Young Empires return home to Toronto (Mod Club, Aug. 18, 9:00 start)

We may not have heard or read much about Young Empires on this side of the pond since their blowout performance at NXNE at the end of June but they have had nothing if not a highly eventful summer.  If it seems like Young Empires came out of the gate running it's because they did.

Young Empires are a live electronic group that combines sequenced bed tracks with driving and insistent live bass and keys.  What makes the Empires particularly adept is lyricist and vocalist Matthew Vlahovich's persistent, timely and visionary lyricism.   It's a formula that's been often attempted and rarely pulled off.  In the case of the Empires (Aaron Ellingson - Swagger, Jake Palahnuk - Rhythm and Matthew Vlahovich - Hooks) they seem to have a deadly musical lock with one another and an infectious enthusiasm for their own stageshow - as if they are members of the audience geeking out at their own show.


In April they recorded Rain of Gold.

It's not complicated, someday we'll make it, it's not complicated, it's the way of the Ancient.

Here's the Vlsonn'a 50hz Below Remix of the same tune.





In May the Young Empires recorded Glory of the Night which continued to set the world on fire.





Then by July, with the international in particular British press already salivating at their every motion they recorded White Doves and Against The Wall which pushed them into a whole new trajectory.  Capitalizing on the moment the group toured in the UK and Scotland devastating crowds, influential bloggers, legit music journalists and the mainstream rags alike.   Everyone from NME Magazine, News Of The World (UK) have been making their stabs at what two bands combined Young Empires (neither is the answer) as if they were pitching a movie screenplay in an elevator.


Fortunately in the much more developed culture of British blogging there has been some really sensitive coverage and fortunately the leak/release of some great demos (which lyricist/vocalist Matthew Vlahovich recently told me were "recorded in our bathrooms, rehearsal space and bedrooms").


You can download the White Doves (demo) and Against The Wall (demo) here

The Empires are on such a roll that they were tapped to do a (very very Empires sounding, from the bongos, driving synth lines, and epic rolling melodies) remix for rising UK talent Sunday Girl (Jade Williams) which can be found here on Stoney Roads.


After taking Europe by storm (with an assiduacy even The Desert Fox would applaud) the boys returned stateside to start building that side of their Risk board.  Their forthcoming dates include:


NYC ( 08.13.10)
Brooklyn (08.14.10)
Toronto (08.18.10)
Chicago (08.28.10)
Bogota (08.28.10) - yes, that's Bogota, Columbia 
Ottawa (10.02.10)
Montreal (10.09.10)