The Karelia

Last updated

The Karelia
Origin Glasgow, Scotland
Genres Jazz, rock
Years active19961998
Labels Sum Records
Past membersAlex Huntley
Glen Thompson
Alan Wylie
Tassos Bobos
Thom Falls

The Karelia were a short-lived Scottish rock and roll band formed in 1996 by vocalist Alex Kapranos, before he founded the group Franz Ferdinand.

Contents

History

The Karelia formed in 1996 from the original rock/jazz band The Blisters, with Huntley, Alan Wylie, Glen Thomson and Thom Falls (later replaced by the Greek drummer Tassos Bobos). [1] Their sound has been described as "prog/techno rock with Iggy-voxed overtones", and "jazzy film-noir lo-fi". [1]

The band's only album, Divorce At High Noon, was released in 1997 on Sum Records to little acclaim. Produced by Bid of The Monochrome Set, [1] it was an off the wall mix of rock and jazz trumpet with unusual lyrics. The final song, "Garavurghty Butes", was completely freestyle with improvised lyrics and musical arrangement.

The band did not tour and was unknown outside Glasgow. Their album sold only a few hundred copies, and the band split in 1998 after contributing to an EP for the Guided Missile label.

Upon the success of Franz Ferdinand, fans began to exchange originals of Divorce at High Noon for £50-£100. Because of this, the album was re-released in February 2005. It featured all of the previous album and two bonus tracks.

The band's name derives from the Greek tobacco company Karelia. Karelia is also an area in Northern Europe, currently divided between Russia and Finland.

Line-up

The Karelia were:

Discography

Albums

  1. "Divorce At High Noon"
  2. "Love's A Cliché"
  3. "Say Try"
  4. "To His Coy Dietress"
  5. "Life In A Barrat Garret"
  6. "Crazy Irritation"
  7. "Remorse At High Noon"
  8. "Dancing Along To Nekrotaphion"
  9. "The Devil Rides Hyndland"
  10. "The Infinite Duration"
  11. "Nostalgia"
  12. "Tension"
  13. "Bleach Yours"
  14. "Exaggeration"
  15. "Garavurghty Butes" - incl. hidden track "Love's A Cliché (Reprise)"

reissued (2005) with bonus tracks:

  1. "Divorce At High Noon" (French Version)
  2. "Love's A Cliché" (Single Version)
  3. "Love's A Cliché" (video)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franz Ferdinand (band)</span> Scottish rock band

Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish rock band formed in Glasgow in 2002. The band's original line-up was composed of Alex Kapranos, Nick McCarthy, Bob Hardy and Paul Thomson. Julian Corrie and Dino Bardot joined the band in 2017 after McCarthy left during the previous year, and Audrey Tait (drums) joined the band after Thomson left in 2021. The band is one of the more popular post-punk revival bands, garnering multiple UK top 20 hits. They have been nominated for several Grammy Awards and have received two Brit Awards—winning one for Best British Group—as well as one NME Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Kapranos</span> Scottish rock musician

Alexander Paul Kapranos Huntley is a Scottish musician, singer, songwriter, record producer and author. He is best known as the lead singer and guitarist of Scottish rock band Franz Ferdinand. He has also been a part of the supergroups FFS and BNQT.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael (Franz Ferdinand song)</span> 2004 single by Franz Ferdinand

"Michael" is a song by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand. It was released as the fourth single from their eponymous debut studio album on 16 August 2004 through Domino Records. The song was notable for its homoerotic lyrics such as "stubble on my sticky lips" and "beautiful boys on a beautiful dancefloor". It was released in multiple formats, including a 7-inch vinyl, two 12-inch vinyls, and two CDs. The second CD that was released was pulled from stores a day after its release due to chart ineligibility as it had three tracks on it instead of two, which is the allowed number of tracks for the CD2 format. It was later re-released with only two tracks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darts of Pleasure</span> 2003 single by Franz Ferdinand

"Darts of Pleasure" is the debut single of Glasgow-based indie rock band Franz Ferdinand, released in the United Kingdom on 8 September 2003 through Domino Records. The song entered the UK Singles Chart at number 44 on 15 September 2003, where it stayed for one week. The band were happy with its chart performance, commenting "we couldn't believe we were in the UK top 50."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">This Fire (Franz Ferdinand song)</span> 2004 single by Franz Ferdinand

"This Fire" is a song by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand, the seventh track on their self-titled debut album. It was written by Alex Kapranos and Nick McCarthy and produced by the band themselves at their studio in Scotland during 2003. A new version of the song, produced by Rich Costey, was released as a single on 4 October 2004, titled "This Fffire". The single artwork is based on El Lissitzky's art work Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Fallen (song)</span> 2006 single by Franz Ferdinand

"The Fallen" is a song by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand. It was released as the third single from their second studio album, You Could Have It So Much Better (2005), on 20 February 2006 in Australia and on 3 April 2006 in the United Kingdom as a double A-side with new song "L. Wells". The single peaked at number four on the Scottish Singles Chart and number 14 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eleanor Put Your Boots On</span> 2006 single by Franz Ferdinand

"Eleanor Put Your Boots On" is a song by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand. It was released as the fourth single from their second album, You Could Have It So Much Better, on 17 July 2006. The single version of the song is a new version that was recorded in Benton Harbor, Michigan during their 2006 tour with Death Cab for Cutie. Promotion for the single included two videos: one for "Eleanor Put Your Boots On" and one for B-side "Wine in the Afternoon", making the B-side a video-clip-only single. It reached number 30 on the UK Singles Chart.

