Beacon (Two Door Cinema Club album)

Beacon is the second studio album by Northern Irish indie rock band Two Door Cinema Club, released on 31 August 2012 by Kitsuné. The album was recorded in Los Angeles with producer Jacknife Lee in his home studio.[2]

Beacon
Studio album by
Released31 August 2012 (2012-08-31)
RecordedApril–May 2012
Studio
GenreIndie pop[1]
Length39:38
LabelKitsuné
ProducerJacknife Lee
Two Door Cinema Club chronology
Tourist History
(2010)
Beacon
(2012)
Changing of the Seasons
(2013)
Singles from Beacon
  1. "Sleep Alone"
    Released: 20 July 2012
  2. "Sun"
    Released: 16 November 2012
  3. "Next Year"
    Released: 15 February 2013
  4. "Handshake"
    Released: 31 May 2013

Promotion

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Two Door Cinema Club teased a second album throughout 2010 and 2011, frequently playing the songs "Handshake", "Settle", "Sleep Alone", and "Wake Up" live before the album was announced. "Sleep Alone" was released as the lead single from Beacon on 20 July 2012.[3] The album's second single, "Sun", was released on 16 November 2012.[4] "Next Year" was released as the album's third single on 15 February 2013,[5] followed by "Handshake" on 31 May 2013.[6] The album was reissued on 28 October 2013 including the song "Changing of the Seasons", which was released as the lead single from the EP of the same name.[7]

What We See

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From 24 August to 10 September 2012, the band released a four-part documentary titled What We See, which depicts their European summer tour prior to the release of Beacon. In relation to touring, lead singer Trimble explained, "The past few years have sort have been not necessarily a struggle, but a learning curve. So it's learning to be in touch with the people you leave behind and learning to just deal with the ridiculousness of it all." The documentary was filmed by Gregg Houston (Babysweet Sessions), a friend of the band.[8][9]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic62/100[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [11]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[12]
Evening Standard     [13]
The Guardian     [14]
The Irish Times     [15]
musicOMH     [16]
NME8/10[17]
The Observer     [18]
Paste8.3/10[19]
Sputnikmusic3.5/5[20]

Beacon 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 62, based on 18 reviews.[10] Katherine Rodgers of NME stated the album "blitzes in on a flurry of discordant, M83-style synth-fuzz, and while it doesn't stray far from their trademark tinkly guitar lines and infectious choruses, it's laced with New Order-ish disco trimmings."[17] Ray Rahman of Entertainment Weekly commented the album "tempers its galloping pop gait with frontman Alex Trimble's Ben Gibbard-y confessionals. And at their best, tracks like 'Sleep Alone' and 'Wake Up' come off like a less grandstanding Killershuman and dancer."[12] Megan Farokhmanesh of Paste wrote that "Beacon isn't a step up from Tourist History, but rather a brother to it", while stating that "[t]here's very little progression or change in their sound, but that doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing."[19] The Irish Times' Lauren Murphy opined that Beacon "may not be as instantly gratifying as Tourist History, but with producer Jacknife Lee's guidance the band have plumbed deeper songwriting depths and turned in some fantastic songs."[15] In a review for the Evening Standard, Rick Pearson found that on Beacon, the band "share Snow Patrol's fondness for a big picture and even bigger sound but they are altogether lighter on their feet".[13] Davey Boy of Sputnikmusic viewed Beacon as "a wise and predictably executed record in all the right ways", as well as "a more even, consistent and cohesive LP than Tourist History, even if it does not reach the same individual heights."[20]

AllMusic editor Heather Phares felt that "much of the nervy, scrappy energy that made Tourist History so appealing is missing from Beacon", concluding, "There's nothing overtly bad about Beacon; it shows that Two Door Cinema Club still have a remarkable knack for winsome melodies and harmonies set to kinetic beats."[11] The Guardian's Dave Simpson expressed, "'Next Year''s fleeting Beach Boys/Beatles harmonies aside, there aren't too many departures from what made them successful: radio-friendly songs with intricate little catchy bits which may find new homes as advertising jingles."[14] Despite dubbing Beacon "another competent album of breezy indie-pop tunes" and praising Trimble's "songwriting gift", Martin Headon of musicOMH found it to be "a rather dissatisfying listen", concluding, "With only one true standout track, a handful of fillers, and little innovation or progress, it reeks of diminishing returns from start to finish."[16] Aoife Ryan of State Magazine claimed that "[t]hough producer Jacknife Lee is sure to make the album profitable, it is still hit and miss with many of the same faults as the first one", further stating, "At its worst it is formulaic with saccharine lyrics but on occasion it does hint that they have something more to give."[21] Paul Mardles of The Observer argued that "while [Beacon] is polished, thanks no doubt to U2 producer Jacknife Lee, there is nothing to distinguish Two Door Cinema Club from several other excitable indie-disco bands", adding that aside from "Sun", Beacon is "prosaic and frenetic, its tireless synths and fidgety guitars unable to camouflage the group's dearth of ideas."[18]

