Crystal Antlers — Nothing Is Real (2013) |
Crystal Antlers — Nothing Is Real
» Californian chimney sweeps-turned-psych-rockers get trippy once more.
» Psychedelia-influenced indie rockers from Long Beach, California led by singer Johnny Bell.
Location: Long Beach, California, U.S.
Album release: October 15, 2013
Record Label: Innovative Leisure
Duration: 41:32
Tracks:
01 Pray 4:02
02 Rattlesnake 4:15
03 Licorice Pizza 2:20
04 We All Gotta Die 5:52
05 Paper Thin 2:53
06 Persephone 3:28
07 Anywhere But Here 4:13
08 Don´t Think of the Stone 2:36
09 Wrong Side 3:19
10 Better Things 4:01
11 Prisoner Song 4:34
Members:
Current:
» Johnny Bell — bass, woodwinds, vocals
» Andrew King — guitar
» Kevin Stuart — drums
» Damian Edwards — percussion
Former:
» Victor Rodriguez — organ
» Errol Davis — guitar, organ
» Cora Foxx — organ
CREDITS:
» Jonny Bell Bass, Engineer, Layout, Organ, Saxophone, Vocals
» J.P. Bendzinski Engineer, Guest Artist, Organ
» Dave Cooley Mastering
» Richard Dodd Cello, Guest Artist
» Andrew King Guitar
» Jeff Lewis Engineer
» Jeffertitti Moon Guest Artist, Vocals
» Griffin Rodriguez Mixing
» C.R. Stcyk III Artwork, Layout, Photography
» Kevin Stuart Drums
» Trevor Tarczynski Layout
Review by Thom Jurek; Rating: ****
» The Crystal Antlers‘ self-titled debut for L.A.’s Innovative Leisure was recorded at bassist/vocalist Jonny Bell‘s home studio. This set marks not only an extension of the band’s garagey neo-speech roots, but an expansion into new sonic terrains using synths and drum machines, though they never dominate the basic guitar/bass/drums/organ attack; they supplement it as added noise and texture. These 11 songs reveal that this trio has become not only comfortable in the recording studio, but with one another as musicians; they are willing to push themselves into a new red zone.
» On opener “Pray,” one can hear trace elements of melody from the Cure and the Psychedelic Furs; but before rolling your eyes, know the attack is explosive, frantic, played at a pace near howling in its urgency. First single “Rattlesnake” commences with a slow, plodding bassline and a cheesy Farfisa. Bell‘s voice recalls Paul Westerberg‘s confessional confusion just before guitars and drums erupt à la Hüsker Dü to push him into committing. The nightmarish “Licorice Pizza” updates the sound of L.A. punk circa the late ’70s. “Persephone” and its immediate successor, “Anywhere But Here,” are drenched in layers of feedback, guitar sting, and delirious, ricocheting melodies. “Better Things” careens like a live wire against hardcore punk, psych, and garage rock. While “Don’t Think of the Stone” is a fine, drifting ballad, it does feel more like a B-side than an album cut. It’s an outlier. Closer “Prisoner Song” is also slow, but its walls of barely contained guitar feedback and distortion lay down the wallop against a blissy synth backdrop, crunchy yet majestic drums, and a humming bassline. They all serve Bell‘s emotionally wracked vocal as he strains to get above the din. All things tolled, Nothing Is Real evidences everything right about indie rock. Though it blisters with intensity, it boasts well-written songs illustrated by canny production, played with confident recklessness and vulnerable honesty. (And it’s got a great cover by no less than C.R. Stcyk III to boot.)
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Artist Biography by Katherine Fulton
» EP Long Beach, California's Crystal Antlers began turning heads in 2008 with their recording debut, EP, a release that was produced by Ikie Owens (known for his work with the Mars Volta) and noted for its blend of psychedelic, garage, and prog rock sounds. Jonny Bell (bass, vocals, woodwinds), Andrew King (guitar, organ), Victor Rodriguez (organ), Kevin Stuart (drums), and Damian Edwards (percussion) soon developed a reputation for eccentric live shows and earned comparisons to Comets on Fire and Les Savy Fav. The group made a number of appearances on the 2008 F Yeah Tour and signed with Touch & Go Records in August of that year. By 2009, talk of a new full-length began circulating, and in April, Tentacles was released. That album would be the last on Touch & Go before the label shut down in 2009, and Crystal Antlers were left to release their follow-up, Two-Way Mirror, on their own Recreation Ltd in July of 2011 with Cora Foxx replacing Rodriguez. Their third full-length, Nothing Is Real, showcased the band as a trio without Foxx; it was released by Innovative Leisure in the fall of 2013.
Website: http://crystalantlers.com/
MySpace: https://myspace.com/crystalantlers
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crystalantlers
Press:
Agent: USA: , UK/EUROPE:
Also:
Reviewer: Kyle MacNeill; Rating: ***
» http://www.thisisfakediy.co.uk/articles/albums/crystal-antlers-nothing-is-real/
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Crystal Antlers — Nothing Is Real (2013) |
Crystal Antlers — Nothing Is Real
» Californian chimney sweeps-turned-psych-rockers get trippy once more.
