West Indian Girl

Product Description
In 1963, renowned chemists Bear Owsley and Nick Sands developed a strain of designer LSD which had a reputation for inducing tribal hallucinations. This strain of acid was called "west indian girl." Flash forward forty-some years and however many psychedelic revolutions later to find the Los Angeles duo of Robert James and Francis Ten deciding to call their musical collaboration "West Indian Girl."

A perfect slice of sun-kissed California dreampop, West Indian Girl’s luminous debut filters the hazy shoegazer sounds of yesteryear through a distinctly west coast sensibility. Songs like "Hollywood", "Trip" and "What Are You Afraid Of" gently flourish like the doves meets the Stone Roses by way of Laurel Canyon.

"What Are You Afraid Of" is also featured in a new TV ad for cell phones from Samsung.

West Indian Girl,West Indian Girl,Astralwerks / Emd,Alternative Pop/Rock,Neo-Psychedelia,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop

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West Indian Girl

Average customer rating: bloody shame a quick comment California Dreamin' dream pop is a very apt description Um...where's that one song?

West Indian Girl West Indian Girl Manufacturer: Astralwerks ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Neo-Psychedelia | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Remix EP The Clarence Greenwood Recordings Thunder, Lightning, Strike Brazilian Girls Z ASIN: B0002MHELY Release Date: 2004-08-24

Tracks:

1. Trip
2. What Are You Afraid Of
3. Hollywood
4. Miles From Monterey
5. Dream
6. Northern Sky
7. Visions
8. Still Lost
9. Leave Tonight
10. Green
11. Lay Down

Album Description

In 1963, renowned chemists Bear Owsley and Nick Sands developed a strain of designer LSD which had a reputation for inducing tribal hallucinations. This strain of acid was called "west indian girl." Flash forward forty-some years and however many psychedelic revolutions later to find the Los Angeles duo of Robert James and Francis Ten deciding to call their musical collaboration "West Indian Girl."

A perfect slice of sun-kissed California dreampop, West Indian Girl's luminous debut filters the hazy shoegazer sounds of yesteryear through a distinctly west coast sensibility. Songs like "Hollywood", "Trip" and "What Are You Afraid Of" gently flourish like the doves meets the Stone Roses by way of Laurel Canyon.

"What Are You Afraid Of" is also featured in a new TV ad for cell phones from Samsung.

Customer Reviews:

bloody shame.......2006-12-17

This is a great album with a totally original sound and there's not a bad track on it. And when you see how many soulless, unintersting bands there are out there that make it big because they have big money behind them, it's disheartening because for every one of those (Good Charlotte, Britney Spears, ect) there's probably 1,000 bands like West Indian Girl that are looking for an audience.

West Indian Girl is the good fight and if you ever get a chance to see them live, take it. I just hope the previous reviewer is wrong about them breaking up.

a quick comment.......2006-12-01

I have no reason to be biased towards this band, a band which is in the process of breaking up. But this album is stellar. It's very easy to listen to every track. The music is very flowing and elegant. If you like "Indi" this is very much worth owning.

California Dreamin'.......2006-02-12

It is tempting to regard the first song of a first album as a sort of manifesto, charting the musical and lyrical course of a band. West Indian Girl does just this on the initial track of their eponymous debut. Combining organic guitar tones and synthetic trills with soaring melodies and acid-inspired lyrics, they create a compelling post-psychedelic fusion which transcends the music to capture the essence of a very way of life. The vibe ideally suits their native Los Angeles.

The opening song, aptly titled "Trip," presents the listener with a mosaic of drug references and word pictures, conjuring images of L.A.'s languid days and endless nights. "Alone on a hill in the summertime/You can dial your mind/And listen to thoughts made young and pure," it begins, eventually encouraging, "Slow down/You'll be all right/It's summertime/Let's trip tonight." At another point, the song refers to the frustration of "waiting for the world to kiss the sky." This predilection for hallucinogens can only be partially held against the band. In a city mired in smog and traffic but fringed by beaches and mountains, you can't entirely blame them for wanting to tune in, turn on, and drop out. Yet even in the frantic mainland city of Los Angeles, a curious island time prevails. In this laissez-faire attitude West Indian Girl truly find their groove.

