline (5 September 2013). "London Grammar: If You Wait – review". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  13. ^ a b c d Gill, Andy (29 July 2013). "Album: London Grammar, If You Wait (Metal & Dust)". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 12 September 2013. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  14. ^ Moore, Ralph (25 October 2013). "London Grammar". Mixmag. Archived from the original on 12 November 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  15. ^ Levine, Nick (5 September 2013). "London Grammar – 'If You Wait'". NME. Archived from the original on 6 October 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  16. ^ Mardles, Paul (8 September 2013). "London Grammar: If You Wait – review". The Observer. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  17. ^ Pagnani, Renato (17 September 2013). "London Grammar: If You Wait". Pitchfork. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  18. ^ Lathan, Ryan (12 September 2013). "London Grammar: If You Wait". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 14 September 2013.
  19. ^ "London Grammar: If You Wait". Q. No. 328. November 2013. p. 111. ISSN 0955-4955.
  20. ^ "London Grammar – If You Wait". Clash. 27 August 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
  21. ^ "OTW #523: London Grammar". Clash. 30 March 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2013.
  22. ^ "Hannah, London Grammar: I'm compared to every other female singer". Gigwise.com. 28 July 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2013.
  23. ^ Jones, Alan (16 September 2013). "Official Charts Analysis: Arctic Monkeys' AM doubles predecessor's week-one sales". Music Week. Archived from the original on 29 April 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  24. ^ a b Jones, Alan (16 June 2017). "Official Charts Analysis: London Grammar enter at No.1". Music Week. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  25. ^ Caulfield, Keith (4 April 2014). "Chart Moves: 'God's Not Dead' Sales Surge, London Grammar Gains, Karmin's Full-Length Arrives". Billboard. Archived from the original on 6 June 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  26. ^ "If You Wait – London Grammar". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  27. ^ a b "If You Wait (Deluxe Version) by London Grammar". United States: iTunes Store. 25 March 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  28. ^ a b イフ・ユー・ウェイト [If You Wait] (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  29. ^ "If You Wait [Bonus Disc] – London Grammar". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  30. ^ a b "If you wait – Edition Collector 2 CD – London Grammar – Vinyl album" (in French). Fnac. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  31. ^ If You Wait (liner notes). London Grammar. Metal & Dust Recordings. 2013. MADART1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  32. ^ "Australiancharts.com – London Grammar – If You Wait". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  33. ^ "Austriancharts.at – London Grammar – If You Wait" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
  34. ^ "Ultratop.be – London Grammar – If You Wait" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
  35. ^ "Ultratop.be – London Grammar – If You Wait" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  36. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – London Grammar – If You Wait". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  37. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – London Grammar – If You Wait" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  38. ^ "Lescharts.com – London Grammar – If You Wait". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  39. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – London Grammar – If You Wait" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  40. ^ "Official Cyta-IFPI Charts – Top-75 Albums Sales Chart (Week: 7/2014)". IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 26 February 2014. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  41. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography London Grammar". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  42. ^ "Top 10 Independent Artist Albums, Week Ending 13 February 2014". Chart-Track. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  43. ^ "Italiancharts.com – London Grammar – If You Wait". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  44. ^ "Charts.nz – London Grammar – If You Wait". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  45. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – London Grammar – If You Wait". Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  46. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  47. ^ "Swisscharts.com – London Grammar – If You Wait". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  48. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  49. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  50. ^ "London Grammar Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  51. ^ "London Grammar Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  52. ^ "London Grammar Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  53. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2013". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  54. ^ "Rapports Annuels 2013 – Albums" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  55. ^ "Top Albums annuel (physique + téléchargement + streaming) – 2013" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on 14 August 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  56. ^ Lane, Daniel (1 January 2014). "The Official Top 40 Biggest Artist Albums Of 2013". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  57. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2014". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  58. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2014 – Albums" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  59. ^ "Rapports Annuels 2014 – Albums" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
  60. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2014" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
  61. ^ "Top Albums annuel (physique + téléchargement + streaming) – 2014" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on 12 August 2018. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  62. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2014". hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  63. ^ Moss, Liv (1 January 2015). "The Official Top 40 Biggest Selling Artist Albums Of 2014". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  64. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2015 – Albums" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  65. ^ "Rapports Annuels 2015 – Albums" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  66. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2019 – Albums" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  67. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2021 – Albums" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 5 January 2021.
  68. ^ Copsey, Rob (11 December 2019). "The UK's Official Top 100 biggest albums of the decade". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  69. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2014 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  70. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2014". Ultratop. Hung Medien. 26 December 2014. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
  71. ^ "Danish album certifications – London Grammar – If You Wait". IFPI Danmark. 20 March 2018. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  72. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (London Grammar; 'If You Wait')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 20 December 2016.
  73. ^ "British album certifications – London Grammar – If You Wait". British Phonographic Industry. 10 June 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  74. ^ "If You Wait". JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  75. ^ "If You Wait (Deluxe Edition)". JB Hi-Fi. Archived from the original on 9 March 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  76. ^ "If You Wait by London Grammar". Australia: iTunes Store. 6 September 2013. Archived from the original on 30 May 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  77. ^ "If You Wait (Deluxe Version) by London Grammar". Australia: iTunes Store. 6 September 2013. Archived from the original on 4 July 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  78. ^ "If You Wait (Vinyl)". JB Hi-Fi. Archived from the original on 6 April 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  79. ^ "If you wait – London Grammar – CD album" (in French). Fnac. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  80. ^ "If You Wait by London Grammar". United Kingdom: Amazon. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  81. ^ "If You Wait: Deluxe by London Grammar". United Kingdom: Amazon. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  82. ^ "If You Wait: London Grammar: MP3 Downloads". United Kingdom: Amazon. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  83. ^ "If You Wait (Deluxe Edition): London Grammar: MP3 Downloads". United Kingdom: Amazon. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  84. ^ "If You Wait [VINYL] by London Grammar". United Kingdom: Amazon. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  85. ^ "If You Wait: London Grammar: MP3 Downloads". United States: Amazon. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  86. ^ "If You Wait (Deluxe Version) von London Grammar" (in German). Germany: iTunes Store. January 2013. Archived from the original on 11 February 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  87. ^ "London Grammar | If You Wait" (in German). Universal Music Germany. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  88. ^ "If You Wait (Deluxe Edition)" (in German). Germany: Amazon. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  89. ^ "London Grammar: If You Wait (US Edition)". United States: Amazon. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  90. ^ "London Grammar: If You Wait (US Vinyl Edition)". United States: Amazon. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  91. ^ "If you wait – Inclus CD – London Grammar – Vinyl album" (in French). Fnac. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  92. ^ "If You Wait: London Grammar: MP3 Downloads". Japan: Amazon. Retrieved 7 March 2015.