Commercial performance

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Beacon debuted at number one on the Irish Albums Chart, becoming the band's first number-one album on the chart.[22] In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart, selling 33,306 copies in its first week.[23] On 15 October 2021, the album was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), denoting shipments in excess of 300,000 copies in the UK.[24]

In the United States, the album debuted at number 17 on the Billboard 200,[25] and number seven on Top Rock Albums,[26] selling 16,000 copies in its first week. It had sold 110,000 copies in the US as of September 2016.[27]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Alex Trimble, Kevin Baird and Sam Halliday

No.TitleLength
1."Next Year"4:11
2."Handshake"3:31
3."Wake Up"3:45
4."Sun"3:07
5."Someday"3:43
6."Sleep Alone"3:56
7."The World Is Watching" (with Valentina)3:36
8."Settle"3:52
9."Spring"3:24
10."Pyramid"3:09
11."Beacon"3:24
Total length:39:38
iTunes Store bonus track[28]
No.TitleLength
12."Remember My Name"2:51
Fnac France special edition bonus tracks[29]
No.TitleLength
12."Sleep Alone" (Giraffage Remix)3:37
13."Sleep Alone" (Poindexter Remix)4:56
Japanese edition bonus tracks[30]
No.TitleLength
12."Start Again"4:15
13."Sleep Alone" (acoustic)4:05
2013 reissue bonus track[7]
No.TitleLength
12."Changing of the Seasons"3:43
Deluxe edition bonus disc (live at Brixton Academy, 25 February 2012)[31]
No.TitleLength
1."Cigarettes in the Theatre"5:06
2."Undercover Martyn"3:05
3."Do You Want It All?"3:49
4."This Is the Life"3:20
5."Something Good Can Work"3:11
6."Handshake"4:05
7."Costume Party"3:40
8."You're Not Stubborn"3:26
9."Settle"3:59
10."Eat That Up, It's Good for You"4:12
11."What You Know"4:37
12."Sleep Alone"3:55
13."Come Back Home"4:18
14."I Can Talk"3:55
2013 Japanese deluxe edition bonus disc[32]
No.TitleLength
1."Sun" (live) 
2."Sleep Alone" (live) 
3."Next Year" (live) 
4."Sun" (acoustic) 
5."Next Year" (acoustic) 
6."Next Year" (NTEIBINT Remix) 
7."Sun" (Gildas KItsune Club Night Remix) 
8."Sun" (Fred Falke Remix) 
9."Sun" (Alex Metric Remix) 
10."Sun" (Logo Remix) 
11."Sleep Alone" (BeatauCue Remix) 

Personnel

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Credits adapted from the liner notes of Beacon.[33]

Two Door Cinema Club

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  • Alex Trimble – vocals, guitar, synths, piano, keyboards, drums, percussion, programming
  • Kevin Baird – bass guitar, synths, vocals
  • Sam Halliday – guitar, synths, vocals

Additional personnel

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  • Jacknife Lee – production, additional recording, programming
  • Mike Crossey – mixing
  • Sam Bell – recording
  • Matt Bishop – additional recording, editing
  • Robin Schmidt – mastering
  • Eric Gorfain – orchestration (tracks 2, 4, 7–10)
  • Valentina – vocals (track 7)
  • Megaforce – artwork, photography
  • Damien Ropero – photography
  • Eva Provence – cover model
  • Matthieu Botrel – set design
  • Charlotte Balme – styling
  • Felix Mondino – artwork production
  • Pablo Amati – retouching
  • Emiliano Serantoni – retouching

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for Tourist History
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[24] Platinum 300,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Release history for Beacon
Region Date Edition Label Ref(s)
Australia 31 August 2012 Deluxe Cooperative Music [54]
Germany
  • Standard
  • deluxe
[55][56]
Ireland Kitsuné [57][58]
Japan 2 September 2012
  • Kitsuné Japon
  • Traffic
[30][59]
France 3 September 2012
  • Standard
  • deluxe
  • special (Fnac exclusive)
Kitsuné [29][60][61]
United Kingdom
  • Standard
  • deluxe
[31][62]
Canada 4 September 2012 Glassnote [63][64]
United States [65][66]
Japan 27 March 2013 Japan deluxe Kitsuné Japon [32]
France 28 October 2013 Reissue Kitsuné [67]
United Kingdom [7]

