Representative Albums: "Still Night, Still Light," "Verses of Comfort, Assurance & Salvation," "The Bird of Music"
Biography
The Brooklyn indie pop outfit Au Revoir Simone features Heather D'Angelo (vocals/drum machine/keyboard), Erika Forster (vocals/keyboard), and Annie Hart (vocals/keyboard). Borrowing their name from a minor character in the Tim Burton comedy Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, the Casio-centric group came together in late 2003, when Forster and Hart befriended one another while traveling by train from Vermont to New York. From there, they became fast friends and began writing songs together. D'Angelo and Sung Bin Park (keyboard/vocals) were added to the dreamy pop fray after contributing to many practice sessions, but Park left in January 2005 to pursue other projects. A year later, Au Revoir Simone issued their debut album, Verses of Comfort, Assurance & Salvation. It was self-released in the United States and appeared on the Moshi Moshi label throughout Europe. Additionally, the song "Through the Backyards" was included in the season finale to Grey's Anatomy that spring, thus boosting the trio's profile. Au Revoir Simone's second album, The Bird of Music, was released one year later, while a track-by-track remix of the record appeared in 2008 under the title Reverse Migration. The trio's third album, Still Night, Still Light, was produced by Thom Monahan and released by Our Secret Record Company in spring of 2009. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide
Au Revoir Simone is an electronic indie pop band from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York, formed in late 2003. The group is composed of Erika Forster (vocals/keyboard), Annie Hart (vocals/keyboard) and Heather D'Angelo (vocals/drum machine/keyboard). The band's name comes from a line Pee-Wee Herman says to a minor character (named Simone) in Tim Burton's Pee-Wee's Big Adventure.
Rumor has it that Erika Forster and Annie Hart became friends while traveling by train from Vermont to New York. However, Heather D'Angelo points out on her blog that it is not the case. Another founding member, Sung Bin Park, left the group in January 2005. In 2006 they did a Take-Away Show video session shot by Vincent Moon. The trio played at both the Treasure Island Music Festival, the Monolith Festival in September 2007 and the Lovebox festival in London, UK in 2009.[1] In 2007, the band contributed a t-shirt design to raise money for Transportation Alternatives. Erika Forster's father is Nick Forster of Hot Rize.[2] The band's debut album was named after a tiny book Annie received entitled 'Verses of Comfort, Assurance and Salvation'. The group felt that the name completely fit their music and the way it made them feel, so they chose it as the album's name.
Musical style
Au Revoir Simone's music has been described as "melody laden loveliness" by Q Magazine. David Lynch called their music "innocent, hip and new". Spin also gave a review of the group: "Powered by vintage keyboards, a lockstep beat-box, and gorgeous, wide-eyed warbling, the Simones create make-out music for your inner android." NME had a lot to say about the indie group: "Au Revoir Simone appear onstage like the sisters from The Virgin Suicides - their looks ranging from prim librarian, to hippy housewife to raven-haired art student. They excavate the lost corner, joining Ladytron and Camera Obscura: lush electronic hypno-folk, that breezes from the speakers like chocolate melting over one of Latitude's many £5-a-crepe food stalls". In another NME article, they went on to say that "Au Revoir Simone must have beamed in from a land where lace clouds breeze over crystal lakes and icicles grow from the warm earth. This New York three-piece's glorious synth-lead alt-folk will leave you crying on the stairs in the middle of the night". The group defined themselves as playing "warm and organic electronic music with forthright female vocalists".
Au Revoir Simone's songs appear in television programs such as "Another Likely Story" which was featured on the 100th episode of Grey's Anatomy and in 2009, Au Revoir Simone's song "The Lucky One" was the closing song in Season 3 Episode 12 of Ugly Betty. In addition, the group performed "Stay Golden," "Sad Song," and "Dark Halls" live at Robert Normand's fashion show in Paris for Fall/Winter 2007. In 2007 the band's song "Sad Song" featured on the German blockbuster movie "Keinohrhasen" (English: "Rabbits Without Ears"). "The Lucky One" and "Don't See The Sorrow" can also be heard in the 2008 Japanese movie "Kimi no Tomodachi" (English: "Your Friends").
