How German Is It
How German is it is an indie rock outfit from Brooklyn, NY indebted as much to the sunny 60s pop of The Tremeloes and the Mamas and the Papas as they are to more contemporary low fidelity trailblazers like Guided by Voices and Sebadoh. The songs on their debut veer from acoustic laments that recall Frightened Rabbit and Jonathan Richman (“I Will Be Famous for You”) to Latin-inflected chamber music (“I Believe in Me”) to harder rock informed by the riffs of bands like Future of the Left and The Hot Snakes (“Ugly Quickly”).
The Seasonal is a claustrophobic, schizophrenic album thematically connected by the seasons and the city it was recorded in (the album artwork consists of pictures taken the day after an unexpected tornado ravaged parts of Brooklyn). “Giving Up the Ghost,” the first track on the album, starts with a minimalist folk riff and culminates in a noisy, chaotic climax. Its first single, “Flags & Kings,” is Stephen Malkmus-inspired pop muted by ethereal chorus harmonies and lyrics provoked by a loved one’s losing battle with cancer.
How German is it’s debut record features a number of local luminaries from NYC bands past and present. Singer/songwriter Patrick S. is best known for his work in Naming Rights, a band that also featured HGii bassist JJ Starside. JJ went on to write and record much of Goodnight Noises Everywhere, the first album by indie sleep-pop darlings The Starside Eight. Craig Mercado spent time in Henry Krinkle and Naming Rights. Dr. Roland Rhythm, studio drum machine, has graciously stepped away from the kit to allow Timothy Gramling to take over for live performances.
The album was recorded in Brooklyn’s Studio Apartment Studios (which doubles as Patrick’s apartment) on equipment from the members’ childhoods, including a Casio SK-1 keyboard, a Tascam Porta07 4-track recorder (used as a mixing board), a Dr. Rhythm drum machine and JJ’s practice accordion. HGii is playing regularly in Brooklyn this summer in support of their record.
"Brooklyn band How German is it are a revolving cast of musicians and a new album out soon, The Seasonal (which "Giving Up the Ghost" is a selection from), a celebration of sorts of indie rock staples ranging from Pavement to Jonathan Richman, though as their bio states, they're "indebted as much to the sunny 60s pop of The Tremeloes and the Mamas and the Papas as they are to more contemporary low fidelity trailblazers like Guided by Voices and Sebadoh". The band are playing several upcoming dates in Brooklyn to promote the album."
-A Future In Noise (Independent Music Discoveries, Issue #16 )
on iTunes 3.14.2010 Click for their myspace
The Seasonal is a claustrophobic, schizophrenic album thematically connected by the seasons and the city it was recorded in (the album artwork consists of pictures taken the day after an unexpected tornado ravaged parts of Brooklyn). “Giving Up the Ghost,” the first track on the album, starts with a minimalist folk riff and culminates in a noisy, chaotic climax. Its first single, “Flags & Kings,” is Stephen Malkmus-inspired pop muted by ethereal chorus harmonies and lyrics provoked by a loved one’s losing battle with cancer.
How German is it’s debut record features a number of local luminaries from NYC bands past and present. Singer/songwriter Patrick S. is best known for his work in Naming Rights, a band that also featured HGii bassist JJ Starside. JJ went on to write and record much of Goodnight Noises Everywhere, the first album by indie sleep-pop darlings The Starside Eight. Craig Mercado spent time in Henry Krinkle and Naming Rights. Dr. Roland Rhythm, studio drum machine, has graciously stepped away from the kit to allow Timothy Gramling to take over for live performances.
The album was recorded in Brooklyn’s Studio Apartment Studios (which doubles as Patrick’s apartment) on equipment from the members’ childhoods, including a Casio SK-1 keyboard, a Tascam Porta07 4-track recorder (used as a mixing board), a Dr. Rhythm drum machine and JJ’s practice accordion. HGii is playing regularly in Brooklyn this summer in support of their record.
"Brooklyn band How German is it are a revolving cast of musicians and a new album out soon, The Seasonal (which "Giving Up the Ghost" is a selection from), a celebration of sorts of indie rock staples ranging from Pavement to Jonathan Richman, though as their bio states, they're "indebted as much to the sunny 60s pop of The Tremeloes and the Mamas and the Papas as they are to more contemporary low fidelity trailblazers like Guided by Voices and Sebadoh". The band are playing several upcoming dates in Brooklyn to promote the album."
-A Future In Noise (Independent Music Discoveries, Issue #16 )
on iTunes 3.14.2010 Click for their myspace
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