Damnnit. I got a Summer cold. It’s one of those colds that takes ahold of you after the temperature does the unexpected swing. It’s 95 degrees for a month straight and then suddenly for a day it’s 60 and rainy. Then like a bastard it jumps to hot again. It kills me every time. It’s meteorological Texas hold’em. One second you’re on top of the world. The next you are down and out. Any who, when I find myself in the throes of sickness, I really can’t deal with most music. I just want to sit in a dark room wrapped in a warm fuzzy blanket, blasting warm fuzzy tunes. I listen to a lot of She & Him when I’m sick. Their sound fills me with a familiar feeling, much like chicken soup. But after plowing through their albums 4 times over, even their Christmas album, I found myself looking for something more. I flipped on my trusty Avett Brother Pandora station and the first song brought me to a band that I now can’t turn off. This week’s ARTIST OF THE WEEK hails from Austin, TX and goes by the name Wild Child.
Wild Child got their start when lead singer/ violinist Kelsey Wilson and lead singer/ ukulele enthusiast Alexander Beggins began writing together while on tour. Soon they realized what they were working was something very special.
Their harmonies are lovely, their melodies are playful, and their lyrics take the listener through a romance that is true to life and heartbreakingly honest. Â They began recording their first album Pillow Talk in 2010. They soon turned their duet into a sextet, adding cellist Sadie Wolfe, drummer Carey McGraw, keys Evan Mager, and utility man Matthew Mares. The first single off of Pillow Talk donned the same name. I fell asleep in the midst of this song at some point last night. Soaking it all in.
Their sound is like if The Be Good Tanyas had the male/ female vocal dynamic of Of Monsters and Men. Their tunes/ voices are not as grandiose as OMAM but the instrumentation is quite similar, incorporating so many different elements, blending indie rock and folk, into a beautiful collage. You can really hear the whole crew coming together on the track Cocaine Hurricane.
I truly feel if you don’t like these songs, you just have a bad attitude and you’re looking to be “that guy” who doesn’t like that
band that everyone else seems to be down with. I don’t know how a person could listen to these tracks and not have a smile slapped across their face. I just found these guys this week and I’ve listened to their album at least 8 times through. I am vastly happier with this album in my life so I’m using this space to spread the word on them. I need these guys to make another record so I can keep smiling. Kelsey and Alexander’s voices put me at ease and then into a state of childlike wonderment. I hear these songs and watch their performances and they fill me with joy. They seem truly happy. Their elation is infectious. She belts it out, he follows up and their voices soon envelop the listener. You can’t help but be soothed by their charms. Especially on this video for Silly Things. That smile. Those voices. It kills me.
If you live in LA, they are playing on August 6th at The Mint LA. I will be there. You should be too. Come say hi. Those of you elsewhere check their site for other tour dates. Buy the album, check them out on Spotify. They’re great.
I’m still sick, but at least now I’m not so upset about the whole situation.
Big hugs,
Kelly
LINKS
http://www.wildchildsounds.com