Once upon a time I was a young undergrad student at LMU and this guy was a slightly less young art director at a local music management outfit where I took a job. We worked together and he did his best to break me out of my one track musical mind for Phish, introducing me to Roxy Music, King Crimson, Tortoise, Eno and more. In fact, I still think I have a photocopy of his vinyl collection just in case I need a road map to musical Xanadu.
Years later, via tumblr, I learn that my latest music obsession, The Joy Formidable, gets his seal of approval. Take heed hipsters…
Find the midpoint between King Crimson, circa Red, and Jem and the Holograms. It happens to fall somewhere in North Wales. Down rains the mixed debris of a chance collision between Pixies and Siouxie and the Banshees. From this improbable mix you get a working model of the sound of The Joy Formidable. It’s gigantic, magnificent, girlish and intense. Their debut, the Big Roar, is just out now (gushing NME review here.) Fantastic. The song above, “The Last Drop,” is not on it. It’s on the preceding mini-album A Balloon Called Moaning. Also fantastic. Enjoy.
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