is the fourth studio album released by deadmau5. It was first released on 22 September 2009 in North America by Ultra Records and mau5trap and worldwide on 5 October 2009 by Virgin Records. The album includes the singles the singles "Hi Friend!", "Ghosts 'n' Stuff", "Word Problems", "Bot", "Lack of a Better Name", and "Strobe". The album continues with the club sounds of its predecessors, with a focus on tech and electro house.
Background[]
Singles that would later appear on For Lack of a Better Name were being released as early as 18 August 2008, beginning with the release of "Hi Friend!".
The album was first announced on 18 July 2009, alongside an autumn tour that would follow its release on 22 September 2009. On the deadmau5 website, the album was described as an compilation of tracks rather than a fully realized body of work.[1] By 16 August 2009, the album's tracklist was leaked online by retailers such as Play.com.[2] It was revealed to include previously released singles, songs uploaded to MySpace, such as "The 16th Hour," and unreleased tracks that had been previously played live, including "FML," "Soma," and "Strobe."
On 25 August 2009, the music video for Ghosts 'n' Stuff was released to promote both the upcoming album and the re-released single. Unlike the original version, the new mix featured vocals by Rob Swire from the band Pendulum.
According to Mixmag Issue #220, shortly before the album's release, Zimmerman revealed he was working on creating new mau5heads, which later turned out to be the Albino, Black n' Blue, and LED variants. Prior to this, he had only owned four mau5heads: the Classic Red, Classic Blue, Black Velvet, and Diamante.
When the album was released on 22 September 2009, it was available in two versions: Mixed and Unmixed. Physical copies included the Mixed version, while some digital platforms, such as Beatport, offered the Mixed version as well. However, most online retailers providing the digital release offered the Unmixed version.
On 25 September 2009, Zimmerman was in Toronto signing copies of the album. Album promotions, such as the For Lack of a Better Name Tour, concluded by January 2010.
Tracklist[]
Mixed[]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "FML" | 6:35 |
| 2. | "Moar Ghosts 'n' Stuff" (Hard Intro Version) | 4:30 |
| 3. | "Ghosts 'n' Stuff" (Radio Edit) | 3:15 |
| 4. | "Hi Friend!" (feat. MC Flipside) | 5:15 |
| 5. | "Bot" | 5:22 |
| 6. | "Word Problems" | 7:48 |
| 7. | "Soma" | 6:07 |
| 8. | "Lack of a Better Name" | 6:58 |
| 9. | "The 16th Hour" | 9:29 |
| 10. | "Strobe" | 10:37 |
| Total length: | 1:05:52 | |
Unmixed[]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "FML" | 7:00 |
| 2. | "Moar Ghosts 'n' Stuff" | 4:57 |
| 3. | "Ghosts 'n' Stuff" (feat. Rob Swire) | 5:28 |
| 4. | "Hi Friend!" (feat. MC Flipside) | 6:32 |
| 5. | "Bot" | 6:33 |
| 6. | "Word Problems" | 8:29 |
| 7. | "Soma" | 7:53 |
| 8. | "Lack of a Better Name" | 8:14 |
| 9. | "The 16th Hour" | 9:52 |
| 10. | "Strobe" | 10:33 |
Amazon MP3 bonus tracks
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ghosts 'n' Stuff" (Sub Focus Remix) | 4:26 |
iTunes bonus tracks
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ghosts 'n' Stuff" (Nero Remix) | 6:55 |
Sample Credits[]
|
|
Trivia[]
- Before its release, tracks such as "Where Is Here", "Failbait", "Seeya Next Tuesday", and "Catbread" were speculated to appear on the album's tracklist.
- The album features two of Zimmerman's most acclaimed hits, "Ghosts 'n' Stuff" and "Strobe".
- This was the first deadmau5 album to be released internationally on the Virgin Records label.
References[]
- ↑ "New Album – for lack of a better name", deadmau5.com (via Internet Archive), 4 Oct 2009.
- ↑ "For Lack Of A Better Name ", play.com, 28 Aug 2009.
Gallery[]
| Deadmau5 Albums | ||
|---|---|---|
| Studio Albums | Get Scraped • Vexillology • Random Album Title • For Lack of a Better Name • 4x4=12 • > Album Title Goes Here < • While (1<2) • W:/2016ALBUM/ | |
| Compilation Albums | Deadmau5 Circa 1998-2002 • A Little Oblique • Project 56 • It Sounds Like • For Lack Of A Better Album Title • 5 Years of Mau5 • Stuff I Used To Do | |
| Mix Albums | At Play • At Play Vol. 2 • Tech-Trance-Electro Madness • At Play Vol. 3 • At Play Vol. 4 • At Play in the USA, Vol. 1 • At Play Vol. 5 | |
| Remix Albums | The Remixes • The Remixes Deluxe • The Re-Edits • 5 Years of Mau5 • Strobe (Remixes) | |
| Live Albums | Live @ Earl's Court • Meowingtons Hax 2k11 Toronto | |
| Other | Meowingtons Hax Tour Trax | |