I like The Like

[obiwankobe]

Los Angeles’ The Like seem to have mastered their silky, pop rock sound as they commence their major label debut, Are You Thinking What I’m Thinking?, and various lofty opening band appearances. Now positioned as headliners, The Like’s sound—simple, clean and catchy—attracts all kinds of fans, forming a soon-to-be nationwide audience. Z Berg, Charlotte Froom and Tennessee Thomas are fashion icons, role models and respectable musicians with an eye for what works when it comes to indie rock.

The Like have previously released three EPs (…And The Like, I Like The Like and Like It Or Not), and all but “27 Days,” “We Are Lost” and “End of an Era” are used and re-recorded on Are You Thinking. But the songs have been redone to a very dreamy ideal. The guitars that previously sounded a tinge grungier are now cleaned up, and they sweep you away with their flowing progression on such songs as newer track “You Bring Me Down.” Even classic “So I’ll Sit Here (Waiting),” which enjoyed some local radio play, is recognized automatically by its catchy opening riffs, but it has been redone to include a more connected feel, losing some of the Like’s original raw energy.

Sweet and graceful, singer Z Berg’s vocals have a dual texture to them, sounding smooth and sweet most of the time but also becoming lower and a little raspier, which gives the Like their signature sound. Berg’s voice is the main factor in distinguishing this three piece as a band in their own class. Their originality is definitely emphasized above the crafty bass lines on this album.

There are other noticeable differences between the EP versions and the album versions. For instance, in “Falling Away,” the tempo changes give a new outlook. The EP versions mostly sound more honest and naïve, which are qualities that the Like possessed so well and made them that much more attractive and pleasant to their listeners. Although they lose some of their folk touch and their new sound might alienate some fans, Are You Thinking retains the same goodies that their fans enjoy: basic song writing techniques, simplicity and a brilliant range of vocals. The Like’s experimentation with distortion also serves them well, and it could help them reach radio status, considering the songs’ cleaner and more mainstream sound.

OK, so enough reminiscing about the old days. The Like’s debut album is out, and they have something to prove. As an entire piece, Are You Thinking definitely shines. Longtime Like fans as well as new listeners will find it enjoyable. Not only does it play off the old classics, but it has something new for everyone in the form of “Waves That Never Break” and such previously unreleased ditties as “June Gloom” and “You Bring Me Down.” The Like owns simplicity well, and for the most part, their charms still overpower any overproduction worries that fans might have.

[gidgetgoestohell]

You like The Like so much, you said it twice....

[Glenn]

I like the like.

I also really like the Shout our loud song.

I also want my own t.v show.

[obiwankobe]

Now today Indie plays The Like "June Gloom", what do we have here? Looks like a 3.5 week lag. Then they say "new music you hear first on indie". KCRW been rolling them for months & LA Times was talking about them 6 months ago. Just play the music, don't say "you heard it here first", because I didn't. Good song though, I would like to see it in the rotation

[obiwankobe]

Think back to when you were a teenager. I’ll venture to guess you weren’t touring 21-and-over clubs like Spaceland, opening for the likes of Tori Amos and releasing your debut album to much praise and anticipation. But L.A.’s The Like is an exception to the typical. Band members Z Berg (vocals/guitar), Charlotte Froom (bass) and Tennessee Thomas (drums) formed in 2001 when the oldest member was a mere 16, and signed to major label Geffen who released their full-length album, Are You Thinking What I’m Thinking. Z took some time to chat with Ambitious-Outsiders about her difficulties thinking of song titles, what she considers to be the L.A. sound and why the band name works (she really does tend to say “like” ... like a lot).

The Like formed in 2001 when all of its members were still in high school and now your first full-length album is out. Initially, did the band see this as a sort of extracurricular activity? And when did it shift dynamics to become a more serious endeavor?
It’s weird. I’ve played music forever ... before we started the band, but I’m not really one to think about the future much generally. When the band started, there was never really any conversation like, well we got to get a record deal, make a record and be rich and famous. It was sort of just like, so this is what we’re doing. And once it came time to think about applying for colleges and stuff, it was sort of like, well, why would we do that? This is what we’re doing. It was never something that was sort of talked about. It just happened. We just sort of knew that there was no way of escaping it from the first day we met.

