Wise Blood (musician)

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Not to be confused with fellow musician Weyes Blood.
Wise Blood (musician)
Wise Blood c. 2015.
Wise Blood c. 2015.
Background information
Birth nameChris Laufman
Also known asC. Moore Laufman
GenresPop, electronic, alternative, gospel
Years active2010–present
LabelsDovecote Records, Future Gods, Cretin's Club
Websiteonline-archive.info

Wise Blood is the stage name of producer, performer, and songwriter Chris Laufman. He has released two albums, three EP's, and a mixtape. His work is largely sample-based and electronic.[1]

Career[edit]

2010–2013: early career and Id[edit]

Chris Laufman released his first project as Wise Blood, +, in 2010.[2] A video for the song "B.I.G. E.G.O." premiered later that year featuring Daphne Guinness.[3] Following the reception of his debut EP he was the subject of a Pitchfork profile which focused on his unique approach to songwriting.[4] Laufman would subsequently release another Wise Blood EP, These Wings, in 2011 along with the single "Loud Mouths".[5][6] In support of the release he performed at SXSW[7] and played in-studio at BBC Radio 1.[8] He gained attention for his energetic and aggressive live shows,[9] as well as for his conflicted relationship with Catholicism.[10] His music was particularly noted for its incorporation of samples, a process which he further expanded on in an interview with The New York Times in 2011.[11] Laufman contributed a cover of the song "Someday" by the Strokes to Stereogum's "STROKED: A Tribute to Is This It".[12]

In 2013 Wise Blood released his debut album Id.[13] A trailer for the album was released featuring Dog the Bounty Hunter.[14] Its first single, "Rat", premiered on Pitchfork.[15] Speaking to Fact Laufman revealed that his tumultuous personal life and struggle with conceptualizing the album had contributed to its delay.[16] In an MTV profile he expanded on his personal issues as well as revealed the different influences that inspired the record including John Waters.[17] In their review of the album Consequence of Sound noted its similarities to Animal Collective and declared that "Laufman's genre collaging and quirky point of view make Id a compelling listen".[18]

2013–present: songwriting, production, and Greatest Hits[edit]

Following the release of Id Laufman's output consisted primarily of songwriting and production. He is credited as a contributing songwriter to Partynextdoor's eponymous self-titled debut EP Partynextdoor for the song "Wild Bitches" which contains elements of the Wise Blood track "Loud Mouths".[19] Laufman also began working with Pittsburgh drag queen The Moon Baby.[20] In 2014 they released the song "Bae Sick" on Dazed.[21] Their debut EP Urallpoor.us premiered on Vice-run music site Noisey.[22] They have continued to work together on subsequent releases.[23][24][25]

In 2014, Wise Blood also released a conceptual mixtape titled Get 'Em using samples that were not able to be cleared for his debut album Id.[26] Laufman explained the inspiration for the release and artistic process he took in creating the mixtape to The Fader as such; "'I wanted to do it after I watched my cousin download a movie on an iPad, watch it on T.V. then record some of the movie for a Vine", he says, "I like that the original material is literally traveling from device to device and then ending up back where it started but now it has some fucking mileage on it'".[26] A video for the track "Helter Shelter" from the mixtape was released the previous year.[27]

In 2019, Laufman released the album Greatest Hits under his own name.[28] He revealed that the album was a collection of material from the past 7 years that dealt with his struggle with mental health and substance abuse issues that he had recently been addressing for the first time in his life.[28] In his review of the album, Randall Colburn of The A.V. Club noted that it "veers—often wildly—between straightforward if decidedly off-kilter, pop ("Graceland", "When You Need Somebody") and tactile mood pieces that swallow Laufman whole in a maelstrom of delicately arranged samples ("Dope Swinger", "Soak Up the Sun")."[29]

In 2022, Laufman released the EP Strain at a Gnat under the name C. Moore Laufman.[30]

Discography[edit]

Studio albums[edit]

  • Greatest Hits (Future Gods 2019)
  • Id (Dovecote Records 2012)

EPs[edit]

  • Strain at a Gnat (Cretin's Club 2022)
  • Urallpoor.us (with The Moon Baby) (Future Gods 2014)
  • These Wings (Dovecote Records 2011)[31]
  • + (self-released 2010)

Mixtapes[edit]

  • Get 'Em (self-released 2014)

Singles[edit]

