The Real Tuesday Weld - The London Book Of The Dead (2008)

The Real Tuesday Weld, a.k.a. British singer-songwriter and audio provocateur Stephen Coates has charmed critics and audiences alike by wedding the suggestive hiss of vintage vinyl and ancient radio transmissions to the latest samples, loops and glitchy beats, creating a signature sound he calls "antique beat". London Book of the Dead may be a startlingly morose title, and it's true that the album's lyrical concerns drift dreamily between such weighty topics as death, religious faith, honesty, drugs, and disease. But even when the going gets dark and introspective, there's an element of whimsy that is never far from the surface. "Last Words" is possibly the most accessible track. This catchy "electro-pop" tune is now being used extensively in the highly anticipated film Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist.

Review

"Coates peruses various styles and eras, taking choice elements from each and blending them into palatable morsels that fit right into today's progressives styles. The London Book of the Dead gives yesterday's music its due, and in the process brings an elegance and refinement to the sound of today." -- Miami New Times

"His albums create a scene (usually London), set a mood (perhaps a rainy night in London), and sketch a story (what, you need everything spelled out?). In this lyrical, gently whimsical gem, his songs sound like Noel Coward and Cole Porter wandering out of the London fog into a studio full of laptops. Old-fashioned acoustic instruments and clever arrangements mask some very modern, almost trippy production. The actual story is somewhat elusive, and yes, it's all very English, despite the jazzy touches. But it also rocks." -- eMusic

"It's a complex voice, bitter and ardent and maybe longing, too, and, like his music, bears a certain timelessness." -- XLR8R

"Stephen Coates (aka the Real Tuesday Weld), a man obsessed with using styles from the past to create something quite new. He's not just sampling sonic bits from the dustbin. He's employing modern technology, and a stable of guest musicians, to cast music history in a decidedly avant light. His love of sonic antiques is genuine, and it's balanced with a gorgeous flair for the surreal. Ultimately, Coates has hit on a marvelous mean between the neo-jazz of Leon Redbone and the crinkly modernity of Coco Rosie, in the process blurring past and present into a time warp all his own." -- New York Daily News

"The Real Tuesday Weld's ambitious, anachronistic whimsy is an all too rare commodity in pop, particularly because Coates never deigns to remove the yawning distance between singer and narrator...the strikingly old-fashioned arrangements and the production and songwriting updating them make for some unusual and rewarding juxtapositions. There's a fine album here." -- Pitchfork Media