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Stealing Sheep

A forward-thinking trio, the music of Liverpool's Stealing Sheep is dominated by innovative vocal interplay and influences that span medieval folk and contemporary pop. Their earliest releases, such as 2012's debut album Into the Diamond Sun, found them sorting out their eclectic sound -- which was heavily influenced by Broadcast, Kraftwerk, and psychedelia -- while showcasing their bewitching vocal harmonies. By the time of their second album, 2015's Not Real, Stealing Sheep focused on a more direct approach that contrasted their warm vocals and cold synthesizers. As their sound evolved, their range widened: 2019's bright and shiny Big Wows reshaped modern pop in ways that reflected their personalities, while 2021's mesmerizing La Planète Sauvage drew on their expertise with trippy atmospheres to give new life to the classic sci-fi film. With 2022's Wow Machine, they paid tribute to electronic music's female pioneers. Guitarist Emily Lansley, keyboardist Rebecca Hawley, and drummer Lucy Mercer met in 2010 and formed the band over a cup of tea at the Mello Mello café. The group set about writing and rehearsing that summer and developed their haunting psych-folk sound, drenched with otherworldly harmonies, jaunty guitars, and almost tribal, hypnotic beats. With a handful of songs written, Stealing Sheep launched into recording what would become their debut EP, 2010's self-released What If the Lights Went Out. They found help in first-time producer Joe Wills, who set up a makeshift studio in a school in Toxteth, Liverpool, to record the band's early compositions. Wills' valuable input encouraged some experimental techniques and ultimately helped mold their diverse sound. In 2011, the trio issued a pair of singles, "The Mountain Dogs" and "I Am the Rain" (which was recorded during one fleeting midnight visit to Abbey Road studios), that were gathered on 2012's EP Noah and the Paper Moon. The reception for the record was positive: Stealing Sheep began to receive radio play from some of BBC 6 Music's influential DJs such as Lauren Laverne and Jarvis Cocker and they were signed by Heavenly Records. The band recorded their first album proper at a significant spot, the Mello Mello café, with help from producer Sam Crombie. The eclectic, bursting-with-ideas Into the Diamond Sun was released in 2012, and the band toured the U.K. and Europe afterward. While working on their next record, the trio were a part of the 2014 show In Dreams: David Lynch Revisited at the Barbican in London, reinterpreting music from the director's films. When Stealing Sheep reappeared with new music, the sound was much more focused and direct, with most of the psych-folk removed and a more electronic, upbeat feel added. One of the new reference points for the band was the Pointer Sisters' classic song "Automatic," which was a marked change from their first record. Not Real was released in April 2015. The group kept refining their sound and began work on their next album as soon as they stopped touring. The sessions started at their homes, where basic tracks and ideas were laid down, then expanded to Liverpool's Invisible Wind Factory. The trio by now were playing a wider range of instruments: Mercer used a full drum kit instead of only toms, Lansley took up bass guitar, and Hawley designed her own synth patches. They took a break from recording in early 2018 to set up a Liverpool concert in tribute to the centenary of women's suffrage, then went back to work. Once the songs were finished, they called in a number of producers to mix the songs. Marta Salogni, who had worked with Björk, and Ash Workman, who had credits with both Christine and the Queens and Metronomy, were among those who helped shape the band's newly bright and poppy sound. Combining disco, synth pop, and R&B, along with their unmistakable vocal harmonies, Big Wows was issued by Heavenly in April 2019. For their next project, Stealing Sheep worked with Bob Earland, Dick Mills, and Roger Limb of the Radiophonic Workshop on a live scoring of the 1973 cult favorite animated sci-fi film La Planète Sauvage (Fantastic Planet) as a part of Fire Records' series of reimagined film scores. Arriving on Delia Derbyshire Day in 2021, La Planète Sauvage incorporated psych-rock and atmospheric analog electronics. Wow Machine, inspired by Derbyshire as well as Suzanne Ciani, Daphne Oram, and other female electronic music pioneers, was released in 2022. The commissioned album was released by Both Sides Records as part of the Brighter Sound gender equality program.
© Tim Sendra & Scott Kerr /TiVo

Discography

18 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller

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