The Little Ones (band)
Encyclopedia
The Little Ones is an indie pop
band based in Los Angeles
, California
. They were previously signed to Astralwerks Records and released one EP
on that label, titled Sing Song
. In 2006, Matt Costa
invited them to open for him at the Bowery Ballroom
in New York City, which has brought them in a rise to fame. They lost their recording contract early in 2008, shortly after releasing a new single, "Ordinary Song", and were forced to postpone their upcoming album. Instead they released a new EP on Branches Recording Collective, entitled Terry Tales & Fallen Gates. On 28 July 2008, The Little Ones released their debut full-length, Morning Tide, on Heavenly Recordings. This was preceded by a new single of the same name the previous week. The Morning Tide album was met with less than favorable reviews, and received a 60% from metacritic.
The Little Ones' indie pop tunes, which feature tambourines and handclaps, have garnered them comparisons to 1960s pop bands such as The Beach Boys
, The Zombies
, The Kinks
, modern-day pop group The Shins
, and the Elephant Six collective.
band called Sunday's Best
. The following is an excerpt from The Little Ones' website about the history of the band:
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
band based in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. They were previously signed to Astralwerks Records and released one EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
on that label, titled Sing Song
Sing Song
Sing Song is the title of the debut EP of the indie pop band The Little Ones.In the United States, the EP was originally released with only 6 tracks, and then re-released with a bonus track on October 3, 2006....
. In 2006, Matt Costa
Matt Costa
Matthew Albert Costa is a singer-songwriter from Huntington Beach, California.He has five independent releases: two self-recorded EPs, and three full-length CDs released via Brushfire Records.-Life:...
invited them to open for him at the Bowery Ballroom
Bowery Ballroom
The Bowery Ballroom is a music venue in the Bowery section of New York City. The structure, at 6 Delancey Street, was built just before the Stock Market Crash of 1929. It stood vacant until the end of WWII, when it became a high-end retail store. The neighborhood subsequently went into decline...
in New York City, which has brought them in a rise to fame. They lost their recording contract early in 2008, shortly after releasing a new single, "Ordinary Song", and were forced to postpone their upcoming album. Instead they released a new EP on Branches Recording Collective, entitled Terry Tales & Fallen Gates. On 28 July 2008, The Little Ones released their debut full-length, Morning Tide, on Heavenly Recordings. This was preceded by a new single of the same name the previous week. The Morning Tide album was met with less than favorable reviews, and received a 60% from metacritic.
The Little Ones' indie pop tunes, which feature tambourines and handclaps, have garnered them comparisons to 1960s pop bands such as The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
, The Zombies
The Zombies
The Zombies are an English rock band, formed in 1961 in St Albans and led by Rod Argent, on piano and keyboards, and vocalist Colin Blunstone. The group scored a UK and US hit in 1964 with "She's Not There"...
, The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
, modern-day pop group The Shins
The Shins
The Shins are an American indie rock band comprising singer, songwriter, and guitarist James Mercer, guitarist/bassist Dave Hernandez, Eric Johnson of Fruit Bats, drummer Joe Plummer and bassist Ron Lewis. Their sound draws on several musical genres, including pop, alternative rock, indie rock,...
, and the Elephant Six collective.
History
Before Ed Reyes and Ian Moreno formed The Little Ones, they had been in an indie rockIndie 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...
band called Sunday's Best
Sunday's Best
Sunday's Best was an indie rock band formed in 1997.The band's start came at KXLU, Loyola Marymount University's famous college radio station, where guitarist Ian Moreno, singer/bassist Ed Reyes, and drummer Tom Ackerman all worked at in the late 1990s...
. The following is an excerpt from The Little Ones' website about the history of the band:
Style
The Little Ones' style has been reviewed in the Guardian, "The Little Ones are capable of freakishly infectious guitar pop. Elsewhere, they sound like twee US indie kids doing karaoke versions of Magic Numbers tunes".EPs
- Sing SongSing SongSing Song is the title of the debut EP of the indie pop band The Little Ones.In the United States, the EP was originally released with only 6 tracks, and then re-released with a bonus track on October 3, 2006....
, EP (Feb 12, 2007 UK) - Terry Tales and Fallen Gates, EP (April 2008)
Singles
- "Lovers Who Uncover" (Nov 13, 2006 UK - EMI) 7", limited edition of 1000, featuring "Lovers Who Uncover" and "Cha Cha Cha".
- "Lovers Who Uncover/Oh, MJ!" (remixes) (Feb 12, 2007 UK - Heavenly) 12" Promo featuring the title tracks and remixes by StereolabStereolabStereolab are an alternative music band formed in 1990 in London, England. The band originally comprised songwriting team Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier , both of whom remained at the helm across many lineup changes...
, ZongaminZongaminSusumu Makai , better known as Zongamin, is a UK-based Japanese-born musician and producer.-Biography:Makai grew up in rural Japan and moved with his family to East Anglia at the age of eleven. He attended Summerhill School where he learned to play bass guitar and went on to play in several bands...
, and Crystal CastlesCrystal Castles (band)Crystal Castles are an experimental electronic band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, consisting of producer Ethan Kath and lyricist and vocalist Alice Glass. Crystal Castles are known for their chaotic live shows and their lo-fi home productions. The duo released many limited EPs between 2006 and...
. - "Oh, MJ!" (Jan 29, 2007 UK - Heavenly) CD, featuring "Oh, MJ!" and "High On A Hill", UK Singles ChartUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#100 (physical sales only - #29). - "Lovers Who Uncover" (May 28, 2007) - re-release UK Singles ChartUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#133 (9/6/2007) - "Ordinary Song" (Jan 21, 2008 UK - Heavenly) CD and 2 X 7", featuring "Boracay" and "A-O (There's A Sun)" UK Singles ChartUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#98 (27/1/08) - "Morning Tide" (July 21, 2008- Heavenly)- Digital Download and 7" also featuring "I Don't Want To Dance"
Notable Achievements
- They performed live on Seattle, Washington radio " station KEXPKEXPKEXP-FM is a public radio station based in Seattle, Washington, that specializes in alternative and indie rock programmed by its disc jockeys. Its broadcasting license is owned by the University of Washington, which operates the station in a partnership with Paul Allen's Experience Music Project...
on July 29, 2006, - KEXPKEXPKEXP-FM is a public radio station based in Seattle, Washington, that specializes in alternative and indie rock programmed by its disc jockeys. Its broadcasting license is owned by the University of Washington, which operates the station in a partnership with Paul Allen's Experience Music Project...
featured their song, "Oh, MJ!," as its song of the day on November 28, 2006. - NPRNPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
have featured The Little Ones' song "Lovers Who Uncover" as their song of the day. - They supported popular British rock act Kaiser ChiefsKaiser ChiefsKaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band from Leeds who formed in 1996. They were named after the South African football club Kaizer Chiefs....
on their UK Arena Tour along with We Are ScientistsWe Are ScientistsWe Are Scientists is a New York-based indie rock band that formed in Berkeley, California in 2000. Originally formed of Keith Murray on drums, Chris Cain playing bass guitar and Scott Lamb providing vocals and guitar, before Michael Tapper became drummer and Keith became vocalist and guitarist...
during the last few months of 2007.
External links
- Official Website
- Official Blog
- The Little Ones at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace 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....
- Morning Tide Review
- PopMatters mini-bio and review of EP
- Ordinary Song Review
- Video: Little Ones Perform New Song