A Joyful Noise (Gossip album)

A Joyful Noise
Studio album by Gossip
Released	May 11, 2012
Recorded	KBC Records (Portland, Oregon) Xenomania Studios (Kent, England)
Genre	Dance-punk indie rock synthpop alternative dance
Length	44:04
Label	Columbia
Producer	Brian Higgins
Gossip chronology
Music for Men (2009) A Joyful Noise (2012)
Singles from A Joyful Noise
"Perfect World" Released: March 13, 2012[1] "Move in the Right Direction" Released: June 29, 2012[2] "Get a Job" Released: April 5, 2013[3]

A Joyful Noise is the fifth and final studio album by American indie rock band Gossip, released on May 11, 2012 by Columbia Records. The album was produced by Xenomania founder Brian Higgins.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	60/100[4]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
Clash	6/10[6]
Drowned in Sound	4/10[7]
Entertainment Weekly	B−[8]
The Guardian	[9]
The Independent	[10]
NME	3/10[11]
Pitchfork Media	5.9/10[12]
PopMatters	[13]
Slant Magazine	[14]

A Joyful Noise received generally mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted mean rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 60, based on 24 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews".^[4] Andy Gill of The Independent gave the album four out of five stars, writing that "the involvement of Brian Higgins on A Joyful Noise enables the group to break new ground with confidence".^[10] The Guardian's Caroline Sullivan gave the album three out of five stars and stated that "it's Girls Aloud producer Higgins to the rescue, with a sound influenced by Abba and Madonna. Having said that, Gossip—especially Beth Ditto, in waspishly fine voice here—seem very much at home with it."^[9] However, Priya Elan of the NME felt that "[g]ood moments are squandered by unsatisfying choruses and/or weak lyrics."^[11] The Independent on Sunday's Simon Price expressed that after a few years of career, Ditto "already feels like a footnote", adding that the band pairing up with Higgins "should be a stroke of genius, but Higgins has caught Ditto & co at a point where they appear to have disastrously lost their fire."^[15]

Commercial performance

A Joyful Noise debuted at number 100 on the Billboard 200, selling 5,000 copies in its first week.^[16] In Europe, the album debuted at number 47 on the UK Albums Chart with first-week sales of 2,822 copies,^[17] while reaching number one in Switzerland, number two in Germany, number three in France, number four in Austria and number eight in Belgium.^[18] The album has sold approximately 70,000 copies in France alone.^[19]

Track listing

All tracks written by Beth Ditto, Nathan Howdeshell, and Hannah Blilie, except where noted. 

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Melody Emergency"		3:51
2.	"Perfect World"	Gossip Brian Higgins Luke Fitton Toby Scott	4:27
3.	"Get a Job"		4:59
4.	"Move in the Right Direction"	Gossip Xenomania	3:31
5.	"Casualties of War"		4:15
6.	"Into the Wild"		3:13
7.	"Get Lost"		4:07
8.	"Involved"		4:15
9.	"Horns"		3:45
10.	"I Won't Play"		3:19
11.	"Love in a Foreign Place"		4:22

European iTunes Store bonus tracks[20]
No.	Title	Length
12.	"Perfect World" (Rory Phillips Mix)	5:04
13.	"Move in the Right Direction" (Classixx Remix)	4:38
14.	"Perfect World" (video)	3:49

Amazon.de digital bonus tracks[21]
No.	Title	Length
12.	"Heavy Cross"	4:02
13.	"Standing in the Way of Control" (live)	4:49
14.	"Listen Up" (live)	4:42

German extended edition bonus track[22]
No.	Title	Length
12.	"Seems So Bad"	4:03

German extended edition bonus disc[22]
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Love Long Distance" (1LIVE in Dortmund)	4:21
2.	"Listen Up!" (1LIVE in Dortmund)	5:10
3.	"Melody Emergency" (1LIVE in Dortmund)	3:59
4.	"Men in Love" (1LIVE in Dortmund)	3:37
5.	"Get a Job" (1LIVE in Dortmund)	4:52
6.	"Perfect World" (RAC Mix)	4:13
7.	"Perfect World" (Seamus Haji Remix Radio Edit)	3:04
8.	"Perfect World" (Playgroup Nude Mix)	8:06
9.	"Move in the Right Direction" (CSS Remix)	4:02
10.	"Move in the Right Direction" (Seamus Haji Radio Edit)	3:53
11.	"Move in the Right Direction" (Gossip vs Kaz James Remix)	6:34
12.	"Get a Job" (Peter Rauhofer Remix)	8:47
13.	"Get a Job" (Scissor Sisters Remix)	6:14
14.	"Get a Job" (Wankelmut Remix)	7:21