<i>Tonight: Franz Ferdinand</i> 2009 album by Franz Ferdinand

Tonight: Franz Ferdinand is the third studio album by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand, released on 26 January 2009 through the Domino Recording Company. In contrast to their speedily-recorded second studio album, You Could Have It So Much Better (2005), the band chose to take some time off before recording a new album. Writing sessions began in early 2007 and recording took place in 2008 at the town hall of Govan, Scotland, and producer Dan Carey's studio in South London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No You Girls</span> 2009 single by Franz Ferdinand

"No You Girls" is a song by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand. It was released as the second single from their third album, Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (2009), on 6 April 2009. The song received worldwide attention after being chosen for use in an iPod advertisement. It charted in several countries, including the UK, where it peaked at number 22, and the U.S., where it peaked at number 106.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RM Hubbert</span> Scottish guitarist and singer

RM Hubbert, commonly known as Hubby, is a Scottish guitarist and singer. Best known for his solo work as RM Hubbert and as a member of Scottish post rock band El Hombre Trajeado, he has been an active member of the Glaswegian DIY music scene since 1991.

<i>Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action</i> 2013 studio album by Franz Ferdinand

Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action is the fourth studio album by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand. It was released through the Domino Recording Company on 26 August 2013 in the United Kingdom and on 27 August in the United States. It was the band's first studio album since Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, which was released four years earlier. It is also the band's final album to feature guitarist Nick McCarthy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Right Action</span> 2013 single by Franz Ferdinand

"Right Action" is a song by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand. It was released as the lead single from their fourth studio album, Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action, on 27 June 2013 in the United States and 18 August 2013 in the United Kingdom. It has been described as having a catchy, funk-like guitar sound. A music video of the song, directed by Jonas Odell, was released online on 7 July and features the band performing in an environment similar to their previous video "Take Me Out" as the song's lyrics also appear on the screen. The song had moderate commercial success reaching number 39 on the UK Indie Chart, number 28 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart in the United States and Number 22 in the Billboard Japan Hot 100 Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evil Eye (Franz Ferdinand song)</span> 2013 song by Franz Ferdinand

"Evil Eye" is a song by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand. It was released as the third single from the band's fourth studio album, Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action, on 28 October 2013. The song was written by Alex Kapranos and Nick McCarthy, recorded during 2013, and produced by Kapranos and Todd Terje.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bullet (Franz Ferdinand song)</span> 2014 single by Franz Ferdinand

"Bullet" is a song by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand. It was released as the fourth single from the band's fourth studio album, Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action on 17 January 2014. The song was written by Alex Kapranos, Nick McCarthy, and Alexander Ragnew, recorded during 2013, and produced by Kapranos. The music video for the song was released on 18 November 2013, was directed by Andy Knowles, and was posted on the band's Vevo channel on YouTube.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Illumination</span> 2013 song by Franz Ferdinand

"Love Illumination" is a song by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand. It was released as the second single from the band's fourth studio album, Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action, on 27 June 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stand on the Horizon</span> 2014 single by Franz Ferdinand

"Stand on the Horizon" is a song by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand. It was released as the sixth single from the band's fourth studio album, Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action, on 28 July 2014. The song was written by Alex Kapranos and Nick McCarthy, recorded during 2013, and produced by Kapranos and Norwegian DJ Todd Terje. The music video for the song was released on 3 August 2014, was directed by Karan Kandhari, and was posted on the band's Vevo channel on YouTube.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FFS (band)</span> Supergroup band

FFS was a supergroup formed by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand and American art rock band Sparks. Their formation was announced on 9 March 2015, but the two bands had been recording since at least the mid-2000s. The group's eponymous debut studio album was recorded in late 2014 and released through the Domino Recording Company in the UK on 8 June and in the US on 9 June 2015.

<i>FFS</i> (album) 2015 studio album by FFS

FFS is the only studio album by Scottish-American supergroup FFS, consisting of members from the Scottish band Franz Ferdinand and the American band Sparks. It was released on 8 June 2015 through Domino. The album was recorded during a 15-day period in late 2014 at RAK Studios in London and was produced by Grammy Award-winning record producer John Congleton. Although the album itself was recorded in 2014, the two bands first met each other in mid-2000s. Upon release, the album received positive reviews from music critics.

<i>Always Ascending</i> 2018 studio album by Franz Ferdinand

Always Ascending is the fifth studio album by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand. It was released on 9 February 2018 through the Domino Recording Company. It is the band's first non-collaborative album in over four years, following Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action (2013). It is also their first album to feature new member Julian Corrie, who joined shortly after the departure of Nick McCarthy, and their last to feature drummer Paul Thomson. The album received generally positive reviews from critics. It peaked at number three in Scotland and number six in the UK. Four singles were released from the album: "Always Ascending", "Feel the Love Go", "Lazy Boy" and an alternative version of "Glimpse of Love".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feel the Love Go</span> 2018 single by Franz Ferdinand

"Feel the Love Go" is a song by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand. It was released on 8 January 2018 as the second single from the band's fifth studio album, Always Ascending (2018). The song was cut down to a shorter length for airplay, as with the previous single "Always Ascending".

References

  1. 1 2 3 Strong, Martin C. (2003) "The Karelia", in The Great Indie Discography, Canongate, ISBN   1-84195-335-0