London, England-based independent rock band The Boxer Rebellion is pleased to announce that their second album, “Union,” was just named “Best Alternative Album” by iTunes US in their year-end “Rewind 2009” roundup of the year’s top albums, tracks, films and more. Announced this morning, the top-honor selection from the #1 music retailer in the United States caps off a stellar year for the international four-piece. Selections for this year’s iTunes “Rewind 2009” can be found here: http://www.itunes.com/rewind2009
In addition to their iTunes success, the band will be heading to Austin, TX, in 2010 to perform as part of the annual SXSW Music and Arts Festival. These upcoming dates will be rare Stateside opportunities to witness the band’s visually-stunning and potent live show, a showcase that has continued to win them a feverishly devoted following throughout the UK and Europe. Dates for the band’s upcoming performances at SXSW 2010 to be announced shortly.
Regarded by The Times as “the word-of-mouth indie phenomenon of 2009,” the self-produced, self-released “Union” was a colossal blast to the world of music upon its release on January 13th 2009. The band went on to make numerous headlines that very same week by becoming the first unsigned band in history to break the Billboard Top 100 Albums Chart on a digital-only release. Fueled by an unprecedented iTunes “Global Single of the Week” on lead track “Evacuate” (clocking up a staggering 560,000 free downloads), “Union” also broke the iTunes Album Chart Top 5 on both sides of the Atlantic 48 hours after release. At times the album was outselling the likes of Kings of Leon, The Killers, and Coldplay, and also knocked the almighty My Morning Jacket off the iTunes US Alternative Chart top-spot to take pole position.
Since the album’s release, the band went on a few unbelievably successful tours of Europe and was even invited to record a Live session at London’s flagship Apple store, a feat no other unsigned band has been able to achieve. Additionally, the band recently announced a groundbreaking partnership with HMV in the UK where the music and entertainment specialist is currently acting as a lead outlet and strategic partner for the physical release of “Union.”
The Boxer Rebellion is comprised of American vocalist Nathan Nicholson (hailing from Maryville, TN), Aussie guitarist Todd Howe, and a supremely talented rhythm section in Englishmen Adam Harrison (bass) and Piers Hewitt (drums). In “Union,” The Boxer Rebellion have produced a follow-up of epic proportions that somehow manages to surpass the vertiginous ambitions of its predecessor, the band’s critically acclaimed debut album “Exits.”
Q Magazine, in their four-star review, praised “Union,” calling it “Arena-sized rock music redolent of ‘The Bends’-era Radiohead and full of shimmering grace,” while NPR described the band’s sound as “a kind of chiaroscuro of airy, sweet, often falsetto vocal melodies winging precariously over a darker, more aggressive musical atmosphere.” The Boxer Rebellion’s albums are completely non-disposable bodies of work – perfectly balanced in exemplary songwriting, epic performances, and wide-ranging creativity that reward the listener time and time again.
http://www.theboxerrebellion.com
http://www.myspace.com/theboxerrebellion
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Jessica