Background

Around summer 2008, the band started performing new tracks such as "Drink Nike" and "The Hope That House Built" at live shows. An additional 3 new songs ("VDFA," "Cloak the Dagger," and "Distant Jabs at a Soul," the last of which contains an instrumental section nearly identical to the ending of "Stand by Your Manatee") were captured on the live album Last Night I Saved Her from Vampires

Last Night I Saved Her From Vampires

Last Night I Saved Her From Vampires is a live album by the Welsh band Future of the Left. It was recorded in Cardiff Clwb Ifor Bach and London Water Rats in August 2008...

. In November 2008, the band cancelled the rest of their tour dates for the year in order to finish writing the second record. It was recorded at several sessions in studios in Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

 and was released on 22 June 2009 on 4AD

4AD

4AD is a British independent record label that was started in 1979 by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, funded by Beggars Banquet Records, and is still active today...

.

The track listing was confirmed by Andy Falkous on 27 March 2009, in a blog post on the band's MySpace

MySpace

Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....

 page.

The album was leaked online on 22 April, eight weeks before its release date. Falkous, posting a blog on the subject, said: "I'm not angry (in fact I don't blame you, unless you leaked it, in which case I WILL KILL YOU), just a little worried that the record we made will get lost amongst the debris and leave us playing shows [...] - fifteen people and a world of disillusion."

On 18 May, a pre-ordering system was set up on the band's website which allowed an immediate download of the album, with the CD or LP being sent out closer to the June release date.

Reception

The album was awarded a 9/10 score by Clash Music

Clash (magazine)

Clash is a popular music and fashion magazine based in the United Kingdom. Its magazine title is published 12 times a year. It has a circulation of around 40,000....

, with the review instructing the reader to "just buy a copy, and PLAY IT FUCKING LOUD." The NME also gave the album a positive review, awarding a rating of 8/10. Ben Patashnik writes: "Travels... feels like a product of 2009, a coruscating reaction to everything that makes us mad but which is never self-righteous or preachy." Andrew P. Street of Time Out Sydney concluded "Let's draw a line in the sand right here, people: either this is your favourite album of this year, or you're just plain wrong."

Track listing

1. "Arming Eritrea" - 2:57
2. "Chin Music" - 1:56
3. "The Hope That House Built" - 3:41
4. "Throwing Bricks at Trains" - 2:36
5. "I Am Civil Service" - 2:17
6. "Land of My Formers" - 2:47
7. "You Need Satan More Than He Needs You" - 2:46
8. "That Damned Fly" - 2:07
9. "Stand by Your Manatee" - 2:08
10. "Yin/Post-Yin" - 2:54
11. "Drink Nike" - 2:33
12. "Lapsed Catholics" - 4:15

External links

• Interview with Falco about the making of this album at The-Fly.co.uk