Out digitally on 19th December, this third single release from Lanu’s acclaimed ‘Her 12 Faces’ album brings the limelight to rest on the beautifully folksy “Roosevelt Blues” featuring Megan Washington, an infectiously fanciful and evocative song telling imagined tales of soirees spent rubbing shoulders with ghosts of gangsters and Charlie Chaplin at the eponymous LA hotel. Inspired by a US DJ tour taken by Lance Ferguson (aka Lanu), “Roosevelt Blues” is as much a product of the crazy urban legends and history he delighted in soaking up, as of the records he delighted in buying, digging into both the crates and the culture of America’s West Coast.
Perfectly complementing the leftfield folk stylings of the lead track, this release also brings a set of four absolutely beautiful new acoustic versions of other songs from the album. All voiced by Washington, the tracks reworked here include the two previous singles, “Beautiful Trash” and “Fall”; plus “Hold Me Down”, a modern twist on a heart-rending Bacharach-style ballad; and the delicate, lo fi indie/electronica of “Wire”, transformed by glorious finger-picked guitar in this incarnation. The latter three are exclusive and previously unreleased.
‘Her 12 Faces’ came out in March, gaining heavy tastemaker support from Steve Lamacq (BBC 6Music), John Kennedy (XFM), Don Letts (BBC 6Music), Nemone (BBC 6Music), Guy Garvey (BBC 6Music/Elbow) and Laurent Garnier, among others, plus positive reviews in Uncut, Word, Clash and beyond. On this album Lanu created a sonic world where Beat culture collides with indie, dream pop, lounge and folk music, marking a stylistic point of departure for the prolific musician who is better known as Lance Ferguson, the bandleader and creative force behind acclaimed Australian funk outfit The Bamboos. Lanu’s vision, paired with the captivating talents of vocalist Megan Washington (one of Australia’s biggest and brightest stars, now making her name in the UK and elsewhere), brought about a mix of modern, kooky immediacy and timeless charm. Think the eclectic, crossover appeal of Little Dragon, Feist, Emiliana Torrini, Charlotte Gainsbourg or Janelle Monae.
The “Beautiful Trash” single, released in February, was a supreme nugget of outsider pop, supported with major UK radio play across BBC 6Music, Radio 2, XFM and NME Radio; featured in Record of the Day and Word Magazine; as well as being iTunes UK Single of the Week. Elsewhere, it was A-listed on Triple J national radio in Australia, and heavily promoted by Starbucks and iTunes in the US. “Fall”, in August, then saw Lanu gaining further recognition, from an interview with Steve Lamacq on BBC Radio 2, to a video post on A-list actor/musician Zooey Deschanel’s blog and an Amazon Track Of The Day endorsement. The “Roosevelt Blues & Acoustic EP” release highlights yet another string to Lanu’s bow, celebrating the diversity and depth on the eclectic yet cohesive album.
In addition to this Lanu EP release, Lance Ferguson is currently celebrating The Bamboos’ 10th Anniversary with an inspired cover version of James Blake’s “The Wilhelm Scream” which you may well have heard, as it is enjoying immense support across BBC Radio 1, 6Music and elsewhere around the World.
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