The band has also been working on some cover songs we’ll be releasing really soon so keep an eye out for those. In the meantime, check out this video of Eric messing around in the studio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSfLw1Jar30
Super excited about The Last Royals’ debut full length, which should be finished in next month or two and is scheduled to come out this summer in June/July. Pick up a copy of the band’s EP here to get a taste of what’s to come:
Facebook: The Ooh La La Records Facebook group has been growing quickly. If you haven’t already, head over and +Like the page.
On Deck:
Last, but not least, we’re getting ready to announce a new single from an amazing new band. Keep checking back this month and next for updates. Could be any minute now….
Top 10 Albums from 2010
We decided entirely based on peer pressure that we should put together a list of Ooh La La’s Top 10 albums from 2010. “Everybody’s doing it”, so we figured we would too. Check out the list below of our Top 10 Albums from 2010 (in no particular order):
1. Tame Impala – Innerspeaker
2. Cee Lo Greene – The Lady Killer
3. Vampire Weekend – Contra
4. Big Boi – Sir Lucious Left Foot…The Son of Chico Dusty
5. Arcade Fire – Suburbs
6. Talib Kweli & Hi Tek Reflection Eternal – Revolutions Per Minute
7. Bear Hands – Burning Bush Supper Club
8. Yeasayer – Odd Blood
9. Neon Trees – Habits
10. Mini Mansions – Mini Mansions
p.s. – image above is from Uncut’s 2008 compilation of bands covering songs by The Faces. It has nothing to do with this list except for the fact that it would have been on this list if it was 2008. We just love the image and wanted to use it!
Twin Flames
I saw The Klaxons for the first time in 2007 when visiting a friend in London right after the band had released their debut album on Polydor. I had never heard of the band before seeing them and remember being immediately impressed by their sound and unique style of songwriting (see video embedded at bottom of post to hear song that made me fall in love with them). The band continues to amaze me with their newest music video for “Twin Flames”, a song from their latest album.
The video, directed by Saam Farahmand, was no doubt inspired in part by the 1989 American horror film, Society. Read more about that in David Wilson’s review of the video.
WARNING: this shit is gross, but I also can’t stop listening/watching it.
-Theo
Dear Polydor,
Why must you insist on including such crappy audio quality in your official YouTube post of this video? This song sounds way better then the low bit rate version your new media department uploaded. Shame on you. For that I am not posting a link to buy the album this song is included on. Let’s be honest, the band probably still hasn’t recouped on this album so it’s not like they’d see any of that money anyway…
DEBUT EP OUT TODAY!
The Last Royals‘ debut EP is officially out today. Both digital and physical copies are available through the band’s website and the Ooh La La Store. Click on EP cover art below to purchase on Amazon.com. Come celebrate the release of this EP with us tonight at Mercury Lounge @ 8:30pm where Eric will be doing a special set of tunes. Never know what kind of friends/guests might show up…party on Garth!
The Last Royals – 8:30pm
Russian Futurists – 9:30pm Mercury Lounge
217 E Houston St
New York, NY
Mecury Lounge Release Show
We will be celebrating the release of The Last Royals’ debut EP on November 16th, 2010, with a show at Mercury Lounge! There are a bunch of great band son the bill including Russian Futurists and Home Video.Come rage with Eric, Mason, and the Ooh La La crew.
The Last Royals – 8:30pm
Home Video – 9:30pm
Russian Futurists – 10:30pm Mercury Lounge
217 E Houston St
New York, NY
In the meantime, you can pre-order the debut EP HERE (or by clicking on the image below) and get a free additional song, “All Over Again”, which you can hear on the band’s MySpace page.
Frenchkiss Records Signs 1,2,3
We’re excited to announce 1,2,3 have signed to respected indie label, Frenchkiss Records for the release of their debut full length. The band’s yet to be titled debut will likely be coming out summer 2011. The label is also home to The Dodos, Les Savy Fav, The Antlers, and The Hold Steady.
The band’s signing to Frenchkiss comes almost exactly one year after 1,2,3 entered the studio w/ producer Theo Aronson to record their debut single “Confetti” (and a few other tunes).
Be sure to pick up the limited edition 7 inch of “Confetti” that Theo produced/mixed, which also features the b-side “Can’t Bribe God”. Click on image below to order now:
OOH LA LA CMJ 2010 PARTY
Ooh La La is throwing it’s first showcase ever this Thursday, October 21st at The Cove in Williamsburg (Brooklyn) from 7pm-1am. The killer lineup includes California’s White Arrows, Lavalier, The Last Royals, John Biz, Mail the Horse, and our homies Narcisse DJing from midnight to 1am. It’s going to be complete madness with $3 beers/well drinks and tons of great music. Come out and party with us THIS THURSDAY for our first official, unofficial CMJ event. FREE SHOW!
Thursday, October 21st
The Cove
106 N. 6th Street (between Wythe & Berry)
Brooklyn, NY 11211
All in all CMJ was a blast this year. Highlight of the week was seeing Daniel Lanois perform with Black Dub at Pianos and then seeing The Last Royals perform right after. Trixie Whitley has one of the most beautiful voices I’ve ever heard.
Ooh La La’s first event was a huge success, especially for an event that we pulled together in about 72 hours. Unfortunately, the downer of the week was missing 1,2,3’s short set at the Neon Gold/Chess Club party that same night. We were stuck at The Cove making sure things were running smoothly, but heard good reports from people about 1,2,3 and their live performance (with the exception of the back up band we heard Nic and Josh are currently playing with, but is likely to change). Thanks again to all the bands who came out and playing The Cove that night.
We ended the CMJ madness on top of the Gretsch building in Brooklyn with a semi-private performance by Silverlake, CA’s VANAPRASTA. These guys were the sleeper band of CMJ. Be sure to check them out myspace.
See you in Austin in March for SXSW!
The Last Royals
“And I suppose its been proven that satellites watch our every move
Tape machines on public corners, 1’s and 0’s breathing for us.
But ask anyone in a falling elevator.
Does the steel and the mirror, and the glass make it clearer?”
The Last Royals were born from life’s drudgery, from the soaring highs and bottomed-out lows of daily urban existence. The lyrics reveal the slog of any city, the world’s unending grind, and ultimately reflect the perspective that beneath the grit and the weight is the faint gleam of hope. The stories woven through the verses and the choruses are earthed in reality and grounded in truth, telling tales of characters who live in urban landscapes as they come and go, love and fail, and desperately desire things of the heart and things of the flesh.
The Last Royals, a duo of writer/singer/producer Eric James and drummer Mason Ingram, are nascent, having only recently emerged from a joint project that brought the two musicians together in Spring 2010. The connection urged a new chapter in Eric’s career as a musician, evolving him from a solo artist who played under the moniker The Early Hours to one-half of a self-proclaimed pop band.
The songs that appear on The Last Royals’ debut self-titled EP, due out November 16th, 2010, re-imagine tracks originally penned for The Early Hours, which appeared on a self-released album of eight tracks called A Week And A Day. That project, driven simply by Eric’s desire to create solid, expressive songs, was written in eight days, each track representing one day of the week, plus an additional day. Eric’s sense of the performative was initiated in that collection as he built stories around imagined yet brutally real characters in a cityscape.
The Last Royals EP features final interpretations of four songs finished with Mason at Brooklyn’s Headgear Studios in July 2010, plus an additional remix of anchor track “Backseat Lovers”. While the lyrics spin harsh tales of life’s bittersweet sensibility, the music, upbeat electro-pop, tells an alternative narrative of levity, faith and danceable optimism. The tracks divulge the humble perspective of one man living in Manhattan as he works crap jobs to support his family and spends his nights locked in a recording studio searching for his personal truth.
The Last Royals collect the discarded remnants of a day in the city and glue them back together to reveal a new picture, making music from the broken pieces. The songs are necessary responses to the difficulties life presents. The sound of the music is hopeful and bright, but the juxtaposition of words and sounds evoke a candid depth that accurately echoes our lives. In the end the conflation of all the pieces harkens back to the moment of its creation. The most beautiful moment of any song is the moment it was written and it’s that instant that lingers in each note of The Last Royals’ music.
“And our happy hearts are twice as fast
They’re splitting hairs and getting by
Trying every day and always to belong”
New York’s The Last Royals join the Ooh La La family with the release of their debut EP coming out November 16th. The Last Royals consist of Eric James (formerly of The Early Hours) and drummer Mason Ingram. Keep an eye out for the “Crystal Vases” / “Backseat Lovers” 7 inch/Digital single and EP coming out this fall. For a taste of what’s to come visit: www.myspace.com/thelastroyals
“And I suppose its been proven that satellites watch our every move
Tape machines on public corners, 1’s and 0’s breathing for us.
But ask anyone in a falling elevator.
Does the steel and the mirror, and the glass make it clearer?”
The Last Royals were born from life’s drudgery, from the soaring highs and bottomed-out lows of daily urban existence. The lyrics reveal the slog of any city, the world’s unending grind, and ultimately reflect the perspective that beneath the grit and the weight is the faint gleam of hope. The stories woven through the verses and the choruses are earthed in reality and grounded in truth, telling tales of characters who live in urban landscapes as they come and go, love and fail, and desperately desire things of the heart and things of the flesh.
The Last Royals, a duo of writer/singer/producer Eric James and drummer Mason Ingram, are nascent, having only recently emerged from a joint project that brought the two musicians together in Spring 2010. The connection urged a new chapter in Eric’s career as a musician, evolving him from a solo artist who played under the moniker The Early Hours to one-half of a self-proclaimed pop band.
The songs that appear on The Last Royals’ debut self-titled EP, due out November 16th, 2010, re-imagine tracks originally penned for The Early Hours, which appeared on a self-released album of eight tracks called A Week And A Day. That project, driven simply by Eric’s desire to create solid, expressive songs, was written in eight days, each track representing one day of the week, plus an additional day. Eric’s sense of the performative was initiated in that collection as he built stories around imagined yet brutally real characters in a cityscape.
The Last Royals EP features final interpretations of four songs finished with Mason at Brooklyn’s Headgear Studios in July 2010, plus an additional remix of anchor track “Backseat Lovers”. While the lyrics spin harsh tales of life’s bittersweet sensibility, the music, upbeat electro-pop, tells an alternative narrative of levity, faith and danceable optimism. The tracks divulge the humble perspective of one man living in Manhattan as he works crap jobs to support his family and spends his nights locked in a recording studio searching for his personal truth.
The Last Royals collect the discarded remnants of a day in the city and glue them back together to reveal a new picture, making music from the broken pieces. The songs are necessary responses to the difficulties life presents. The sound of the music is hopeful and bright, but the juxtaposition of words and sounds evoke a candid depth that accurately echoes our lives. In the end the conflation of all the pieces harkens back to the moment of its creation. The most beautiful moment of any song is the moment it was written and it’s that instant that lingers in each note of The Last Royals’ music.
“And our happy hearts are twice as fast
They’re splitting hairs and getting by
Trying every day and always to belong”
Lollapalooza 2010 & iPhone
If you’re planning on attending Lollapalooza this year there is a killer app available for iPhone users that you must check out:
%20WEB%20LoRes.jpg "Ooh La La CMJ 2010 Showcase at The Cove")
