You know you are in good company when you are sitting right next to AIR in Rolling Stone. Paris show on April 27th, 2012 Nouveau Casino. Tickets on sale now.
“…rétro, inspirée des musiques de films des années 70, s’appuie sur des lignes de basse accrocheuses, illuminés de guitares et claviers aux effets psychédéliques. …Leurs multiples influences confèrent à Celestial Electric des atmosphères aussi rêveuses que dansantes.”
-Rolling Stone France Review , 3 Stars ****
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
“…retro-pop, inspired by ‘70s film music, depends on the catchy base lines, illuminated with guitars and keys with psychedelic effects. Hippie-funk, soft rock, disco groove…their multiple influences give Celestial Electric an atmosphere as dreamy as dancing. ”-J.G., Rolling Stone France Review , 3 Stars ****
AM & Shawn Lee
Celestial Electric
ESL/ADA/Naïve
***1/2
Friendly yours…
The fruit of a transatlantic collaboration, this album is the friendly witness of an original music experience. English Shawn Lee is together again with American AM, who he had invited to play on “Ping Pong Orchestra” in 2010, on tracks exchanged by file-sharing from their respective homes. Guitariste and indie-pop songwriter, AM adds a Californian way to his melodies, like his sweet and incredible voice, on top of the lighthearted rhythms provided by his Londonian friend, a master in vintage sounds. Their synthetic retro-pop, inspired by ‘70s film music, depends on the catchy base lines, illuminated with guitars and keys with psychedelic effects. Hippie-funk, soft rock, disco groove…their multiple influences give Celestial Electric atmospheres as dreamy as dancing. Phoenix, Air, and Charlotte Gainsbourg are already fans!
Today our debut album “Celestial Electric” is being released in the UK on CD and Limited Edition gatefold vinyl to fanfare and mayhem. Planning some April/ May European tour dates now. Make sure you are on the mailing list so we know which cities to hit. Sign up HERE
We have arrived in Paris at the Hotel Jeanne d’Arc and of course we love it. Mark your calendars, if you have friends in Paris who should see the show but don’t have tix yet. AND if you need a ticket, drop us a Facebook message at www.facebook.com/amandshawnlee and tell us why we should add you to our guest list for Friday, Feb. 10th. We expect to see you in Paris two days in a row and again in April HERE.
We are on the Eurostar at the moment on our way to Paris from London to do press and promotion, perform at the Gilbert Instore on Thursday, Feb. 9th, and we have our show Friday, Feb. 10th for Les Nuits de Radio Nova. Our album Celestial Electric is everywhere (so they tell us) and it is available on CD and limited edition gatefold vinyl. Did we mention it is at Colette in Paris which is very cool?
We are currently planning a European tour in April/ May 2012 and we’d love to hear from you if you would like us to tour in your city. Presales for our April 27th show at Nouveau Casino in Paris have begun today here:
AM & Shawn Lee London and Paris Promo Tour 2012
Feb 06 Rough Trade East Live Instore 6:45pm London PLUS After party! FREE DJ Set with AM & Shawn Lee @St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel 8:30pm-10pm
St. Pancras Renaissance
379-381 Euston Rd London, NW1 3AU,London
Come hear the deep cut songs that inspired the making of Celestial Electric
Feb 08 Radio acoustic performance “Ouvert La Nuit” 9pm Paris, France
Feb 09 Gilbert Instore, 6pm Paris, France
Feb 10 Les Nuits Zébrées de Radio Nova @ La Machine du Moulin Rouge Paris, France
March SXSW 2012
SPRING EUROPEAN TOUR TBA
April 27 Nouveau Casino Paris, France (Tix on sale Feb. 7)
Valentines Day came early. Download our first remix for free HERE
AND if you are in London and Paris next week come see us live!
Artist: AM & Shawn Lee Title: Somebody Like You (The Remixes) EP Release Date: Feb. 6, 2012
Track Listing 1. Somebody Like You (Fort Knox Five Remix) 2. City Boy (The Kramford Look Remix) 3. Somebody Like You (Thomas Blondet Remix) 4. Winter Sun (Superimposers Remix)
“…intricate and groove-filled dreamscapes that are every bit organic and every bit mad genius…” - Daytrotter
AM & Shawn Lee’s live Daytrotter session available for free HERE.
Hearing their album, “Celestial Electric,” is like starting out at the snowstorm and trying to track the paths of a dozen flakes all at once, realizing that your eyes are splitting into dozens of directions, but it feels good to be doing it. It’s getting out into the weather, letting it envelope us and feeling what cold, but warmed up cheeks feel like, how they’re working extra hard and are mostly getting the job done, not letting any of the cold sink in too much. AM and Lee have perfected a collaborative musical relationship that brings about these intricate and groove-filled dreamscapes that are every bit organic and every bit mad genius, these guys knowing exactly which buttons to press on everyone to get them to respond in kind to a piece of music. It’s a swarm of bees and bullets, hot wires, hot feet, soft features, bare legs, tops down, expensive drinks, sun burns, wind burn and a gratifying sense that it’s all coming together into a chuggable brew. We keep our lips to it and sip it instead, savoring the everything qualities of it.
“Moins Kitsch qu’Empire Of The Sun, plus black que Phoenix: du soleil, de l’amour et du sexe en barre” - Eleonore Colin, Tsugi Magazine France Celestial Electric Album Review January 2012
English Translation: “Less kitschy than Empire of the Sun, blacker than Phoenix: some sun, some love, and a lot of sex.” Tsugi Magazine
Album Review:
It’s winter, people are quiet and have hearts that are a little chilled. A magic trick! In 44 minutes of pure electro-soul coolness, AM & Shawn Lee invert the seasons, time, and space and drop us into some part of California during the ‘60s and ‘70s. In 2010, AM (American indie-pop songwriter who toured with Air) heard a song by Shawn Lee (Londonian producer known for his collaborations with Jeff Buckley or Money Mark) on the radio and contacted him right away via Myspace. A cyber-friendship formed around a common love for old-school synths, funk, soul, and styles of Schifrin or Morricone. Two meetings later, Lee draws his old 4-track and records a string of complex rhythms. From the other side of the Atlantic, AM layers his coarse angelic voice, guitar, synth, ukulele, percussion, glockenspiel, vibes, Moog Taurus pedals…on top of the scorching hot bass and starry vocals. Celestial Electric collects sprinkles of psychedelic-soul-pop without nostalgia. Less kitschy than Empire of the Sun, blacker than Phoenix: some sun, some love, and a lot of sex.
