The Broken Strings Tour

The Broken Strings Tour
Live album by
Birds of Tokyo
Released5 February 2010 (2010-02-05)
RecordedEnmore Theatre, Sydney 14 November 2009
Melbourne Town Hall, Melbourne, 15 November 2009
GenreAlternative rock, indie rock
Length79:23
LabelBirds of Tokyo, MGM Records
ProducerAnthony Cormican
Birds of Tokyo chronology
Universes
(2008) 		The Broken Strings Tour
(2010) 		Birds of Tokyo
(2010)

The Broken Strings Tour is the first live album by the Australian alternative rock band Birds of Tokyo. It was released as a double CD/DVD on 5 February 2010 and debuted and peaked at number 11 on the Australian ARIA Charts.[1]

At the ARIA Music Awards of 2010, the DVD was nominated for Best Music DVD but lost to Sound Relief by various artists.[2]

Background and recording

In 2009, Birds of Tokyo came up with the idea to show Australian audiences a very different and unexpected side of the band. They stripped their music down and rebuilt it with acoustic sounds and orchestration.

The band took this sound on their Broken Strings tour, performing to venues across Australia, working with producer, composer, and longtime collaborator Anthony Cormican. The performances included a variety of instruments, from ukuleles to 12-string guitars, as well as a string quartet and a grand pianist. The album was recorded at the Enmore Theatre on 14 November 2009 and the Melbourne Town Hall on 15 November.[3] It was announced on 4 January 2010.[4]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Music Feeds[5]

Jenny Meagher from Music Feeds gave the album 4 out of 5, saying: "I am certain had I been sitting there watching this show live at the Enmore Theatre, I would have shed a tear."[5]

Track listing

CD1
  1. "Overture" – 2:58
  2. "Armour for Liars" – 4:36
  3. "Like Rain" – 4:35
  4. "Russian Roulette" – 3:56
  5. "Black Sheets" – 3:56
  6. "Rose" – 3:35
  7. "Wild Eyed Boy" – 3:03
  8. "The Bakers Son" – 7:19
CD2
  1. "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" – 4:27
  2. "Head in My Hands" – 5:11
  3. "Train Wrecks" – 4:58
  4. "Violet" – 4:16
  5. "Rest Here My Brother" – 4:19
  6. "Off Kilter" – 3:48
  7. "Wayside" – 4:56
  8. "Broken Bones" – 5:05
  9. "Medicine" – 4:25
  10. "Silhouettic" – 4:10
DVD

The DVD features footage of all songs listed above (excluding "Heard it Through the Grapevine") as well as interviews with the band members and string composer/arranger Anthony Cormican.

Charts

Chart (2010) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[6] 11
Australian Artist Album (ARIA)[7] 2
Australian Top 40 Music DVD (ARIA)[8] 3

Release history

Country Date Format Label Catalogue
Australia[9][10] 5 February 2010 CD/DVD, digital download Birds of Tokyo MGM Distribution BOT005

References

  1. ^ "Birds of Tokyo – The Broken Strings Tour". www.australian-charts.com. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  2. ^ "2010 ARIA Awards Winners by Year". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  3. ^ "The Broken Strings Tour by Birds of Tokyo". iTunes Store. Apple. 5 February 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  4. ^ "Broken Strings CD & DVD". birdsoftokyo.com. 4 January 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Birds of Tokyo the Broken Strings Tour DVD". Jenny Meagher. musicfeeds.com.au. 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  6. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Birds of Tokyo – The Broken Strings Tour". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  7. ^ "ARIA Australian Artists – Week Commencing 15 February 2010" (PDF). ariacharts.com.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  8. ^ "ARIA Australian Artists – Week Commencing 15 February 2010" (PDF). ariacharts.com.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  9. ^ "Birds of Tokyo: The Broken Strings Tour". JBHiFi.com.au. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  10. ^ "The Broken Strings Tour by Birds of Tokyo". iTunes Store. Apple. 5 February 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2016.