photo by Dave Lichterman (view set)
As we ask you to share your Top 10 Albums of 2011, we here at KEXP are also sharing our own, which you’ll see on the homepage and blog over the two weeks. High on the list of many DJs, staff, and volunteers is the fledgeling Manchester band WU LYF, whose self-released debut, Go Tell Fire to the Mountain, blew away critics this year (8.4 on Pitchfork!). Like an unlikely convergence of Foals and Tom Waits, WU LYF’s sound combines Ellery Roberts’ gruff, nearly undecipherable vocals with soaring guitar riffs and propulsive drumming. It’s just odd enough to seem totally fresh while also fist-pumpingly anthemic to have you chanting in unison to every indiscernible line (which you learned from pouring over the band’s website). So far in their short career, WU LYF has shied away from the growing press attention and focused instead on bringing the best live performance possible. We were lucky, then, that the band dropped by the KEXP studio during their first visit to the West Coast and performed a few songs live in our studio, in addition to a version of Papa M’s “Krusty.”
Check out the videos here:
