Island Records - Yeah Yeah Willy Moon 4 stars out of 5
AMANDA NEWELL
KLPI Reporter
“Yeah Yeah” by Willy Moon is ridiculously catchy. You’ve probably heard it already; it’s the song in the most recent iPod commercial, and it’s currently No. 17 on iTunes download charts.
He has been named “One to Watch” by “The Guardian” and one of the “Faces of 2012” by “Q Magazine.”
His voice is interesting, the lyrics are good and the beat is awesome for whatever you’re doing. It’s good for running, driving and dancing, but probably not so much for studying, because you’ll definitely catch yourself dancing along.
His music fuses polar opposites, such as vintage ‘50s rock riffs with modern hip-hop production to create a brilliant form of music all his own.
Moon seems to have taken some lessons from his admiration for The Ramones to heart in his music, as he pillages ideas, phrases and imagery from the heyday of mid-1950s rockabilly, mixing in his Buddy Holly style vocals and the 21st Century beats he cooks up on his laptop.
“Yeah Yeah” is the third single from his debut album, “Here’s Willy Moon,” scheduled for release in March.
His soulful mix makes it impossible to stop your feet from tapping.
Speaking of toe tapping, the video for “Yeah Yeah” features 16 dancers turned into a sea of people through the clever use of mirrors. Moon dances on a podium in the middle as the dancers surround him. There is a brief dance battle as well between Moon, in a powder blue three-piece Alexander McQueen suit, and the dancers in black.
Having spent the autumn supporting Jack White on his US tour, Moon will now take Europe by storm with a number of nationwide tour dates, starting in the UK this March.
His two previous singles, “Railroad Track” and “Bang Bang” were released through Jack White’s label, Third Man Records.
“Yeah Yeah” was written and produced by Moon and released through Island Records.
Originally from New Zealand, Moon has spent most of his time in London after spending all of his money on a one-way plane ticket.
With his weird culture mash-up style, Moon has found himself a unique market.
Will it be enough to turn “Yeah Yeah” into a hit or Willy into a star?
It is not hard to see “Yeah Yeah” taking off in modern-rock radio and becoming a minor crossover hit in the style of Grouplove’s “Tongue Tied” or The Lumineers’ “Ho Hey,” two other songs that were able to ride commercial endorsements into solid mainstream success.
Email comments to amn...@latech.edu.
