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Molek FMEllery James Roberts: Wu Lyf is Dead, Long Live Ellery
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Doomsaying band Wu Lyf flamed out of existence as fast music critics praised their one and only album to high heavens. That doesn’t mean their frontman, Ellery James Roberts (whom penned a letter announcing the death of the band), is going to live a quiet life in obscurity. This is after all the man who filled the band’s debut Go Tell Fire on the Mountain with manic end-of-the-world proclamations with serene acceptance.
Naturally his first effort as a solo act, ‘Kerou’s Lament’ is equally part apocalyptic and part Zen – case in point the soaring coda of the track; “To the powers of old, to the powers that be: You f*cked up this world, but you won’t f*ck with me.” Delivered with coarse voice that reaches the level of vintage Bruce Springsteen, Roberts shows that even as a solo act, he can’t do quiet.
Here he exhibits grandiose emotions not unlike the pure Id of Kanye West’s Yeezus. Hell, the track even debuted with a YouTube slideshow of a little girl committing self-immolation. It’s over the top ‘I’m-making-something-important’ artistry, but when the crescendoing synths, strings, and blaring horns are bolstered by relatable real world sentiment, it works.