Choir of Young Believers

Choir of Young Believers
Also known as	COYB
Origin	Copenhagen
Genres	Avant pop Orchestral pop
Years active	2006 - present
Labels	Ghostly International
Website	http://www.myspace.com/choirofyoungbelievers
Members
Jannis Noya Makrigiannis Jakob Millung Cæcilie Trier Lasse Herbst Casper Henning Hansen Bo Rande Sonja Labianca

Choir of Young Believers is the musical project of singer, writer and guitarist Jannis Noya Makrigiannis from Copenhagen, Denmark. The band, which consists of Makrigiannis along with a rotating cast of supporting players, has had multiple No 1 hits in its home country and was named the "Best New Act" at the 2009 Danish Music Awards. COYB’s music combines folk melodies, polyphonic vocals, orchestral instrumentation, and dark lyrics.

History

After the breakup of his previous band, Lake Placid, in 2006, Makrigiannis moved to the Greek island of Samos and began developing his own solo material. Upon his return to Copenhagen, Makrigiannis gathered musicians and friends to form Choir of Young Believers. The group released the EP Burn the Flag in 2007, with the single "Sharpen Your Knife" receiving heavy play on Danish Radio. In September 2008, COYB released its first full length album, This Is For The White In Your Eyes, which was nominated for 6 Danish Music Awards and won the "Best New Act" category. COYB performed at the 2009 SXSW music festival, after which it was signed to US label Ghostly International who released This Is For The White In Your Eyes in North America on August 18.

Discography

Albums

• 2007 Burn the Flag (EP)
• 2007 Choir vs. Evil (EP)
• 2008 This Is for the White in Your Eyes (Ghostly International)

Singles

• 2007 Sharpen Your Knife
• 2009 Action/Reaction (Ghostly International)
• 2009 Next Summer (Ghostly International)

Tracks Featured On

• 2009 Ghostly Essentials: Avant-Pop One (Ghostly International)

Reviews

• Rolling Stone review of This Is for the White in Your Eyes
• Guardian review of Choir of Young Believers
• NPR review of This Is For The White In Your Eyes

Sources

• Choir of Young Believers Page at Ghostly International
• Identity Theory Interview with Jannis Noya Makrigiannis
• Choir of Young Believers on Iceland Airwaves
• Choir of Young Believers on MySpace

External links

• Choir of Young Believers at MySpace
• Choir of Young Believers at Last.fm
• Choir of Young Believers at Ghostly International
• Track Listing for mixtape