Late Night Alumni - 'Of Birds, Bees, Butterflies, Etc'

Nowadays, for me to buy the tangible CD release of an artist or group has to be something truly special, and I was beyond excited when I found Late Night Alumni’s second full-length album Of Birds, Bees, Butterflies, Etc. inside a local chain retailer in my area (in their itty-bitty dance music “section”).

I’ve been a fan of LNA ever since I first heard a trio of their songs: “Seemingly Sleepy,” “Empty Streets,” and “4AM,” including the hot 2005 dance remixes of “Empty Streets” by Seamus Haji & Paul Emmanuel and The Beard Mix. These songs and others have had a profound effect on me each time that I’ve incorporated LNA into any one of my wine bar DJ sets. This is largely to due to the fact that their music is a unique blend of Lounge and Dance that is attributed to Becky Jean Williams, whose vocals flirt on the fringe of cute but are kept in check, thanks not only to Becky herself, but to all four contributing members of this mmm, mmm, good “alumni.”

There’s Always Something To Remind You...

LNA’s sound is influential and is best served late at night, pun intended. Their sound soothes you when you need to take that extended breather (or time out), but much of ‘Of Birds’ easily serves to keep you grooving and moving to their familiar melodies and hooks.

Comprised of Finn Bjarnson, John Hancock, the symbiotic, ethereal female vocalist Becky Jean Willams, and the everpresent Ryan Raddon, a.k.a. Kaskade, LNA has been a prominent force on the Dance Music scene since 2003. Their oftentimes big room sound continues to evoke and evolve into a solid floor-filling force to be reckoned with, and if you haven’t heard or experienced their infectious repertoire, do yourself a favor and pick up this release.

Along with many of their club-friendly songs on Of Birds, there are also some light, effervescent songs, too, yet none of these songs are overly complex. Overall, the music is wonderfully-textured and features a really nice accompaniment of layers of keyboards, guitars, and drum machine beats that, while predominately generous throughout, the moods within each song don’t overlap one another, and thus don’t run the risk of losing your interest.

‘What’s In a Name’?

Lyrically-speaking, Becky Jean Williams’ vocals graces every song on Of Birds. Her whispery, smooth delivery compliments LNA’s melodic programming arrangements; she truly has one of dance music's one-of-a-kind voices.

There are several club-centric, outright classic songs, in addition to selections that will suit the afterhours and lounge crowd as well. There’s even a pair of chillout songs that provide a nice inter- and outer-lude to the thirteen-track, 51-minute album. If you’re familiar with their previous work, a few of which I mentioned in the beginning, do yourself and your music collection its due and procure the superb Of Birds, Bees, Butterflies, Etc.

Track 1: “What’s In A Name”: Opens the ‘Late Night’ salvo off on the right foot. Becky Jean’s voice and Finn Bjarnson's guitar is like a welcome wagon, opening the front door and beckoning you to come inside to let your ears feast on the sound.

Track 3: “You Could Be The One”: The first single that was released is an impressively fun dance song that has a sweet bass line beat underneath Becky Jean’s rich vocals. The Sultan & Ned Shepherd in addition to the Live Version are key remix pick-me-ups, too.

Track 4: “Light Reading”: Opens with an accordion followed by a great, danceable beat and something that only LNA could come up with.

Track 8: “Run A Mile”: Comes off sounding a bit bass heavy but in actuality, it’s a banging track.

Track 9: “Potions”: The first twenty-seconds of this track open’s on a slight downer (per a violin) but the sound and therefore the mood quickly takes an upbeat turn.

Track 12: “What If I Say Please”: One of my favorite of the Lounge-esque songs that drips and oozes sex appeal without having to disrobe right away.