Almost Famous UK: The Joy Formidable

Following last week’s Almost Famous kudos heaped upon the happy head of the beguiling, Swedish-born, New Orleans based chanteuse Theresa Andersson, we’re skipping back over the pond for Almost Famous UK in which we offer tea and McVities Hob Nobs to those British artists and bands who we believe deserve to be as buzzed about in the States as they are in Blighty. And we firmly believe that these folks are on the verge of taking over the global, cultural zeitgeist at large in the coming months.

The year is barely a month old, but one of the best singles of 2009 officially dropped in the UK on Monday: The Joy Formidable’s bruising, kinetic and effervescent “Cradle,” which leaps from the airwaves like a shoegazing pop missile born of the cheeky offspring of Belly, Lush and vintage Blondie. The London-based trio, from the amusingly-named town of Mold in north Wales, jumped on the short list of bands-to-watch following the release of their first single “Austere” last August (and caused some cheery controversy when a fan’s unofficial, masturbatory-friendly video for the choon was banned from YouTube). More attention was paid following The Joy Formidable’s much praised support slot last fall with White Lies, in which the trio blithely challenged the headliner with an especially adept, muscular set.

But with “Cradle”–a gorgeous two minutes and forty eight seconds of sheer velocity, crackling with spiky, dense guitar and half-barked, half-cooed vocals–The Joy Formidable has trebled expectations. That infinite promise is further bolstered by the single’s equally robust B-side, “The Last Drop,” a sashaying, dreamy slice of pop chaos, dramatically guided by lead singer and guitarist Rhiannon “Ritzy” Bryan’s Björk-like yowl. The band’s fantastically titled Christmas single, “My Beerdrunk Soul is Sadder Than a Hundred Dead Christmas Trees,” made available for a free download in December, is a fabulous collision of bleak, Cure-like chords and sleigh bells dissolving into a thicket of electrostatic effects.

The Joy Formidable, which consists of the adorable and very blonde Bryan, her boyfriend Rhydian Dafydd on backing vocals and bass and new drummer Matt Thomas, sprung from the ashes of Bryan and Dafydd’s former group, the Pixies-like Sidecar Kisses. Bryan, an only child, cites surprising songwriting influences, telling BBC Radio 6 Music DJ Marc Riley in late January that Elvis Costello and David Bowie were her personal heroes. “Cradle” was a quick add on the terrestrial BBC Radio 1 and the digital BBC Radio 6. Both the Guardian and the NME–which booked the band for their upcoming awards show–have ballyhooed the band as one of the great hopes of British indie music this year.

In mid-February, the band releases a very limited edition album in the UK (just 500 copies) called A Balloon Called Moaning on Pure Groove. The set, which was also released in Japan last year, consists of eight tracks including “Cradle,” “Austere,” “The Greatest Light is the Greatest Shade” and “Ostrich.” Unfortunately, the band’s rather groovy cover of Santogold’s “L.E.S. Artistes” (which you can find on a YouTube search) doesn’t appear on the set.

What’s next for a young band that already has the British music press in a flutter? As Bryan told Uncensored Interview via email, she doesn’t believe that The Joy Formidable is in danger of becoming “a victim of hype.” “ We’ve had a steady growth of attention backed by a handful of releases,” Bryan continues. “It doesn’t feel like anything’s racing ahead. We’re excited about our forthcoming 8 tracker and our first solo tour, that’s preoccupying enough.” That said, she admits that she’s “delighted” The Joy Formidable has connected with fans so quickly. “There’s an honesty in what we do that people find refreshing, and I want people to be moved and exhilarated, especially in this current climate of blandness. Whatever the reaction, we’ll write and perform with the same conviction that we always do.”