Time on Their Hands

by Rooney

supported by

Gavin Hellyer After the phenomenal Futile Exorcise album released earlier this year and his incredible Lucy Over Lancashire track from a few years ago, I've gone on a search around the net and struggled to find these albums that came out under the name Rooney. And then I discovered that they had been uploaded to Bandcamp. God bless you. Favorite track: Throw Away.

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Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

Includes unlimited streaming of Time on Their Hands via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Purchasable with gift card

£7 GBP or more
Full Digital Discography

Get all 3 Rooney releases available on Bandcamp and save 60%.

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of On the Closed Circuit, On Fading Out, and Time on Their Hands. , and , .

Purchasable with gift card

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1.	Went to Town 02:05	buy track
2.	Into the Lens 03:13	buy track
3.	Swarm 06:35	buy track
4.	Throw Away 03:46	buy track
5.	It Unnerves Me Watching 02:25	buy track
6.	Touts 02:25	buy track
7.	Two Orange Dots 02:18	buy track
8.	Guillotine 04:08	buy track
9.	Scratched 01:33	buy track
10.	Perfect Couple 02:08	buy track
11.	Walked Round the Estate 02:54	buy track
12.	In the Centre of the Image 02:05	buy track
13.	Things 02:39	buy track
14.	Marble Tiles 04:28	buy track
15.	Marks on the Negative 02:13	buy track
16.	It Unnerves Me Watching (Dalry) 02:34	buy track
17.	Fountainbridge 08:29	buy track
18.	I Can Spend Hours 01:17	buy track

about

Uploaded to Bandcamp for the first time in 2016.

The first album of lo-fi songs of ordinary life by the 'band' Rooney (Paul Rooney). All three Rooney albums were recorded on a mini-disc four-track recorder with a tiny Bontempi keyboard, a drum machine bought from Argos, one electric guitar and a muffled acoustic guitar acting as a bass. Rooney consisted of Paul Rooney alone at this point but other collaborators became involved for later releases and performances.

The songs in this first release are about wandering down the local shops, or looking at family holiday snaps, about overlooked moments and commonplace objects. This album garnered much support from BBC Radio 1's John Peel amongst others (leading to a 1998 Festive Fifty appearance, for the song 'Went to Town', and a 1999 Peel session).

Some comments about 'Time On Their Hands':

"Rooney works the same alchemical miracle as the 'Sensation' generation of British artists, making the crushingly mundane fantastic via a simple shift of focus". Stewart Lee, The Sunday Times. 18/10/98.

"That narrative ‘songs’ can work is proven by Paul Rooney’s fascinating lo-fi collection...it is never less than fascinating". Tom Ridge, The Wire. Nov. 1998.

"...gorgeous, atmospheric guitar scores similar to Godspeed You! Black Emporer and Mogwai in half the space. Put simply 'Time On Their Hands' is a little treasure chest. Seek it out." Sarah-Jane, City Life (Manchester UK). Dec. 1998.

"That’s ('Went to Town' by) Rooney on Common Culture Records, from an EP called 'Got Up Late', which is really excellent I think..." John Peel, Radio 1 FM. 28/1/98.

"'Walked Round The Estate' is especially good...what emerges is a kind of sweet nostalgia and praise for the everyday". Gary Valentine, Mojo. Nov. 1998.

"Now that's something special. It sounds like nothing you've ever heard before...'Time On Their Hands' is one of the most refreshing album's of the year..." Steve Oxley, The Big Issue. Nov. 1998.

"Without sounding at all retro this album revisits the original spirit of punk". Rob Sandall, Mixing It. BBC Radio 3. Mar. 1999.

credits

released September 12, 1998

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about

Rooney Liverpool, UK

1998-2000
3 Rooney albums

New album of unreleased material from 2000-2006 coming soon on Owd Scrat Records...

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Rooney recommends:

Lucy Over Lancashire [12" single]
by Paul Rooney

Lucy Over Lancashire 2007 vinyl Rooney
go to album

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