The Night Before

The Night Before is the 11th studio album by British rock band James, serving as the first of two mini-albums. Following the release of their 10th studio album Hey Ma (2008), the band sought to experiment and take risks for their next record. They worked on material and uploaded it to a FTP server, for download by others. After three months, Lee Muddy Baker pieced the tracks together. The Night Before is a power pop and space rock release, with individual track comparisons to U2, Joy Division and Cocteau Twins. Preceded by a UK tour, The Night Before was released on 19 April 2010. The album reached number 20 in the UK, and received a mainly favourable response from music critics, with a few of them finding it an enjoyable record. Background and production After a six-year-long break up, James reunited in 2007 and released their 10th studio album Hey Ma in 2008. Critics viewed it as a return-to-form for the band; they wanted to experiment and take risks for its follow-up. At the end of the year, Booth said the band had 50–60 songs ready for their next album. The members would record 30-minute long improvisations, and each would be uploaded to a FTP server. The members could download and work on it at home. They would either continue one of the members' ideas or work on new parts around it. Booth said this methodology was likely inspired by working with Brian Eno, which they had done for nine-to-ten years. The process lasted for three months; after that, Lee Muddy Baker edited it all together. Despite the members living in separate locations, Booth said it wasn't due to the convenience of it, but as a manner to keep their creative activity fresh: "We were brainstorming. We're always looking for things to throw us off track." Producer credit was split between Baker and the band. Jonathon Shakhovskay mixed the recordings in The Engine Room at Miloco Studios in January 2010, with assistance from engineer Bryan Wilson. Geoff Pesche then mastered them at Abbey Road Studios. Composition Musically, The Night Before has been described as power pop and space rock, with up-tempo, happy tracks. Some parts of the release saw the band re-tread the same ground as before, with loud aggressive guitars and distorted vocals parts from Booth. Other sections featured Booth unaltered vocals over electronic backgrounds or echo-affected guitar work. "It's Hot" is a keyboard-led track with synthesized-beats and electronic sounds, and was compared to Joy Division.