They’re an odd bunch, Wu Lyf (aka World Unite! Lucifer Youth Foundation!). At a time when most unsigned bands would give their right arm for a record deal, these four men of mystery did anything but look for one. It seemed, for a time, that Wu Lyf’s manifesto was to shy away from the music industry altogether, while playfully sticking two fingers up to it. The Manchester based band have caused a stir through simply doing nothing – refusing to play gigs, release material or speak to the music press.
There was a time when you couldn’t get hold of a Wu Lyf demo for love of money (well, some hungry journalists paid upwards of fifty pounds for one, allegedly!).
Wu Lyf has finally ditched the gang-like bandannas which covered their faces – revealing their true identity to the world. Many have since welcomed Wu Lyf into their hearts, but overall opinion remains split. After all, one man’s ‘cerebral’ and ‘obscure’ is another man’s daftly-named weirdos. The final verdict was always going to hinge on this much-anticipated début record, where we could judge them on the merit of their music rather than on their neat sideline in facial bandanna chic.
Go Tell Fire To The Mountain features a host of different musical genres, which all, somehow, sit together perfectly. ‘Summas Bliss’ sees organs swooning elegantly around a Friendly Fire carnival beat, but it’s not until ‘Spitting Blood’ that they reveal their masterpiece. The sound of a shipwrecked Spiritualized navigating their spaceship around your heart, singer Ellery Roberts weaves his strange gravely vocals around blissful waves of guitar. It’s truly wondrous, the crowning moment of an intriguing and frequently dazzling début record.
This is simply some of the strangest, yet finest, music you will hear all year. Each piece takes you on a journey to the far reaches of the universe and back. Sometimes a loose jam, sometimes a musical storm of ferocious power, sometimes a deathly, beautiful drone, this is not your ‘normal’ album and Wu Lyf are certainly not your ‘normal’ band. A superb album from start to finish.