Much has been made about the Like’s family connections (Charlotte’s dad is producer Mitchell Froom; Tennessee’s dad is Pete Thomas, longtime drummer for Elvis Costello; and Z’s dad is A&R man Tony Berg). How do you respond when critics attribute the band’s success to that?
That’s just stupid. Generally they don’t go so far as to say the reason why we are where we are is because of our dads. It’s generally just an angle. It’s fine. We come from musical families. We’re not ashamed of that. I love my parents. They’re the greatest parents in the whole world, and I think we all feel that way. We’re lucky to have musical people with great taste in our lives. But when it comes to our band, we and our parents made it a great point of keeping them very separate. We always wanted to do things on our own terms. In the same way that my dad wouldn’t tell everyone at work to come to our show or I wouldn’t flier at my school or announce it in the bulletin. It’s much more satisfying when people from my school would show up on their own accord just like when friends of my parents would come to our show and be like, “Why the hell didn’t you tell us about this?” To me, it’s much more rewarding.

When you say it is kept pretty separate, what role, if any, do the parents play in the music?
When it comes to the music, my dad is the first opinion that I ask if he likes something or not but that’s sort of as far as it goes. The band is ours and ours alone. And what [our parents] do is what any parents would do, which is come to all of our shows and be really nice to us.

What’s the creative process like?
I’m the songwriter. And we arrange them all together.

Where do you mainly cull your topics from?
I write about what anyone writes about, which is just sort of what’s going on in my life. Generally, writing comes from sort of sadness or dismay. As they say, happiness writes blank. It’s generally what’s happening in my life, often whatever I’m reading and things generally seem to connect.

Comparisons have been made between the Like and the Sundays and the Pretenders. Who would you say specifically influences your music?
I don’t know. I mean we listen to so much music and so many different kinds that it’s hard to say what actually influences us. I love the Sundays even more than life itself and the Pretenders, and I love a lot of bands, but I also love R. Kelly and Norwegian black metal. So it’s hard to tell what is actually an inspiration to me.

How difficult is it for an all-girl band in a mostly male-dominated music industry?
It’s definitely a male-dominated music industry. It’s really a male-dominated everything. But so far we’ve been pretty lucky in that to our faces no one has ever really been like, “Yeah, you guys are really great ... for girls!” But who knows what happens behind our backs. We’ve found people to be really warm and accepting. And as far as the people we work with, our manager is a woman, the head of our label is a woman, our producer is a woman, our lawyer, all of our agents... [Laughs] Like everyone we work with is a fucking woman. It’s ridiculous. And that was never really a conscious choice. It’s not like we’re man haters or anything. We just sort of find ourselves surrounded by powerful women. I think it’s important for girls to know it’s okay to play music, and you don’t have to try to act like a boy to play music. I think our music is very feminine. It’s not like we’re trying to sound just like the Sex Pistols or just like the Ramones. We want to write beautiful music. Growing up, I didn’t really listen to any female musicians. I was totally anti-fucking-girl bands. All I wanted to do was be in a four-piece Beatles-sounding band of boys. But I obviously grew out of that, and I’m not an idiot anymore.

In a past interview, you mentioned that you thought aesthetics are very important, particularly in a band. How would you describe the Like’s aesthetic?
I don’t know. That’s an impossible question. Pretty? Hopefully... It’s difficult to describe. Each of us has our own style. We don’t all dress exactly the same, but we all have a similar theme. We look like a band I think.

The title of the debut album is Are You Thinking What I’m Thinking. What is the Like thinking?
[Laughs] It doesn’t really mean anything. The reason why I like it so much is because it’s a great turn of phrase. We like words in my band. And that’s the reason why the name of the band the Like stuck. It’s a great expression. And the like... The like’s of them... But as far as the title is concerned, that’s just the fact of I like how it sounds as an expression. It’s kind of co-conspiratorial as an expression. It’s not like we explain exactly what we’re thinking. There’s not this one sort of thing that we’re thinking on the record, but it sort of forces the listener to be involved with the record so that it becomes an active listening experience instead of just a passive one. Does that make sense?

