Released: October 27, 2008
Label: Fiction Records
Tracks: 4
Rating: 9
Formed in Chiswick (London, England), this band formerly known as Fear of Flying has crossed the Atlantic with Death, a music-packed single EP that is sure to grip its listeners and either completely change their perspective on music or bring them back to a musical appreciation that feels long forgotten.
The band has released two other singles this year and intends to publish a full-length album entitled To Lose My Life with Fiction Records in 2009. Harry McVeigh, Charles Cave, and Jack Lawrence-Brown form White Lies, an incredible post-punk revival band that stimulates the senses and ushers in instant memories of early punk like the Ramones and the Pointed Sticks as well as ?80s new wave bands like Blondie.
There are three different interpretations of ?Death,? the single, plus an extra track called ?Black Song.? What makes this collection of songs so amazing is the use of one composition (?Death?) artistically produced three separate times with an original and two remixes.
To me, ?Black Song? was simply an extra, something entirely separate from the package of three and therefore completely unnecessary to the release. This track was not disappointing in itself, mind you; ?Black Song? is melodic, moving, and a credit to White Lies for its composition and recording. However, I feel very strongly that this EP would have had more artistic integrity if only the three versions of the actual single were included.
As for these three interpretations (?Death? versions one, two, and three), each stands alone as a facet of one piece of work; like a contemporary painter who uses one basic full image as his base and then compiles a set of related images that are deconstructions of the original, White Lies has brought dimension to the song.
Essentially, each recording is multipurpose; every track stands alone, works in conjunction with the others, and also represents a different interpretation of the direction this musical genre can take. I love it. ?Death? is the post-punk, new wave revival, absolutely brilliant recording. ?Death (Crystal Castles Remix)? is the embodiment of early punk and new wave music’s effect on musicians in the ?80s and ?90s who crafted techno, house, and made further changes to new wave.
?Death (Haunts Remix)? is the final track and shows how these earlier musical genres were also taken to inspire modern rock, dance, and ultimately pop music. As far as I am concerned, the original recording is superior, even a musical triumph. The set of three, however, is a work of art worthy of a museum?if only such interpretations of music were so easy to display. If you only listen to one EP the rest of this year, please make it ?Death.?