Indeed, they concern themselves far less with escaping reality than with finding contentment in it. "Time is wandering fast," they sing in "Leave Tonight," and they seek to lyrically preserve its transcendent moments. The album abounds in references to special times and places: "All alone, summer night" ("Hollywood"), "16 hours away/A bit too far from Monterey" ("Miles From Monterey"), "On an island off the Southern Sea/Overlooking a memory" ("Northern Sky"). Literality and metaphor blur, leaving the listener to distinguish autobiography from archetype. But the fundamental truth remains, because, whether directly or poetically expressed, the longings of the human heart represent a universal language.

I first heard this album in its entirety while driving, and it held me in such a hypnotic thrall that it probably rendered me unsafe for the road. The majesty of the musical arrangements lends power to even the simplest lyrics: the pronouncement that "love never dies" ("Green") sounds fresh and inspiring, and the declaration, "It's okay/It's all right" ("Hollywood") comes off as genuinely reassuring. The juxtaposition of Robert James' fragile tenor with Mariqueen Maandig's delicate soprano defines the album, infusing such tracks as "Dream," "Northern Sky," and "Still Lost" with a celestial quality. On the captivating "Leave Tonight," Maandig delivers an ethereal vocal all her own. West Indian Girl's strength lies not so much in their originality, but in their sublime manipulation of venerable motifs. The album retains a remarkable consistency of tone without ever sounding monotonous. "Hollywood" stands out as the most original track, pulsing and throbbing in the least artificial of ways, almost suggesting a collaboration between Blind Melon and Depeche Mode.

"Lay Down", the moving final track, completes the album by bringing it full circle lyrically. James once again turns to the language of drugs, but with a twist. "I'm so high I can't sleep/I'm so high I can't speak/I'm so high," he sings, "with you." Clichéd but true, the intoxication of love far surpasses that of any synthetic high. West Indian Girl seek to love and be loved, to find satisfaction in connectedness and not achievement. They create the impression that Manifest Destiny halted its march at the Pacific coast, leaving Angelenos with nothing to follow but their hearts. It's not the American Dream, it's the Californian Dream; and California isn't just a state, it's a state of mind.

dream pop is a very apt description.......2005-12-17

i can't remember where i first heard of this band, but i am glad i did.. so i checked the band's site out,and saw they were on AstralWerks..( with AIR.. nice!) much later, i bought the cd, and was not disappointed ( well. mainly because i had already heard most of the songs by then, but that's a moot point )

stand out tracks, for me:


2.what are you afraid of?.... seems to be one of their better known tracks.. 8/10
3.Hollywood... 9/10
4.miles from monterrey.. intoxicating melody and arrangement. well produced, and i love the hook 10/10
5.dream. another great track 9/10


the others range between 'ho-hum' and 'interesting'
.. which in itself is not bad.. probably 3.5 stars is a better rating for the cd. but they won't allow that ( and it's much better than '3 stars', in my opinion)


to be quite honest, i was surprised at HOW much i liked the disc, and on first play to a lot of my friends ( with diverse musical taste), they were asking , 'who's that?'


pick it up, give it a spin..

Um...where's that one song?.......2005-11-22

I bought this cd thinking it was going to have this techno-y song called "what are you afraid of?" what I get is a song that is not that but still cool.

I'm not mad, I love the cd...I just love that song!!

So does anyone want to set me straight? Do they have another CD out or are they making another one because there's a video for it and all...>_ <;; Balloons...picketing.

If you know what I'm talking about, still buy the CD.

If your going "wtf is she talking about?" still buy the CD.

