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Story: Jack Foley
SIMIAN have been quietly going about generating a buzz in their
own surreal way for some time now - ever since the launch of their
acclaimed debut album, We Are Your Friends, in fact.
According to the BBC, they have their own religion, they have
artwork where dogs’ heads are sewn onto sheep’s bodies,
and they were apparently signed after kidnapping an A&R man,
driving him to a dark cellar and performing at him.
Their current single, La Breeze, is provoking comparisons with
the sound of The Beatles (but in a good way), while the record
itself could well go on to become one of the sounds of the summer
of 2003.
They are Simian, led by Simon Lord, and they hail from the towns
and villages of England (check out their weird website for a history
lesson).
To quote from the website itself: "They called the first
album Chemistry Is What We Are. It was released in July
2001 to critical acclaim, music lovers everywhere were very happy,
and it won awards because it looked so nice.
"The Church of Simian grew out of this first record. Old
cinemas, empty
docklands warehouses and retired church buildings were filled
with music, films and dancing people singing from the same hymn
sheet. The ICA invited Simian to play a live soundtrack to the
film of their choice: they chose Microcosmos, and people sat spellbound
while the melodies soared and dipped as slugs made love, dung
beetles toiled with dirtballs and grasshoppers sawed rhythms with
their back legs."
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If the first record was almost innocent, however, then their
time spent in the city, recording and touring, produced a shift
in musical direction and, as the website states, their next release
was 'a frenetic record stuffed with dozens of urban musical influences,
informed by travel between cities and all their favourite things,
and the urge to see all the power of those places harnessed for
good, friendly ends."
The record was We Are Your Friends and it has spawned
La Breeze.
So, anyone who hasn't heard it yet, should click onto the AV
link and give themselves a sample. We have the radio edit, the
Brian Eno remix, and the Ladytron remix for you to listen to.
And if you're impressed by what you hear, then why not journey
into the deranged land that is Simian (via their website, of course)
and find out how you can win exclusive Simian merchandise, such
as:
l Simian limited edition
T-shirt
l Special bunting (as used in the
new La Breeze video)
l Assorted toys and instruments
(including a kid's glockenspeil and african pod shaker)
l Rare as hens teeth Simian sticker
assortment
l Mobile Disco mix cd
l Something for the weekend
You can enter simply by visiting LOG for instructions. LOG lives
at www.wearesimian.com
No golden emus are available for the winner - yet.
And the offer doesn't end there, because exclusively online at
www.wearesimian.com
is an alternative video for the single, shot by Keith Mottram
on a whim (and on a DV kit).
Also on the site, Keith spills his beans about how and why he
made this video, to LOG.
LOG politely cleans up Keith's beans and pops them in a small
jar for safe-keeping.
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