WU LYF - Go Tell Fire To The Mountain

strobe · 14-07-2011 01:16AM #1

Hey, haven't seen a thread around about WU LYF so figured I'd start one.

They just released their debut album (Go Tell Fire To The Mountain) there in mid June but they have been getting a good bit of recognition for the last year or two (partly because they have just refused to talk to any media whatsoever and have been demanding 50 quid just for demos from top A&R guys or just straight out telling them to fuck off and acting the bollix basically with the music industry and press). [Put the album out independently partly funded by donations from fans apparently] Have had a bit of a cult following with fans tracking them round Europe to try and catch gigs etc.

Anyways they have started to get a bit of airplay on the alt stations for their lead song DIRT off the album since it came out. (below)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-l5tM_Za1cE

You can catch a couple more songs streaming on their site www.wulyf.org ('Spitting Blood' would be my favourite running on that link).

The albums been getting mixed reviews, a lot of the split opinion is on the lead singers vocals which are pretty unintelligible (he has a weird way of starting singing lines mid sentence or even mid word and coupling it with a strangled sort of animal bark style of singing). Although lyrically I think they are quite talented at times if you can only decipher it. (Honestly I kind of like the fact you can't make out the lyrics crystal clear, I think it would be a lesser album without the effect. It would lose some of the raw emotion).

The guitar work is very early Modest Mousy (in a good way) and the drummer sounds unbelievable, very talented guy. {The album was recorded in an abandoned church and the acoustics really pick up on the drums}.

Anyways I've been loving it since I picked it up. Can't stop listening to it. Album of the year so far in my opinion (but that's highly subjective obviously).

Any thoughts?

AhSureTisGrand · 14-07-2011 02:25AM

I'm hoping the vocals are an acquired taste, because I can imagine myself enjoying this band

H8GHOTI · 15-07-2011 01:03AM

Hadn't heard of them before but I like them. Sounds a bit like a mix between These New Puritans & Yeasayer.
Just downloaded the album off iTunes this second. Only €4.99.
There's a booklet with the lyrics in it. I'm still struggling to understand what he's saying :pac:

Sacksian · 15-07-2011 01:34PM

Sorry, I know I should just be responding to the question about their music but when their biography is part of the media's argument as to why you should listen to them, I think it's fair game to address it!

The whole campaign to launch these guys is the work of their manager, who runs a PR agency in Manchester:

http://www.four23.net/#Recent_Projects

And here's the place they did their first gigs:

http://www.four23.net/#AnOutlet

You don't go from coffeeshop gigs in Manchester to playing the Midi Festival without a lot of pull - look at this year's lineup to see the sort of bands that get booked there - so I think all the stuff about them being some sort of industry refuseniks is a lot of hot air (on the media's part, not yours!).

p.s. not my cup of tea musically, either!

strobe · 15-07-2011 06:52PM

yesboyicecream wrote: »

Sorry, I know I should just be responding to the question about their music but when their biography is part of the media's argument as to why you should listen to them, I think it's fair game to address it!

The whole campaign to launch these guys is the work of their manager, who runs a PR agency in Manchester:

http://www.four23.net/#Recent_Projects

And here's the place they did their first gigs:

http://www.four23.net/#AnOutlet

You don't go from coffeeshop gigs in Manchester to playing the Midi Festival without a lot of pull - look at this year's lineup to see the sort of bands that get booked there - so I think all the stuff about them being some sort of industry refuseniks is a lot of hot air (on the media's part, not yours!).

p.s. not my cup of tea musically, either!

Ohh that's very possible man. Good chance they are using the legendary 'Cartman: You can't come' (have to be a South Park fan to get that reference) theory of marketing to get media attention. Or maybe not, hard to tell for sure.

Personally I couldn't care less either way really. Just love their stuff. Heard the music before I ever heard any of the media stories. Only mentioned that because it's the only background thing I know for the band.

lordgoat · 15-07-2011 07:27PM

Crackin little album

H8GHOTI · 24-07-2011 11:49PM

Listening to this a lot the last week or so. Really like it.
Love Dirt & Spitting Blood but I think my favourite song is We Bros. It's great.

yesboyicecream wrote: »

The whole campaign to launch these guys is the work of their manager, who runs a PR agency in Manchester:

Good enough job he's done as well it would seem.

pickarooney · 25-07-2011 01:26PM

I really like the track in the OP. I even like the singer, despite him sounding like James Dean Bradfield doing a Vic Reeves club-style cover.

take everything · 27-07-2011 10:16PM

Just heard them on the radio.
Not sure what the track was but i liked it a lot.
Interesting sound.

cerebis · 28-07-2011 01:04PM

think the music is muck imo... might go down with the hipsters though

rustyregan · 13-08-2011 12:08AM

I think it's a very good album. I like the West African guitar breaks they throw in and there's some very good tunes on it. An amphetamine fueled British Sea Power. Have to agree about the vocals though - they sound silly in places. Overall 4/5.

H8GHOTI · 22-08-2011 12:25AM

New song. It's a bit different from what is on the album. The vocals on it are from the bass player & are a bit more normal.
I prefer the more up tempo tracks & the vocals of the lead singer makes them unique. It's an ok song though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNLB9E3lTlg

09-12-2011 10:26PM

This post has been deleted.

Easy Rod · 25-08-2012 01:33PM

Anyne know the dealio with Wu Lyf at the moment?

Too many cryptic facebook posts for me to deal with it.

Really hope the rumours of a split are untrue but you never know.

WU LYF - Go Tell Fire To The Mountain

Comments