Average customer rating: I'm falling away, I'm falling in love get high

Remix EP West Indian Girl Manufacturer: Astralwerks ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Neo-Psychedelia | Rock | Alternative Styles | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music 4-for-3 Alternative Rock | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Classic Rock | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Pop | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 Rock | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: West Indian Girl Boogie Angst The Audience's Listening We Are the Night Talk to La Bomb ASIN: B000GPI1AU Release Date: 2006-08-15

Tracks:

1. Trip (Richard Fearless Remix)
2. What Are You Afraid Of (Deri Remix)
3. Miles From Monterey (L'arsen Mix)
4. Hollywood (Gabin's Organic Mix)
5. What Are You Afraid Of (Mercir Remix)
6. Hollywood (Mark Sgarbossa's '86 Club Mix)
7. What Are You Afraid Of (King Britt Scuba Mix)

Customer Reviews:

I'm falling away, I'm falling in love.......2006-12-11

West Indian Girl produces the kind of trippy, warm pop that is just begging to be remixed. Their self-titled debut is just crammed with it, and some wonderful remixes have turned up over time. So with only one album under their belts, the Angeleno band created "Remix EP," which ups the trip factor on their songs.

It features three remixes of "What Are You Afraid Of?", which has gotten some serious attention on MTV2. There's the Dert Remix, with its rippling snakey synth and handclaps; the sad-robot twitters, soaring vocals and Aphex-Twinnish beats of the "Mercir Remix"; and finally there's the dark, swirling, random sound of the "King Britt Scuba Mix."

Then there are two remixes of "Hollywood," a summery ode to the city. "In Hollywood, rivers fly/In Hollywood, the skies alive/In Hollywood, your fears come out to play," Robert James croons. There's the Gabin's Organic Mix, which is a smooth, dreamy experience. Then there's Mark Sgarbossa's '86 Club Mix, which spins it in the other director -- sharp beats, dancefloor style.

And there are two single remixes: Richard Fearless' remix of "Trip," which is a lazy, sitar-drenched, shimmering experience. It's more psychedelic than any other song they've made yet. Then there's the L'arsen remix of "Miles From Monterey," an exquisite trip-hop ballad full of pretty vocals and swoony keyboard.

Remix CDs are usually a hit-or-miss affair. Half the remixes are brilliant, and the other half are either forgettable or just painful. Fortunately "Remix EP" doesn't suffer from those problems -- every remix is brilliant, multilayered and shimmering with psychedelic splendour. The only exception is the discoey "Hollywood" remix, which is merely good.

In this case, the solid instrumentals of the band are wrapped up in heavy layers of echoey effects, soaring vocals, and shimmering keyboard that can evoke everything from the psychedelic-era Beatles to TV on the Radio. It's a credit to Robert James that you can still hear his slightly gravelly voice through it all.

The "Remix EP" just reinforces that West Indian Girl is a special psychpop band, and will be worth watching in the future. A must-have accompaniment to their first album.

get high.......2006-11-28

West Indian Girl came out with a cool album last year. Many of these songs were dying to be remixed. You have some people like Death In Vegas and King Britt involved and I am already interested. I have seen these guys play a few times in the past two years. There shows have become really amazing over time. This was culminated with a mind-blowing show at San Diego Street Scene. They played early on the second day but there was a big turnout to see them. Richard Fearless (Death In Vegas) has worked with Eastern sounds before. His remix of "Trip" is amazing. It brings out new excitement in an already great song. Of course we have two remixes of the song "What Are You Afraid Of?" The one by Derf has a weird two-step beat. The one by Mercir is even stranger. More like a chill out track. King Britt's version is like an underwater track. There are two version of "Hollywood." This is a big song in the West Indian Girl set. One is chill, and one is like a club track. With most of these songs, the song structure remains intact. You can still recognize the original songs. This is an important record.