Yeah, that’s pretty creative, because it refers to how listeners interpret the music and might give the songs their own meaning ... whether or not that corresponds to what the Like is thinking. And all your EPs (I Like the Like, Like it or Not, ...And the Like) also are a play on words with the band’s name. Are those EPs still available?
I think we have stopped making them.

I can probably find them on eBay.
[Laughs] Yeah, if we’re lucky.

You have said it is difficult for you to describe your music. Do you still find that to be the case?
Well, you know what they say: Talking about music is like dancing about architecture. The reason why I like music so much is because it is the most abstract of all the arts. It’s impossible to talk about. And I’m a freak and see everything in terms of colors, smells and tastes. Right now, I think our album is periwinkle, which is my favorite color.

Do you also tend to make your lyrics abstract?
Yeah, they’re not totally literal ... but they’re not all colors.

Did the album come out internationally at the same time?
No, the record comes out in England and most of Europe around January or February. But we’re putting out an EP that should come out in a few weeks or a month that has two songs from the record, a cover song [Split Endz’s “One Step Ahead”] and a video. And that’s a little sampler before the record comes out.

Is it easier to tour in terms of access now that everyone in the band is over 18?
We never really had trouble being under 18. We probably just had to bring notes from our parents saying if we got horribly injured that we would be allowed to be treated at the hospital with whomever we were with.

For the recent Tori Amos tour, was it difficult adjusting from performing for a few hundred to several thousand people?
Yeah, it was very strange, particularly because they were all outdoor venues, so it sounds and feels so completely different. But every show, every tour is like that. It takes some adapting to the mood of the audience and the environment. It’s all a little weird. But it was fun.

Do you get nervous before you perform?
I think Tennessee does. I never really get nervous for much of anything. It’s very rare that I get nervous. I sort of just feel a little sick and just assume that it’s going to be really bad, so that’s kind of how I deal with things.

Any pre-show rituals?
Basically our pre-show rituals are me doing my half-hour warm-up take and singing one song by [Rilo Kiley’s] Jenny Lewis. And Tennessee warming up with these crazy Japanese sticks that are three times the size of normal sticks, which look really funny.

I remember seeing the band a few years ago at Spaceland, and that was pretty early on when the band still didn’t have titles for some songs.
Oh yeah. We’re bad with song titles. My boyfriend titled half the songs on the record because I’m so retarded about titling things. Up until literally when we started making the record, we had a song called “The New Song” and “The New New New Song.” We’re a bunch of fools.

How much do you feel that the Like is part of the L.A. sound? Or do you even feel like that exists?
What I think is great about L.A. is that there’s no sort of really distinguishable L.A. sound. I feel like bands that come out of L.A. sound so different from one another, just based on the fact that L.A. is so enormous and there are so many different parts of it. It’s not like New York where you can do an actual parody of what a New York band sounds like. When we first started our band, we were lucky enough to play with Phantom Planet, Rilo Kiley, Maroon 5 and Rooney. There are people all around the country who are big fans of the L.A. bands, which I always think is such a funny phenomenon, because Rilo Kiley certainly doesn’t sound much like Maroon 5. Nothing in L.A. really sounds the same, which I think is what’s fun about it.

How did your nickname Z come about?
It’s what I’ve been called since the day I was born. But I didn’t make it up myself. I’m not an asshole. That’s my crazy parents’ fault. My dad’s two favorite letters are X and Z, so he named his daughters Alexandra and Elizabeth and calls her Alex and me Z. And literally, I don’t think my parents have ever in my life called me Elizabeth. I don’t know why they didn’t just name me Z. But ... I think they sort of figured that when I turn 25 and had a real job, I would be like, “Oh, my name’s a fucking letter. What do I do?” But I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

Neither do I.

Visit the Like on the web @ Ilikethelike.com

Published on :: November 10, 2005

[biLzamo]

did you catch The Like's last show here? what are they like live i wonder, i wanted to catch it but i had to work.

they had a smart promotion, a free ticket if you buy their cd.

they're dreamy...

[*Annie*]

"dreamy" hahaha