MP3: “Forget Me Not”
Thieves Like Us continue their style of sentimental electronic music with their second long player, Again and Again. Recorded in early 2009 in a basement in Paris, the songs here reflect the mood of the band, and focus particularly on failed relationships, alcoholism, and the yearning for that perfect imaginary soul mate.
While the faster songs like “Shyness,” “One Night With You” and “The Walk” are clearly aimed at the French dance floors, there are plenty of downtempo songs here too. “Never Known Love” and “So Clear” fit somewhere in the spectrum of Slowdive or The Cocteau Twins. After following the band through the highs of their nighttime adventures, the album closes with the very intimate ballad “Forget Me Not” and we are left realizing what goes up, must come down.
Bio:
Thieves Like Us are two Swedes and one American living in Berlin, Paris, and Milan. They are one of the only multi-nationals that won’t exploit you. Mexicans love them. The French love them. Americans love them. The Japanese love them. Neither Andy Grier (vocals, guitar), Björn Berglund (synth), nor Pontus Berghe (percussion) live in their home countries, and none of them probably ever will again.
They first met at a picnic in East Berlin in 2002. Since then, they have also lived together in London, Paris, and New York City. The trio can often been seen in and around night clubs, but they fit awkwardly there. Thieves Like Us were first discovered by the French imprint Kitsuné who released their single, “Drugs In My Body” in 2007. They make pop music with a vintage electronic feel. Many times it makes you dance. Other times it makes you feel strange and wonderful. Back in the day they probably would have signed a contract in blood with Factory Records.
2008’s Play Music, their first album, would definitely have fit the bill. BBC Music called it “consistently exciting … a contender for electronic album of the year.” A writer for the legendary entity Amoeba Music exclaimed: “I have managed to fall deeply in love with this band in a matter of weeks. It is getting to the point where I don’t want to listen to anything else.” They are just about to release their second album, Again and Again, and continue their non-stop world tour..
Praise for Thieves Like Us
“Thieves Like Us finally look set to blow up in a manner deserving of a band who are making some of the most exciting and charrged electronic music around. With so many bands promising so much but repeatedly failing to deliver, here is a band that has truly paid its dues and is actually worth getting excited about…” – Pimp Magazine
“[Drugs in My Body] plays like a lost track from the Trainspotting soundtrack. A little New Order, a little Daft Punk, a lot of dance floor fun. A tribute to tripping. 3hive does not condone illegal drug use (at least not before breakfast), but we fully support dropping beats that induce body moving euphoria. Tune into these two Swedes and a Yankee and let yourself go.” – 3hive
“[Drugs in My Body is] a playful going-out disco track with a catchy melody and woozy textures that fit in well beside labelmates like Simian Mobile Disco and Hot Chip. With lyrics about heartache as well as partying, the song is actually more conflicted than its drug-taking title/ mantra suggests.” – Pitchfork
“Lovers of new wave and electronica would love to march with the electronic trio’s combination of intentionally barren soundscape and booming collection of both up-tempo and down-tempo beats.” – FHM
“Thieves Like Us deconstruct pop songs, warping them into skulking, introspective shadows existing somewhere between the likes of Cut Copy and Gang of Four. – It’s A Trap
“Thieves Like Us have embedded cross-European club vibes deep into the shiny grooves of their spinning revelry.” – Bearded Magazine
“With their hazy simplistic vocals and their energetic beats, it’s not surprising that they list their influences as “high heels and lasers.” Don’t miss this fresh dancefloor daze!” -URB
“Unlike bands that take New Order and Daft Punk influences and twist them into some kind of bizarre hyrid, Thieves Like Us brings in the influence straight up, and somehow in that they’ve created something totally fresh. Their music is very electronic, but it feels very organic.” – AZLTron
Thieves Like Us
Again and Again
(Shelflife)
Street Date: July 6, 2010
01 – Never Known Love
02 – Shyness
03 – Mercy
04 – One Night With You
05 – Silence
06 – Lover Lover
07 – Love Saves
08 – The Walk
09 – So Clear
10 – Forget Me Not
THIEVES LIKE US LINKS:
Band page – http://www.thieves-like-us.com/
MySpace – http://www.myspace.com/thieveslikeus
Press Materials – http://thieves-like-us.com/presskit/