What has the field of lo-fi slacker pop come to when faced by an LP as ambitious and entertaining as Badly Drawn Boy's The Hour of Bewilderbeast? Despite all attempts to sabotage his songwriting and production with innumerable experimental tidbits, songs within a song, and (seemingly) tossed-off arrangements, Damon Gough has to face the fact that he wrote and produced over a dozen excellent songs of baroque folk-pop for his album debut, and the many gems can't help but shine through all the self-indulgence. The sprightly orchestration for cello and trumpet (Gough's own) that begin the album are eventually taken over by the sparse guitar pickings and wistful folky sunshine of "The Shining," which veers into the skewed slide guitar and ominous tone of "Everybody's Stalking." Gough rarely pauses for breath (even when he's doing a ballad) or follows any traditional sense of album flow, but after a listen or two, The Hour of Bewilderbeast is revealed as a shambling masterpiece of a pop album. Most of these songs are Gough's entirely (he plays as many as eight instruments), with occasional help from friends like Twisted Nerve co-labelhead Andy Votel and assorted drummers for accompaniment. His songwriting is great, but Gough's twisted sense of humor helps the album shine as well, as on "Fall in a River," where the down-a-lazy-river feel carries through to the point where not just Gough but the entire production is submerged with a splash and attendant warping of the sound. The Hour of Bewilderbeast surely isn't a traditional pop album, but a continually beguiling trip through lo-fi postmodern folk that draws as much from Harry Nilsson as Beck. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
Andy Votel (String Samples), Joe Robinson (Sound Effects), Andy Votel (Programming), Andy Votel (Arranger), Badly Drawn Boy (Guitar (Electric)), Joe Robinson (Drum Programming), Gary Wilkinson (Drum Programming), Joe Robinson (Producer), Andy Votel (Mixing), Badly Drawn Boy (Guitar (Bass)), Andy Votel (Keyboards), Paul Anthony Taylor (String Arrangements), Badly Drawn Boy (Guitar), Ken Nelson (Producer), Sean Kelly (Drums), Joe Robinson (Loops), Joe Robinson (Engineer), Andy Votel (Artwork), Andy Votel (Drum Programming), Gary Wilkinson (Engineer), Gary Wilkinson (Keyboards), Badly Drawn Boy (Piano), Damon Gough (Programming), Gary Wilkinson (Siren), Damon Gough (Guitar), Andy Votel (Producer), Derrick Santini (Handclapping), Badly Drawn Boy (String Arrangements), Damon Gough (Vocals), Damon Gough (Keyboards), Badly Drawn Boy (Guitar (Acoustic)), Andy Williams (Drums), Andy Votel (Design), Badly Drawn Boy (Slide Guitar), Badly Drawn Boy (Vocals), Gary Wilkinson (Producer), Spencer Birtwhistle (Drums), Jez Williams (Guitar (Electric)), Jez Williams (Slide Guitar), Andy Votel (Piano), Andy Votel (Effects)
Other modifications to the album include the removal of a selection of lyrics from track 12; Magic In the Air. The lyrics were replaced by an instrumental after hip hop artist Taja Sevelle claimed they were too similar to those in her first single.
Martin Rebelski – Wurlitzer electric piano, clavinet, keyboards
Gary Wilkinson – keyboards, drum programming, sirens, noises
Paul Taylor – string arrangements
Sophie Williams – handclaps
Derrick Santini – handclaps
Spencer Birtwhistle – drums
Northern New Orleans Brass Band – horns
Clare Hewitt – backing vocals
Trivia
The introduction to The Shining is used on the Railing Against It documentary about screenwriter Rob Dawber's fight against mesothelioma on the extras of the DVD of The Navigators, directed by Ken Loach.
The Shining was also used multiple times in the romantic comedy movie Get Over It.
The Shining was also used in an episode of the US series version of Queer as Folk to set the mood for a scene between Brian and Michael after the death of Brian's father.
Everybody's Stalking was used in the movie Igby Goes Down during the scene in which the protagonist, Igby, played by Kieran Culkin, sleeps with Sookie Saperstein.
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