The Boy Least Likely To | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Origin | Wendover, England |
Genres | Indie pop, twee pop |
Years active | 2002–present |
Labels | Too Young To Die |
Members | Pete Hobbs, Jof Owen |
Website | http://www.theboyleastlikelyto.co.uk/ |
The Boy Least Likely To is an English indie pop duo, composed of composer/multi-instrumentalist Pete Hobbs and lyricist/singer Jof Owen.
Owen and Hobbs both grew up in the village of Wendover in Buckinghamshire. After meeting at school, Owen and Hobbs began writing and recording songs as The Boy Least Likely To in the summer of 2002. Creating their own independent record label, Too Young to Die, the band's first release was the 7" single "Paper Cuts" in 2003. [1] They released three singles and completed the recording of their debut album before playing any live shows. The debut album, The Best Party Ever , which compiled the band's first three singles and added five new tracks, [2] was released in the UK in February 2005, and in the United States in late Spring 2006.
The Best Party Ever was included in the Pitchfork top 50 albums of 2005 [3] and was number 8 in the Rough Trade Shop top 100 albums of the same year. [4]
The band describe their own sound as 'Country Disco' in their song "I'm Glad I Hitched My Apple Wagon To Your Star". [5] They were included in the top ten bands of 2006 in Rolling Stone magazine, and described as sounding like what would happen "if all your childhood stuffed animals got together and started a band."
Their second album, Law of the Playground, was delayed by label troubles [6] [7] and released in April 2009. [8] It includes the singles "Every Goliath Has Its David", "A Balloon On A Broken String", "When Life Gives Me Lemons I Make Lemonade" and "A Fairytale Ending".
In December 2010, they released a seasonal album called Christmas Special , which included eight original compositions and three traditional festive songs. It includes the single "George and Andrew".
The fourth album, The Great Perhaps, was released in 2013. It Includes the singles "It Could've Been Me" featuring Gwenno Saunders from The Pipettes, "Climbing Out Of love", "I Keep Falling In Love With You Again" and "Michael Collins", a song written about the Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins.
In 2014 Jof Owen formed the band Legends Of Country, and released the singles "That's What We Talk About When We Talk About Country" and "It's A Long Way Back From A Dream", a song about the darts player Richie Burnett.
Rashida Jones starred in the video for their single "Be Gentle with Me" in 2005. Their songs have been used in a number of different commercials in the US for Coca-Cola and General Electric Cars and films and television shows including Easy A and Grey's Anatomy . "Be Gentle With Me" has been featured in a commercial in the UK for ING Direct and "I'm Glad I Hitched My Apple Wagon To Your Star" was used in a UK commercial for Cadburys Chocolate Digestive Biscuits in 2008. In February 2010, Apple, Inc. featured The Boy Least Likely To's song "Stringing Up Conkers" in an advertisement for the iPhone 3GS. In April 2010, the same song was also featured in an iPad demonstration video for iTunes. In April 2014 the song "Be Gentle With Me" was featured during the first 30 seconds of trailer #2 for the movie Blended starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. The song "When Life Gives Me Lemons, I Make Lemonade" was used in the 2010 Emma Stone comedy Easy A and in the 2018 film Peter Rabbit , which were both directed by Will Gluck.
Musicians known to have toured with The Boy Least Likely To include:
Marcy Playground is an American alternative rock band consisting of three members: John Wozniak, Dylan Keefe (bass), and Shlomi Lavie (drums). The band is best known for their 1997 hit "Sex and Candy".
Heartbreaker is the debut solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Ryan Adams, released on September 5, 2000, by Bloodshot Records. The album was recorded over fourteen days at Woodland Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. It was nominated for the 2001 Shortlist Music Prize. The album is said to be inspired by Adams' break-up with music industry publicist Amy Lombardi.
The Shins is an American indie rock band formed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1996. The band is the project of singer-songwriter James Mercer, who has served as the band's sole constant member throughout numerous line-up changes. The band's current line-up consists of Mercer, alongside Yuuki Matthews, Mark Watrous, Patti King (keyboards), and Jon Sortland (drums). They are based in Portland, Oregon.
The Steve Miller Band is an American rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1966. The band is led by Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals. The group had a string of mid- to late-1970s hit singles that are staples of classic rock radio, as well as several earlier psychedelic rock albums. Miller left his first band to move to San Francisco and form the Steve Miller Blues Band. Shortly after Harvey Kornspan negotiated the band's contract with Capitol Records in 1967, the band shortened its name to the Steve Miller Band. In February 1968, the band recorded its debut album, Children of the Future. It went on to produce the albums Sailor, Brave New World, Your Saving Grace, Number 5, The Joker, Fly Like an Eagle, and Book of Dreams, among others. The band's album Greatest Hits 1974–78, released in 1978, has sold over 13 million copies. In 2016, Steve Miller was inducted as a solo artist into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Okkervil River is an American rock band led by singer-songwriter Will Sheff. Formed in Austin, Texas, in 1998, the band takes its name from a short story by Russian author Tatyana Tolstaya set on the river Okkervil in Saint Petersburg. They began as a trio made up of Sheff and friends he had met in his native state of New Hampshire but, over time, have gone through many lineups.
