| Hand Built by Robots | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 30 July 2007 | |||
| Genre | Folk rock,pop rock | |||
| Length | 43:30 | |||
| Label | Brightside, Ugly Truth,Peermusic | |||
| Producer | Mike Spencer, Andy McKim | |||
| Newton Faulkner chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Hand built by Robots | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Billboard | Review |
| Click Music |   [1] |
| entertainment.ie | Review |
| Gilde |  Review |
| The Guardian | Review |
| IndieLondon | Review |
| Times Online | |
Hand Built by Robots is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriterNewton Faulkner. Produced byMike Spencer, it was released on 30 July 2007 on Ugly Truth Records. Preceded by the single "Dream Catch Me", the album initially charted at number 3 in theUK album chart, and subsequently reached number one in its fourth week. Regarding the album's success, Faulkner stated, "I don't think anyone involved inHand Built by Robots actually thought it would do that at all."[1]
Regarding the album's composition, Faulkner stated, in 2009, that the album was "actually quite rushed in a lot of ways. 'Dream Catch Me' was actually released before we finished the album, so we had to move really fast to completeHand Built By Robots. The album wasn't the culmination of ten years worth of writing, but was a few months of panic, and a couple of things I had lying around - a couple of older songs that were still good enough to be used. [...] A lot ofHand Built By Robot's songs were written in the last few months leading up to recording, as I became better at writing."[1]
Four tracks on the album were co-written with formerLongpigs vocalistCrispin Hunt and two were co-written by Adam Argyle, who is perhaps best known for writing "Next Best Superstar" forMelanie C.
The album cover art work includes a number of historical figures standing upon a robotic hand.
All tracks are written byNewton Faulkner, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | 0:34 | |
| 2. | "To the Light" | 2:40 | |
| 3. | "I Need Something" | 2:57 | |
| 4. | "All I Got" | Newton Faulkner,Crispin Hunt | 3:21 |
| 5. | "Dream Catch Me" | C. Hunt, N. Faulkner, Gordon Mills | 3:56 |
| 6. | "Feels Like Home" | 3:12 | |
| 7. | "Teardrop" | Robert Del Naja,Grantley Marshall,Andrew Vowles,Elizabeth Fraser | 3:09 |
| 8. | "Gone in the Morning" | N. Faulkner, Toby Faulkner | 2:21 |
| 9. | "Sitar-y Thing" | 1:19 | |
| 10. | "Uncomfortably Slow" | N. Faulkner, Adam Argyle | 3:28 |
| 11. | "Straight Towards the Sun" | N. Faulkner, C. Hunt | 3:39 |
| 12. | "People Should Smile More" | N. Faulkner, A. Argyle, C. Hunt | 3:29 |
| 13. | "She's Got the Time" | N. Faulkner, T. Faulkner | 1:20 |
| 14. | "U.F.O" | N. Faulkner, T. Faulkner | 2:36 |
| 15. | "Face (Her)" | 0:39 | |
| 16. | "Ageing Superhero" | 3:22 | |
| 17. | "Lullaby" | 1:37 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18. | "Full Fat" (exclusive to iTunes) | 2:50 | |
| 19. | "Dream Catch Me" (instrumental) | C. Hunt, N. Faulkner, G. Mills | 4:09 |
Hand Built by Robots was certified platinum and later double platinum,[2] in the United Kingdom, and was the twentieth best-selling album of 2007, selling 444,000 copies.
The album debuted at number 26 on the AustralianARIA Albums Chart in March 2008. It subsequently ascended fifteen places the following week to number 11, and then to number 8. The album eventually peaked at number 5 the week after.[3] It has since been certified Gold on the ARIA charts.
The album was released in Germany on 18 April 2008, and in the United States (it did not have massive success in the U.S. but did manage to reach number 42 on theBillboardTop Heatseekers chart) and Canada on 29 April 2008, with the first single being "Dream Catch Me".[4]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[15] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[16] | 2× Platinum | 600,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
