"I know you might be afraid"
FULL WARNING: Lesibu Grand's indie pop serenade Jennifer, My Girl will implant itself in your brain. Now, I will not call it ear candy because I save that phrase for the kind of pop song that stick in your head when you don't want them to, vapid pop stuff and this is not that. Lesibu Grand is the musical project of Tyler-Simone Molton and John Renaud. Molton grew up in the suburbs of Atlanta against a diverse cultural backdrop and musical genres developing a deep love for local heroes like Outkast, Eryka Badu and Lil Wayne while also hanging with punk, metal and indie kids. She formed a connection with proto punk and indie / punk outfits like Talking Heads, Blondie, the Clash, Green Day and Nirvana.
Jennifer, My Girl (inspired by Molton's relationship with her sister) starts on pearly keyboards with a R&B indie vibe but once the killer descending basslines drop in with the beat, the song takes on a rock pop persona although the jagged quality and sort of light jazzy pop flourishes keep things eclectic. I thought of the sort of punk / jazz pop hybrid nature of Joe Jackson. Sadly, once Lesibu Grand begins this track it seems to end. At under three minutes it feels too short which is really just a testament to it's musical narrative that seems to fly by.
Lesibu Grand is the duo of Tyler-Simone Molton and John Renaud. Other players, often, include Brian Turner on guitar, Lee Wiggins on drums and Chris Case on Keys.
-Robb Donker Curtius
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The origin of Lesibu Grand (pronounced Le-SEE-boo Grand) can be pinpointed with unusual accuracy: June 28, 2017, when Tyler-Simone Molton bumped into John Renaud at the Pains of Being Pure at Heart show at The Earl in East Atlanta.
The two had been acquaintances, but until that moment didn’t realize how much they shared in common.
Tyler-Simone grew up in a diverse neighborhood in the suburbs of Atlanta, a somewhat conventional-looking place with a surprising degree of creative vitality. There, Tyler-Simone was exposed to a great variety of musical genres. Like everyone else, she loved the local hip-hop heroes like Outkast, Eryka Badu, Lil Wayne, but also hung out with punks, metalheads, and indie kids. She also loved listening to late-70s new wave bands like Talking Heads and Blondie, punk bands like the Clash, and 90s rockers Green Day, and Nirvana. She did not cling to one genre as her identity.
A transplant from New England, John moved to Athens, GA while playing bass for Ace of Heart Records’ alt-rock band Crab Daddy and eventually moved to Atlanta where he played with a variety of local rock and funk bands.
John shared Tyler-Simone’s interest in synth-drenched indie-pop, and shortly after their chance encounter at the Pains of Being Pure at Heart show, the two sunk deeply into an unexpected songwriting frenzy. Completing each other’s thoughts and phrases, the two wrote an entire album’s worth of original compositions in just over a month. Thereafter, they brought in Brian Turner on guitar, Lee Wiggins on drums, and Chris Case on keyboards to complete their sound. The band takes its name from Tyler-Simone’s middle name given to her by her maternal grandfather, who emigrated from South Africa.
Lesibu Grand's second single, "Miranda" was produced by Gary Kurz and Alex Lowe, and explores the vulnerability of love and romance in the grind of daily life. Soundwise, it is a nod to the later Pixies records, Bossanova and Trompe le Monde.
Lesibu Grand’s debut single, "Hush Hush", produced by L.A. DJ/producer Christian James Hand (The Mowglis), explores the nuances of self doubt and insecurity in the modern, overly-connected world, drawing on the musical stylings of The Motels, Blondie, and Berlin.
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