10 Best Manchester Albums Of The 2010s

Elusive even before their dissolution in 2012, WU LYF’s Go Tell Fire to the Mountain is a statement that indie rock does not have to be under any constraints. (The name is pronounced woo life by the way).

The rhythm section is undisputedly typical of indie, but the added instrumentation brings this album into the upper echelons of art rock.

Effects ranges from echoey percussion, holy church organs to jangly guitars. Who knew recording in a church could sound so lo-fi yet simultaneously polished. Ellery Roberts voice is enchanting and cleansing. Perhaps this band were sent from the heavens after all, to deliver these these ten commandments on Go Tell Fire To The Mountain.

Much of WU LYF's early press coverage was about their lack of information on the band, already placing the album on a mysterious pedestal pre-release. Allegedly the band would request for their Wikipedia page to be deleted to further stir the press mystery.

While only hitting 98 on the UK Album Chart, this remains a favourite for music puritans to this day.

Nine years on, many circumstances around the band remain a mystery, almost elevating WU LYF to the pedestal of a British Neutral Milk Hotel.