JEZEBEL MUSIC FEATURE
With openers Peephole, Werewolves, and Your Nature, Twin Thousands (pictured) headlined JezebelMusic.com’s June FEATURE SHOW on June 11 at Public Assembly.

Missed the show? Dry your tears, and check out the live photos by Jen McManus.

Did you know… during her time playing cello in the popular alternative/post-hardcore band, Cursive, Twin Thousands’ Gretta Cohn performed on record and stage with acts including Bright Eyes, Rilo Kiley, Thursday, The Good Life, Maria Taylor, and The Faint? After her amicable departure with Cursive, the band decided not to seek a replacement? Cohn is a character in the video game, Emogame 2? And she performed with Cat Power on Conan O’Brien in 2006? Click here to read more…

SEE IT LIVE
JezebelMusic.com June Feature Show
June 11, 2009 @ Public Assembly
Featuring Twin Thousands w/ Peephole, Werewolves, and Your Nature

[All images copyright 2009 Jen McManus]

Peephole

Werewolves

More on JezebelMusic.com June 2009 Feature Show @ Public Assembly | 6.11.09

JEZEBEL MUSIC FEATURE
With openers Peephole, Werewolves, and Your Nature, Twin Thousands (pictured) will headline JezebelMusic.com’s June FEATURE SHOW this Thursday, June 11, at Public Assembly.

From within the orchestral pop core of Twin Thousands, two of Brooklyn’s brightest stars shine. As performing, recording, and touring musicians, Ryan Smith and Gretta Cohn have worked with some of the biggest names in independent music, but their accomplished pasts do not overshadow the radiant sounds of their collaborative present.

Twin Thousands writes and performs pop music that is both strikingly sophisticated and entirely enjoyable. Fixed on a framework of contemporary song structure, their expertly charted and inventively arranged compositions combine 80’s synth pop with epic rock opera, the likes of Pink Floyd’s The Wall. Atmospheric, symphonic introductions flow into soothing vocals and sweet harmonies, propelled by dynamic electronic and acoustic beats. Waves of sound rise steadily, built from guitars, synthesizers, and horns, before breaking into exuberant choruses of piano, distorted electric guitar, and choirs of celebratory voices.

For show details, click HERE!

JEZEBEL MUSIC FEATURE
With openers Peephole, Werewolves, and Your Nature, Twin Thousands (pictured) will headline JezebelMusic.com’s June FEATURE SHOW next Thursday, June 11, at Public Assembly!

If you have not yet heard of Twin Thousands, that’s OK! JezebelMusic.com is here to help you uncover one of NYC’s brightest gems. As you listen to ten blissful Twin Thousands tracks, be sure to check out the Feature Article, where you can learn all you need to know about this stellar Brooklyn five piece. Here’s a sample:

From 2001-2005 Gretta Cohn [Twin Thousands’ supplier of vocals, synthesizer, cello, melodica, glockenspiel, and ukulele] could be heard playing cello in the popular alternative/post-hardcore band, Cursive. She had been living in Brooklyn when the group asked her to join them in Omaha, Nebraska, the home of their record label, Saddle Creek. During this time, Cohn became close with many Saddle Creek bands, performing on record and stage with acts including Bright Eyes, Rilo Kiley, Thursday, The Good Life, Maria Taylor, and The Faint…

Read more HERE!

For show details, click HERE!

JEZEBEL MUSIC FEATURE
With openers Peephole, Werewolves, and Your Nature, Twin Thousands (pictured) will headline JezebelMusic.com’s June FEATURE SHOW on Thursday June 11 at Public Assembly!

Several months ago, compliments of the excellent music taste of JezebelMusic.com’s Program Director, I was introduced to the Brooklyn-based, indie-pop ensemble, Twin Thousands. Within approximately three seconds of hearing the band’s single, “Like You A Lot,” I was hooked. Since then, this sunny song has kept me company on many a rainy day. Unknown to the band until its completion, a music video for “Like You A Lot” was produced by British film company Agag Films. Check it out!

Dan D’Ippolito

FRESH BAKED
in NYC
Werewolves
Fire/Water
2009 | BNS Sessions
B-

On first thought, making an EP with just two songs named “Fire” and “Water” seems overly simplistic. But I guess with both being so universal, there are a lot of thoughts and feelings that can be associated with the two opposing elements. It would be great if, like a school paper, we could assign this concept to musicians of our choosing – see how Aphex Twin’s and AC/DC’s versions would compare. But until we have government-enforced mandates for bands, Werewolves’ Fire/Water EP will have to do.

For those wondering what Werewolves sound like, the band has had a lot of esoteric labels slapped on it, such as “bliss groove,” “space rock,” and “noir pop” to name a few. But to keep things simple, I think a fitting description would be “avant garage” – they love guitars, bass, and drums, but they also love Phillip Glass and John Cage. Their sound is in a similar vein to the Velvet Underground’s combination of the two estranged genres. But while the Velvets focused on putting the noise and daring of the avant-garde in a pop context, Werewolves focus more on incorporating the atmosphere of Minimalism into messy, raw rock.

Keeping to this line, “Fire” produces a seven-minute jam from two chords – playing more on dynamics than on the notes themselves. Eventually, the fills and solos flesh out, but the main attraction is the build of tension and energy that makes the song resemble its name. It’s catchier than maybe it means to be, the groove’s natural feel keeping it from being stale or pretentious. And even if the vocals are mostly monosyllabic and indecipherable, they bounce around nicely and add to the rises in tension with shifts from moans to yells. It may not be the best party track, but “Fire’s” rare success at being simultaneously atmospheric and lively gives it a lot of charm.

“Water,” on the other hand, is nothing but atmosphere – it fits its title perfectly with disjointed chimes and keyboard floating on a long wave of feedback. Unfortunately, this also has the effect of making it a bit dull. To its credit, it does have a strong calming quality – the sort that would suit meditating or taking a bath. But Werewolves devotion to Minimalism here is a double-edged sword: it produces rich moods that keep the sound unique, but inhibits the track from being entirely engaging. Still, a sincere and skillful effort from this Brooklyn-based band.

Fire/Water was recorded during a three-hour session at Grand Street Studios in Brooklyn, NY and was released as a limited edition of 400 on 7” wax coloured vinyl. Contact Rachel Yankelevitz (Rachel@farmhousepr.com) for a copy of the album, or  stream it on the Farmhouse PR website.

You can also catch Werewolves live as part of JezebelMusic.com’s June Feature Show on June 11 @ Public Assembly!

by Geoff Anstey