The Three Faces of Herman Düne
About a month ago my friend Ofer recommended that I check out Herman Dune, which turned out to be a really confusing name to research. At first I thought that it was one guy but found out that Herman Dune is actually three: David Herman Dune, André Herman Dune, and Neman Herman Dune. David, also known as Ya Ya, does most of the singing. The band has roots in Sweden and New York but probably has their biggest following in France.
Herman Dune makes anti-folk similar to the big band sound of Jens Lekman, with a wide range of horns, marimba, ukulele, and percussion. Lisa Li-Lund and The Baby Skins contribute as the Woo-Woos on backup vocals, which makes the music of supposed one guy Herman Dune’s sound even bigger.
This family of musicians has been extremely prolific releasing eight albums since 2000, not including the solo material by David and André, so not every song is fantastic but every album has a few gems. Their newest album Giant is out now in France where they are currently on tour. That album is not out in the US till November so I would recommend starting with Not On Top from 2005. Here are two of my favorite songs by Herman Dune and coincidently one from each of those albums.
DOWNLOAD
I Wish That I Could See You Soon (MP3)
This Will Never Happen (MP3)
Also Here is the video for "I Wish That I Could See You Soon," which was filmed in LA with Toben Seymour.