Lejeune released their album about a week after we relaunched BYT. I remember posting a tidbit about their CD release show on the calendar and getting a thank you note from them, which was then followed by a copy of “For Club and Country”.
It was all very polished, the kind of clever, literary pop that didn’t hide its influences (which, according to them include everything from ‘60s torch singers, spaghetti-western soundtracks, and new wave pop) while sounding like something we haven’t heard in DC for a while.
And ever since we first heard it (Little Else got us then, and still gets us now), we’ve been trying to figure out a way to do something with them.
And with their Wednesday show at The Red and The Black, their first headlining show since Fort Reno, we finally had an excuse.
So, here it is:

(all photos: Joel Didriksen http://www.kingpinphoto.com/
styling: Morgan Hungerford)

A “Rough Guide” to Lejeune’s For Club and Country

Over long, warm weekends peppered throughout summer of last year, we sequestered ourselves in Richmond’s Sound of Music studios to record what would become For Club and Country. In the capable hands of engineer Alan Weatherhead, we worked to capture our live sound in intimate detail. The resulting tracks, featured here, actually further inform how we perform these songs today. What follows are some simple notes that will hopefully enhance your enjoyment of this generously hosted listening party.
– Sam Bishop

“Your Serene Saturday Night”
Theme: Things/places/people/situations change, sometimes for the better. Please keep this in mind.
Of Note: 2:28 – I attempt a Simon Le Bon-ish yelp as we transition out of the bridge. Still feels right to me.
Back Story: Newly-honed editing skills turned an epic journey in bad songwriting clichés—ponderous bridges, unnecessary key changes, weird vocal choices—into not only a song strong enough to kick off an album, but one through which we became markedly better tunesmiths.

“Replaced by Robots”
Theme: All walks of life are capable of love; some people want you to ignore this fact.
Of Note: 2:32 – A guitar riff 50 shows in the making.
Back Story: Some songs take time to get right. After recording this tune for our first record, road testing inspired refinements. In the end, the song proved to have legs, so we decided to give it the full studio treatment (Also see “Moon-Shy City”).

“Constant Architect”
Theme: A fight song for underdogs and fifth columnists.
Take Note: 2:23 – Sleigh bells!
Back Story: Our J. Forté is a bit of a secret weapon. A pop-rocking songwriter in his own right (namesake of DC’s own J. Forté and The Secret Pop Band, in fact), when he joined Lejeune two years ago, we were hoping to mine his creative mind. This tune sprang from his first gamely proffered idea. It also nicely showcases the breadth of Greg’s drumming aptitude.

“Bizarre Histrionics”
Theme: Magical thinking.
Of Note: 0:04 – At the time of recording, I hadn’t yet mastered singing the verses in one breath. Therefore I recorded them on two separate tracks. I’m not an opera singer, and, thankfully, this is just pop music.
Back Story: This tune was supposed to be a twee two-minuter. It turned into our most concise and classically crafted pop tune to date.

“The Latest Greatest”
Theme: Hope can be very powerful, but not always helpful.
Of Note: 4:46 – The precise moment when “The Big Muff” permanently entered Matthew’s guitar effects chain.
Back Story: This was a particularly difficult song to write, lyrically speaking. I knew early on that I’d be writing about a specific person and situation, and struggled for over a year to come up with words that paid proper tribute. The finishing touches actually took place in the recording booth.

“Spanish”
Theme: An old school Faustian tale. Is that redundant?
Of Note: 2:37 – Three-part harmony!
Back Story: “Spanish” was the working title, because it sounded Spanish to me when I first figured out how to play the opening riff on acoustic guitar. The riff came to life through Matthew’s deft picking (as well as Ody’s, as he reprises the line on bass at various times throughout the song), but felt less, well, “Spanish.” We kept the name anyway.

“Moon-Shy City”
Theme: I have concerns about over-development; I express them here.
Of Note: 2:31 – I doff my proverbial cap to employees of Ralph Nader’s Public Interest Research Group.
Back Story: See “Replaced by Robots”

“Little Else”
Theme: A lullaby.
Of Note: Background noise courtesy of West Broad Street, Richmond, Virginia.
Back Story: This song almost didn’t get recorded. Luckily in our last weekend, no one was using the upstairs studio at Sound of Music, so while mixing was taking place downstairs, the gentle Palmer Wilkins and I recorded this number on the sly. Actually we had permission.

“I Am in Your Corner”
Theme: Our loving take on the murder ballad.
Of Note: 5:10 – Greg says he can hear voices in the din right around here. I can’t, but still find the notion a bit creepy.
Back Story: This is my favorite song on the record.

“My Heart Beats on the Ground”
Theme: Who really wins when you serve several masters?
Of Note: 0:33 – I love the interplay between keys and guitar in this verse. It’s a very delicately choreographed call and response.
Back Story: This song quickly became our nod to hit masters at the legendary Brill Building, most notably, Burt Bacharach and Carol King. This is epitomized by Greg’s drum fill at 1:46.

“Good Times”
Theme: Some ships sail rudderless
Of Note: 3:38 – There is something so right about ending an album on a sustained minor chord.
Back Story: As with picking an opener, deciding on an album’s closing track can be challenging. “Good Times” turned out to be the perfect “book-end” to this record. Hope you’ve enjoyed listening to it

Want more:
Befriend them on http://www.myspace.com/lejeunedc, catch them tomorrow at The Red and The Black, and if you are feeling lucky drop us a line (info@brightestyoungthings.com)/or a comment here for a chance to win
a. their fine record
and
b. a pair of tickets to the Wednesday show .

What are you waiting for?