Good Laika
Heads I Win, Tails You Lose
Good Laika release their debut album Heads I Win, Tails You Lose at Mighty Mighty, Wellington on Thursday 30th August 2007.
In the past, Wellington band Good Laika has created much but shared little. Their infectious and soulful songs have developed in secret backrooms, and their live performances, though well received, can be counted on one hand - even one with a few fingers missing. This is all about to change, with the release of their debut album, Heads I Win, Tails You Lose.
The band’s members Robin Hinkley, vocals and guitar, Jason Fa’afoi, vocals and guitar, Matthew Armitage, bass and vocals, Ricky Boyd, drums and percussion and Nic Marshall, rhodes and organ, combine their talents to create a sound that is both unique and compelling.
While the groundwork for the album was a five-year process, Heads I Win, Tails You Lose was recorded by Nic McGowan at Island Bay Studios over a period of just three days.
The band wanted to capture the idyllic atmosphere of their practice sessions at Waitarere beach, and chose to record the album together in one room, and almost entirely without overdubbing. As a result, the album imparts a feeling of warmth, but one that is tinged with melancholy.
This mood is in keeping with the band’s name. Laika, the first dog in space and Russian national hero had her suspicions when the men with beards and fluffy hats started dressing her up in a spacesuit, but she adored the attention. Like the ill-fated canine, Good Laika the band invokes pictures of bitter irony, grim humour and passionate ambition.
