If you are a copyright owner and believe that your copyrighted works have been used in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, here is our DMCA Notice.
Last Tuesday I posted a Facebook status update about the live set by The Laureates that I was airing on my show that night. In an effort to convey the catchy musical smarts that would be on display, I wrote "A must for fans of Sloan, GBV, Big Dipper, the Kinks, etc. etc." Then, realizing a (slightly) more succinct way to put it, I added "or: 'A must for fans of songs that are good.'"
The Laureates began germinating at the end of 2005, when singer/guitarist Chad Preston wrote a collection of songs that he subsequently recorded on his own as a lo-fi album of sorts. Inspired by that initial effort, Preston set about putting together the right band to really do justice to the music. By early 2007, the band was complete: Pete Gray and Crawfie Ward had joined as the rhythm section, and guitarist Adam Penly finally rounded out the combo. The band's first EP (available for free download) was released later in 2007, and it subsequently became a staple of my show. "I Want To Miss You" was the standout track to my ears, but the rest of the EP was certainly no slouch -- as evidenced by another track on the EP, "Witching Boots," attaining the highly coveted "Song I heard on the Evan "Funk" Davies show on WFMU and immediately thought 'I must have this'" slot on the Unblinking Ear blog's 2007 roundup.
As it turned out, The Laureates were just getting started. A full-length CD, There Are No More Gentlemen, was released in November 2008, and it proved that the songwriting chops displayed on the EP were no fluke -- as did the No Kontrol EP (available for free download), released earlier this year. The band will be returning to the studio soon to start working on a new album, and the new songs they played in this session are a strong indication that it'll be another gem. Give a listen and I think you'll agree.
Special Blog Bonus! Throughout 2010, The Laureates are posting a cover song each month to their website. So far, they've released covers of songs by the Breeders, Troggs, Soft Boys and Velvet Underground. They performed the VU song live during their WFMU session, and you can grab that MP3 right here:
Thank you thank you thank you! Didn't know about these guys! My ears are in love!
Posted by: Jessi Hance | April 19, 2010 at 10:15 PM