I Forget Where We Were

I Forget Where We Were
Studio album by
Ben Howard
Released20 October 2014 (2014-10-20)
Recorded2014
StudioStart Point Farm Studios (Devon)
Genre
Length54:11
Label
ProducerChris Bond
Ben Howard chronology
The Burgh Island E.P.
(2012) 		I Forget Where We Were
(2014) 		Noonday Dream
(2018)
Singles from I Forget Where We Were
  1. "I Forget Where We Were"
    Released: 19 August 2014
  2. "End of the Affair"
    Released: 26 August 2014
  3. "Conrad"
    Released: 17 September 2014

I Forget Where We Were is the second studio album by the English singer-songwriter Ben Howard, released on 20 October 2014 by Island Records. It was produced by Howard's drummer Chris Bond at Start Point Farm Studios in Devon, and recorded almost completely live.[1]

Following the success of his debut studio album Every Kingdom (2011), it peaked at number-one on the UK Albums Chart, and the Scottish Albums Chart. It also peaked at number two in Belgium, and the Netherlands, and the top ten in Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia.

Critical reception

The album was met with positive reviews from music critics. On Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100, the album was scored a 77, which indicates generally favourable reviews.[2] MusicOMH's Graeme Marsh gave the album 4 and a half stars, saying "I Forget Where We Were is an album to grow into rather than one of instant satisfaction, one that blossoms upon every subsequent listen, one to clutch close to your heart and cherish forever."[3] Henry Boon of DIY gave the album 4 stars, saying "...for those who didn’t care for Every Kingdom, it may also be easy to write off I Forget Where We Were as just another lame indie-folk album. On closer inspection however, it actually forgoes both attitudes; this album is more complex, more imaginative and technically worlds away from Every Kingdom." He explains, "The crowning glory lays with the lead single 'End of the Affair', an eight minute perfectly subtle build of complex classical guitar and strained emotive vocals."[4] In a 3-and-a-half star review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic says that "Howard expects you to meet him on his own terms and provides just enough aural enticement to give him not just one listen but a second, which is when I Forget Where We Were really begins to sink in its hooks."[5]

In a more mixed review, Molloy Woodcraft of The Observer says that "Individual tracks take their time to get going (only one song here comes in under four minutes) and numbers such as opener 'Small Things' break after two or three minutes to build back up from a pleasant plod to a sustained fug of sound", but comments that "the title track is a winner but it’s with 'In Dreams', and its fast folky picking, that the record really takes off... [and] the near eight-minute 'End of the Affair' aims to give John Martyn’s Rather Be the Devil a run for its money".[6] Rolling Stones' Hilary Hughes comments that "As mild as the music might often sound, this is an album that cuts deep."[7]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic77/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Clash7/10[9]
ConsequenceC+[10]
Digital Spy[11]
DIY[12]
Drowned in Sound7/10[13]
MusicOMH[14]
Q
The Daily Telegraph[15]
The Guardian[16]

Accolades

Publication Accolade Rank
Digital Spy Top 30 Albums of 2014
15[17]
MusicOMH Top 100 Albums of 2014
57[18]
Sputnikmusic Top 100 Albums of the 2010s
63[19]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ben Howard.

No.TitleLength
1."Small Things"5:43
2."Rivers in Your Mouth"5:12
3."I Forget Where We Were"4:43
4."In Dreams"3:34
5."She Treats Me Well"5:18
6."Time Is Dancing"6:49
7."Evergreen"4:05
8."End of the Affair"7:46
9."Conrad"6:09
10."All Is Now Harmed"5:03
Total length:53:04
Vinyl and iTunes extra track
No.TitleLength
11."Am I in Your Light?"4:49
Total length:54:44
Deluxe edition bonus disc
No.TitleLength
1."How Are You Feeling?"4:29
2."I Follow Stars"4:18
3."The Burren"5:25
4."Quiet Me Down" (Live)5:01
5."Lotus Flower"7:09

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the I Forget Where We Were liner notes.[20]

Musicians

  • Ben Howard – vocals; acoustic and electric guitars; percussion
  • Chris Bond – drums; bass; double bass; synthesizers; electric guitar; piano; keyboards; percussion; backing vocals
  • Andrew Bond – organ; piano; synthesizers; backing vocals
  • Mickey Smith – bass; electric and twelve-string guitars; backing vocals
  • Nat Wason – electric guitar; backing vocals
  • India Bourne – cello; backing vocals

Production and artwork

  • Chris Bond – producer; engineer
  • Andrew Bond – engineer
  • Timmy Ayres – engineer
  • Mike Crossey – mixing
  • Jonathan Gilmore – assistant mix engineer
  • Robin Schmidt – mastering
  • Owen Tozer – art direction; design
  • Roddy Bow – photography

Charts and certifications

References

  1. ^ https://i.discogs.com/798BGS5jOeCVO6nnI0mQCQZihrCqYx6BKM4MEJwX5s4/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:600/w:449/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTYxNzU3/NTQtMTQ5OTQ1MTI4/Ni03MDUyLmpwZWc.jpeg
  2. ^ a b "I Forget Where We Were - Ben Howard". Metacritic. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  3. ^ Marsh, Graeme (14 October 2014). "Ben Howard - I Forget Where We Were | Album Reviews". MusicOMH. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  4. ^ "Ben Howard - I Forget Where We Were". DIY. 14 October 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  5. ^ Ben Howard - I Forget Where We Were Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved 30 January 2023
  6. ^ "Ben Howard: I Forget Where We Were review – a slow burn that finally takes off". The Guardian. 18 October 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  7. ^ "Ben Howard's New Album: I Forget Where We Were | Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. 23 October 2014. Archived from the original on 23 October 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  8. ^ "Ben Howard - I Forget Where We Were". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
  9. ^ Cottingham, Christian (15 October 2014). "Ben Howard – I Forget Where We Were". Clash. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  10. ^ Hardy, Tony (24 October 2014). "Ben Howard – I Forget Where We Were". Consequence. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
  11. ^ Fletcher, Harry (14 October 2014). "Ben Howard: I Forget Where We Were album review - 'A genuine star'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  12. ^ Boon, Henry (14 October 2014). "Ben Howard – I Forget Where We Were". DIY. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  13. ^ Fothergill, Lucas. "Ben Howard – I Forget Where We Were". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 2 February 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  14. ^ Marsh, Graeme (14 October 2014). "Ben Howard – I Forget Where We Were". MusicOMH. OMH. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  15. ^ McCormick, Neil (22 October 2014). "Ben Howard, I Forget Where We Were, review: 'tantalising". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
  16. ^ Hann, Michael (16 October 2014). "Ben Howard: I Forget Where We Were review – indie-folk singer finds his darker side". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  17. ^ "Digital Spy's Best Albums of the Year 2014: 15-1". Digital Spy. 7 December 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  18. ^ "musicOMH's Top 100 Albums Of 2014". MusicOMH. 6 December 2014. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  19. ^ "Top 100 Albums of the 2010s: #100-76". Sputnikmusic. 6 April 2020. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  20. ^ I Forget Where We Were (CD booklet). Ben Howard. Island Records. 2014.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Ben Howard – I Forget Where We Were". Hung Medien.
  22. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Ben Howard – I Forget Where We Were" (in German). Hung Medien.
  23. ^ "Ultratop.be – Ben Howard – I Forget Where We Were" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  24. ^ "Ultratop.be – Ben Howard – I Forget Where We Were" (in French). Hung Medien.
  25. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Ben Howard – I Forget Where We Were". Hung Medien.
  26. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Ben Howard – I Forget Where We Were" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  27. ^ "Lescharts.com – Ben Howard – I Forget Where We Were". Hung Medien.
  28. ^ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH.
  29. ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week {{{week}}}, {{{year}}}". Chart-Track. IRMA.
  30. ^ "Charts.nz – Ben Howard – I Forget Where We Were". Hung Medien.
  31. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Ben Howard – I Forget Where We Were". Hung Medien.
  32. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Ben Howard – I Forget Where We Were". Hung Medien.
  33. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  34. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Ben Howard – I Forget Where We Were". Hung Medien.
  35. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Ben Howard – I Forget Where We Were". Hung Medien.
  36. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  37. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2014". Ultratop. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  38. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2014". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  39. ^ Moss, Liv (1 January 2015). "The Official Top 40 Biggest Selling Artist Albums of 2014". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 1 January 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
  40. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2015". Ultratop. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  41. ^ "Ben Howard targets No.1 with Taylor Swift's Grammy-winning producer". Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  42. ^ "British album certifications – Ben Howard – I Forget Where We Were". British Phonographic Industry.