We Die Young is a song and single EP by the American rock band Alice in Chains, engineered and co-produced by Dave Jerden. It was released in July 1990 and is their first studio EP. This was a promo-only EP released on vinyl and cassette, and is thus a sought-after collector's item amongst Alice in Chains fans.
Michael H. McDonald is an American singer, keyboardist and songwriter known for his distinctive, soulful voice and as a member of Steely Dan (1973–1974), and the Doobie Brothers. McDonald wrote and sang several hit singles with the Doobie Brothers, including "What a Fool Believes", "Minute by Minute", and "Takin' It to the Streets." McDonald has also performed as a prominent backing vocalist on numerous recordings by artists including Steely Dan, Toto, Christopher Cross, and Kenny Loggins.
Animal Boy is the ninth studio album by the American punk rock band Ramones, released through Sire Records on May 19, 1986. Due to conflicts within the group, the album features less of lead singer Joey Ramone, both in performing and writing, and less performing from guitarist Johnny Ramone. Bassist Dee Dee Ramone wrote and sang more on this album than on previous albums, and Richie Ramone became the first drummer to write songs for the band since Tommy Ramone, the band's original drummer. Richie also wrote for Too Tough To Die (1984). The album spawned four singles, all of which charted on the UK Singles Chart, as well as other charts. In addition to singles, the band promoted their album using a music video for "Something to Believe In", which parodied the contemporary benefit concerts Live Aid and Hands Across America.
That Stubborn Kinda Fellow is the second studio album by Marvin Gaye, released on the Tamla label in 1963. The second LP Gaye released on the label, it also produced his first batch of successful singles for the label and established Gaye as one of the label's first hit-making acts in its early years.
Pacific Ocean Blue is the only studio album by American musician Dennis Wilson, co-founder of the Beach Boys. When released in August 1977, it was warmly received critically, and noted for outselling the Beach Boys' contemporary efforts. Two singles were issued from the album, "River Song" and "You and I", which did not chart.
The Best Party Ever is the debut album by British indie pop band The Boy Least Likely To. The album was released on the band's own label Too Young to Die on 14 February 2005 in the United Kingdom, and in April 2006 in the United States.
Metronomy are an English electronic music band, formed in Totnes in 1999. Their lineup consists of founding member and leader Joseph Mount, Oscar Cash, Anna Prior, Olugbenga Adelekan, and Michael Lovett. Their music consists of vocal and instrumental electronic pop music.
Say Anything is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. The band was formed in 2000 by Max Bemis and his friends, and within two years, they had self-released two EPs and a full-length album.
"Good Times Roll" is a song by American rock band the Cars released as the first track from their 1978 debut album The Cars. Written by Ric Ocasek as a sarcastic comment on rock's idea of good times, the song features layered harmonies courtesy of producer Roy Thomas Baker.
Diana Gordon, known professionally as Wynter Gordon, is an American singer and songwriter. She began her career writing music for other artists, later signing with Atlantic Records where she started to work on her own album. Her debut album With the Music I Die was released in 2011, with its lead single "Dirty Talk" receiving triple platinum and gold certifications in Australia and the United Kingdom. She began going by her birth name in 2016, and released the extended plays Pure (2018) and Wasted Youth (2020)
The Law of the Playground is the second studio album by British indie pop band The Boy Least Likely To. Released on Too Young to Die, The Law of the Playground was released in April 2009.
A Brief History of Love is the debut album from British electronic rock duo the Big Pink. The album was released on 14 September 2009 on 4AD. The Big Pink signed with 4AD in February 2009, and won the prestigious NME Philip Hall Radar Award for best new act. The band were also named as "one of the most likely breakout acts of 2009" by the BBC. Prior to the album's release, the band issued three singles: "Too Young to Love"/"Crystal Visions" on the House Anxiety label in October 2008, "Velvet" on 4AD in April 2009, and the non-album track "Stop the World" in June 2009. "Dominos", the album's first proper single and the band's fourth single overall, preceded the album on 7 September.
Dum Dum Girls was an American rock band, formed in 2008. It began as the bedroom recording project of singer and songwriter Dee Dee. She is currently based in Los Angeles. The name is a double homage to the Vaselines' album Dum Dum and the Iggy Pop song "Dum Dum Boys".
Alexa Goddard is an English pop and R&B singer from Blackwater, Hampshire previously signed to Roc Nation. Born in Camberley, Surrey, Goddard was spotted singing at a talent contest at the age of 14. From 2007 she featured on three consecutive winter tours of the United States and Canada with American band Trans-Siberian Orchestra and performed a duet on "Child of the Night", a track from the band's 2009 album Night Castle.
Highly Suspect is an American rock band from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The band consists of twin brothers Rich and Ryan Meyer, Johnny Stevens, and Matt Kofos. After starting as a bar cover band, they relocated to Brooklyn, New York, where they recorded The Worst Humans EP with producer Joel Hamilton.