''Year of the Wolf'' is the fourth album by British singer-songwriter

Nerina Pallot Nerina Natasha Georgina Pallot (born 26 April 1974) is a British singer, songwriter and producer, who has released eight albums and over a dozen EPs. She was nominated for British Female Solo Artist at the 2007 BRIT Awards and nominated for an ...

. It was released on 13 June 2011. The first single is the track "Put Your Hands Up".

Popjustice Popjustice is a music website founded in 2000 by UK freelance music journalist Peter Robinson, who has worked for ''NME'', ''The Guardian'', ''Attitude'' and many others. It is composed of the work of editor Robinson, features editor Michael C ...

called the song "an understated yet patently brilliant tune" and "highly addictive". The album entered 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 ...

at No. 31.

Background and recording

After self-releasing her third album ''

The Graduate ''The Graduate'' is a 1967 American independent romantic comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols and written by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham, based on the 1963 novella by Charles Webb. It stars Dustin Hoffman as Benjamin Braddoc ...

'', Pallot returned to a major label,

Geffen Records Geffen Records (formerly The David Geffen Company from 1980 to 1992 and Geffen Records Inc. from 1993 to 2004) is an American record label, founded in late 1980 by David Geffen. Originally a music subsidiary of the company known as Geffen Pi ...

, for the release of ''Year of the Wolf''. The album's title comes from her son, Wolfie, with whom she was pregnant during the recording of the album. In an interview with the BBC, Pallot said that her pregnancy affected both the physical recording of the song, making it more difficult to sing, and also its emotional content, particularly the song "History Boys". Talking of that song, she said "there's a human sadness and tragedy at the heart of ar And that's what I was trying to describe in the song – loss. The senseless loss of young lives." On whether or not there was a thematic link between that and her anti-war song " Everybody's Gone to War", she said that "on a personal level, I feel less angry, more sad." The lead single "Put Your Hands Up" was originally written for

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...

's album ''

Aphrodite Aphrodite (, ) is an Greek mythology, ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, procreation, and as her syncretism, syncretised Roman counterpart , desire, Sexual intercourse, sex, fertility, prosperity, and ...

''. The track was ultimately rejected (although two other Pallot penned tracks "Aphrodite" and "

Better than Today "Better Than Today" is a song recorded by Australian singer Kylie Minogue for her eleventh studio album, ''Aphrodite (Kylie Minogue album), Aphrodite'' (2010). The track was originally written and produced by Nerina Pallot and Andy Chatterley ...

" made the final cut). Minogue's album did include a track with the title "

Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love) "Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)" is a song recorded by Australian singer Kylie Minogue for her eleventh studio album, ''Aphrodite'' (2010). The song was released as the fourth and final single from the album on 29 May 2011. Its release wa ...

" (written by Starsmith and Nervo), but this has no connection to the Pallot song.

Reception

The album received generally positive reviews from fans and critics alike, many complimenting the more mature sound and direction.

Track listing

References

{{Authority control 2011 albums Nerina Pallot albums Albums produced by Bernard Butler