WINTERPILLS: Winterpills

Winterpills

Winterpills

© 2005 Signature Sounds Recordings (701237129426)

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Haunting, delicate, dynamic. room-hushingly beautiful. Aching melodies, acid lyrics. Think Elliott Smith, Cat Stevens, Sam Beam, and the Innocence Mission all get drunk and fall asleep in Joni Mitchell's backyard.

tracks

1 A Benediction
2 Laughing
3 Cranky
4 Threshing Machine
5 Want The Want
6 Pills For Sara
7 Found Weekend
8 Portrait
9 Letter To A Friend In Jail
10 Looking Down

notes

Winterpills first unknowingly convened in a room with no furniture, on a shiny, bare wood floor, in front of a large bay window, during a harsh recent winter, in a small New England town.

The good cheap magnums of wine were in season, as were guitars, and friends in need, some typically dire. Out the bay window, the snow flurried past the yellow streetlights on a treeless street called Orchard. Philip lay on the floor, looked up and saw his friend Flora, and later, to her left, his friend Dennis. It was time to play anything they wanted, and play they did, often not stopping until the sun came up. The catalogs of the Beatles, Throwing Muses, Neil Young, Stephen Merritt, the Carter Family, Elliott Smith, and others were all explored with no other thoughts than the friends, the wine, and the snow, eyes closed.

Stealthily and casually, a sleeping body of Philip's songs began creeping into the mix. Very late one night, Dave Hower appeared at the door and joined the others, completing a sound the four knew and understood. They touched the songs very lightly, as if pushing them too hard might cause them to disappear. Dennis' guitar echoed the notes beneath each passage. Philip and Flora's voices together made a third, new, unheard voice. Dave's subtle and swirling beats pulled the shapes of the songs like taffy into sweeter, brighter forms that stayed light and yet lived well in the dark and the cold. Much like the improbable bumblebee, a beautiful new band formed and chose to fly.

With their debut, Winterpills deliver an album that marks the arrival of a quietly stunning new band. Philip's transcendent melodies have never sounded more compelling or been performed with such reverence. Showcasing intimate male female vocals, haunting electric guitar, and bold inventive drumming, the album captures the sound of a band that has discovered a rare alignment of musicianship. From the straight-ahead pop of "Threshing Machine," to the hushed show-stopping beauty of "Want the Want," Winterpills and producer Jose Ayerve, have created a heartbreakingly expressive record.

Winterpills will not tame you. Winterpills may hurt you. Do not let Winterpills crumble in your fingers. Do not wash off afterwards.

reviews

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  • Haunting and Beautiful
    author: Tammy M. Brattleboro, VT

    An amazing album that will haunt you with achingly beautiful melodies and intelligent lyrics. Reminiscent of both Elliot Smith and Radiohead, songs like "Pills for Sara" and "Threshing Machine" will stick with you. I had the good fortune to see this band at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival and they were one of the highlights of the weekend.

  • Beautiful album
    author: J. Shaw

    I heard "Pills For Sara" on the Paste sampler, then "Laughing" on public radio... so it just seemed obvious that Winterpills would follow me until I got their album. The CD hasn't left my player since it came in the mail. Winterpills has intelligent lyrics that stay in your mind. Can't wait to hear more work from this band!

  • Spills the promise of spring.
    author: Jay Dunner, Disc-ussions

    Counting among its influences Simon & Garfunkel, Prefab Sprout, Nick Drake, and Belle & Sebastian, Winterpills is one of the best bands in the “quiet-is-the-new-loud” style. Leader Philip Price’s literate songs often begin with finger-picked acoustic guitar figures and Price’s quietly probing vocal. Judicious additions of bass, light drums, and intertwined electric guitar lines launch the arrangements. The band’s layered vocals, tempered by singer Flora Reed’s close-interval harmonies, provide just enough sparkle without smothering the songs’ craft. While the opener, “Benediction,” is representative of much of the rest of the album in its delicate intensity, the follow-up track, “Laughing,” with its crossed rhythms and soaring harmonies, proves that the band can kick off the snow when it wants to. Winterpills spills the promise of spring. *****

  • extremely addicting harmonies and music
    author: Keely

    Discovered in "Paste" magazine. The harmonies are reminiscient of Stevie and Lindsey. Not that they sound like them. Philip and Flora's voices weave together, then join the music and out comes this wonderful CD. What a band!!! What a CD!!!! Buy one for yourself and then another one for best friend. Do not BURN or COPY this CD... Help the real artist's succeed..... If we don't support the fringe dwellers, we will be stuck with commercial crap!!!

  • I have listened to the CD approximately 20 times in a week (a lot)
    author: Rebecca Duclos

    This CD is really amazing....my husband and I, whose musical tastes can differ quite markedly, are both obsessed with this album. The compositions are amazing--deceptively simple sounding but perfectly put together, the vocals are sweet, satisfying and effective, and the lyrics are moving and beautifully written without being overly cerebral. Love it! Love it, love it, love it! Thank you so much for one of my new favorite albums.

  • Excellent, sweet, harmonic bliss
    author: Deige

    Put this sweet little cd on repeat and let it bliss you out. These guys are wonderful!

  • Winterpills rock!
    author: Tom Weber

    I hate those reviews that go "so-and-so is like so-and-so meets so-and-so" so let's just assume that all those so-and-sos never met. I saw Winterpills play live in Pittsburgh (where I live) and immediately fell in love with the sound, soft and harmonic but rockin' out at the same time. They completely upstaged the "major" artist who they were opening for. I bought one copy of their CD at the gig and 5 more from CDBaby to send to friends. Check these guys out they are great!!!

  • terrific
    author: stephanie Brown

    Nice sound -- kinda like Fountains of Wayne meets Kings of Convenience with a little Belle & Sebastian. Favorites are Cranky & Benediction.

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