Living Things (band)
Encyclopedia
Living Things are an American indie rock
band from St. Louis, Missouri
. The band, consist of chief provocateur singer/songwriter/guitarist Lillian Berlin
and his two siblings Yves Berlin (bass guitar) and Joshua "Bosh" Berlin (drums), . Singer Lillian Berlin lyrics and songwriting has been described as " fiercely political" . Living Things were #42 on Rolling Stone magazine's top 50 album's of 2005 with their debut full length album "Ahead of the Lions" Recorded by Steve Albini. "Ahead of the Lions" was #31 on Spin Magazine's top 40 albums of 2005. Living Things song "Bom Bom Bom" was featured in a Cingular cellular phone commercial. In 2009 Living Things second album " Habeas Corpus" was released to critical acclaim, though the band were unhappy with the record, and they wanted to release another version that was vetoed by their record company. Lead singer and guitarist Lilliam Berlin composed the original score for " The Runaways" feature film starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning in 2010, premiering at The Sundance Film Festival. The Living Things took root in the early 2000s, pairing punky songcraft with a fiercely political edge. The band's most outspoken figure was frontman Lillian Berlin born Lawrence Berlin Rothman, who grew up in the suburbs of St. Louis alongside his brothers (and future bandmates) Yves and Bosh Berlin( born Joshua Berlin). Oldest brother Lillian Berlin took an interest in literature (chiefly the works of Mark Twain, Jim Carroll, Jack Kerouac, Anne Sexton,and Sylvia Plath) political history and music. He picked up the guitar at an early age along with singing, and his younger brothers learned the bass and drums, respectively. Lillian wrote his first song when he was 12 years old. They recorded their first album "A.D.H.D" on a four track cassette tape in their parents basement self released on their own Ozark Mountain Blood label. The album gained the attention of many record labels. The band eventually signed with Dreamworks Records, stating that they were big fans of Elliot Smith who was on the label's roster.
, his subsequent addiction to anti-depressants, and his tenuous coexistence with an anarchist mother and deadbeat father. An excerpt from this book was turned into a short film directed by Floria Sigismondi and broadcast on The Turner Classics channel in November 2005. A full screenplay is said to have been written. In 2003, Berlin was stabbed in the leg at a college concert in Kansas City while crowd surfing
, because of anti-George Bush
remarks. In July 2004, Lillian Berlin was shot at by three men behind a Dallas rock club The Gypsy Tea Room. Berlin is known for his very outspoken remarks about the "American Dream" being broken, and has repeatedly written about this subject in his songs. Berlin has held debates onstage, and he was arrested for disturbing the peace at the 2004 Republican National Convention
. He has celebrated the US Military at Living Things concerts with a salute and a toast to the military. Living Things' second full length album " Habeas Corpus" was recorded in Berlin, Germany at the Hansa Ton Studios in 2008 after 2 albums worth of material totaling 28 songs leaning in a more rootsy- americana direction recorded in 2006- 2007 were scrapped by the band. Two records remained unreleased " Missouri Aches" and " Family". Their first self released album "A.D.D" remains out of print. In 2011 the band released a free 7 song mixtape, "Malocchio", via their website. On May 13, 2011 Living Things via Spin.com announced that their third album will be a "Triple Album" to be released in 2012. On Nov 11, 2011 Living Things released the controversial video for a song called "Har Megiddo", where a man has sexual intercourse with his car. Singer/Guitarist Lillian Berlin stated that Ray Kurzweil's philosophy's on "Singularity" was the inspiration.
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band from St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. The band, consist of chief provocateur singer/songwriter/guitarist Lillian Berlin
Lillian Berlin
Lillian Berlin is the lead singer/guitarist for St. Louis rock band Living Things. In addition Berlin is songwriter/producer and composer. He is also published author for the controversial book "Post Mortem Bliss'" and scored The Runaways film starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning...
and his two siblings Yves Berlin (bass guitar) and Joshua "Bosh" Berlin (drums), . Singer Lillian Berlin lyrics and songwriting has been described as " fiercely political" . Living Things were #42 on Rolling Stone magazine's top 50 album's of 2005 with their debut full length album "Ahead of the Lions" Recorded by Steve Albini. "Ahead of the Lions" was #31 on Spin Magazine's top 40 albums of 2005. Living Things song "Bom Bom Bom" was featured in a Cingular cellular phone commercial. In 2009 Living Things second album " Habeas Corpus" was released to critical acclaim, though the band were unhappy with the record, and they wanted to release another version that was vetoed by their record company. Lead singer and guitarist Lilliam Berlin composed the original score for " The Runaways" feature film starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning in 2010, premiering at The Sundance Film Festival. The Living Things took root in the early 2000s, pairing punky songcraft with a fiercely political edge. The band's most outspoken figure was frontman Lillian Berlin born Lawrence Berlin Rothman, who grew up in the suburbs of St. Louis alongside his brothers (and future bandmates) Yves and Bosh Berlin( born Joshua Berlin). Oldest brother Lillian Berlin took an interest in literature (chiefly the works of Mark Twain, Jim Carroll, Jack Kerouac, Anne Sexton,and Sylvia Plath) political history and music. He picked up the guitar at an early age along with singing, and his younger brothers learned the bass and drums, respectively. Lillian wrote his first song when he was 12 years old. They recorded their first album "A.D.H.D" on a four track cassette tape in their parents basement self released on their own Ozark Mountain Blood label. The album gained the attention of many record labels. The band eventually signed with Dreamworks Records, stating that they were big fans of Elliot Smith who was on the label's roster.
