Conventional wisdom dictates that imitation is the highest form of flattery but, in the music business, such conduct is more likely to get you sued. Happily though, while Danish pop act The William Blakes may have dedicated their new album to Flaming Lips frontman and mastermind Wayne Coyne (in the liner notes, the dedication reads, “These are the songs we wrote for you. They are about you. All of them.”), the dozen songs comprise Wayne Coyne won't initiate legal action in their similarity. Of course, there are some things here that bear a greater-than-passing resemblance – the dense, space-y pop certainly marks a Flaming Lips influence, as do the surrealist and abstract content of the lyric sheets – but there's also more at work here than an expression of adulation for one artist's work.
As admitted, listeners can't miss the fact that many tracks here do owe a significant debt to Coyne and his existential/experimental musings but, also from note one, an equal debt and notice needs to be paid to The William Blakes' utilization of sounds and ideas that instantly call to mind the work of Pet Shop Boys, Men At Work, Devo and Depeche Mode; Casio tone keyboards, manufactured beats and other heavily treated instruments characterize songs like “Religion Is Science,” “Beginnings,” “The Love From Above” and “Violent God.” While such chilly and synthetic expanses could be attributed to the Lips, it's impossible not to feel the presence of other inspirational assistance, throughout Wayne Coyne's run-time there is more than a subtle new wave presence that would feel alien to those throwing on the album expecting to hear nothing more than a re-packaging of someone else's work.
That by no stretch of the imagination means the album's title and implied design is false advertising though. William Blakes singer Kristian Leth has mastered the ecstatic yelp that Coyne has used on Flaming Lips albums since Oh My Gawd! and really runs with the idea for the duration of the album in spite of the fact that listeners can mark the moments when some notes cause the singer physical pain to hit. “The Magician” is a classic example of this, some of the high pitched squeals that Leth emanates are simply miles outside his register, but still give an attractive quality as far as illustrating that this is no easy performance; it's simply one that the band believes in and feels compelled to associate with.
No matter the momentary difficulties that Leth might experience, no part of Wayne Coyne is truly ill-advised and the added sonic accoutrements that The William Blakes toss in ensure that the record doesn't come across as foolish or uninspired. In truth, Wayne Coyne takes the shape of the finest form of designer impostor; it's not quite exactly the same as the original but, as the results imply here, not a mawkish representation of a band that got over-ambitious or forgot themselves either.
Artist:
www.myspace.com/thewilliamblakes
Download:
The William Blakes – “Violent God” – Wayne Coyne
Album:
Wayne Coyne is not yet available at Amazon, but is available at select iTunes stores. Listen Here at Last.fm.
