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Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!

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Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! is the debut studio album by American indie pop band Hellogoodbye. Produced by Matt Mahaffey, Jeff Turzo, and Forrest Kline, the album was released on August 8, 2006 in the United States by Drive-Thru Records. The album's lead single, "Here (In Your Arms)", reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified platinum in the United States.

The album's title is a reference to popular youth culture and interests during the mid-2000s. The cover artwork was done by LeDouxville (see Jesse LeDoux). The Japanese release additionally features two live versions of "Here (In Your Arms)" and "Homewrecker".

Background

Hellogoodbye was formed in 2002 by vocalist/guitarist Forrest Kline, bassist Marcus Cole, keyboardist Jesse Kurvink, and drummer Chris Profeta.[3]

Drive-Thru, which formerly employed Kline as a web design intern at 16, signed the band in 2004. The label’s deal with majors MCA (and its successor, Geffen) was nearing its conclusion and the label intended to keep their newest artist signing quiet.[4] Drive-Thru feared the majors might realize Hellogoodbye’s potential and attempt to steal them away. The band issued an eponymous online EP for free, and although it was intended to remain “under the radar,” it attracted commercial attention.[4] "Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn" became a minor hit on MTV and helped the group gain notoriety.[3] The group was chosen by the cast of MTV’s The Real World: Austin to be followed during South by Southwest (SXSW), and their profile began to increase dramatically. This exposure was aided by Drive-Thru’s distribution deal with Sony BMG’s RED Distribution, through Sanctuary Records. Drive-Thru paid $20,000 to promote the album, which Sanctuary funded retail pricing and positioning.[4]

The album was recorded at a home studio with help from Matt Mahaffey of the band Self. Kline found his first professional recording not dissimilar from the way he had previously made music, via a computer in his bedroom.[5] Recording of the album finished in March 2006. The cover artwork was done by LeDouxville (see Jesse LeDoux).

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AbsolutePunk.net
Allmusic[1]
Spin5/10[6]

Spin's Trevor Kelley gave the album 5 out of 10 in his review, remarking, "While the synth-punk anthems on the California quartet's debut full-length are infectious blasts, when Kline tries his hand at Kinks-y rave-ups ("Stuck to You") and sweeping orchestral pop ("Baby, It's Fact"), his overreach is a tad premature."[6] Allmusic's Corey Apar called it "a charming album that indeed entertains," while noting it as a "somewhat uneven listen when taken as a whole."[3]

Commercial performance

Selling 40,057 units within its first week, the album debuted at No. 13 on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart, at No. 1 on the U.S. Independent albums chart and on No. 1 at the U.S. Internet albums chart.[7] This response surprised executives at Drive-Thru, who in response began heavily promoting the band to pop radio. Through the help of RED and Sanctuary, it became a radio hit.[4]

By December 2006, the album has sold 150,000 copies in the United States.[4] As of April 2007, the album has sold 343,569 copies in the United States. It was released in the United Kingdom on May 21, 2007, where it debuted at No. 17 on the UK Albums Chart.

Touring

Preceding the album's release, the band opened for the Academy Is... on nationwide dates. Later that spring, they joined Motion City Soundtrack and Straylight Run for the MTVU Campus Invasion Tour.[3] In response to their growing profile, Drive-Thru booked the band for the 2006 Vans Warped Tour. By the end of the summer of 2006, the group were regularly selling out 1,000+ venues.[4]

Track listing

# Title Writer(s) Length
1. "All of Your Love" Kline 2:56
2. "Here (In Your Arms)" Kline 4:00
3. "All Time Lows" Kline 2:44
4. "Stuck to You" Kline 2:44
5. "Homewrecker" Kline 2:31
6. "Oh, It Is Love" Kline 4:00
7. "Baby, It's Fact" Kline 3:17
8. "Figures A and B (Means You and Me)" Kline, Kurvink 2:21
9. "I Saw It on Your Keyboard" Kline, Kurvink 3:03
10. "Touchdown Turnaround (Don't Give Up on Me)" Kline, Kurvink 2:30
11. "Two Weeks in Hawaii" Kline 4:51
Re-issue bonus tracks
  • 12. "All Time Lows" (Demo) – 2:49
  • 13. "All Time Lows" (Demo 2) – 2:42
  • 14. "All Time Lows" (Gm Og Mix) – 2:56
  • 15. "Homewrecker" (Demo) – 2:43
  • 16. "Figures A and B (Means You and Me)" (Demo) – 2:24
  • 17. "Figures A and B (Means You and Me)" (Gm Og Mix) – 2:29
  • 18. "I Saw It on Your Keyboard" (Demo) – 3:04
  • 19. "I Saw It on Your Keyboard" (Gm Og Mix) – 3:01
  • 20. "Touchdown Turnaround" (Demo) – 3:03
  • 21. "Touchdown Turnaround" (Demo 2) – 3:19
  • 22. "Touchdown Turnaround" (Gm Og Mix) – 2:56
  • 23. "Two Weeks in Hawaii" (Demo) – 4:41
  • 24. "Confuscious Say Rock and Roll" (by The Fortune Cookies) – 2:18
  • 25. "If You Wanna I Might" (Demo) – 4:15
UK bonus tracks
  1. "Baby, It's Fact" (live from London)
  2. "All of Your Love" (live from London)
  3. "Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn" (from the Hellogoodbye EP)
Japanese bonus tracks
  1. "Here (In Your Arms)" (live at House of Blues)
  2. "Homewrecker" (live at House of Blues)
  3. "Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn" (from the Hellogoodbye EP)

Live at the Avalon

On the re-issue, Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! And More!, is included a bonus DVD of a 50-minute live concert performed at the Avalon in Boston, Massachusetts on May 6, 2007 during their tour with The Hush Sound and Boys Like Girls.

  1. "All Time Lows"
  2. "Shimmy Shimmy Quarter Turn"
  3. "All of Your Love"
  4. "Stuck to You"
  5. "Dear Jamie...Sincerely Me"
  6. "Bonnie Taylor Shakedown...2K4"
  7. "Baby, It's Fact"
  8. "Oh, It Is Love"
  9. "Call N' Return"
  10. "Here (In Your Arms)"
  11. "Touchdown Turnaround (Don't Give Up on Me)"
  12. "Dammit" (Blink-182 cover)

Credits

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2006–07) Peak
position
UK Albums (OCC)[8] 17
US Billboard 200[9] 14
Independent Albums (Billboard)[9] 4
Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[9] 4
Top Album Sales (Billboard)[9] 13

References

  1. ^ a b "Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! – Hellogoodbye | AllMusic". allmusic. 2011. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
  2. ^ a b "Hellogoodbye – Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! – Album Review". AbsolutePunk.net. August 8, 2006. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d "Hellogoodbye – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Todd Martens (December 9, 2006). "Hello Top 40, Goodbye Obscurity". Billboard. 118 (49): 84. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved February 15, 2015. {{cite journal}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |journal= (help)
  5. ^ Christina Schroeter (October 27, 2005). "Say hello to HelloGoodbye". The Daily Titan. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  6. ^ a b "Hellogoodbye, Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs!". Spin. September 29, 2006. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  7. ^ "Congrats to HGB!". Absolutepunk.net. Retrieved October 16, 2006.
  8. ^ "Hellogoodbye | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
  9. ^ a b c d "Zombies! Aliens! Vampires! Dinosaurs! Chart History". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
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