Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips are New York City’s most effortless mod couple, a duo whose sleek, icily romantic pop can serve as both sophisticated art-gallery soundtrack and lovey-dovey fireplace music. In the four years since the breakup of former band Luna, Wareham and Phillips have pursued boutique careers in the best possible sense: in literature, film, fashion and the music business. Fittingly, their latest project, 13 Most Beautiful … Songs For Andy Warhol’s Screen Tests, sets a series of Warhol’s short films to music. The couple will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all this week. Read our Q&A with Dean & Britta.
Dean: Opal is the band that became Mazzy Star, but with Kendra Smith (of the Dream Syndicate) on vocals instead of Hope Sandoval. They were around in the mid-’80s and were part of the West Coast scene known as the Paisley Underground. They put out two essential albums: the acoustic Early Recordings (a 1989 compilation of early EPs) and 1987’s heavier Happy Nightmare Baby.
“Hear The Wind Blow”:
