New Album: Lau - Race the Loser (plus Interview & free download)

Those cutting edge renegades Lau are set to release their new studio album Race the Loser on Reveal Records in Autumn 2012 which is produced by Tucker Martine (Laura Veirs, Sufjan Stevens). In the meantime they have a very tempting offer that fans will want to know about in advance. They are to release a Limited Edition Deluxe double CD album set that contains not only the new studio album but also a full length live concert bonus disc recorded on their 2011 UK Tour (free taster below) as well as a signed art print and download of the live album.

The Limited Edtion set is limited to 1000 copies and only available through Lau’s website so get in there quick to avoid disappointment.

Interview

We caught up with Lau before their very first Cropredy performance last year (see photos below) to talk about their music and future plans. A favourite release of ours during 2011 was the Lau v Adem EP. Aidan O’Rourke explained that the collaboraton was thanks to their sound engineer Tim Matthew who he described as “the fourth member of Lau”. Tim had worked as Adem’s sound engineer on various projects and he thought they would work well together so introductions were made and music exchanged.

Tim is also a member of an Edinburgh based band called Mystery Juice who Aidan recomended we should check out. Fence Records described their music as a “recipe of house-shaking grooves, the dirtiest blues guitar licks and howling violin, topped off with machine gun vocals guarantees that they sound like no one else”.

Martin Green and Kris explained that the they had originally only planned on releasing three collaborative EPs but that they have so many fellow musicians they want to collaborate with that they couldn’t see it ending.

One of their biggest projects of 2011 was their work with the Northern Sinfonia and the Northern Ireland composer Brian Irvine called Strange Attractors which Aidan explained was musically inspired by the American composer Charles Ives. The title ‘Strange Attractors’ was partly inspired by the work American sculptor Sarah Sze and takes its name from one of her installations. The project premiered at the Sage Gateshead and will be performed again at Celtic Connections on Saturday 4th February 2012 at the Grand Hall.

They have got to be the busiest band on the folk circuit, I don’t know where they find all the time!