The Whitest Boy Alive

The international outfit The Whitest Boy Alive assembled in Germany in 2003. The members of the band initially intended to play dance staff, but soon they denied the idea of programming sounds and chose to play instruments characteristic of classic rock. The project’s initiator was the Norwegian musician Erlend Oye, a professional DJ, leader of the Kings of Convenience group and other of many other acts. As a member of the new formation, he took up the responsibilities of a front man. For the first year of their activity, the participants of The Whitest Boy Alive came to realize that they liked playing live on the stage much more than sitting day in day out in front of the computer to make up electronic stuff. The musicians decided to get done with the boring procedure of mixing up the digital music layers and switched to recording together playing real instruments and involving other people into this process. They managed to found their own label called Bubbles to produce their debut album, Dreams, in 2006. The artwork of this release was executed by Geoff McFetridge, who also did the cover for the band’s subsequent log player.

According to the main creative leader of the group, Erlend Oye, The Whitest Boy Alive was not made up only as the title of the band, but also as a character that was brought to life in the dimension concealed between music and lyrics. Long before the creation of The Whitest Boy Alive, Oye grew fond of experimenting with genres and refused to bind himself with any of the existent trends. This was one of the main reasons why his new group’s music became a combination of pop-melodies, dance-rhythms and rock-energy. Despite the manufactured product’s high quality, the album failed to attach the deserved attention from critic or audience. To promote the fresh release, The Whitest Boy Alive embarked on a large-scale tour where they showcased how good they were on the stage.

To prepare their second full-length album, The Whitest Boy Alive left Germany and went to the studio located in the distant Mexico. It was important for the musicians to forget the failure of the debut work and to make a completely new one in the completely new conditions. The record was available since spring 2009. The participants of th project remained happy with what they had done, and the press finally began actively speculating on the young formation. Called Rules, this album appeared slightly more dance-oriented and optimistic than its predecessor, but, generally speaking, the musicians remained loyal to the direction they once chose. However, the new record demonstrated the group’s speedy professional growth. As for the concepts of The Whitest Boy Alive two works, their debut long player Dreams touched upon the issues of personal development, while the second effort, Rules, seemed to be a certain code or collection of norms (which is reflected in the album’s title) teaching one how to treat other people. Considering the song writer and poet Erlend Oye’s fondness for trying something new and special, one can not be sure where the young The Whitest Boy Alive will go. However, the talent and experience of the band’s members leaves no doubt that their following albums will maintain top quality.