I’m having a momentary crush on White Lies. My first thought upon hearing them was Interpol meets Echo and The Bunnymen. And I have a serious soft spot for Brit rock and Ian McCulloch, so when I received an advance copy of UK trio’s To Lose My Life recently I couldn’t help but fall in love a little bit. It’s blatantly 80s influenced, but represents everything I like about Brit rock and the 80s in one album; guitar focused arena rock with a big dose of that new wave sound.
To Lose My Life drops on Fiction Records 3/17. Their US tour kicks off in Austin at SXSW, making their way to San Francisco April 11 to play Slim’s and wrapping up at Coachella. In the meantime, check out the new video to “To Lose My Life”…
Artist: Wintersleep Album:Welcome to the Night Sky File Under: Indie Rock Recommended if You Like: Grandaddy, The Editors, Broken Social Scene, Jeff Buckley Featured Track: ‘Drunk on Aluminum’
This has most definitely been the album of the week for me. While not technically a new album (it was released in Canada in 2007), it just hit the US – and my inbox – last week. And has been on heavy rotation ever since.
Welcome to the Night Sky is the third album for the Halifax-based Wintersleep, and one that seems destined for success in the US. Already quite popular in Canada, the band recently received the 2008 Juno award for ‘New Group of the Year’. Their sound is expansive with heavy, smashing guitars combined with delicate, heartbreaking vocals. A sound so well represented in the track ‘Drunk on Aluminum’.
Dig deeper into the album and you start to peel back the layers, and musical influences. They have drawn comparisons to Radiohead, Mogwai and Low. I hear Jeff Buckley at times, Broken Social Scene, The Editors and a bit of Grandaddy during others. But I think what makes them so compelling to me is that they but they never seem to imitate, only reference these artists. Which makes me keep coming back for more. I can’t quite put my finger on it. So I keep listening to it. And the more I do, the more I love it. I hope you do too.
Catch Wintersleep at Slim’s in San Francisco November 24.
the OCMD 