Dim Lit

Dim Lit is the debut album by British jazz band Polar Bear, formed and led by drummer Sebastian Rochford.

Dim Lit
Studio album by Polar Bear
Released	1 September 2004
Genre	Jazz
Length	64:00
Label	Babel Label and The Leaf Label
Producer	Robert Harder, Sebastian Rochford
Polar Bear chronology
Dim Lit (2004) Held on the Tips of Fingers (2005)

Background

Polar Bear were awarded Best Band at the BBC Jazz Awards 2004, giving Dim Lit a platform for small scale success.^[1] It was eventually surpassed by their following album Held on the Tips Of Fingers (2005), which was nominated for a Mercury Music Prize.^[2]

The album was initially released on Babel Label and re-issued by The Leaf Label in 2014.^[3]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
The Guardian	[4]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[5]

The Guardian write that this album "captures (Polar Bear's) unique virtues" and that it "goes straight on to the albums-of-2004 longlist".^[4] The BBC call Dim Lit "a finely crafted album" in their review of the follow-up album.^[6]

Track listing

All tracks written by Seb Rochford

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Heavy Paws on the Purple Floor"	6:27
2.	"Not Here, Not Near"	6:51
3.	"Eve's Apple"	8:02
4.	"Polar Bear Standing and Ready"	4:34
5.	"Urban Kilt"	6:21
6.	"Snow"	4:30
7.	"Underneath You Can See Too Much"	7:00
8.	"The Shapes in the Clouds Aren't Always Happy"	7:28
9.	"New Dark Park"	9:32
10.	"Wild Horses"	5:13

Personnel

Polar Bear

• Pete Wareham — tenor saxophone
• Mark Lockheart — tenor saxophone
• Sebastian Rochford – drums, percussion, drum programming
• Tom Herbert – double bass

Additional musicians

• Julia Biel – vocals (6)
• Ben Davis – cello (3, 10)
• John Greswell – viola (3, 6, 10)
• Adam Bishop – bass clarinet (6)
• Robert Harder – piano (7)

References

1. "Review: Polar Bear at The Lantern (Colston Hall)". Bristol Post. 24 April 2015. Archived from the original on 28 April 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
2. "Polar Bear, Held On The Tips Of Fingers". Mercury Prize, Albums of the Year. 2005. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
3. "Polar Bear Album Reissues". The Leaf Label. December 8, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
4. Fordham, John (May 21, 2004). "Reviews: Polar Bear, Dim Lit". The Guardian. Retrieved May 26, 2015.
5. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1171. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
6. Finch, Russell. "Polar Bear Held On The Tips Of Fingers Review". BBC. Retrieved 28 May 2015.