Diamond Mine (album)

Diamond Mine
Studio album by King Creosote and Jon Hopkins
Released	March 28, 2011
Genre	Folk, alternative
Language	English
Label	Domino
King Creosote and Jon Hopkins chronology
That Might Be It, Darling (2010) Diamond Mine (2011) Honest Words (2011)

Diamond Mine is a collaborative studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter King Creosote and English electronica musician Jon Hopkins, released on March 28, 2011 on Domino Records. Inspired by the East Neuk of Fife, the album combines Creosote's songs with field recordings by Hopkins. Upon release, Creosote stated: "I really don't know what to do next, because, in some ways, I'm at that peak. I don't know where to go from here."^[1] The album was subsequently followed by the EP, Honest Words.

Diamond Mine was nominated for the 2011 Mercury Prize,^[2] with Creosote noting, "I wasn't expecting it at all. [...] There's been a lot of people in the media nailing their colours to the mast with this record, and that's quite encouraging – to know that we've got supporters, and a lot of them. I'm not expecting to win, but just to be on that list. This is something I've been on the outside of forever, and now here we are. It's all good. It makes up for not selling records, anyway!"^[3]

Background and recording

The album took seven years to complete.^[4][5] It makes substantial use of Musique concrète, with Jon Hopkins noting that Diamond Mine "is a romanticised version of Fife. A lot of it's about my first experience of going there – about my first Homegame, when I fell totally in love with the place, and with Fence Records. It's a bit like my dream version of life. [...] It's like the way Paris appears in Amélie."^[1]

"Bats in the Attic" was initially included on Creosote's performance-only album, My Nth Bit of Strange in Umpteen Years, with Hopkins noting, "You can hear the guitar part from his original version at the beginning, but I played it back through a mobile phone speaker simulation to decimate the quality, so that it retained its rhythm, but none of its notes, giving me freedom to change the chords of the song completely."^[6]

King Creosote recorded his vocals in London.^[7]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[8]
Metacritic	(77/100) [9]
The Skinny	[10]
SputnikMusic	[11]

The album was released to favourable reviews, with Creosote noting, "It feels like this is the beginning of something. And to feel that so far down the line, after putting out forty effing albums... oh my God! It means, I can still do this, it's not over."^[12]

Track listing

1. "First Watch"
2. "John Taylor's Month Away"
3. "Bats in the Attic"
4. "Running on Fumes"
5. "Bubble"
6. "Your Own Spell"
7. "Your Young Voice"

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Features | A Quietus Interview | Fife's What You Make It: Jon Hopkins & King Creosote On Diamond Mine". The Quietus. http://thequietus.com/articles/05976-king-creosote-jon-hopkins-diamond-mine-interview. Retrieved 2011-07-26. 
2. ^ "Mercury Prize 2011: The nominees". bbc.co.uk. 2011-07-19. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-14197384. Retrieved 19 July 2011. 
3. ^ http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/features/Interview-King-Creosote--From.6831231.jp
4. ^ guardian.co.uk/music (2011-03-24). "King Creosote and Jon Hopkins - Diamond Mine: Exclusive album stream | Music | guardian.co.uk". London: Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2011/mar/24/king-creosote-jon-hopkins. Retrieved 2011-07-26. 
5. ^ Boilen, Bob (2011-05-15). "First Listen: King Creosote And Jon Hopkins, 'Diamond Mine'". NPR. http://www.npr.org/2011/05/25/136242593/first-listen-king-creosote-and-jon-hopkins-diamond-mine. Retrieved 2011-07-26. 
6. ^ http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4142289-king-creosote-amp-jon-hopkins-diamond-mine-track-by-track
7. ^ Rogers, Jude (2011-08-30). "King Creosote and Jon Hopkins: Diamond geezers". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/aug/30/king-creosote-jon-hopkins-diamond-geezers. 
8. ^ Christopher, James (2011-03-28). "Diamond Mine - King Creosote". AllMusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/diamond-mine-r2141291. Retrieved 2011-07-26. 
9. ^ "Diamond Mine Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic.com. http://www.metacritic.com/music/diamond-mine. Retrieved 2011-07-26. 
10. ^ "King Creosote and Jon Hopkins - Diamond Mine". The Skinny. http://www.theskinny.co.uk/music/reviews/albums/101670-king_creosote_jon_hopkins_diamond_mine. Retrieved 2011-09-12. 
11. ^ "King Creosote and Jon Hopkins - Diamond Mine (staff review)". Sputnikmusic. http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/43558/King-Creosote-and-Jon-Hopkins-Diamond-Mine/. Retrieved 2011-07-26. 
12. ^ Rogers, Jude (2011-08-30). "King Creosote and Jon Hopkins: Diamond geezers". The Guardian (London). http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/aug/30/king-creosote-jon-hopkins-diamond-geezers.