Hospitality, The Cavemen Go, Winter White
Wednesday, March 7 2012
9:00pm - 21+ - Free
Hospitality
The angular, intricate, and intelligent compositions of Hospitality signal a sophisticated new pop voice. Singer Amber Papini’s idiosyncratic songwriting and incisive lyrics coupled with the band’s rich arrangements on their self-titled debut explore youth, New York, and the bittersweet commingling of past and present in a way that feels just right, right now.
From the opening phrase of “Eighth Avenue,” guitar hooks are balanced with a cultivated melody. Papini’s singing has a wisp of an English accent via Kansas City (she learned to sing by imitating Richard Butler on The Psychedelic Furs’ Talk Talk Talk) and her lyrics create a moonstruck, even cinematic vision of New York City, where the band formed in 2007. The production by Shane Stoneback (Vampire Weekend, Sleigh Bells) and band member Nathan Michel (guitar, drums, keyboards), who released his share of experimental “bedroom” pop, culminating in 2005’s The Beast (Skipp/Sonig), imbues the entire record with an intimate yet prodigious sound, layering period keyboards with horns, synthesizers, and treated guitars.
Merge Records
Mp3s: https://www.facebook.com/hospitalitylives
The Cavemen Go
Even from the time The Cavemen Go first emerged as a duo (singer/guitarist Jeremy Sage and drummer Bob Breychak) in 2003 during the fertile days of the New Haven garage-pop mini-explosion, the band was markedly distinct from their peers. Sage's songwriting channeled the no-frills, hook-heavy sounds of early rock'n'roll without coming off as self-consciously retro. His lyrics and singing conveyed an unabashedly hopeful romanticism, but the kind tempered with dry wit and emotional ambiguity. Those creative tendencies have remained as The Cavemen Go have pushed forward, adding keyboardist/vocalist Emily McMinn and bassist Jordan Harrelson. The Brill Building/British Invasion/Motown influences are still there, as are nods to the poppier end of contemporary indie rock, and even shades of country and folk-rock. Their songs are simultaneously modern and classic, nuanced and efficient. They don't play throwback pop: What they play is timeless. Last year, The Cavemen Go released their first full length record, “New Lives.” Showcasing the band's punchiest, most urgent melodies to date, the release brought them to the attention of the rapidly emerging label February Records who asked them to record something new. Now, “It is happening again.” With the opening line to their new single, “Someone’s Always Dying to Break My Heart,” The Cavemen Go announce their intention to continue where they left off: writing and performing with an attitude that great songs matter.
Mp3s: http://thecavemengo.bandcamp.com
Winter White
You have questions about Winter White. That's understandable.
How many people are in the band?
Two essentially, though they are known to work with a cast of other musicians.
How did they meet?
At university.
How long have they been making music?
Individually for years and years. As Winter White since 2011.
Do they get along?
For the most part.
Mp3s: http://winterwhite.bandcamp.com
The angular, intricate, and intelligent compositions of Hospitality signal a sophisticated new pop voice. Singer Amber Papini’s idiosyncratic songwriting and incisive lyrics coupled with the band’s rich arrangements on their self-titled debut explore youth, New York, and the bittersweet commingling of past and present in a way that feels just right, right now.
From the opening phrase of “Eighth Avenue,” guitar hooks are balanced with a cultivated melody. Papini’s singing has a wisp of an English accent via Kansas City (she learned to sing by imitating Richard Butler on The Psychedelic Furs’ Talk Talk Talk) and her lyrics create a moonstruck, even cinematic vision of New York City, where the band formed in 2007. The production by Shane Stoneback (Vampire Weekend, Sleigh Bells) and band member Nathan Michel (guitar, drums, keyboards), who released his share of experimental “bedroom” pop, culminating in 2005’s The Beast (Skipp/Sonig), imbues the entire record with an intimate yet prodigious sound, layering period keyboards with horns, synthesizers, and treated guitars.
Merge Records
Mp3s: https://www.facebook.com/hospitalitylives
The Cavemen Go
Even from the time The Cavemen Go first emerged as a duo (singer/guitarist Jeremy Sage and drummer Bob Breychak) in 2003 during the fertile days of the New Haven garage-pop mini-explosion, the band was markedly distinct from their peers. Sage's songwriting channeled the no-frills, hook-heavy sounds of early rock'n'roll without coming off as self-consciously retro. His lyrics and singing conveyed an unabashedly hopeful romanticism, but the kind tempered with dry wit and emotional ambiguity. Those creative tendencies have remained as The Cavemen Go have pushed forward, adding keyboardist/vocalist Emily McMinn and bassist Jordan Harrelson. The Brill Building/British Invasion/Motown influences are still there, as are nods to the poppier end of contemporary indie rock, and even shades of country and folk-rock. Their songs are simultaneously modern and classic, nuanced and efficient. They don't play throwback pop: What they play is timeless. Last year, The Cavemen Go released their first full length record, “New Lives.” Showcasing the band's punchiest, most urgent melodies to date, the release brought them to the attention of the rapidly emerging label February Records who asked them to record something new. Now, “It is happening again.” With the opening line to their new single, “Someone’s Always Dying to Break My Heart,” The Cavemen Go announce their intention to continue where they left off: writing and performing with an attitude that great songs matter.
Mp3s: http://thecavemengo.bandcamp.com
Winter White
You have questions about Winter White. That's understandable.
How many people are in the band?
Two essentially, though they are known to work with a cast of other musicians.
How did they meet?
At university.
How long have they been making music?
Individually for years and years. As Winter White since 2011.
Do they get along?
For the most part.
Mp3s: http://winterwhite.bandcamp.com
