Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future
2009 studio album by The Bird and the Bee
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Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future is the second studio album by American indie pop duo The Bird and the Bee, released on January 27, 2009, by Blue Note Records. The album contains the two lead-off tracks from the duo's last two studio EPs: "Polite Dance Song" from Please Clap Your Hands and "Birthday" from One Too Many Hearts.
ReleasedJanuary 27, 2009
Recorded2008; Echo Studios
(Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California)
(Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California)
GenresIndie pop, electronic
Length44:54
| Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 27, 2009 | |||
| Recorded | 2008; Echo Studios (Los Feliz, Los Angeles, California) | |||
| Genres | Indie pop, electronic | |||
| Length | 44:54 | |||
| Label | Blue Note | |||
| Producer | Greg Kurstin | |||
| The Bird and the Bee chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 71/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
| The A.V. Club | A−[3] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A−[4] |
| The Guardian | [5] |
| Los Angeles Times | [6] |
| Pitchfork Media | 5.4/10[7] |
| PopMatters | 7/10[8] |
| Rolling Stone | [9] |
| Slant Magazine | [10] |
| Spin | 7/10[11] |
Track listing
All tracks are written by Greg Kurstin and Inara George, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fanfare" | 0:29 |
| 2. | "My Love" | 3:46 |
| 3. | "Diamond Dave" | 3:14 |
| 4. | "What's in the Middle" | 3:21 |
| 5. | "Ray Gun" | 4:42 |
| 6. | "Love Letter to Japan" | 4:07 |
| 7. | "Meteor" | 3:21 |
| 8. | "Baby" | 3:50 |
| 9. | "Phil" | 0:10 |
| 10. | "Polite Dance Song" | 3:47 |
| 11. | "You're a Cad" | 3:10 |
| 12. | "Witch" | 3:55 |
| 13. | "Birthday" | 3:48 |
| 14. | "Lifespan of a Fly" | 3:14 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 15. | "Leggs" | 2:59 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 15. | "Heart Throbs and Apple Seeds (with Cornelius)" | 3:53 |
| 16. | "How Deep Is Your Love" (Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, Robin Gibb) | 3:24 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 15. | "How Deep Is Your Love" (B. Gibb, M. Gibb, R. Gibb) | 3:24 |
| 16. | "Come as You Were" | 3:00 |
| 17. | "Again & Again" (Hotel Room Bossanova Version) | 2:47 |
| 18. | "Fucking Boyfriend" (Ralphi Rosario & Jody DB Radio Edit) | 3:48 |
Personnel
Credits for Ray Guns Are Not Just the Future adapted from liner notes.[17]
- The Bird and the Bee
- Greg Kurstin – bass, engineer, guitar, keyboards, mixing, percussion, producer, programming (all tracks); backing vocals (3, 4, 5)
- Inara George – vocals
- Additional personnel
- Mike Andrews – guitar (4)
- Autumn de Wilde – photography
- Megan Geer-Alsop – backing vocals (10)
- Willow Geer-Alsop – backing vocals (4, 6, 10, 14)
- Perry Greenfield – artist development management
- Gordon H. Jee – creative director
- Keith Karwelies – A&R administration
- Carla Leighton – art direction, design
- Alex Lilly – backing vocals (4, 6, 10, 14)
- Gavin Lurssen – mastering
- Gus Seyffert – guitar (10)
- Kazumi Someya – translation (6)
- Joey Waronker – drums (1, 9, 10)
- Eli Wolf – A&R
Charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Japanese Albums Chart[18] | 236 |
| US Billboard 200[19] | 78 |
| US Alternative Albums[20] | 20 |