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Band of the Week: &U&I

'Light Bearer' album stream and track by track guide courtesy of &U&I.

You are about to listen to &U&I's debut album 'Light Bearer', but first a message from our Band Of The Week...

"This record was written with the intention of it being an album not a selection of songs. We wanted the record to flow from start to finish. This was factored into the writing process quite heavily. We tried to step away from using parts that were off-kilter or unpredictable for the sake of it, instead using parts which suit the pace and feel of each song.

Nothing for the record was preconceived. Every part of the album was written between the three of us in our small little practice room.

Light Bearer means Lucifer."

Click on the player below to stream the album in full, carry on scrolling for a song by song narrative of the record by Wiz, the band's drummer.



01. D. Pablo I
"Named after the founder of Cascais (where we recorded 'Light Bearer'), this song features the chiming of the town bell and the waves of the beach. These were actually recorded on an iPhone while out having a few beers."

02. To the Water Now is the Hour
"Lyrically it is about a canal boat holiday Thom [guitar, vocals] and Rich [bass, vocals] went on. The music was actually written thinking it would be the opening track to the album."



03. Talk with Steam
"This is lyrically about a dream I had in which I was kidnapped by an old lady on a bus. I then went on to kill her and fled the scene."

04. Stalk this City
"One of the earlier songs written for the album. Thom wrote the lyrics while on tour. It's about motorway traffic."

05. Belly Full of Fire and Heart Full of Blood
"Lyrically the song is about the Christian mentalist Harold Camping, and how his prediction of the rapture didn't happen."



06. La Mere Vipere
"The title is named after a Chicago gay club which burnt down. Lyrically however it is about Thom being wrongly sacked from his waiting job."

07. Super Five
"This song is named after the beer Thom was drunk on while writing the lyrics. The music itself is a prelude to the following track 'Accordingly in Motion' and also shares the same lyric 'You never learn do you'. It was recorded in the hallway of Chris Common's Mom's house."

08. Accordingly in Motion
"Lyrically it is about people who have got their heads stuck in the clouds and how it’s good to have aspirations but you have to be realistic. It features a guest vocal from our sound man Mike Conroy."

09. Baskerville the Atheist
"The title comes from John Baskerville who actually designed the font the &U&I logo is written in. He is also a big part of Birmingham history."

10. Of the Morning Star
"The title is part of the extended name of Lucifer. Lyrically it is about another of my dreams where I was showing the band FACT (who are friends of ours) around Birmingham before I was asked by them to sort some drugs out. Things went horribly wrong and they ended up trying to kill me. "

11. The Screaming Skull
"The title is named after a 1958 film, where a couple are haunted by the skull of the lady who lived in their house previously. We watched this while on tour, we were playing the song at the time and didn't have a name for it so we used 'The Screaming Skull' as a working title and it just stuck."

12. Above the Abyss
"The title comes from where Lucifer was banished to. The song itself is about being in a band and how, even though it is a constant struggle, we still wouldn't want to do anything else. It also touches on how there is no room for Charlatans is music. The spoken word section is read by Makoto Yagyu from the band Paus. The additional guitar work towards the end of the track is played by Lars Kaye of Adebisi Shank."

For more, facebook.com/andyouandi