Japanese edition bonus tracks[23]
No.	Title	Length
12.	"Perfect World" (RAC Mix)	4:14
13.	"Move in the Right Direction" (Classixx Remix)	4:38
14.	"Perfect World" (Seamus Haji Remix)	6:24

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of A Joyful Noise.^[24]

Gossip

• Gossip – additional production
• Beth Ditto – vocals
• Hannah Blilie – drums, percussion
• Nathan Howdeshell – guitar, keyboards, live bass, programming

Additional personnel

• Jerry Bouthier – additional programming
• Rich Costey – mixing (tracks 1–3)
• Tom Coyne – mastering
• Fred Falke – additional programming (all tracks); additional composition (track 4)
• Luke Fitton – additional programming
• Serban Ghenea – mixing (track 8)
• Andrea Gorgerino – additional programming
• Matt Gray – additional programming (all tracks); mixing (tracks 4–7, 9–10)
• John Hanes – mix engineering (track 8)
• Brian Higgins – additional programming, production (all tracks); additional composition (track 4); mixing (tracks 4–7, 9–11)
• Joshua Jenkin – additional programming
• Kieran Jones – additional programming (all tracks); additional composition (track 4)
• Chris Kasych – logic engineering (tracks 1–3)
• Mike Larremore – additional photography
• Jeri Lynn – art direction
• Sam Martin – additional programming
• Owen Parker – additional programming
• Tara Perkins – management
• Rankin – photography
• Jason Resch – additional programming (all tracks); additional composition (track 4)
• Toby Scott – additional programming, engineering, special production assistant (all tracks); additional composition (track 4); mixing (tracks 4–7, 9–11)
• Phil Seaford – assistant engineering (track 8)
• Jeremy Sherrer – additional percussion, engineering
• Ben Taylor – assistant recording engineering

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2012) Peak position Argentine Albums Chart[25] 10 Australian Albums Chart[26] 35 Austrian Albums Chart[27] 4 Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[18] 8 Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[28] 14 Canadian Albums Chart[29] 87 Danish Albums Chart[30] 37 Dutch Albums Chart[31] 35 Finnish Albums Chart[32] 44 French Albums Chart[33] 3 German Albums Chart[34] 2 Greek Albums Chart[35] 39 Irish Albums Chart[36] 66 Italian Albums Chart[37] 48 Polish Albums Chart[38] 34 Scottish Albums Chart[39] 51 Spanish Albums Chart[40] 38 Swiss Albums Chart[41] 1 UK Albums Chart[42] 47 US Billboard 200[43] 100 US Alternative Albums[44] 20 US Top Rock Albums[45] 35

Year-end charts Chart (2012) Position Austrian Albums Chart[46] 53 Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[47] 59 Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[48] 92 French Albums Chart[49] 62 German Albums Chart[50] 36 Swiss Albums Chart[51] 42

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/Sales
France (SNEP)[52]	Gold	71,900[53]
Germany (BVMI)[54]	Gold	100,000^^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[55]	Gold	15,000^^
^^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Edition	Label	Ref.
Germany	May 11, 2012	CD LP digital download	Standard	Sony	[22][56]
Ireland		CD digital download		Columbia	[57][58]
France	May 14, 2012	CD LP digital download		Sony	[59][60][61]
United Kingdom				Columbia	[62][63][64]
Australia	May 18, 2012	CD digital download		Sony	[65][66]
United States	May 22, 2012			Columbia	[67][68]
Japan	June 13, 2012	CD		Sony	[23]
Germany	November 2, 2012	2-CD digital download	Extended		[22][69]

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