Album of the Day — July 27
One EskimO — All Balloons
One EskimO — All Balloons
27.July.2020
One EskimO
All Balloons
2009
Now whether this debut album is self-titled, called All Balloons, or The Adventures of One EskimO, I do not know, but I landed on All Balloons.
One EskimO singer Kristian Leontiou signed his first music contract when he was barely out of school.
Leontiou was dubbed the “new Dido” and in 2004, his first single “Story of My Life” was released and became a hit in the UK, as did his second single “Shining”, and his debut album Some Day Soon.
His success in the UK led to a deal with LA Reid and Island Def Jam in the US. When that went nowhere, he became frustrated with the direction of his career, so he cut the cord with his record label.
One EskimO began shortly afterward when Leontiou teamed up with friend/drummer/percussionist Adam Falkner and sound designer Craigie Dodds. The trio would record with engineer Phill Brown (Bob Marley, Robert Plant) at Ark Studios and then go to Rollo Armstrong’s studio to add some studio wizardry and the flourishing touches.
Amstrong was a strong supporter of the project and having the guy who has worked with U2, Pet Shop Boys, Dido, and Suede, et al. advocating for your work elevated the stakes for the just-formed band.
There was a high degree of interest in what One EskimO was about.
MORE THAN MUSIC
After completing their album, the song “Hometime” was picked to be used in an advertisement for Toyota Prius in the US. The band then took that money and created an animated manifestation of the band:
Eskimo (Vocals/Keys)
Penguin (Lead Guitar)
Monkey (Bass Guitar/Horns)
Giraffe (percussion)
After signing a deal in 2008 with Time Warner, One EskimO worked with Passion Pictures and created a 10-episode animated story based on the songs from All Balloons.
With the album completed and an animated 10-episode visual accompaniment, by the summer of 2009, the band was ready to unveil itself.
Pulling inspiration from both Patsy Cline and Candi Stanton, the band’s first single “Kandi” is built around the hit song they (among others) had called “He Called Me Baby”. This was a posthumous hit for Patsy Cline and was a hit for singer Candi Stanton, who scored with it in the 70s.
“Kandi” is a mash-up of original music that blends pop, soul, chill, etc. and fresh lyrics while layering in a sample from Stanton’s 70s hit, “He Called Me Baby”. It’s the chorus from the Stanton version that’s incorporated into the hit song.
The sample isn’t as arbitrary as samples may be elsewhere. Stanton’s chorus is built into the song serving as the interrogatee to the pleas of Leontiou’s interrogator. The song is a duet with the sample as co-singer:
Kandi
You’ve been my queen for longer than you know
My love for you has been
Everything step I take
Every day I live
Everything I see
And if I get things wrong
Don’t want you to think I’m running away
But I heard from Jo about this guy
And I want to know
What did he say?
He called me baby, baby all night long (Stanton sample)
What did he do?
He called me baby, baby all night long (Stanton sample)
Why? Why? Why, did you need him?
Where was I?
Just how close to you is he?
Every smile you gave
Every touch you made
Every word you said
And it hurts beyond hurt
It was a love that blinds
And a love that stings
When I heard from Jo about this guy
And I want to know
What did he say?
He called me baby, baby all night long (Stanton sample)
What did he do?
He called me baby, baby all night long (Stanton sample)
What did he do?
Does my love ever touch you
Does my love ever reach you
It’s never enough
Why is it never enough?
He called you baby, baby all night long
What did he do?
He called me baby, baby all night long
What did he say?
He called me baby, baby, all night long
What did he do?
He called you baby, baby, all night long
I know he called you babe
All night long
“Kandi” was a massive success spending 6 weeks at #1 on the AAA (Adult Alternative) charts and winning the 2010 AAA Music Award for Song of the Year.
The second single, “Amazing”, eschews the typical verse-chorus-verse structure. It sounds almost as a stream of conscious lyrical blitzkrieg about love. Sung to a chilled-out and repetitive rhythm, “Amazing” is the counter ballast to “Kandi”:
Amazing
I feel sweet
Do you feel sweet?
It’s amazing
I have no skin
And I feel everything
It’s amazing
I feel good
When you feel good
I knew I would
And it’s amazing
I’ve wanted this for so long
Now the deed has been done
We shall rise with the sun
And spend our time as one
Now there is no sin
In anything
And it’s amazing
I love life
I hope you do too
’Cause I love everything
It’s all amazing
I feel you
Do you feel you?
I understand
When they say we’re born again
’Cause I feel born again
I’m born again
And it’s amazing
And it’s the best thing
And it’s glorious
It’s life-changing
This feeling
Is amazing
It’s the best thing
It’s glorious
It’s life-changing
This feeling
This feeling
Oh lord this feeling
It’s amazing
It’s in the stars
In the sun
It’s everywhere
In everyone
And it will be every day
From now on
From now on
We are one
And it’s amazing
It’s in the stars
In the sun
It’s everywhere
In everyone
And it will be every day
From now on
From now on
We are one
And it’s amazing
It’s in the stars
In the sun
It’s everywhere
In everyone
And it will be every day
From now on
From now on
We are one
And it’s amazing
The reviews for All Balloons were not great … but the people it struck, it resonated with.
CRITICS
Michael Cragg at OMH.com wrote: “Too many of the songs feel anaemic and bloodless, as if the chilly Eskimo theme has taken hold of the album itself. Things aren’t helped by the production, which smoothes over the edges, papers the cracks and laminates the whole thing so that songs seem distant, impenetrable.”
Lori Bartlett at GrimyGoods.com said: “While the album does have some diversity, the main criticism is that it till feels safe. The band sounds like they are coloring within the lines. Yet, can’t complain too much when the final outcome is a pretty damn beautiful picture.”
Neil McCormick at The Telegraph said: “Conceived as a multimedia experience featuring the animated narrative of a lovelorn penguin, One EskimO is a little gem of a chill out album. Kristian Leontiou provides soulful vocals on melodic songs of emotional and philosophical content. Off kilter organic instrumentation lends flavour to this easy listening beauty.”
One EskimO went on to perform at Coachella and on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and had multiple appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show — Ellen even invited the band back in 2011 for her birthday show.
Unfortunately, despite the band’s road work, television appearances, and success of “Kandi” All Balloons failed to get a real foothold. Individually, the songs have had success in advertisements (Discovery Channel, Toyota), in films (Chalet Girl), and on television (Warehouse 13, Bones).
All Balloons is a good solid pop record infused with a bevy of other genres, but its essence is pop. The songs are all well-crafted and produced and the accompanying video work makes the combined package an interesting piece of art.