Arab Strap / Philophobia
Artist Arab Strap
Album Title: Philophobia
Album Cover:
Primary Genre Alternative & Punk: Emo
Format CD
Released 05/19/1998
Label Matador Records
Catalog No OLE 315-2
Bar Code No 7 44861 03152 9
Packaging Jewelcase
Tracks
1. Packs Of Three (3:23)
2. Soaps (4:16)
3. Here We Go (5:04)
4. New Birds (6:27)
5. One Day After School (5:01)
6. Islands (3:42)
7. The Night Before The Funeral (4:51)
8. Not Quite A Yes (3:42)
9. Piglet (6:48)
10. Afterwards (4:23)
11. My Favourite Muse (5:03)
12. I Would've Liked Me A Lot Last Night (7:26)
13. The First Time You're Unfaithful (5:38)
Date Acquired 06/24/1999
Personal Rating
Acquired from Amazon
Purchase Price 14.99

Web Links

All Music Guide Entry:
Discogs Entry:

Notes

foobar2000 1.2.9 / Dynamic Range Meter 1.1.1
log date: 2015-01-05 12:50:29

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Analyzed: Arab Strap / Philophobia
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DR         Peak         RMS     Duration Track
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DR14      -0.12 dB   -17.76 dB      3:24 01/13-Packs of Three
DR13      -0.10 dB   -18.66 dB      4:16 02/13-Soaps
DR8       -0.14 dB   -10.90 dB      5:04 03/13-Here We Go
DR11      -0.10 dB   -14.48 dB      6:28 04/13-New Birds
DR11      -0.12 dB   -12.30 dB      5:02 05/13-One Day, After School
DR10      -0.11 dB   -15.48 dB      3:42 06/13-Islands
DR12      -0.16 dB   -17.54 dB      4:51 07/13-The Night Before the Funeral
DR11      -1.60 dB   -14.59 dB      3:43 08/13-Not Quite a Yes
DR11      -0.11 dB   -16.28 dB      6:48 09/13-Piglet
DR11      -0.10 dB   -13.80 dB      4:23 10/13-Afterwards
DR14      -0.12 dB   -15.88 dB      5:03 11/13-My Favourite Muse
DR13      -1.10 dB   -16.77 dB      7:26 12/13-I Would've Liked Me a Lot Last Night
DR16      -0.10 dB   -21.37 dB      5:39 13/13-The First Time You're Unfaithful
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Number of tracks:  13
Official DR value: DR12

Samplerate:        44100 Hz
Channels:          2
Bits per sample:   16
Bitrate:           505 kbps
Codec:             FLAC
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Reviews
All Music Guide Review:

Review by Ned Raggett
Hearing "Packs of Three" begin Arab Strap's second full album with a gentle electric guitar strum and crisp drum beat is one thing, hearing Moffat softly sing "It was the biggest cock you'd ever seen, but no one knows where that cock has been" is quite another. Put the two together and that's Arab Strap in a disturbing nutshell, once again. With a number of guest performers on keyboards, strings, and other instruments, Moffat and Middleton once again create a series of tense, melancholy, and emotionally eviscerating numbers. Given the album title, meaning "fear of love," it's no surprise that happy-go-lucky tunes aren't anywhere to be found, but then again, that was never the Arab Strap M.O. in the first place. Lyrics as naked, realistic, and ugly as the cover paintings abound, their acid impact again, carefully shaped by the moody arrangements and steady pace throughout. The Albini-tinged production familiar from Week recurs here, but the songs themselves feel perversely gentler on the one hand, more anthemic ("Soaps" being a good example) on the other. The ear Middleton has for astonishing, subtle touches -- the soft reverb guitar loop ending "Here We Go," the combination of hum and crackle on "Islands," the piano/drum arrangement on "I Would've Liked Me a Lot" -- proves its strength time and again on Philophobia. Moffat's lyrics are printed in the CD booklet, a useful touch given his varying delivery, but what needs to be heard often comes through all too clearly for comfort, unless one somehow has always had a flawless life when it comes to love, lust, and their foibles. When it comes to the guests, Alan Wylie's trumpet work on "The Night Before the Funeral" is quite lovely, while Adele Bethel duets excellently with Moffat on "Afterwards."
Cover 1
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Cover 5