Flower-Powered Artist - April 2007

Lovers Electric

According to their parents, David Turley and Eden Boucher first met aged 7 in their home town of Adelaide, Australia but neither remembers it "although it is pretty likely as the arts community in Adelaide is pretty small and everyone knows everyone".

However, the meeting was actually less probable than the duo report. Eden spent her childhood with her musician father, dancer mother and 6 sisters traveling around Australia in a motor home. David’s childhood with his poet father, pianist mother and just the one sister was based in Adelaide except for a year or two when the Turley family also climbed on board a motor home and headed off around Britain and Europe. Their return to Australia when David was 15 coincided with him picking up a guitar for the first time and realizing that there was more to music than classical and jazz.

As David returned to Australia, Eden left and went to Europe with her parents and two youngest sisters Angelle (now a successful model) and Harmony. They settled in Stockton on Tees – not a place normally associated with antipodean immigrants but the location of an arts community who offered the family accommodation in an unused Presbytery.

David and Eden met for the second time back in Adelaide and after a long distance friendship David joined Eden in Teeside before the pair traveled the world in a street theatre company. "It was a way of life for a while and an incredible day job."

Whilst David’s first band "Dewey Del" had limited success in Australia. "We organized a fundraising gig in Adelaide, but we lost $1000." Their first (if somewhat brief) foray into the UK music scene was in the band Atlas who were signed to Virgin UK and released a single. Meanwhile with her inherent creativity, and having made her own clothes since childhood, Eden set up her own fashion label Eden Honeydew.

Having both enjoyed (to varying degrees) their musical experiences, they set about writing music together. They bought a computer for £800 and recorded (with Pop Will Eat Itself’s Fuzz Townshend on drums) and mixed their album learning the technical skills required as they went (on completion they sold the computer for £750). "The vocals were recorded on a tiny piano mic in the attic of the house - it’s a unique sound!" Eden's sister Butterfly, signed to Interscope, had previously introduced them to the US manager Michael Dixon (Ron Sexsmith). After hearing the album, he signed them under his management company.

The highly stylized video for their debut single "Honey" was filmed and produced Bedlam Oz Films, the Teeside production company owned by Eden’s sister Danielle. Their independently recorded full-length finally made its way into iTunes on December 4, 2006. Physical CD copies of the full-length are sold in their shows. They got their first major exposure when MTV used one of their songs "I Don't Know" in episode 8 of season 2 of The Hills. The duo has performed in several hotspots across the US, including New York, Nashville, and Los Angeles.

KGRL is proud to present April 2007's Flower-Powered Artist, Lovers Electric. This month's feature is overloaded with delightful mounds of goodie goodies including: a KGRL exclusive interview (audio/transcribed), CD Review, exclusive live photos, and the whole Air Conditioned Lounge Acoustic Set - Venice 02.18.07 Performance streamed on-demand.

KGRL Lovers Electric Interview

KGRL had a chance to go on a one on one interview with the very talented duo - Eden & David of Lovers Electric. The interview was held in Hotel Cafe @ 02.16.07.

Listen to Lovers Electric's (David & Eden) responses in High Quality MP3 Stream using the player below:




Transcription excerpt from the interview:

KGRL: Why did you name the band Lovers Electric? You performed acoustically tonight; doesn't that make you Lovers Acoustic?

David: Right, right yeah... That's kind of a running joke!

Eden: We normally perform with a full band in London, so the electric bit makes a little more sense. But, we are lovers of life and we are together so it kind of makes sense. And electric - it's exciting!

David: We did once do an electronic kind of dance music together before this project. We like the electric word and the energy of that word... So yeah, Lovers Electric just kind of makes sense.


-> READ the full transcript along with high/low quality mp3 of the Interview by Clicking Here! <-

Lovers Electric CD Review

It took a whole lot of guts, dedication, and passion for good pop music when Eden and David decided to do a full-length record. Armed with a mac and their respective instruments, the duo managed to come up with a very impressive first effort which is quite possibly one of the most professional-sounding cost-effective indie pop/rock recordings we've heard.

