Young the Giant – My Body Live at Sunset Sound
Young the Giant write the sort of soaring, melodic rock ‘n’ roll that’s bound for greatness. From the jolting percussion and anthemic chorus of « My Body » to the lovesick fervor of « Cough Syrup » to the uptempo, sun-stained pop of « I Got, » the California five-piece’s stunning debut features an arresting collection of songs that announce the presence of a vital new band. « Islands » marries off-kilter jazz rhythms with vocalist Sameer Gadhia’s haunting falsetto to create an unnerving effect; the electric slide guitar that punctuates « Street Walker » shrouds the song’s dance beats in mystery; and it’s impossible to interpret the wall of chiming guitars in « Twelve Fingers” as anything less than pure joy. Young the Giant play big songs with big ideas, and they’re not shy about it. Consider the chorus of « Guns Out, » where Gadhia sings pointed, disconsolate lyrics over a devastating crescendo of noise: « You’ll drive in my car/ just tell me we are going somewhere/ where the stars meet the sky/ And all these people with small dreams / are looking up at the big screen/ Well, am I wrong or am I right? »
Possessing a well-honed song craft that usually belongs to far more seasoned musicians, the band’s members only range in age from 20 to 22. Comprised of Gadhia, Jacob Tilley (guitar), Eric Cannata (guitar/vocals), Payam Doostzadeh (bass) and Francois Comtois (drums/vocals), Young the Giant present a diverse set of musical ideas, one that’s as varied as their ethnic backgrounds—Indian, Persian, British and French-Canadian among them. But they share a sophisticated sensibility and they’re all natives of Orange County. If they sound polished, it’s because they’ve been playing music together since high school. « We all started writing music when we were really young, » says Gadhia. « I thought it was interesting to play in random dive bars around Orange County when I was 16. Being that age and seeing how music worked was interesting. Everyone embraced each other. It was a big community of friends. »
Although they developed their skills at shows around Irvine and Newport Beach, it wasn’t until Gadhia and Tilley started college that the band began to turn into something more than a hobby. « Jacob and Sameer would come down from college in Northern California and we’d try new material at shows, » Comtois says. « That’s how we’d gauge the songs we were working on—the response from the audiences. » The overwhelmingly positive response convinced them that they should pursue music full-time. The band recorded the Shake My Hand EP, a seven-song collection that includes a version of « Cough Syrup, » which became a favorite on KROQ. On the strength of their newfound following, the band embarked on a 2009 tour and caught the attention of Roadrunner Records. After opening up for the Whigs and Kings of Leon at Chicago’s House of Blues and making a pit stop at South by Southwest, the band signed with Roadrunner in August 2009.
Website : www.youngthegiant.com