, the indie rock band Guillemots have recorded more than 80 songs for their four studio albums and other official releases. The band was formed in November 2004, with their first official material being I Saw Such Things in My Sleep, an extended play (EP) released in September 2005. The EP contained four songs, including "Made-Up Lovesong #43", a track that would also feature on their first studio album, Through the Windowpane. The release of I Saw Such Things in My Sleep was followed three months later by Guillemots' debut single, "Trains to Brazil". Like "Made-Up Lovesong #43", it was also included on Through the Windowpane, which was released in July 2006. The album's songs were well received by critics: review aggregator Metacritic gave the record a score of 81 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim". Craig McLean of The Observer described them as "gorgeous tunes that are lithe enough to cope with the little bursts of sonic madness". Two additional tracks were released as singles from the album: "We're Here" and "Annie, Let's Not Wait".
Of the twelve songs on Through the Windowpane, nine were written by lead singer Fyfe Dangerfield. Speaking in 2008, Guillemots member MC Lord Magrão remarked: "For the first album, Fyfe handled most of the songs. ... We worked with him and developed [them]." In October 2006, Guillemots brought out Of the Night, a four-track EP that featured one song written by each member of the band. Eighteen months later, the band released their second album, Red. This album's songs were more pop-orientated than their debut's, and were written by all four members of the group. Magrão explained: "With the second [album], we ended up improvising loads and getting all the new songs from all of the improvised sessions we had." Of the eleven tracks on the record, nine were credited to Guillemots, with the remaining two being credited to Dangerfield alone. Red songs received less critical acclaim than their debut's; Metacritic awarded the album a score of 60 out of 100, suggesting "mixed or average reviews". Four tracks—"Get Over It", "Falling Out of Reach" and a double A-side of "Kriss Kross" and "Clarion"—were released as singles in the UK.
Guillemots' third album, Walk the River, was released in April 2011. It was the first Guillemots album to feature neither a strings nor brass section – its tracks were described by The Independent as being more "noticeably stripped down" than those of previous releases. Unlike Through the Windowpane and Red, singles from Walk the River were distributed exclusively online, with no accompanying physical release. Reviews were generally favourable, with Metacritic reporting a score of 69 out of 100 for the record. Three singles were taken from the album: "The Basket", "I Must Be a Lover" and "I Don't Feel Amazing Now". On 7 May 2012, the band announced their intention to release four albums during the year, each representing a different season – the first, Hello Land!, was released through Greedbag the same day.
Songs Released
All songs credited to Guillemots, except where noted. +KeyReleased as a single ABCDFGIJKLMNOPRSTUVWY +Released songs by GuillemotsSongWriter(s)Original releaseYearRef."All the People Say"Fyfe Dangerfield2006"And If All..."GuillemotsThrough the Windowpane2006"Annie, Let's Not Wait" Fyfe DangerfieldThrough the Windowpane2006"Bad Boyfriend"Greig StewartGuillemotsOf the Night2006"" GuillemotsWalk the River2011"Big Dog"GuillemotsRed2008"Black and Gold"Sam FalsonJesse Rogg2008"Blue Eyes"MC Lord Magrão2006"Blue Would Still Be Blue"Fyfe DangerfieldThrough the Windowpane2006"Burnt"Fyfe Dangerfield2006"By the Water"Aristazabal HawkesOf the Night2006"Byebyeland"GuillemotsJonas RaabeHello Land!2012"Cats Eyes"Fyfe DangerfieldI Saw Such Things in My Sleep EP2005"Clarion" Fyfe DangerfieldRed2008"Cockateels"Fyfe DangerfieldRed2008"Come Away with Me"GuillemotsThrough the Windowpane2006"Dancing in the Devil's Shoes"Fyfe DangerfieldWalk the River2011"Don't Look Down"GuillemotsRed2008""Guillemots2006"Dunes (mix 1)"Fyfe Dangerfield2006""Guillemots2008"Falling Out of Reach" GuillemotsRed2008"Falling Over My Feet"Guillemots2006"Fishbone for a Drink"Guillemots2008"Fleet" GuillemotsJonas RaabeHello Land!2012"Get Over It" Guillemots2008"Go Away"Guillemots2005"I Don't Feel Amazing Now" Fyfe DangerfieldGuillemotsWalk the River2011"I Lie Down"GuillemotsJonas RaabeHello Land!2012"I Must Be a Lover" Fyfe DangerfieldAristazabal HawkesWalk the River2011"I've Got a Problem (And the Problem Is You)/Turn the Candles On"Guillemots2006"Ice Room"GuillemotsWalk the River2011"If the World Ends"Fyfe DangerfieldThrough the Windowpane2006"In Your Arms"Aristazabal HawkesMC Lord MagrãoFreakshow2007"Inside"GuillemotsWalk the River2011"Janie Jones (Strummerville)" (Babyshambles & Friends) Joe StrummerMick Jones2006"Kriss Kross" GuillemotsRed2008"Last Kiss"GuillemotsRed2008"Little Bear"Fyfe DangerfieldThrough the Windowpane2006"Made-Up Lovesong #43" Fyfe DangerfieldI Saw Such Things in My Sleep EP2005"Me Diz"Guillemots2008"Monotonia"MC Lord Magrão2006"Moonlight"From the Cliffs2006"My Chosen One"Fyfe Dangerfield2005"Never Went to Church"Mike Skinner2006"Nothing You Feel Is True"Walk the River2011"Nothing's Going to Bring Me Down"GuillemotsHello Land!2012"Outside"GuillemotsHello Land!2012"Over the Stairs"Fyfe DangerfieldI Saw Such Things in My Sleep EP2005"Pa Moila"From the Cliffs2006"Photograph"Fyfe Dangerfield2007"Redwings"Fyfe DangerfieldThrough the Windowpane2006""Fyfe DangerfieldOf the Night2006"Sake"Fyfe DangerfieldFrom the Cliffs2006""GuillemotsThrough the Windowpane2006"Sea Out"GuillemotsiTunes Store exclusive2008"She's Evil"MC Lord MagrãoMonstroOf the Night2006"Slow Train"Fyfe DangerfieldGuillemotsWalk the River2011"Sometimes I Remember Wrong"Fyfe DangerfieldGuillemotsWalk the River2011"Southern Winds"Fyfe DangerfieldHello Land!2012"Spring Bells"MC Lord MagrãoFyfe DangerfieldHello Land!2012"Standing on the Last Star"GuillemotsRed2008"Take Me Home"GuillemotsRed2008"Take Me Out"Alex KapranosNick McCarthy2007"This Is the Last Ride Tonight"Guillemots2008"Through the Windowpane"Fyfe DangerfieldThrough the Windowpane2006"Throw Me a Sun"Guillemots2008"Tigers"GuillemotsWalk the River2011"Trains to Brazil" Fyfe Dangerfield2005"Trick of the Light"Guillemots2008"Up on the Ride"GuillemotsJonas RaabeHello Land!2012"Vermillion"Fyfe DangerfieldWalk the River2011"Walk the River"GuillemotsWalk the River2011"We're Here" Fyfe Dangerfield2006"What We Have"Guillemots2008"White Rag"Fyfe Dangerfield2006"Who Left the Lights Off, Baby?"Fyfe DangerfieldI Saw Such Things in My Sleep EP2005"Witch Doctor"Guillemots2006"Woody Brown River"Fyfe Dangerfield2006"Words"GuillemotsRed2008"Yesterday Is Dead"Fyfe DangerfieldWalk the River2011"You Can Look (But You Can't Touch)" (Guillemots featuring Freakshow)Guillemots2006
Unreleased
Since forming in 2004, Guillemots have recorded songs that have not been included on their official releases. At the end of 2005, the band uploaded a demo of their song "Cold Cool Moon" to their official website for fans to download for free. They also uploaded three improvised songs that had been recorded during jam sessions. During a series of live shows in 2006, the group featured in their set lists the Christmas carol "In the Bleak Midwinter" and original songs that had not formed part of Through the Windowpane. One such track, "21st May", was described by The Times as "gleefully [marrying] a hip-shaking reggae beat to jazz sax". In 2011, Guillemots recorded a version of "Tomorrow Never Knows" by John Lennon and Paul McCartney for the BBC's coverage of Glastonbury Festival 2011. +Unreleased songs by GuillemotsSongWriter(s)YearRef."21st May"2006 "Cold Cool Moon"Fyfe Dangerfield2005"Daftside (Skewed Logic Mix)"Rican Caol2005"Don't Be Shy"2006Guillemots2005"Great Crescendos"Fyfe Dangerfield2006"In the Bleak Midwinter"2006"Mr. Priest"2006"Over the Blue Mountains"2006"Sol de Abril"2006"Tomorrow Never Knows"John LennonPaul McCartney20112005
References
External links Guillemots songs at Allmusic