  • "Rat" (2012)
  • "Loud Mouths" (2011)
  • "Solo (4 Claire) / "Rot My Brain Away" (2010)[32]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Lester, Paul (2011-10-07). "New band of the day – No 1,122: Wise Blood". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-02-05.
  2. ^ "Enigmatic pop collagist Wise Blood's first EP to be reissued on Future Gods". August 10, 2018.
  3. ^ "Wise Blood – "B.I.G. E.G.O." Video (Feat. Daphne Guinness) (NSFW) + MP3s". Stereogum. 2010-12-14. Retrieved 2020-02-05.
  4. ^ "Rising: Wise Blood". Pitchfork. 27 August 2010. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  5. ^ "Stream: Wise Blood's These Wings EP". The FADER. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
  6. ^ "Wise Blood - "Loud Mouths"". Complex. Retrieved 2020-02-24.
  7. ^ "SXSW: Kills, Dom, Jamie Woon, Austra, Wise Blood". Pitchfork. 18 March 2011. Retrieved 2020-03-02.
  8. ^ "BBC Radio 1 - Huw Stephens, Wise Blood in session, Christmas Exclusives". BBC. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  9. ^ "Is Wise Blood This Year's Most Improved Band?". The FADER. Retrieved 2020-02-25.
  10. ^ staff/melanie-jane-parker (2011-03-31). "Wise Blood, Musician". Gothamist. Retrieved 2020-02-05.
  11. ^ Egner, Jeremy (2011-10-20). "Popcast: 'One Pig' and Wise Blood". ArtsBeat. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  12. ^ "Stereogum Presents… STROKED: A Tribute To Is This It". Stereogum. 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
  13. ^ "Stream Wise Blood id". Stereogum. 2013-06-20. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  14. ^ "Wise Blood's new trailer features Dog the Bounty Hunter". Consequence of Sound. 2013-03-21. Retrieved 2020-02-19.
  15. ^ Listen to "Rat" by Wise Blood, retrieved 2020-02-19
  16. ^ "Noise-pop artist Wise Blood opens up about debut album Id; stream it now". FACT Magazine. 2013-06-18. Retrieved 2020-02-03.
  17. ^ Bowman, Patrick. "How Wise Blood Channeled His Inner John Waters for His New Album 'Id'". MTV News. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  18. ^ "Album Review: Wise Blood - Id". Consequence of Sound. 2013-06-24. Retrieved 2020-02-05.
  19. ^ PARTYNEXTDOOR – Wild Bitches, retrieved 2020-03-02
  20. ^ Mulkerin, Andy. "Moon Baby on the rise after landing in Pittsburgh". Pittsburgh City Paper. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
  21. ^ Dazed (2014-10-14). "Stream Wise Blood's entrancing track for the moon baby". Dazed. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  22. ^ Bennett, Kim Taylor (2014-11-18). "Listen to the Moon Baby and Wise Blood's Weirdly Wonderful EP 'Urallpoor.us'". Vice. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
  23. ^ "Premiere: Wise Blood - "Rome (feat. The Moon Baby)"". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
  24. ^ "Pittsburgh Drag Queen Moon Baby Drops Scorching Trump Diss Track". www.out.com. 2017-09-15. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
  25. ^ "Premiere: Pittsburgh Drag Star Moon Baby Taps Biblegirl 666 for 'Pumps by the Pool'". www.out.com. 2017-07-18. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
  26. ^ a b "Stream Wise Blood's Get 'Em Mixtape". The FADER. Retrieved 2020-02-13.
  27. ^ "Video: Wise Blood, "Helter Shelter"". The FADER. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
  28. ^ a b Snowden, Jordan. "Chris Laufman (fka Wise Blood) surprise dropped his first new album in six years". Pittsburgh City Paper. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
  29. ^ Club, The A. V. (27 September 2019). "5 new releases we love: New Pornographers surge to life, Tegan And Sara look back, and more". Music. Retrieved 2020-02-05.
  30. ^ "MUTANT ZONES: C. Moore Laufman - Strain At A Gnat EP". MUTANT ZONES. 2022-09-30. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  31. ^ "Album Review: Wise Blood - These Wings EP". Consequence of Sound. 2011-08-08. Retrieved 2020-02-26.
  32. ^ "Solo (4 Claire)". Pitchfork. 5 October 2010. Retrieved 2020-02-24.
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