» Psychedelia-influenced indie rockers from Long Beach, California led by singer Johnny Bell.
Location: Long Beach, California, U.S.
Album release: October 15, 2013
Record Label: Innovative Leisure
Duration: 41:32
Tracks:
01 Pray 4:02
02 Rattlesnake 4:15
03 Licorice Pizza 2:20
04 We All Gotta Die 5:52
05 Paper Thin 2:53
06 Persephone 3:28
07 Anywhere But Here 4:13
08 Don´t Think of the Stone 2:36
09 Wrong Side 3:19
10 Better Things 4:01
11 Prisoner Song 4:34
Members:
Current:
» Johnny Bell — bass, woodwinds, vocals
» Andrew King — guitar
» Kevin Stuart — drums
» Damian Edwards — percussion
Former:
» Victor Rodriguez — organ
» Errol Davis — guitar, organ
» Cora Foxx — organ
CREDITS:
» Jonny Bell Bass, Engineer, Layout, Organ, Saxophone, Vocals
» J.P. Bendzinski Engineer, Guest Artist, Organ
» Dave Cooley Mastering
» Richard Dodd Cello, Guest Artist
» Andrew King Guitar
» Jeff Lewis Engineer
» Jeffertitti Moon Guest Artist, Vocals
» Griffin Rodriguez Mixing
» C.R. Stcyk III Artwork, Layout, Photography
» Kevin Stuart Drums
» Trevor Tarczynski Layout
Review by Thom Jurek; Rating: ****
» The Crystal Antlers‘ self-titled debut for L.A.’s Innovative Leisure was recorded at bassist/vocalist Jonny Bell‘s home studio. This set marks not only an extension of the band’s garagey neo-speech roots, but an expansion into new sonic terrains using synths and drum machines, though they never dominate the basic guitar/bass/drums/organ attack; they supplement it as added noise and texture. These 11 songs reveal that this trio has become not only comfortable in the recording studio, but with one another as musicians; they are willing to push themselves into a new red zone.
» On opener “Pray,” one can hear trace elements of melody from the Cure and the Psychedelic Furs; but before rolling your eyes, know the attack is explosive, frantic, played at a pace near howling in its urgency. First single “Rattlesnake” commences with a slow, plodding bassline and a cheesy Farfisa. Bell‘s voice recalls Paul Westerberg‘s confessional confusion just before guitars and drums erupt à la Hüsker Dü to push him into committing. The nightmarish “Licorice Pizza” updates the sound of L.A. punk circa the late ’70s. “Persephone” and its immediate successor, “Anywhere But Here,” are drenched in layers of feedback, guitar sting, and delirious, ricocheting melodies. “Better Things” careens like a live wire against hardcore punk, psych, and garage rock. While “Don’t Think of the Stone” is a fine, drifting ballad, it does feel more like a B-side than an album cut. It’s an outlier. Closer “Prisoner Song” is also slow, but its walls of barely contained guitar feedback and distortion lay down the wallop against a blissy synth backdrop, crunchy yet majestic drums, and a humming bassline. They all serve Bell‘s emotionally wracked vocal as he strains to get above the din. All things tolled, Nothing Is Real evidences everything right about indie rock. Though it blisters with intensity, it boasts well-written songs illustrated by canny production, played with confident recklessness and vulnerable honesty. (And it’s got a great cover by no less than C.R. Stcyk III to boot.)
________________________________________________________________
Artist Biography by Katherine Fulton
» EP Long Beach, California's Crystal Antlers began turning heads in 2008 with their recording debut, EP, a release that was produced by Ikie Owens (known for his work with the Mars Volta) and noted for its blend of psychedelic, garage, and prog rock sounds. Jonny Bell (bass, vocals, woodwinds), Andrew King (guitar, organ), Victor Rodriguez (organ), Kevin Stuart (drums), and Damian Edwards (percussion) soon developed a reputation for eccentric live shows and earned comparisons to Comets on Fire and Les Savy Fav. The group made a number of appearances on the 2008 F Yeah Tour and signed with Touch & Go Records in August of that year. By 2009, talk of a new full-length began circulating, and in April, Tentacles was released. That album would be the last on Touch & Go before the label shut down in 2009, and Crystal Antlers were left to release their follow-up, Two-Way Mirror, on their own Recreation Ltd in July of 2011 with Cora Foxx replacing Rodriguez. Their third full-length, Nothing Is Real, showcased the band as a trio without Foxx; it was released by Innovative Leisure in the fall of 2013.
Website: http://crystalantlers.com/
MySpace: https://myspace.com/crystalantlers
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crystalantlers
Press:
Agent: USA: , UK/EUROPE:
Also:
Reviewer: Kyle MacNeill; Rating: ***
» http://www.thisisfakediy.co.uk/articles/albums/crystal-antlers-nothing-is-real/
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