Falcon

Product Information

The album reached number six in the UK, after selling 24,000 copies in the first week of its release. Ally Carnwath of The Observer echoed a similar sentiment, stating that "[t]here's a development of sorts here but it extends only to leavening brash indie swagger with bolted-on string sections and heart-on-sleeve anthemics".

Falcon received generally favourable reviews from critics, many of whom commented on the shift in musical direction.Phares theorised the shift in sound "comes from a need for the band to prove that there’s more to their sound than breathless rock and sneering lyrics". Don’t be misled, though: this remains ‘indie-rock’, albeit tanned and tarted-up like one of the girls on a night out in Fray’s songs. Forget preconceptions of boorish Manc laddishness – Morrissey’s championing of this fast-rising band is beginning to make sense. The Japanese version included "Meanwhile Back at the Ranch", "Revolver" and the non-album track "That Kiss" as bonus tracks.

Most tracks bounce at a comfortable mid-pace, ensuring maximum sing-along factor, and perhaps Falcon flags before its end. The Rest of the World Has Gone Home" deals with the theme of loneliness in the style of Babyshambles, while "Sycophant" is a rock song that touches on folk and psychedelia. Following this, the band ended the year with two one-off gigs, one at Parr Hall in Warrington and the second at the Central Convention Complex in Manchester with support from Buzzcocks and the Whip. While touring the US, the Courteeners wrote new material on their tour bus with guitars, shakers and keyboards.Jude, Liam Fray and his Middleton homeboys present an album to seal their role as the Stereoasisphonics-lookalikes that it’s okay to like. For seven weeks from August 2009, the band recorded their follow-up at ICP studios in Brussels, Belgium.

AllMusic reviewer Heather Phares said Buller "helped them slows things down and take them more seriously" as musicians. Jude" noch ein Britpop-Album mit einer Neigung zum Britrock, vermisse ich bei "Falcon" eben diese Neigung.

Falcon peaked at number six in the UK Album Charts, selling 24,000 copies in its first week of release. Yet Buller ensures that even the most throwaway boast cunning builds and kinks, and Fray’s narratives compel you to hear the rest of the story. Not Nineteen Forever" and "No You Didn't, No You Don't" – reached the top 40 in the United Kingdom, with "Not Nineteen Forever" peaking the highest at number 19. Yes, Arctic Monkeys would be the closest thing – somewhere between Favourite Worst Nightmare and Humbug – but there are enough musical flourishes and pining ballads to earn the band the Elbow comparisons they blatantly desire. Take Over the World" straddles between the indie sound of the band's past work and balladry, evoking " Viva la Vida" (2008) by Coldplay during its chorus sections.