Je Suis Animal: Self-Taught Magic From A Book
Published Date: 30 November 2008

Je Suis Animal mix late 80s indie with a generous dose of 60s psychedelia, a spoonful of naïve melody and pinch of girly harmonies into their magic potion.

The result is enchanting, striking and uncannily beautiful.
Having met at art school in the UK, the band settled in Oslo, Norway, in 2004, and began forging a sound inspired by their love of dreamy melodic pop and all the best bits of their art degree.

Their debut album Self-Taught Magic From A Book was recorded on a trip to an old community hall, deep within the remote woodlands of Norway. Besieged by hungry bears and curious locals, they recorded the album themselves in seven days, going without sleep and living on nothing but tea and gingerbread men.

The album rolls effortlessly from bouncy and jangly to dreamy and hypnotic, to haunting and sparse. Interwoven is a particular kind of lyrical storytelling; tales of unsolved murder mysteries, snowflake collecting, magic spells and the joys of sharing milkshakes.

The album has received excellent reviews in both Norway and Australia, where it was released on Lost & Lonesome Recording Co. And it’s clear to see why. While Je Suis Animal do indeed borrow bits from past musical genres, that’s hardly a crime and doesn’t make them unique in that respect. What they’ve done well is meld this into their own, enchanting Scandinavian sound to produce something both new and exciting.

As with bands like The Ting Tings, it’s the vocals that grip you the most. Not quite so elfin-like as some of their more illustrious counterparts, it’s still quirky, offbeat and utterly beguiling. They sound like a band that’s just emerged from a shared experience in the wild woods! There’s humour here, as well as that element of leftfield, and for me, it’s the perfect accompaniment to a Sunday in front of the papers with a constant stream of coffee on the go! Just a lovely sound to get lost in.

Release Date: December 1