The Daily Spin, October 13
Tourist History | Two Door Cinema Club
Welcome back to the Daily Spin, the series in which I review 365 albums during 2023.
Each album will be given a rating on a scale from 0 to 10. You can look at the entire set here. Additionally, you can check out a list of my favorite songs from each album right here.
Album: Tourist History (2010)
Artist: Two Door Cinema
Link:
Sort of an electronic post-punk vibe, Northern Ireland’s Two Door Cinema Club splashed onto the scene with Tourist History, an album that brilliantly showcased the possibilities for guitar-laden electronica, a genre-bending application that, in my opinion, was likely one of the single most influential albums on my music taste through most of the 2010s.
So much of modern indietronica and electronic rock is descended in part from stylistic choices made by these guys and their contemporaries, and specifically music that I’ve fondly called ‘FIFA Music’ throughout feels like it has a direct through line to this album.
It’s snappy guitar work, witty and biting lyrics that never feel mean but rather veer towards playful and a little bit hopeful, strong beats that never really fall into screaming but keep the energy so wildly up that you’re helpless but to dance among the crowd, festival or club or bar all the same.
Rating: 8.2/10
Best Tracks: Undercover Martyn; I Can Talk
Worst Tracks: Come Back Home