Little Ones, The

Morning Tide [Pop]

RELEASE: 05.09.2008

LABEL: Cooperative Music

VERTRIEB: Universal

From the Mammas and The Pappas to The Shins - via the elongated vowels of Liam Gallagher of course - sunshine is the very essence of great pop. It’s a cheery lineage that takes in such melodic luminaries as The Beach Boys, The Zombies and The Beatles – in fact, any band who ever strung together a chord progression in the ascendancy of the sun. Yet there are few bands for whom sunshine infuses their very being.

Heavenly Recordings five-piece The Little Ones are one such band. Birthed under warm rays in the sunshine state of Los Angeles, California; Edward Reyes sings and plays guitar; his little brother Brian plays the bass. Ian Moreno is the guitarist; Lee LaDouceur plays the keyboards; David Esau plays the drums. Together they play giddy guitar pop music infused with lashings of wit and effervescence. If you’re a fan of singing, whistling or indeed smiling, it’s the kind of music you’ll take to like a kid to candy.

“There’s so much gloom in the world,” muses Lee. “Basically, you’re either going to become consumed by it or rise above it. I think that we’ve all always been of the belief that music is fundamentally entertainment, and so it needs to offer both optimism and joy. That’s how we approach writing a Little Ones song. It’s got to make you smile. Those are the rules.”

Lee’s big-hearted sincerity might come across as simply saccharine if it wasn’t for the majesty of his band’s tunes. It’s somewhat fitting then that the band write songs according to what the group describe as the ‘Rule Of Feet’. This rule states that a song is only deemed appropriate for addition to the outfit’s canon if it makes each of The Little Ones’ feet shuffle. “It’s got to be catchy,” laughs Brian. “And it’s got to get inside your head.”

It’s a manifestation of their tunes that’s quickly spreading from the inner circle of the band to the world at large. Last year the NME gave their ‘Sing Song’ the rarely given distinction of 9/10 in their review section. Then the magazine rewarded the band with a place on its inaugural UK New Music Tour, alongside the likes of The Rumblestrips, Pull Tiger Tail and Blood Red Shoes. “That was pretty cool,” says Edward. “We’re such fans of British music that it means a lot for us to be accepted here – and the crowds have been brilliant too.” But when The Kaiser Chiefs weighed in with their fannish patronage - and a string of support slots at their end of year Earls Court mega-gigs – it provided a highpoint to a year laden with highlights.


“That was kinda weird,” smiles Ian. “Indie means something different in America than it does in the UK – you don’t get indie bands filling out massive arenas back home. We’d supported the Kaiser Chiefs at a bunch of club dates in America, and because we liked them we were obviously looking forward to supporting them in Britain. But when we got over here and saw huge billboards with their faces on we were like, “woah, this is going to be interesting…”

You’d do well to look out for the collectors Kaiser Chiefs / Little Ones split single that did the rounds at the end of 2007, where the British band took a stab at ‘Love Is Not A Competition (But I’m Winning), and The Little Ones responded with a gleeful romp through ‘Everything Is Average Nowadays’. Now though, expectation awaits the California band’s debut album proper, ‘Morning Tide’. Primed for an April release, recorded with David Newton (The Mighty Lemon Drops) and mixed by Simian Mobile Disco’s James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Klaxons), and containing eleven of the best songs the band has written to date; essentially it’s the first great indie pop album of 2008.

“I’m so stupidly happy with it,” chirps Edward. “It was such a fun time recording it. Sometimes I’d pop into the city to get a coffee or see friends or something. When I’d get back, and hear the music coming through the walls, I’d literally be overcome with happiness. I know that sounds slushy, but it’s true! It’s exactly the record I wanted us to make.”

Consider the record’s title-tune, resplendent with fluttering handclaps, intricate but never showy vocal harmonies and the kind of chorus so incessantly hooky it more than fulfils the band’s aforementioned ‘Rule Of Feet’. Then there’s the records lead off single, the gorgeous ‘Ordinary Song’, complete with chiming bells and a deliciously wet throated vocal from Edward, and the beautiful, almost glowing ‘Rise & Shine’, which embodies the big hearted melodic magnificence of this special five-piece. What’s so impressive about the band’s debut is there are another nine songs equally as alluring.

“Of course we have times when we’re not smiling every day,” says Lee, smiling. “But not many. We’re big fans of classic pop singles, and what we’ve done with ‘Morning Tide’ is pay homage to those great songs by filling it with the same emotion and soul. They’re songs that are supposed to make you feel happy. To make life that little bit sweeter.”

And to make the sun shine brighter, no doubt.

(Quelle: Cooperative Music)