The Like formed in 2001 in Los Angeles, when best friends Charlotte Froom (a bassist of two weeks at the time) and Tennessee Jane Bunny Thomas (a drummer in her all-girls-school band) met Z Berg and found the voice and songs they had been looking for. Almost immediately, the ladies began to garner local praise and attention, surprising their audiences with a complexity belying their very young years (two 15 year olds and a 16 year old at the time).
Over the next three years, the ladies independently released three EPs (i like the like, ... and the like and like it or not) that they sold at shows and on their website. Soon a diverse fan base developed and magazines from around the world began to take notice. Following their high school graduations in 2004, The Like signed to Geffen Records and toured with Phantom Planet and Maroon 5.
At the foundation of the band is the drumming of Tennessee Thomas, whose parts are simple and classic while totally unique and idiosyncratic. Charlotte Froom's bass playing carries a melodic counterpoint to the vocals, moving constantly and pushing the momentum of the songs forward. Z Berg's guitar playing is a wash of atmosphere, providing a ringing wall of sound.
Berg's vocals, meanwhile, are thick and rich, leaping from wounded to resentful to coy to yearning to angry in a matter of a phrase. Her voice has a unique and heartbreaking balance of innocence and world-weariness. Her lyrics run the gamut from tales of heartbreak and longing, to complex literary references and rallying cries from the Paris riots of 1968. In total, the songs are stunning, emotionally complex, thoroughly arranged pop songs, in the tradition of The Pretenders, The Sundays, Ride, and countless other guitar rock bands that The Like touch upon but never mimic.
The Like recorded their debut album Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking? during the rainy Los Angeles winter of 2005 with Producer Wendy Melvoin (an original member of Prince and the Revolution), and co-producer John Goodmanson (Blonde Redhead, Bikini Kill, Deathcab for Cutie). The mixing was handled in London by Alan Moulder, famous for his work at the boards for such Like favorites as the Jesus and Mary Chain, Elastica and My Bloody Valentine.
Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking? opens with the energetic backbeat and hard-driving guitar hook of "June Gloom," an ironically upbeat song about an emotionally dark time for the band. "What I Say And What I Mean" is a hook-driven pop tune super-powered by Thomas's fast-tempo beat, which Berg handles with effortless vocal strength and agility. The record is filled with surprises and interesting turns. In "Bridge To Nowhere," the title is a literal reference to the unconventional structure defined by the bridge at the end of the song.
"(So I'll Sit Here) Waiting" is an infectious melody showcasing Berg's abundant vocal power and Froom's deft ability to anchor a song with a tunefully satisfying bass line. The lethargic tempo, languid guitar and ethereal vocals of "Waves That Never Break" ends the record on a different note. A true ballad, the song is spare in its construction, but features sophisticated chord changes and melodies that seem to be an inkling of The Like's next evolution.
The Like transcend all the easy labels that one may be inclined to attach to them: all girl band, teenage band, LA band, etc. They simply write beautiful music, and possess an irresistible collective personality.
Source: http://www.ilikethelike.com
