Arthur & Yu
The Seattle duo reels in excitement about developing In Camera
By Christy Mannering
Published: June 4th, 2007 | 2:31pm
Childhood nicknames. We all have them, and they’ll sneak up on you when you least expect it. Such is the case with Arthur & Yu ’s Grant Olsen and Sonya Westcott. Olsen’s middle name is Arthur, after his grandfather, but he’ll tell you he never liked the “properness” of the name. Westcott’s Korean birth name is Yu, but it became her nickname when her family decided to call her Sonya to “Americanize” her. For both, nicknames were something they could do without. But rather than let theirs get the best of them, the two embraced them, and like a reflection of the playful, childlike sound of their music, Olsen and Westcott became Arthur & Yu.
Hardly Art, a new spin-off label of Sub Pop, is releasing Arthur & Yu’s album, In Camera, on June 19, 2007. It’s an album with a lot of firsts behind it: the first release for Hardly Art, the first album for the band, and the first band signed to the label. “It’s mind-boggling to be the first artist on this label,” Olsen says. “It’s hard to keep a cool head.” Westcott is just as enthusiastic but downplays Arthur & Yu’s role at Hardly Art, noting that the label is working on adding “a lot of super talented” people to the roster.
The buzz has attracted attention to the band, with off-shoot projects tossed its way on a consistent basis. Westcott sang with James "Jimmy” Tamborello, the electronic musician behind Dntel, the Postal Service, and James Figurine, on his latest solo album that also features contributions from artists like Jenny Lewis and Geoff McFetridge. More recently, Olsen and Westcott appeared on Dntel’s new album, Dumb Luck, after personally being asked by Tamborello himself.
“Jimmy sent an instrumental track for the new album and asked us to try something out with it. It became [the song] ‘The Distance.’ It was a whole different writing process, and I actually liked it,” Olsen says of the experience, adding with awe, “I couldn’t believe Jimmy even knew who we were!” Clearly, the nicknamed duo’s reputation is quickly spreading, which is understandable given the fantastic folk-laced sounds on their new release.
In Camera consists of 10 tracks originally recorded for a couple hundred dollars in the quietest room of Olsen’s apartment, his bedroom. In its initial conception the album was supposed to be a demo, and perhaps that accords for why it comes across so clean and intimate. It’s complex without being complicated, in the way of a good Harry Nilsson album.
In fact, Nilsson is an influence the duo shares. “I would love to do a show with Harry Nilsson,” Westcott says of the man responsible for more than two dozen singles in his lifetime. With the singer-songwriter-musician’s death in 1994, it’s too late for that fantasy show, but Nilsson’s influence, along with that of Neil Young and the Everly Brothers, lives on in their songs. Particularly, the song “Come to View (Song for Neil Young)” — a song that matches Young’s vocals, distinctive guitar work, and politically charged lyrics.
For now, the band is counting down the days until In Camera's national release, and although they’re humble when speaking about their fan’s and label’s confidence in the album, they aren’t shy about discussing their favorites.
For Olsen, it’s track number three “There Are Too Many Birds,” as that’s the song where Westcott takes vocal lead — normally his forte. But he says his favorite song changes constantly. “Some songs have a darker tone, other subject materials are brighter subjects so it depends on where I’m at.”
Westcott’s favorite is “Afterglow.” “I like the groove of the song and I like singing with Olsen,” she says. “It’s a more up-tempo song and is fun to get into.” Still, neither wanted to get into too much detail about song concepts. They want listeners to judge for themselves.
Both agree that In Camera turned out better than imagined, and Olsen insists that the whole process has been surreal. “We’re just a tiny band,” Olsen says of their recent fame. “I’m not sure what to say. It’s all surprising.”
Issue #33
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