Notes

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  1. ^ Additional vocals

References

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  1. ^ "Mindequalsblown. Beacon review".
  2. ^ "Two Door Cinema Club announce new album 'Beacon'". NME. 20 June 2012. Archived from the original on 20 June 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2012.
  3. ^ "Sleep Alone – Single by Two Door Cinema Club". iTunes Store. United States. Archived from the original on 15 August 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  4. ^ "Sun (Remixes) – EP by Two Door Cinema Club". iTunes Store. Ireland. Archived from the original on 13 October 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
  5. ^ "Next Year – EP by Two Door Cinema Club". iTunes Store. Ireland. January 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  6. ^ "Handshake – EP by Two Door Cinema Club". iTunes Store. Ireland. 3 June 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  7. ^ a b c "Beacon [Extra tracks, Special Edition]". Amazon. United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 15 December 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
  8. ^ "Premiere: Two Door Cinema Club Rock European Festivals in 'What We See'". Rolling Stone. 24 August 2012. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  9. ^ Evans, Taylor (10 September 2012). "Exclusive: Two Door Cinema Club's Latest Documentary Clip for What We See". Paste. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  10. ^ a b "Beacon by Two Door Cinema Club Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  11. ^ a b Phares, Heather. "Beacon – Two Door Cinema Club". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  12. ^ a b Rahman, Ray (31 August 2012). "Albums: Sept. 7, 2012". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  13. ^ a b Pearson, Rick (31 August 2012). "CDs of the week". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 17 December 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  14. ^ a b Simpson, Dave (30 August 2012). "Two Door Cinema Club: Beacon – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  15. ^ a b Murphy, Lauren (31 August 2012). "Two Door Cinema Club". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 5 September 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  16. ^ a b Headon, Martin (3 September 2012). "Two Door Cinema Club – Beacon". musicOMH. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
  17. ^ a b Rodgers, Katherine (31 August 2012). "Two Door Cinema Club – 'Beacon'". NME. Archived from the original on 26 October 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  18. ^ a b Mardles, Paul (2 September 2012). "Two Door Cinema Club: Beacon – review". The Observer. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  19. ^ a b Farokhmanesh, Megan (4 September 2012). "Two Door Cinema Club: Beacon". Paste. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
  20. ^ a b Boy, Davey (29 August 2012). "Two Door Cinema Club – Beacon (staff review)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
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  22. ^ a b "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 36, 2012". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  23. ^ Jones, Alan (10 September 2012). "Official Charts Analysis: Vaccines rack up 44k sales of 2nd album". Music Week. Retrieved 25 October 2012.
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  26. ^ "Top Rock Albums". Billboard. 22 September 2012. Archived from the original on 10 March 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
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  30. ^ a b "Beacon – Normal Version". Traffic. 2 September 2012. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
  31. ^ a b "Two Door Cinema Club: Beacon: Deluxe Edition". HMV. Archived from the original on 14 September 2012. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  32. ^ a b "Beacon~japan Deluxe Edition : Two Door Cinema Club". HMV Japan. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
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  45. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
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  51. ^ "Two Door Cinema Club Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  52. ^ "Two Door Cinema Club Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
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  55. ^ "Beacon". Amazon (in German). Germany. Archived from the original on 2 July 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  56. ^ "Beacon (Deluxe Edition)". Amazon (in German). Germany. Archived from the original on 5 July 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  57. ^ "Two Door Cinema Club – Beacon". Tower Records Ireland. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  58. ^ "Two Door Cinema Club – Beacon[2 Cd Deluxe Edition]". Tower Records Ireland. Archived from the original on 25 May 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  59. ^ "Beacon – Deluxe Edition". Traffic. 2 September 2012. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
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  61. ^ "Beacon – Edition deluxe : Two Door Cinema Club" (in French). Fnac. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
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  63. ^ "BEACON by TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB". HMV Canada. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
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  65. ^ "Beacon". Amazon. United States. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  66. ^ "Beacon (Deluxe)". Amazon. United States. Archived from the original on 25 October 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  67. ^ "Beacon – Two Door Cinema Club – CD album" (in French). Fnac. Retrieved 25 December 2021.