The album instantly reels us in with a song that coincidentally was also their first single released in UK, titled Honey. Honey is like a shot of adrenaline that immediately flows into the blood stream and causes a jolt of intense initial reaction that firmly establishes what we are to expect with the duo's initial offering. It's bold, loud and exquisitely extravagant - thanks to David's electrifying guitar lines and Eden's sensually pleasing pop rock vocal quality.

Won't Give In tightens the grip and never lets go of that initial reaction. While not as loud as the first, this track continues the same level of intensity with its wonderful melody and keyboard-backed vocal work by Eden. We are bound not to forget our first baby grand piano experience with the couple during their live show when they played this song - "Look in Eden's hand! It's a toy! It's a plane! No, it's a baby grand piano!" And it does what it's supposed to do, quite amazingly well (Don't believe me? Go ahead and watch the video we stream down there).

Not Good Enough is quite a misnomer for the quality of the song; it is indeed quite good enough. There's no time to slack; the energy is still up and this track delivers. This is a heavily guitar-driven song with a very infectiously catchy hook - short and sweet, just the way it should be. Is It Over? follows - with a looming question the same as the title, is it over? While they gave us a breather with this one, the quality is shot way up with this hush-hush alterna-pop ballad. Eden's voice stands out in both heavy and slow songs - quite a feat! David's guitar work in this track is a real stand out - gotta love the way the chorus part was played! Another thing to note is the fabulous back-up vocal job David does in this song, especially live.

If you think it's over, then I Don't Know -what- will make you think twice. This next track, as much as I tried to avoid comparison with Eden's sister's work, reminds us heavily of Butterfly Boucher. In fact, this can be a Butterfly song - but it's not. I Don't Know is simply another winner - a catchy and very memorable albeit short track. You Got It is as good in the record as it is live. It never fails to get the attention in both scenarios. It's quite a crowd pleaser... And they do know how to take advantage of this in their live shows - through audience participation via the rhythmic clapping.

It's Ok is another of the rocking tracks in the vein of Honey - it's every bit as energized and as loud. The tracks: Morning Sun, In Love and Whatever You Want presents the band in a more laid back manner - slower, melodic, and much more of the slow-burn type tracks. These songs categorically fall directly in between the ballad and the alternative pop genres they thread so masterfully. Start Again is one of our favorites in the more upbeat tracks. Elegantly performed vocals with on-the-spot high pitched notes perfectly contrasted with palm-muted guitar accompaniment all wrapped up in a very catchy melody - superb track indeed.

Closer closes the album effectively. This song is undeniably one of our favorites in the whole album - and it wouldn't be a surprise if it will be in everyone's favorite list. It's a classy pop ballad that fully utilizes Eden's vocal ability - soothing and haunting while still retaining that rock vocal quality. The piano accompaniment is simple and subtle yet intricately heightens the emotional intensity of the song.

If there's one thing I'd have to criticize, it's probably the over saturation of pop bliss. My advice is to listen to it in moderation. As single tracks, you'd learn to appreciate the quality of each song. It is poppy - but it is an edgy, intelligent and musically intense kind of pop. Lovers Electric's first offering is nothing short of pure pop brilliance influenced by the 80's but unmistakably modern-sounding. It's lively! It's electrical! And it is quite lovely!

Lovers Electric Album - Buy It Now from iTunes (Click Here)!

Tracklist:

Honey
Won't Give In
Not Good Enough
Is It Over?
I Don't Know
You Got It
Morning Sun
Start Again
It's Ok
In Love
Whatever You Want
Closer

KGRL Exclusive Lovers Electric Photos

Play Slideshow!

KGRL Exclusive Videos - The Air Conditioned Lounge Acoustic Set 02.18.07

KGRL proudly presents: Lovers Electric Acoustic Set @ The Airconditioned Lounge in Venice - 02.18.07. The streams can be viewed using our embedded flash player. We do hope you enjoy these wonderful videos!

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It's Ok Is It Over?

Won't Give In Honey

Love Waits Morning Sun

You Got It

Start Again