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Good in the Face of a Stranger

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Good in the Face of a Stranger
Studio album by
Alex Lloyd
Released1 November 2008
RecordedHome studio in London, 2008
GenrePop rock
Alternative rock
LabelInertia
Alex Lloyd chronology
Amazing: The Best of Alex Lloyd
(2006) 		Good in the Face of a Stranger
(2008) 		Rare Tracks & B-Sides
(2011)
Singles from Good in the Face of a Stranger
  1. "Slow Train"
    Released: August 2008
  2. "What We Started"
    Released: March 2009

Good in the Face of a Stranger is the fifth studio album by Australian rock musician Alex Lloyd, released through Inertia on 1 November 2008.

The album is Lloyd's first to be released independently, which is said to have given him more freedom, taking away the pressures of labels and giving him the chance to create a sound more like his debut release, Black the Sun.[1][2]

The online order of the album through JB Hi-Fi came signed by Alex Lloyd, with three bonus postcards.[3]

Singles

[edit]

The album spawned two singles. "Slow Train" was released as the album's first single in 2008, with it being available for free from Lloyd's official website. The song's music video was animated with 7,000 hand drawn pictures.[1]

Similarly, "What We Started", the second single released in 2009, was also made available for free as a limited-time download via the Nova 100 website.[4]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Dwarf(Positive)[5]
The Cairns Post[6]
Faster Louder(Positive)[7]
The Independent Weekly(Positive)[8]
Tsunami Mag[9][verification needed]

The album received positive reviews upon release, with a number of reviewers likening both the sound and quality of the LP to that of his debut album, Black the Sun;[10][11]

In all, Lloyd’s fifth album, Good in the Face of a Stranger is an about face and makes a solid impression on the listener. At times it feels like it harks back to the early days and glory of Black The Sun, but there is also a maturity and occasional bursts of positivity, which distinguish this record. Lloyd has moved on (and rightly so) but thankfully he has not forgotten his roots.

Faster Louder attributed the album's similarities to his earlier work on his decision to relocate to England, claiming that the "change of scenery has enabled Lloyd to get into the same creative head space last seen on his debut album" resulting in "a pleasant pop record containing some of his best songs in years".[7] Alexandra Nowak of The Independent Weekly also took a positive view, stating that "Good in the Face of a Stranger ultimately provides beautiful melodic lines with a mix of refined and delicate vocals that presents a basic yet artistically original album".[12]

However, not all reviews were unanimously positive, as Tsunami Mag gave an opposing point of view, noting that by "sticking to his original guns and playing it safe (he) has produced what tends to be a mediocre comeback".[13]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleLength
1."Intro"0:12
2."Special"3:50
3."Slow Train"4:22
4."Something for Nothing"3:52
5."Lonely Town"4:18
6."Last Drinks"1:08
7."Face of a Stranger"4:33
8."Drugs and Love"3:26
9."Hollywood"4:16
10."Same Day"4:08
11."What We Started"3:42
12."Last Bell"5:29

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for Good in the Face of a Stranger
Chart (2008) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[14] 80

Release history

[edit]
Country Date Label Format Catalogue #
Australia 4 November 2008 Inertia CD, MP3, limited edition digipak #LPTAB0001

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Alex Lloyd: Good in the Face of a Stranger". Inertia Music. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011.
  2. ^ "New Alex Lloyd Album To Be Released Independently". Access All Areas. 30 September 2008. Archived from the original on 25 December 2008.
  3. ^ "JB Hifi Online". Retrieved 16 April 2009.
  4. ^ "What We Started free download". Retrieved 16 April 2009.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ Salvo, Natalie. "Album Reviews: Alex Lloyd - Good in the Face of a Stranger (Album)". Australia: The Dwarf. Archived from the original on 29 September 2011.
  6. ^ "The Cairns Post review". Cairns.com.au. 20 November 2008. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  7. ^ a b "Faster Louder review". Fasterlouder.com.au. 20 November 2008. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  8. ^ "The Independent Weekly review". Independentweekly.com.au. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  9. ^ "Tsunami Mag review". Tsunami. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  10. ^ "The Cairns Post album review". Retrieved 16 April 2009.
  11. ^ "The Dwarf album review". Archived from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2009.
  12. ^ "The Independent Weekly album review". Retrieved 16 April 2009.
  13. ^ "Tsunami Mag album review". Retrieved 16 April 2009.
  14. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 169.
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