Sea of Cowards
studio
ArtistThe Dead Weather
CoverTDW SeaOfCowards cover.jpg
ReleasedMay 11, 2010
RecordedDecember 2009
StudioThird Man Studio, Nashville, Tennessee
Genre
Length35:12
LabelWarner Bros./Third Man
ProducerJack White
Prev year2009
Next year2015

Sea of Cowards is the second studio album by the American alternative rock band the Dead Weather. It was first released on May 7 in Ireland, then on May 11, 2010, in the U.S. and May 10 in the United Kingdom.

The album was streamed on the band's website, via continuous vinyl playback, for a period of 24 hours from April 30 to May 1. It was subsequently available for streaming on various media streaming websites such as National Public Radio and KCRW. The album was rated number 11 on Rolling Stone's list of the 30 Best Albums of 2010.[3]

Background and release

In 2009, the group worked on 15 songs over three days at White's Nashville studio, Third Man Records.[4] They reconvened at the studio in December, and recorded the album in three weeks.[4] The vinyl LP version was pressed at United Record Pressing in Nashville, Tennessee.[5]

On May 3, before the album's release, the band played a special show at White's Third Man Records where Sea Of Cowards was played in its entirety. The show was streamed on MySpace and subsequently appeared on the band's YouTube channel.[6] The performance was released on 12" vinyl through the Third Man Records' Vault subscription service, recorded live to analog tape and pressed directly to vinyl. This is in contrast to the controversial mastering process of the original album.[7]

Composition

According to Billboard magazine, "the grinding blues that drives tracks like 'Hustle and Cuss' and 'Gasoline' take the Dead Weather to a new level of intensity."[4] Brisbane periodical mX identified the song as "a grimy road trip through voodoo blues, garage rock and even metal."[8]

Reception

Critical

Sea of Cowards received generally favorable reviews, ratings with Metacritic rating of "70." Giving the album a B+, Entertainment Weekly said it was "35 minutes of furious guitar solos and demonic howls."[9] Spin magazine gave the work eight out of ten stars, and said that Mosshart and White "harness this icy alpha-dog tension into a distorted call-and-response aggression that's now greater than its parts, a rudely heavy swath of rock'n'roll authority."[10] Pitchfork rated Sea of Cowards at 7.8 (out of ten), noting that "it's a heavy, snarly, physical rock album, and it feels like the work of people so secure in their ass-kicking abilities that they don't have to sweat the details."[1] Blare magazine remarked that the album "combines the group’s sinister attitude with dreary funk and sex appeal."[11]

Commercial

The album debuted on Billboard 200 at No. 5,[12] and No. 3 on Top Rock Albums.[13] It has sold 171,000 copies in the US as of September 2015.[14]

Track listing

On CD versions, there is a 36 second instrumental pre-gap track hidden before "Blue Blood Blues".

There are also two additional "bonus" songs pressed on the label of Sea of Cowards vinyl.

Personnel

Appearances in the media

The album's opening song, "Blue Blood Blues", was featured in the final episode of Season Two of the HBO comedy Eastbound & Down in 2010. The album's song "I Can't Hear You" was featured in the movie Crazy, Stupid, Love and is a playable song in the guitar-themed video game Rocksmith. It also played over the 2019 Giorgio Armani Acqua di Giò Absolu Instinct men’s fragrance ad.

Charts

Chart (2010)Peak
position

References

  1. ^ Breihan, Tom (May 11, 2010), "The Dead Weather - Sea of Cowards". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  2. ^ Hahn, Michael (May 6, 2010). "The Dead Weather: Sea of Cowards". The Guardian. Retrieved July 22, 2015.
  3. ^ "The 30 Best Albums of 2010". Rolling Stone (December 25, 2010). Retrieved (January 18, 2011)]
  4. ^ Nagy, Evie (May 15, 2010), "Sea of Cowards." Billboard. 122 (19):32
  5. ^ United Record Pressing staff (May 12, 2010), "Dead Weather - Sea Of Cowards - Split Color!!!". Facebook. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  6. ^ "||| Third Man Records |||". Archived from the original on 2010-12-22. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  7. ^ "The Vault // Third Man Records // News". modlife.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-14.
  8. ^ Read, Michelle et al. (May 06, 2010), "SPINNING AROUND". mX Brisbane :21
  9. ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (May 5, 2010), "Sea of Cowards (2010)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  10. ^ Anderson, Stacey (May 24, 2010), "The Dead Weather, 'Sea of Cowards' (Third Man/Warner Bros.)". Spin. Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  11. ^ Blare staff (May 10, 2010), "ALBUM REVIEWS – 10/5/10". Retrieved November 21, 2014.
  12. ^ "Billboard 200". Billboard. May 29, 2010.
  13. ^ "Top Rock Albums". Billboard. May 29, 2010.
  14. ^ "Upcoming Releases". Hits Daily Double. HITS Digital Ventures. Archived September 17, 2015 at the Wayback Machine.

Further reading