Natalie Portman's Shaved Head
Encyclopedia
Brite Futures is an American indie rock
/electronica
band from Seattle, Washington. The group released its debut album in July 2008. Their former name is a reference to actress Natalie Portman
's physical appearance in the film V for Vendetta
.
s, the only instruments that the pair knew how to play at the time. Their decision to start Natalie Portman's Shaved Head was made in the food court of the Center House, in 2005. The name of the band is a reference to Natalie Portman
's physical appearance in the film V for Vendetta
. Smith and Libman's first written songs for Natalie Portman's Shaved Head were about "fruit snacks and partying". The band claimed one of the reasons they formed the band was to get girlfriends.
The group expanded to a four piece before playing their first major gig, at the grand opening of the 826 Seattle writing center and Greenwood Space Travel Supply Company. They invited their friends David Price and Claire England to the band, and later recruited Liam Downey, Jr. from another band that they found on MySpace
. Smith typically writes the band's music, and then writes lyrics with Libman afterwards.
The band would place Natalie Portman on the guest list of all of their shows, but the actress has not yet attended any performances. Portman was, however, aware of the band's name and existence. England's sister, a New York City resident, met the actress once, and relayed to her the history and story of the band. Signing an autograph for them, she said in response to the story, "Oh, that's cool".
and supported Lily Allen
on her North American tour of her second album. Natalie Portman's Shaved Head had then begun work on their next album.
Keely Weiss of Aced magazine described their music on Glistening Pleasure as reminiscent of Devo
and an "unstoppable electronica/techno/funk/punk fusion". Their music has been described by Amy Atkins as evoking the sounds of 1980s music, and as "addictive dancey electro-pop". Michael Roberts of Westword called their sound "knowingly dorky party music" with "so many winks the average optometrist may suspect a serious vision issue." According to Smith, "We try to pack in as many melodies as possible and change it up a lot, as opposed to a straight repetitive style."
Natalie Portman's Shaved Head signed to Warner Bros. Records
late 2009 and digitally released their EP "Meet Hot Singles" with newer, improved versions of some songs off of Glistening Pleasure. Since the album was taken off the market, it was said that they would release it sometime early 2010.
On June 17, 2010, the band announced that their band name would now be Brite Futures, and posted their new single "Dog Eared Summer" on their website for free download.
As for the name change, they have stated the following:
"We chose our band name on a whim when we were still in high school, and 'Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head' has seen us through an unexpectedly amazing four years...But now it is summer once again, and time for a change. Also, it has recently come to our attention that our muse Ms. Portman is not so keen on us using her name in ours...so we feel it is time to move forward with a new name. We are Brite Futures."
After much anticipation, Brite Futures' rerelease of Glistening Pleasure, entitled Glistening Pleasure 2.0
(referring to Justin Bieber's "My World 2.0",) is up for sale on Amazon and iTunes as of July 15, 2010, making both albums have an exact two-year gap between their release dates. Three of the tracks on Glistening Pleasure (being 'Beard Lust', 'Mouth Full of Bones', and 'The Malibu Highlife') did not make it to the 2.0 version. However, 'Dog Eared Summer' and a brand new song called 'My Funk' were introduced on the album.
On September 13, 2010 Liam Downey Jr. announced that he amicably split from Brite Futures. Band, and "Feels really good to be doing it on his own again, on a more intimate level with his music and himself." His statement revealed his departure was based on "private and personal reasons, and the physical damage I have done to myself over the years while playing the music that I love." He also announced that he will be returning to his birth name. Liam MCclelland Downey currently plays drums for local Seattle bands "Total Shit" and "So Pitted," also he does lead vocals as well as play drums in his lifelong band the Fabulous Downey Brothers.
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
/electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
band from Seattle, Washington. The group released its debut album in July 2008. Their former name is a reference to actress Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman
Natalie Hershlag , better known by her stage name Natalie Portman, is an actress with dual American and Israeli citizenship. Her first role was as an orphan taken in by a hitman in the 1994 French action film Léon, but major success came when she was cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel...
's physical appearance in the film V for Vendetta
V for Vendetta (film)
V for Vendetta is a 2005 dystopian thriller film directed by James McTeigue and produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers, who also wrote the screenplay. It is an adaptation of the V for Vendetta comic book by Alan Moore and David Lloyd...
.
Formation
The band was formed by Luke Smith and Shaun Libman, who met while attending The Center School, an arts-based college preparatory school in Seattle. Their early work was centered around keyboards and drum machineDrum machine
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
s, the only instruments that the pair knew how to play at the time. Their decision to start Natalie Portman's Shaved Head was made in the food court of the Center House, in 2005. The name of the band is a reference to Natalie Portman
Natalie Portman
Natalie Hershlag , better known by her stage name Natalie Portman, is an actress with dual American and Israeli citizenship. Her first role was as an orphan taken in by a hitman in the 1994 French action film Léon, but major success came when she was cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel...
's physical appearance in the film V for Vendetta
V for Vendetta (film)
V for Vendetta is a 2005 dystopian thriller film directed by James McTeigue and produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers, who also wrote the screenplay. It is an adaptation of the V for Vendetta comic book by Alan Moore and David Lloyd...
. Smith and Libman's first written songs for Natalie Portman's Shaved Head were about "fruit snacks and partying". The band claimed one of the reasons they formed the band was to get girlfriends.
The group expanded to a four piece before playing their first major gig, at the grand opening of the 826 Seattle writing center and Greenwood Space Travel Supply Company. They invited their friends David Price and Claire England to the band, and later recruited Liam Downey, Jr. from another band that they found on MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
. Smith typically writes the band's music, and then writes lyrics with Libman afterwards.
