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''I Forget Where We Were'' is the second studio album by the English singer-songwriter
Ben Howard Benjamin John Howard (born 24 April 1987) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and composer. His self-released debut extended play (EP) ''Games in the Dark'' (2008) was followed by two more EPs, '' These Waters'' (2009) and '' Old Pine'' ...
, released on 20 October 2014 by
Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...
. It was produced by Howard's drummer Chris Bond at Start Point Farm Studios in
Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
, and recorded almost completely live. Following the success of his debut studio album ''
Every Kingdom ''Every Kingdom'' is the debut studio album by the English singer-songwriter Ben Howard. It was released in the United Kingdom on 30 September 2011 as a digital download, CD, LP, and 200-copy limited edition cassette by Island Records. It reached ...
'' (2011), it peaked at number-one on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
, and the
Scottish Albums Chart The Scottish Albums Chart is a chart compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC) which is based on how physical and digital sales towards the UK Albums Chart fare in Scotland. The official singles chart for Scotland, the Scottish Singles 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 Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, which assigns a rating out of 100, the album was scored a 77, which indicates generally favourable reviews. ''
MusicOMH ''MusicOMH'' (stylized as ''musicOMH'') is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History ''MusicOMH'' was founded an ...
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." Henry Boon of '' DIY'' gave the album 4 stars, saying "...for those who didn’t care for ''
Every Kingdom ''Every Kingdom'' is the debut studio album by the English singer-songwriter Ben Howard. It was released in the United Kingdom on 30 September 2011 as a digital download, CD, LP, and 200-copy limited edition cassette by Island Records. It reached ...
'', 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." In a 3-and-a-half star review,
Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...
of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
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." In a more mixed review, Molloy Woodcraft of ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'' 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... ndthe near eight-minute 'End of the Affair' aims to give
John Martyn Iain David McGeachy (11 September 1948 – 29 January 2009), known professionally as John Martyn, was a British singer-songwriter and guitarist. Over a 40-year career, he released 23 studio albums and received frequent critical acclaim. ...
’s Rather Be the Devil a run for its money". ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
s Hilary Hughes comments that "As mild as the music might often sound, this is an album that cuts deep."


Accolades


Track listing


Personnel

Credits are adapted from the ''I Forget Where We Were'' liner notes. 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 guitar A twelve-string guitar (or 12-string guitar) is a steel-string guitar with 12 string (music), strings in six Course (music), courses, which produces a thicker, more ringing tone than a standard six-string guitar. Typically, the strings of the lo ...
s; 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 Mike Crossey (born 1979) is a Northern Irish record producer, songwriter, and mixing engineer. He produced the debut single by Arctic Monkeys, collaborating with them over two albums. He is known for his ongoing relationship with The 1975, in a ...
– mixing * Jonathan Gilmore – assistant mix engineer * Robin Schmidt – mastering * Owen Tozer – art direction; design * Roddy Bow – photography


Charts and certifications


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:I Forget Where We Were 2014 albums Ben Howard albums Island Records albums