Admission

The Black Swan Effect

Released 04 April 2010

  1. Falling Down
  2. In The City
  3. Come Home
  4. Rat In A Cage
  5. Sick
  6. Lady Grace
  7. Daughter
  8. Saintly Sinner
  9. Winter Sun
  10. Pretty Things
  11. Please

Liner notes

Following the success of The Black Swan Effect’s debut single ‘In The City’, and follow up ‘Winter Sun’ comes their highly anticipated debut album Admission.

From the driving drums on opener ‘Falling Down’ to the campfire sing-along on the final track ‘Please’, there’s a sonic nod to Muse, perhaps an echo of Radiohead’s Street Spirit, with Gareth Hale’s yearning, passionate vocals suggestive of Jeff Buckley, a fresh urgency reminiscent of The Jam….. But comparisons aside, the dynamic sound of The Black Swan Effect is all their own. ‘Admission’ carries classic, spine-tingling rock tunes, crowd-pleasing singalongs (as anyone who has seen the band live will agree!), intimate ballads, catchy pop melodies— showcasing their powerful song writing, passionate playing and attitude.

"Just when you think you've heard it all before, along comes an album that demands the hairs on the back of you neck stand to attention, proving once again that we underestimate the emotive impact of a guitar band with a twist of 21st century angst at our peril." Classic Rock

At the heart of The Black Swan Effect is the songwriting duo, Dominic and Gareth. Friends for fifteen years, while Dom found success travelling the world with his band having numerous Top 40 singles and a double platinum UK number 1 album alongside playing on the main stages at Glastonbury, Reading and V, in stark contrast Gareth put the dream to one side and stepped away from music. After a chance meeting earlier last year the two vowed to work together again. The opportunity arose with the soundtrack to a film documentary, Rock Star. Subsequent sessions went well and an early demo found it’s way into Peter Gabriel’s hands, who immediately signed them up to Real World Records. All this before the band had played a note live!

John Hogg joined to play guitar, and Jesse Wood to play bass; Martin Wright co-produced with Dominic, and Sean Genockey (Manic Street Preachers, Suede, Tom McRea) engineered and mixed the project. 11 tracks formed the album. Next thing they were on tour in South America with Peter Gabriel (with old friend Kenwyn House replacing John Hogg on guitar for live work). Until that time, Gareth had never performed in front of a live audience, so naturally his first shows with the band were playing a rousing stadium tour of South America to crowds of tens of thousands!
Admission is an impressive debut album where even the quietest of compositions is big enough to fill a cinema, or a stadium, and the sound can only be described as, The Black Swan Effect.

Reviews

  • Admission is a stirring debut that harks back to Pablo Honey-era, Radiohead, without aping them. Artful and compelling. Guitar & Bass (UK)
  • Gareth Hale's soulful vocals provide a powerful hub and the band's instrumental proficiency augment this well....a promising debut... Clash (UK)
  • Stunningly consistent and truly dynamic vocal performances Rock Sound (UK)

Listen

Further Listening

  • Loney dear

    Loney dear

    Released 27 September 2017

    On his seventh album and first for Real World, Loney dear's Emil Svanängen has undergone something of a rebirth, and a profound artistic awakening. He sees this collection of songs as the beginning of something very new and very potent.
  • Hobo

    Charlie Winston

    Released 27 September 2009

    A hearty modern gumbo of blues-folk, straight-talking lyricism, and soul, all laced with beatboxing and quirky instrumentation. The album playfully resists easy genre categorization yet maintains a spirited, contagious rootsiness inspired by Winston’s own experiences of busking his way around Europe, getting gigs where he could and making friends along the way.

Further reading

The Blind Boys of Alabama to receive Lifetime Achievement Award from Americana Music Association

The cermony takes place on 18 September at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium.

Rokia Koné shares new remix of ‘Shezita’ and announces UK tour

Rokia will perform 5 dates this October in the UK with Salif Koné and Yahael Camara Onono.

‘I’m really moved by people’s response to it’ – John Metcalfe discusses the album Tree

John Metcalfe releases three new remixes of tracks from his album 'Tree' and brings a special perfor...

Swaken Lyrics

Bab L' Bluz second album, Swaken, released in May 2024. These are the song lyrics in English, French...