History: Ghosts In The City

Ghosts In The City didn’t really hit me til I put the reliable ole headphones on. As the opener bleeds into the second track, it dawned upon me. History are mining some awesome territory here. The band brings to mind the frantic nature of Shelby Cinca’s bands (Frodus and Decahedron to be exact). There has always been something almost mathematical about Cinca’s projects and History echoes those sentiments. The band also remind me of one of my favorite underrated bands of all time in Clair De Lune. I could just end the review right there and recommend but I’ll indulge you instead. History practice a certain controlled chaos that strikes a chord somewhere firmly between melody and aggression. The band might be from the sunny confines of Orlando, Florida but the dark atmospheres that surrounds the band’s songs tend to contradict. A few things stand out which separate History from their peers. The addition of the keyboard is a new element to bands mining this territory. Never overpowering, the keys are only used to accentuate the band’s arrangements. Also, the addition of female vocals make their first of numerous appearances on the strong “Horn Of The Unicorn.” That element adds a different dynamic to the band’s already ambitious sound. History are calculating and cunning in their compositions. The band seemingly lulls the listener into a state of complacency only to bludgeon them over the head repeatedly…but only in a good way of course. History do suffer a bit from the “sameness” aspect and the vocals feel a bit strained at times. But, other than those minor complaints, Ghosts In The City is a hell of a debut from a band flaunting some serious potential.

Genre: Post-Hardcore/Rock

RIYL: Engine Down, Jawbox, Shiner

Win Win Winter “A Brief History of…” [EP]

From the streets of Tampa Bay comes the exciting new band Win Win Winter and their phenomenal EP “A Brief History of…” [audio.16].  This 5-piece is comprised of Thomas Simms [vocals, songwriter, guitar, and bass], Alan Relkin [guitar], Joshua Greenberg [guitar, piano, synth, and yes, xylophone], Brian Schanck [guitar, bass, and synth], and Matthew Bennett [drums].  The EP is more than just the sum of its parts, however.  These youngsters display some fantastic songwriting skills and expert musicianship that help create the illusion that they’ve been around for a lifetime.  In fact, they’ve only been together for about a year and were initially formed from the ashes of a Thomas Simms solo project.  When the solo gig didn’t pan out, Simms reached out to his longtime friends and got them to join together in a band.  It wasn’t long before things started to click.  Innocent bystanders were quickly converted into loyal fans, the press showered them with nothing but praise, and things just started to snowball beyond all initial expectations.  Eventually, they signed with Tampa’s 24 Hour Service Station and “Brief History” was released on March 18th.  And with the five songs they’ve chosen for this EP, Win Win Winter is clearly a band with a bright and promising future.  Their influences are diverse:  Beck, the Beatles, Wilco, Pink Floyd, My Morning Jacket, and even DC post-punk.  Most musicians and fans can site any number of influences and favorites, though.  In the long run, how meaningful is it all?  The true test is how a band pulls these influences together and gets something that rises above.  Something new.  Something fresh.  Something that doesn’t just fade into the background as soon as it’s done.  Win Win Winter have admirably succeeded where countless others have failed.  The proof’s all there in the EP.  It’s only five songs but what an impact they’ll have once you give a listen.  “Baker Ave.” starts it off with a bouncy blues riff that immediately grabs your attention and holds it.  “We Came From Stereos” takes things down a notch into pop/rock territory.  The magnum opus of “Brief History,” though, is the devastating and haunting “Doves & Uppercuts.”  It’s a song about a family dealing with the tragic loss of one of their young sons.  Your basic acoustic/slide guitar tandem together with Simms’ hissed vocals deliver the blows that leave you shaken.  You really do feel this family’s loss.  With each song, Win Win Winter demonstrates they’re a capable band that can only get better with age and experience and will fully placate any cynical ear looking for something new. 

5 points:

1. WWW has opened for Dresden Dolls, Travis Morrison, Minus the Bear, Dr Dog, and Mates of State among numerous others.
2. They’ve garnered plenty of critical acclaim and have recently won Tampa’s “Best of the Bay” award.
3. 24 Hour Service Station is label that has yet to miss.  WWW label mates include the oh so politically incorrect Car Bomb Driver [audio.14] as well as the terrific History [audio.15].
4. For more details visit www.24hourservicestation.com
5. For EVEN more details visit www.myspace.com/winwinwinter

--Greg Harris / grehar@aent.com

History - Ghosts In The City

by Jennifer Perkin

New-Noise.net

Indie punk with warmth and edge

• BUY IT ON AMAZON

"It’s a great sound they have. The keyboard and flute that back up vocalist Melissa Parker brings to the band gives them a warm edge that offsets the stark riffs underpinning the record."

We can’t think of another band that comes from Orlando, Florida but going by what we know of the city History do not sound like they come from there. Their music is miles from the tacky theme parks and malls of their hometown, and instead has an undercurrent of menace and bleak urbanity. Their spiritual home just might be Washington DC, as their slightly off kilter and melodic take on punk is very much in line with the Dischord style.

It’s a great sound they have. The keyboard and flute that back up vocalist Melissa Parker brings to the band gives them a warm edge that offsets the stark riffs underpinning the record. Along with that, the jazzy and unpredictable drumming is the key to their sound and at their best they are as good as their primary influence, Fugazi. Opener ‘Oh Shit It’s A Heart Attack’ is a bold statement; claustrophobic, explosive and tight it’s a brilliant example of the band meeting their potential. However next track ‘BMK and the Valley of Bats’ is noticeably weaker – vocalist Matt Caron strains to wail beyond his ability and the song could do with an edit.  On ‘Blue Khaki Dance Party’ the keys and vocoder are at the fore and the result is a bit like At the Drive in meets Air – a compelling combination. 'It's Ladies Night Somewhere' is another highlight.

While at its best it’s great, on the whole the album lacks the attention to detail and songwriting prowess to be truly essential. Perhaps it’s a little too indie for it’s own good – but if your ears are accustomed to music that’s a little rough around the edges you probably won’t mind and you’ll find them to be well worth your time.

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'Ghosts In The City' 24 Hour Service Station   By: EDDIE THOMAS / http://www.subba-cultcha.com

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It is immediately obvious to those of me with any ideas or understanding of the structure of musical history which has led us up to this point that History have something of a fetish for Fugazi. From vocalist Matt Caron’s Ian MacKaye-esque affectations to their song structure, it’s clear that when they decided to form their band they had a very clear idea of whom they would be basing the template of their sound.

This is something of an unfortunatism as once you get past the inevitable Fugazi sheen which covers everything on this album like an overwhelment blanket forged in the underground punk movement of Washington DC, there is a genuinely interesting and creative band struggling to get out. One with almost the same force and presence of Dischord Records types Fugazi… don’t you know. There are many aspects of Historys’ sound – from their penchant for some crucial flute to the rather endearing Moogish keyboards – which don’t owe so much to the obvious point of reference. These aspects weave themselves beautifully into the rest of the musical landscape, demonstrating that once you take the trouble to delve, there is much to be commended about their work. And at least the derivative bits are written and delivered with as much verve, aplomb and thought as the original lot managed. If they can escape, even to a small degree, from crowding themselves so totally into this ready-made sound and find a little more room to let their own work blossom of its own accord, we could be hearing a really special band. Finally, kudos to them for song title of 2008 so far – “Brake Threw Hour Wall Sew We Can Sea Wear The Rats Arrgh” – loving it.