Alleged controversy
Lillian Berlin has authored a book, Post Mortem Bliss (Apocrypha Press). It explores his life from 13 to 19, a period marked by his being diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorderAttention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a developmental disorder. It is primarily characterized by "the co-existence of attentional problems and hyperactivity, with each behavior occurring infrequently alone" and symptoms starting before seven years of age.ADHD is the most commonly studied and...
, his subsequent addiction to anti-depressants, and his tenuous coexistence with an anarchist mother and deadbeat father. An excerpt from this book was turned into a short film directed by Floria Sigismondi and broadcast on The Turner Classics channel in November 2005. A full screenplay is said to have been written. In 2003, Berlin was stabbed in the leg at a college concert in Kansas City while crowd surfing
Crowd surfing
Crowd surfing is the process in which a person is passed overhead from person to person during a concert, transferring the person from one part of the venue to another...
, because of anti-George Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
remarks. In July 2004, Lillian Berlin was shot at by three men behind a Dallas rock club The Gypsy Tea Room. Berlin is known for his very outspoken remarks about the "American Dream" being broken, and has repeatedly written about this subject in his songs. Berlin has held debates onstage, and he was arrested for disturbing the peace at the 2004 Republican National Convention
2004 Republican National Convention
The 2004 Republican National Convention, the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States, took place from August 30 to September 2, 2004 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York...
. He has celebrated the US Military at Living Things concerts with a salute and a toast to the military. Living Things' second full length album " Habeas Corpus" was recorded in Berlin, Germany at the Hansa Ton Studios in 2008 after 2 albums worth of material totaling 28 songs leaning in a more rootsy- americana direction recorded in 2006- 2007 were scrapped by the band. Two records remained unreleased " Missouri Aches" and " Family". Their first self released album "A.D.D" remains out of print. In 2011 the band released a free 7 song mixtape, "Malocchio", via their website. On May 13, 2011 Living Things via Spin.com announced that their third album will be a "Triple Album" to be released in 2012. On Nov 11, 2011 Living Things released the controversial video for a song called "Har Megiddo", where a man has sexual intercourse with his car. Singer/Guitarist Lillian Berlin stated that Ray Kurzweil's philosophy's on "Singularity" was the inspiration.
Discography
- A.D.H.DA.D.H.D"A.D.H.D" is a 2006 single by Blood Red Shoes, and was the first to feature an accompanying video featuring the band. Both the A-side and the B-side tracks continued to be played live by the band as late as 2008. As with their previous singles, the release was a limited edition vinyl only...
(2003) Ozark Mountain Blood Records - Turn in Your Friends and Neighbors EP (2003) DreamworksDreamWorks RecordsDreamWorks Records was an American record label. Founded in 1996 by David Geffen, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg as a subsidiary of DreamWorks SKG, the label operated until 2005 when it was shut down...
- Black Skies in Broad Daylight (2004) Universal RecordsUniversal RecordsUniversal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
- Resight Your Rights EP (2004) DreamworksDreamWorks RecordsDreamWorks Records was an American record label. Founded in 1996 by David Geffen, Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg as a subsidiary of DreamWorks SKG, the label operated until 2005 when it was shut down...
- Ahead of the LionsAhead of the LionsAhead of the Lions is an album by rock band Living Things, released on October 4, 2005. The first single is the song "Bom Bom Bom" was featured in a Cingular commercial promoting an iTunes-compatible phone....
(2005) Jive RecordsJive RecordsJive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African... - Habeas CorpusHabeas Corpus (Living Things Album)Habeas Corpus is the second album from St. Louis rock band Living Things. The album was recorded over a period of nine months in Hansa Tonstudio in Berlin...
(2009) Jive Records - Malocchio (2011) Brotherly Recordings
- Har Meggido EP (2011) Brotherly Recordings
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Modern Rock | US Mainstream Rock | |||
| 2005 2005 in music -Events:*During the year 2005, 12 rock music albums scored number 1 in the USA. This was the first time even ten albums have scored number 1 since 1996.-January:... |
"Bom Bom Bom" | 21 | 37 | Ahead of the Lions |
| 2008 2008 in music 2008 was a huge year in music history with the emergence of pop superstars Lady Gaga and Katy Perry into the mainstream. Also, this is the year that is widely agreed upon by critics as the start of the fall of hip hop from the mainstream and the rise of Synthpop into the mainstream due to acts such... |
"Let It Rain" | - | - | Habeas Corpus |
| 2009 2009 in music The following is a list of notable events and releases in 2009 in music. Susan Boyle's album I Dreamed a Dream became the biggest selling album in the world for 2009, selling 8.3 million copies in five weeks; more than any other artist's in the whole year... |
"Oxygen" | - | - | Habeas Corpus |