Idiot Glee
Tue 5 Apr 2011
Hit the Water
Brimming with the bubbly, creeping euphoria of Department of Eagles, New Zealand’s Deer Park or We Are Trees, Kentucky’s Idiot Glee makes carefully constructed and eerily beautiful psychedelic doo-wop. Having trained from the age of seven in classical piano, James Friley has developed a much loved ambient pop repertoire that’s warm at heart and equally endearing. His newest song ‘Don’t Go Out Tonight’ has a lumbering bassline, delicate xylophone and Friley’s inflected howl with choir-like harmonies seeping in at the end. The emotive and expressive singing brings a creature-like style to the otherwise straight-forward folk pop. Friley’s influence of Scott Walker and Brian Wilson clearly comes through. The stunning retro sound glows with a distinct ambience in ‘Do You Wanna Go’, with weird bird calls in the background of a steamy key build up. With an almost shambolic organisation, it calls for a spontaneous enjoyment that other bands of this ilk are sorely missing. Sometimes employing weird barbershop under his lead vocals instead of his usual earthy instrumental melodies, such as on ‘I Want The Night To Stay’, he really gets it right in a genuine, Jens Lekman kind of way.
Friley is preparing his debut album Paddywhack, for release on 16 May on Moshi Moshi Records. Also available now for pre-order is the Don’t Go Out Tonight 7″ for $7 from Small Plates Records. This white vinyl includes the single and a live recording of ‘Don’t Drink The Water’ featuring Women, as well as a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘That’s All For Everyone’. If you’re lucky enough to be in the US/Europe, watch out for his tour from 9 April to 15 June. And check out Friley’s cassette label, Itslips.
Posted by Sarah Gooding under Kentucky, U.S.A
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