Thursday, September 24, 2009

Quick Hitters:: The William Blakes

During the run-up to this past Monday's Polaris Prize announcement (and by the way, congrats to Fucked Up & co. on the win, and congrats to the Polaris folks for running a solid event), we've talked the bejebus out of Canadian music, so I figured it's time we talked about music from another country. So how about Denmark? Why you ask? Well, Carlsberg is delicious, Nicklas Bendtner is one of my favorite Gunners, and now, there's The William Blakes.

Quite honestly, when we were sent an email on this Copenhagen collective, I really only clicked on the video links within the email on a whim. However, that initial viewing led to many more viewings, and to repeated listens of the band's new album, Wayne Coyne. So why don't you check out those videos right now, and if you don't have a new favorite Danish band after watching them, well you can leave right now and we'll never speak of this again, but...

VIDEO:: The William Blakes - Secrets of the State (Live)

VIDEO:: The William Blakes - Secretly (Live)

...hopfully you loved them like I did. And what's not to love? The double drums, the hyper-speed Danish intro before busting into an english song, the 4 cartoonishly random guitarists all grooving perfectly in-sync - it's fantastic stuff. The album is more of the same. With a name like The William Blakes, an album title dedicated to one of indie music's most enigmatic people, a frontman that is a published poet & Danish TV personality, and having twins in the band that have done production work with Diddy and Brandy, these guys aren't going to be your grandmother's Danish supergroup.

But that's for the best, as tales of faith, struggle, and personal belief are relayed throughout the album in the catchiest of ways. Songs like Violent God and Science is Religion might get you to you thinking while you sing along with their addictive choruses, while the raucous Secrets of the State and the funky 70's bounce of On Fire will have you rocking and shouting without a second thought. The album's title track pays homage to namesake and stranges things up a bit with a shrieky take on MJ's famous "Mama-se, mama-sa, ma-ma-coo-sa". I know this all sounds good, but if you're in Canada it gets better. The WB's are here in a couple weeks, playing 2 Pop Montreal shows with a trip to T.O. and Ottawa in between:

THE WILLIAM BLAKES :: CANADIAN DATES
Oct 1 - Montreal - O Patro Vys (Pop Montreal)
Oct 2 - Toronto - Supermarket
Oct 3 - Ottawa - Zaphod Beeblebrox
Oct 4 - Montreal - Metropolis (Pop Montreal)