Welcome to Backtalk, a new Volume series featuring artist interviews. These conversations will appear in a variety of shapes and sizes, going live in anticipation of an upcoming concert. Any particular musician you’d like us to speak with? Let us know via the comments.
Today’s guest is Francis Farewell Starlite, the charismatic, enigmatic crooner-songsmith behind local electrofunk group Francis and the Lights. We stumbled upon some of the band’s tracks online a few weeks back and were instantly hooked—sleek as hell, but also intricate and subtly brainy, this is the most wholesome sort of dance music. The outfit has received shout-outs from Kanye West (here and here), among others, so it seems primed to explode; tomorrow night it hits Brooklyn Masonic Temple in the company of Les Savy Fav before heading to SXSW. Here’s the excellent title track from Francis & Co.’s latest, A Modern Promise (which you can download for free here); read on for an enlightening e-mail dialogue with Francis, in which he comments on the art of the falsetto and his love for Mr. West’s music.