Average customer rating:

A Total Embrace: The Composer Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Bernstein | Bernstein, Leonard | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Incidental Music | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Clarinet | Reeds & Winds | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music New York Philharmonic Orchestra | ( N ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Psalms | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Leonard Bernstein - A Total Embrace: The Conductor ASIN: B0000AQS3U Release Date: 2003-09-09

Tracks:

1. Concert Works: I. Psalm 108 (Verse 2) & Psalm 100 (Complete) - Camerata Singers
2. Concert Works: II. Psalm 23 (Complete) & Psalm 2 (Verses 1-4) - Camerata Singers
3. Concert Works: III. Psalm 131 (Complete) & Psalm 133 (Verse 1) - Camerata Singers
4. Concert Works: III. Lamentation - Jennie Tourel
5. Concert Works: IV. Agathon (Adagio) - Isaac Stern
6. Concert Works: B. The Masque: Extremely Fast - Philippe Entremont
7. Concert Works: C. The Epilogue: Adagio; Andante; Con Moto - Philippe Entremont
8. Concert Works: IV. ' A Big Indian And A Little Indian' Con Brio - Leonard Bernstein
9. Concert Works: IV. 'Civet A Toute Vitesse (Rabbit At Top Speed)' - Leonard Bernstein
10. Concert Works: I. Prelude For The Brass - Benny Goodman
11. Concert Works: II. Fugue For The Saxes - Benny Goodman
12. Concert Works: III. Riffs For Everyone - Benny Goodman
13. Concert Works: I. Invocation. Kaddish 1 - Camerata Singers
14. Concert Works: Film: Love Theme - New York Philharmonic

Tracks:

1. Theater Works: Opening: 'New York, New York' - Adolph Green
2. Theater Works: 'Lonely Town'/Dance: Lonely Town - John Reardon
3. Theater Works: Dance: Times Square - Leonard Bernstein
4. Theater Works: 'Some Other Time' - Betty Comden
5. Theater Works: Dance: The Real Coney Island - Ensemble
6. Theater Works: I. Enter Three Sailors - Leonard Bernstein
7. Theater Works: IV. Pas De Deux - Leonard Bernstein
8. Theater Works: VII. Finale - Leonard Bernstein
9. Theater Works: 'The Pirate Songs' - Boris Karloff And The Pirates
10. Theater Works: 'Ohio' - Rosalind Russell
11. Theater Works: 'A Little Bit In Love (Never Felt This Way Before)' - Jacquelyn
12. Theater Works: 'A Quiet Girl' - Sydney Chaplin
13. Theater Works: 'Conga!' - Ensemble
14. Theater Works: 'Wrong Note Rag' - Ensemble
15. Theater Works: Overture - Original Broadway Cast
16. Theater Works: 'Best Of All Possible Worlds' - Chorus
17. Theater Works: Mazurka - Barbara Cook
18. Theater Works: 'Glitter And Be Gay' - Barbara Cook
19. Theater Works: 'Make Our Garden Grow' - Ensemble

Tracks:

1. Theater Works: Prologue - Orchestra
2. Theater Works: The Dance At The Gym - The Jets
3. Theater Works: 'Maria' - Larry Kert
4. Theater Works: 'Tonight' - Larry Kert
5. Theater Works: 'America' - Marilyn Cooper
6. Theater Works: 'Cool' - The Jets
7. Theater Works: 'Somewhere' (Ballet) - Reri Grist
8. Theater Works: 'The Community' - David Johnson
9. Theater Works: 'Part II: Allegretto' - Leonard Bernstein
10. Theater Works: Scene III/IIIa: 'I Was Standing In A Garden/Then Desire Took Hold Of Me' - Nancy Williams
11. Theater Works: I. Devotions Before Mass - Hymn And Psalm: 'A Simple Song' - Alan Titus
12. Theater Works: V. Meditation No. 1 - Alan Titus
13. Theater Works: VI. Gloria - Alan Titus
14. Theater Works: XIV. Sanctus: 'Holy! Holy! Holy!' - Alan Titus
15. Theater Works: XVII Pax: Communion - Final Hymn (Excerpt) - Alan Titus

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