Jam of the Day: Keep You by Wild Belle

By Ryan O'Connell on 02/19/2013 • ( 3 )

I miss WXPN, a radio station based out of Philadelphia for a variety of reasons. The main reason is that it had an amazing ability to introduce me to bands, artists and songs I would never have heard otherwise. The Alabama Shakes, Dr. Dog, Grace Potter & the Nocturnals, the Japandroids, Raphael Saadiq- these are all bands that I heard for the first time on WXPN. Having moved away from Philly, the loss of WXPN has been one of the hardest losses felt. The lack of bars within walking distance is probably a close second.

While in Philly this weekend, Wife and I were cruising the streets and listening to our old friend WXPN when “Keep You,” by Wild Belle came on.

“Keep You” is a more vanilla version of any Santigold has ever written, but that doesn’t diminish it one bit. It’s a fun jam- hypnotic and laid back. The vocals are light and wistful and the music behind them fit perfectly.

It’s hard to find much information about Wild Belle- as the band’s website is mostly just random pictures and links for social media sites. Those two aren’t full of much info either. The only information I could track down about Wild Belle was this:

They’re siblings, Eliot & Natalie Bergman, and they grew up “in and around Chicago.” The band’s debut album, Isles, will be released on March 12th on Columbia Records.

Here’s Wild Belle performing their song “It’s Too Late” on Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

So far it seems like Wild Belle has only released a four song EP, It’s Too Late, which features the songs previously mentioned, as well as a third, “Backslider” and a remix of “It’s Too Late” by TV on the Radio bassist Dave Sitek. All four tunes have the same new-reggae vibe that are perfect for a mind that is currently longing for summer.

For more Wild Belle, here’s their EP.

Photo from Wild Belle’s Facebook page.