| Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 13 October 2003 | |||
| Recorded | Mid-2003 | |||
| Studio | ||||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 49:36 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
| |||
| Funeral for a Friend chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation | ||||
| ||||
Casually Dressed & Deep in Conversation is the debut studio album by the Welshrock bandFuneral for a Friend. It was released on 13 October 2003 throughAtlantic Records and was produced byColin Richardson with co-production by the band themselves. The cover of the album as well as its subsequent singles is based on a small series of paintings byBelgian artistRené Magritte titled: "The Lovers".[3]
The album received positive reception from critics and was a commercial success. It was included onNME's album of the year list for 2003,[4] andRock Sound's101 Modern Classics list.[5] debuted at number 12 on the UK charts and achievedGold certifications after a sales of 100,000 a year after its release on 29 October 2004.[6]
The album featured newly recorded versions of "Red is the New Black" and "Juno" (renamed "Juneau") from the band's "Between Order And Model" EP.
It also features remastered versions of "She Drove Me To Daytime Television" and "Escape Artists Never Die" fromFour Ways To Scream Your Name (the latter is slightly remixed).
"Waking Up" was a largely rewritten version of "Summer's Dead and Buried", which was one of the band's earliest songs. "Storytelling" had previously been recorded in studio after Between Order And Model came out. The band liked this demo, but this version hadn't been released at the time (it can be found on the "Between Order And Model" 10th anniversary edition, as well as the out of print Digital 3CD edition of Your History Is Mine). "Moments Forever Faded" was also previously demoed (featured on the 3CD Digital edition of 'Your History Is Mine).
"Rookie of the Year" was featured on the soundtracks ofWWE WrestleMania 21 andBurnout 3: Takedown. "Red Is The New Black" was used in theTorchwood episode "They Keep Killing Suzie".
In 2012 the band released a live album titledCasually Dressed and Deep in Conversation: Live and in Full at Shepherds Bush Empire. The live album was recorded at theShepherd's Bush Empire inLondon in July 2010.[7] The live performance's setlist featured the debut album in its entirety, plus additional tracks from other albums in its encore.[8] The album was announced in January 2011, with no tentative release date announced but a teaser trailer was posted.[9] The live recording featured guitarist Darran Smith before he left the band in late 2010. He was replaced by Richard Boucher, who was a member ofhardcore punk bandHondo Maclean.[7] The album was released in early April 2012 and was made available through the band's online store to purchase.[10] To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the album, it was repressed on double white 180g vinyl as a limited edition release for Record Store Day 2013.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AbsolutePunk | 88%[11] |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| BBC Music | (Favourable)[12] |
| Drowned in Sound | [13] |
| Exclaim! | (Favourable)[2] |
| MusicOMH | (Favourable)[14] |
| NME | [15] |
| Sputnikmusic | 4/5[16] |
The album received very positive reviews from the British music press upon its release. WithNME writer Dan Martin gave the album at 8 out of 10 and praised the album quite considerably calling it a "fearsome debut" and stating that: "It would be unfair on everyone else to call 'Casually Dressed and Deep in Conversation' the first great album to come out of all this. But what is true is that this fiery, dynamic hulk of a record will be the first to break properly out into daylight."[15] It was also featured at number 17 inNew Musical Express's albums of the year list for 2003.[4]
In 2012, British publicationRock Sound addedCasually Dressed & Deep in Conversation into their "101 Modern Classics", placed at number 33, betweenLamb of God'sAs the Palaces Burn andGlassjaw'sWorship and Tribute, stating that "‘Casually Dressed…’ evidences a remarkable young band who, on their debut full-length release, were already the finished article, establishing a sound that continues to define an entire generation."[5]
All tracks are written byFuneral for a Friend.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rookie of the Year" | 3:01 |
| 2. | "Bullet Theory" | 3:53 |
| 3. | "Juneau" | 3:38 |
| 4. | "Bend Your Arms to Look Like Wings" | 4:21 |
| 5. | "Escape Artists Never Die" | 5:18 |
| 6. | "Storytelling" | 3:35 |
| 7. | "Moments Forever Faded" | 4:25 |
| 8. | "She Drove Me to Daytime Television" | 3:36 |
| 9. | "Red Is the New Black" | 5:15 |
| 10. | "Your Revolution Is a Joke" | 2:44 |
| 11. | "Waking Up" | 3:59 |
| 12. | "Novella" | 5:50 |
| Total length: | 49:36 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 13. | "This Year's Most Open Heartbreak" | 2:43 |
| 14. | "Kiss and Makeup (All Bets Are Off)" | 3:54 |
| Total length: | 56:14 | |
Funeral for a Friend
Production credits
Album[edit]
| Singles[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[19] | Gold | 100,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
The album that dogged the Welsh wonders for the best part of a decade before they finally made their peace with its infinite charms, 'Casually Dressed…' evidences a remarkable young band who, on their debut full-length release, were already the finished article, establishing a sound that continues to define an entire generation.
