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Animal Kingdom | |
|---|---|
| Origin | North London, United Kingdom |
| Genres | Indie rock,Noise rock,alternative rock,post-Britpop |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Labels | BoomBox Records,Mom + Pop Music |
| Members | Richard Sauberlich Hamish Crombie Geoff Lea[1] |
| Website | http://www.weareanimalkingdom.com/ |
Animal Kingdom are a Britishalternative rock trio comprising Richard Sauberlich on vocals, guitar, and piano, Hamish Crombie on bass, and Geoff Lea on drums. They also previously had a member Wayne Yardly but he left the band. They previously went by the name of The Sofa Club prior to renaming. They have released two studio albums;Signs and Wonders in 2009, andThe Looking Away on 8 May 2012.
Their debut albumSigns and Wonders was recorded by Phil Ek (Fleet Foxes/The Shins) inSeattle and released in 2009. The first single "Tin Man" wasiTunes "Single of the Week" and iTunes named them Best New Alternative Act.[citation needed]
Support tours withVampire Weekend,Band of Horses,Snow Patrol andSilversun Pickups followed, as well as numerous festival appearances in the UK and Europe.
Songs taken from the album were featured in various films and TV shows includingNever Let Me Go (starringKeira Knightley) andHBO'sBig Love. "Mephistopheles" appears in the 2012 UK filmLife Just Is.
The album was praised by critics.NME described it as "Achingly beautiful celestial indie…Will haveSigur Ros quivering with envy."[citation needed] andThe Fly magazine felt "...Their debut swells with spiritually melancholic masterpieces."[citation needed] Particular praise was given to the single "Chalk Stars".XFM's Jon Kennedy named "Chalk Stars" his "Song of the Year"[citation needed] andBBC Radio 1'sZane Lowe called "Chalk Stars" "...a stunning piece of music".[citation needed]
The band wrote and rehearsed for the album in an old church inNorth London. They completed their second album withBat for Lashes/Everything Everything producerDavid Kosten and signed to BoomBox Records in the US.
The first single to be taken fromThe Looking Away was "Strange Attractor". The video on YouTube amassed over half a million views, with the song becoming the 8th most played on US alternative radio in 2012.The Looking Away was released on 8 May 2012 and the band followed its release by performing sold-out shows in New York, San Francisco and at the legendary Troubador club in Los Angeles, as well as appearing at Outside Lands festival and opening Lollapalooza.
Their song, "Get Away With it" is featured in the soundtrack of theEA Sports game,FIFA 13, as well as Sleeping Dogs under the title, “Golden Pyramids”.
| Year | Title | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Signs and Wonders | Warner Music Group |
| 2012 | The Looking Away | Mom+Pop |
| International | |
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| Artists | |