The band would place Natalie Portman on the guest list of all of their shows, but the actress has not yet attended any performances. Portman was, however, aware of the band's name and existence. England's sister, a New York City resident, met the actress once, and relayed to her the history and story of the band. Signing an autograph for them, she said in response to the story, "Oh, that's cool".
Glistening Pleasure, 2008-present
Natalie Portman's Shaved Head's debut album, Glistening Pleasure, was released on Team Swam Records on July 15, 2008. The release party for the album was held at Easy Street Records in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle, where Liam's good friend Benjamin Bucy was mugged for a copy of the album. The group have toured internationally with CSS, Matt & Kim, and The Go! TeamThe Go! Team
The Go! Team are a six-piece band from Brighton, England. They combine indie rock and garage rock with a mixture of blaxploitation and Bollywood soundtracks, double dutch chants, old school hip hop and distorted guitars similar to the style of Sonic Youth. Their songs are a mix of live...
and supported Lily Allen
Lily Allen
Lily Rose Beatrice Cooper , better known as Lily Allen, is an English recording artist and fashion designer. She is the daughter of actor and musician Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. In her teenage years, her musical tastes evolved from glam rock to alternative...
on her North American tour of her second album. Natalie Portman's Shaved Head had then begun work on their next album.
Keely Weiss of Aced magazine described their music on Glistening Pleasure as reminiscent of Devo
Devo
Devo is an American band formed in 1973 consisting of members from Kent and Akron, Ohio. The classic line-up of the band includes two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs and the Casales . The band had a #14 Billboard chart hit in 1980 with the single "Whip It", and has maintained a cult...
and an "unstoppable electronica/techno/funk/punk fusion". Their music has been described by Amy Atkins as evoking the sounds of 1980s music, and as "addictive dancey electro-pop". Michael Roberts of Westword called their sound "knowingly dorky party music" with "so many winks the average optometrist may suspect a serious vision issue." According to Smith, "We try to pack in as many melodies as possible and change it up a lot, as opposed to a straight repetitive style."
Natalie Portman's Shaved Head signed to Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
late 2009 and digitally released their EP "Meet Hot Singles" with newer, improved versions of some songs off of Glistening Pleasure. Since the album was taken off the market, it was said that they would release it sometime early 2010.
On June 17, 2010, the band announced that their band name would now be Brite Futures, and posted their new single "Dog Eared Summer" on their website for free download.
As for the name change, they have stated the following:
"We chose our band name on a whim when we were still in high school, and 'Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head' has seen us through an unexpectedly amazing four years...But now it is summer once again, and time for a change. Also, it has recently come to our attention that our muse Ms. Portman is not so keen on us using her name in ours...so we feel it is time to move forward with a new name. We are Brite Futures."
After much anticipation, Brite Futures' rerelease of Glistening Pleasure, entitled Glistening Pleasure 2.0
Glistening Pleasure 2.0
-Track listing:# "Me + Yr Daughter" – 4:29# "Slow Motion Tag Team" – 3:15# "My Funk" – 3:10# "Iceage Babeland" – 4:05# "Sophisticated Side Ponytail" - 2:50# "Holding Hands in the Shower" – 3:15# "L.A. Noir" – 3:52# "Staying Cool" – 3:45# "Hush Hush" – 3:19...
(referring to Justin Bieber's "My World 2.0",) is up for sale on Amazon and iTunes as of July 15, 2010, making both albums have an exact two-year gap between their release dates. Three of the tracks on Glistening Pleasure (being 'Beard Lust', 'Mouth Full of Bones', and 'The Malibu Highlife') did not make it to the 2.0 version. However, 'Dog Eared Summer' and a brand new song called 'My Funk' were introduced on the album.
On September 13, 2010 Liam Downey Jr. announced that he amicably split from Brite Futures. Band, and "Feels really good to be doing it on his own again, on a more intimate level with his music and himself." His statement revealed his departure was based on "private and personal reasons, and the physical damage I have done to myself over the years while playing the music that I love." He also announced that he will be returning to his birth name. Liam MCclelland Downey currently plays drums for local Seattle bands "Total Shit" and "So Pitted," also he does lead vocals as well as play drums in his lifelong band the Fabulous Downey Brothers.
Members
- Shaun Libman - vocals, maracas, shakers, tambourine, claps
- Luke Smith - vocals, guitar, keyboard, drum programming, claps
- David Price - keyboard, guitar, vocals, claps
- Claire England - bass keyboard, vocals, claps
Discography
- Glistening PleasureGlistening PleasureGlistening Pleasure is the title of the debut album by Seattle-based rock band Natalie Portman's Shaved Head , released in the United States through Team Swam Records on July 15, 2008.-Track listing:# "Me + Yr Daughter" – 4:09...
(2008) - Meet Hot Singles EP (2009)
- Glistening Pleasure 2.0Glistening Pleasure 2.0-Track listing:# "Me + Yr Daughter" – 4:29# "Slow Motion Tag Team" – 3:15# "My Funk" – 3:10# "Iceage Babeland" – 4:05# "Sophisticated Side Ponytail" - 2:50# "Holding Hands in the Shower" – 3:15# "L.A. Noir" – 3:52# "Staying Cool" – 3:45# "Hush Hush" – 3:19...
(2010) - Dark Past (2011)
External links
- Video interview with Natalie Portman's Shaved Head on MyNorthwest.com http://www.mynorthwest.com/?nid=522&sid=200862