AU (band)

AU was a Portland, Oregon experimental pop group established by multi-instrumentalist Luke Wyland. Wyland started AU in 2005 while completing a degree at the Massachusetts College of Art. He later moved cross-country to Portland and established a base in its music community. Now a working live band, AU features an ever-changing roster of players, recently including Jonathan Sielaff (Parenthetical Girls, Nick Jaina) on guitar, clarinets and saw; and Dana Valatka (Mustaphamond) on drums. Contributors to AU's recordings included Mark Kaylor (Hamor of Hathor, CexFucx), Becky Dawson (Saw Whet, Ah Holly Fam'ly), and Sarah Winchester (A Weather).[1]

Luke Wyland, Portland, OR 2008
AU in its 2012 incarnation at the Treefort Music Fest in Boise, Idaho

Its self-titled debut album was praised by such media centers as Pitchfork and Stereogum, and was named #2 Portland Album of 2007 by The Portland Mercury, which said AU "manages to erase the high art/low art boundary between American contemporary classical music and American pop music, blending them into a simple, compelling, verse-chorus celebration... (and) is the rare band that can reinvent its songs live and still manage to match their recorded quality."[2]

Wyland has recorded, produced and released 4 recordings as AU. AU - Au (2007).[2] AU - Verbs (2008). AU - Versions (2009).[3] AU - Both Lights (2012).[4][5][6]

Discography
Albums
  • peaofthesea (2005) as "luc"
  • Au (2007)[2]
  • Verbs (2008)
  • Versions (2009)[3]
  • Both Lights (2012)[4][5][6]
Singles
  • "RR vs. D" (2008)
  • "Solid Gold" (2012)

References
  1. Phares, Heather. "Luke Wyland (Bio and overview)". allmusic.com. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  2. Clarke, Cary (June 21, 2007). "Au". The Portland Mercury. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  3. "AU: Versions". Pitchfork. January 2010. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  4. Catling, Simon Jay (March 30, 2012). "AU - 'Both Lights' - His first true masterpiece". New Musical Express. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  5. Longley, Martin (10 April 2012). "AU Both Lights Review". British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
  6. Friedman, Kevin (March 2012). "Luke Wyland casts light on life, its struggles in 'Both Lights'". OregonLive. Retrieved 30 June 2012.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.