A lot of
aspiring musicians must be scratching their heads right now. How is it that four kids from Manchester,
England have managed to apparently have their cake and eat it too? The members of Wu Lyf have successfully
cultivated a reputation of mystery and fame simultaneously, refusing to give
interviews, deleting their Wikipedia page, yet still described by mainstream
media outlets like The Guardian as 'probably
the most talked-about new British band of the last year.'
With the
release of their debut album, Go Tell
Fire to the Mountain, Wu Lyf demonstrates why they deserve this sort of
double-secret anti-hype, even if it might take a couple of listens to
comprehend any of the lyrics.
Once you do
decipher the lyrics, it becomes even clearer why Wu Lyf is caught on so quickly
with youth around the world. The
message throughout the album is distinctly in tune with the youth-driven
revolutionary sentiments that have characterised the last year or so. Take these two verses from 'Dirt' as an
example: 'Me and your friends/ We run this town and keep on calling/ Until it all
falls down,' and 'Me and your friends/ We killed a man by telling him things he
couldn’t understand.'
Add to
those lyrics the fact that the band has coordinated a multi-pronged social
media publicity approach, including a fashionable tumblr page at www.worldunite.org
and their other official site, wulyf.org. Both sites include videos, photos and
lyrics, some of which are created by loyal fans. Wu Lyf created an entire virtual experience to complement Go Tell Fire to
the Mountain, and indeed one that synchs well with their audience.
It is hard
to pin down the highlights of Go Tell
Fire to the Mountain, as the entire recording sounds like one long
meditations, but 'Cave Song', 'Summas Bliss', 'Spitting Blood', 'Dirt', and 'Concrete
Gold' are all excellent songs that could easily be adopted as anthems for house
parties, rugby teams and Occupy Wall Street demonstrations alike.
One of the
coolest things about Go Tell Fire to the
Mountain is that it often sounds like a live recording, particularly on 'Summas
Bliss' and 'We Bros', which run sequentially in the middle of the album. In general, the songs flow seamlessly into
one another, creating a coherent listening experience that is all too
frequently missing from recent rock records.
Go Tell Fire to the Mountain is a complete musical
accomplishment that will likely be the beginning of an illustrious career for
Evans Kati, Thomas David Francis McClung, Ellery James Roberts, and Joseph
Louis Harlan Manning. Expect to hear and
see more from this gang, and in the meantime do yourself a favour and pick up a
copy of this album.
