Britta Phillips (formerly of Atlanta) is really hot. Dean Wareham (formerly of New Zealand) is really cool. Perfect. Both, incidentally, are former members of the great (New York-based) band Luna, which is the subject of the incredible documentary Tell Me Do You Miss Me. If you ever wanted to be in a rock band but gave up your dream to do something more practical, Tell Me Do You Miss Me will make you feel better about your decision.
Dean and Britta (now a married couple) chucked Luna to work on their own thing. Luna was a magnificent band, equal parts Television and Velvet Underground, with a specialty in intricate guitar interplay and understated rock. Dean and Britta are an icy evolution from Luna's sound. Harking to an early '70s vibe, Wareham is a laid back Lou Reed, while Phillips is a purring sex kitten that even Hef would be proud of.
Dean and Britta's new record, Back Numbers, represents a more fully realized version of their laconic, sleepy sound. The couple's first record, the atmospheric L'Aventurra, set the tone as a slowed-down, sexy, chill-out duet record. Back Numbers takes it a step further, replacing Luna's guitar interplay with a somewhat more modern, atmospheric keyboard-blurb texture. Back Numbers is a small hours masterpiece, perfect for that period of time after the party's over and everyone's gone. Beautiful stuff.
MP3: Dean and Britta - "You Turned My Head Around" from Back Numbers
MP3: Dean and Britta - "Words You Used To Say" from Back Numbers
Check out the Cheryl Ladd-like video for "Words You Used To Say":
