Calamateur vs.
Steve Lawson

Calamateur
Tiny Pushes Vol.2

Calamateur
The Old Fox of '45

The Gena Rowlands Band
La Merde et les Etoiles


V/A
Deep Peace

The Out_Circuit
Burn Your Scripts, Boys

Calamateur
Son of Everyone EP

Calamateur
Tiny Pushes Vol.1

The Gena Rowlands Band
(trailer) EP

Oldsolar
The Perfect Backswing EP

(trailer) EP
by The Gena Rowlands Band (clave002)

     FREE

(WILL BE INCLUDED IN YOUR ORDER WHEN YOU BUY ANY OTHER CD)

Released February 2004

Debut material from the highly acclaimed outfit from Washington DC featuring Bob Massey (ex-Telegraph Melts). The Gena Rowlands Band is the sound of you looking out of your window at a strange new city. You have never heard the night sing this way before. Lushly dissonant arrangements brilliantly offset skewed lyrical gems, reminiscent of American Music Club, Tindersticks and Stephen Duffy.

"...demands repeated listening...simply a pleasure."
- Splendid Ezine

"...heart-felt lyrics that could pierce the coldest of hearts..."
- Is This Music?

"...Ethereal, haunting and magnificent..."
- Logo Magazine

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1. Kong Meets His Maker (A Parable About Dating)
2. The Last Words of Lesley Gore
3. Garofolo, C'est Moi
4. Power, Lies, Helena's Lips
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Reviews in full:
Musically kaleidoscopic, simultaneously lush and choppy, this ambitious experiment succeeds on pretty much every level...These four tracks, totaling just 16 minutes, demand repeated listening. The more you listen, the more you'll hear. It is bright, non-repetitive, innovative stuff, and the music seems to bloom, opening up and rewarding patient listeners...the music is simply a pleasure. If the Gena Rowlands Band can do this with a 16-minute selection of sonic appetizers, their first full length will be a hell of a feast.
- Jay Forman, Splendid Ezine

"Ethereal, haunting and magnificent, here is something you've never heard before wrapped up in a comforting blanket of familiarity."
- Cliff Roberts, Logo Magazine

"When you title your songs "The Last Words of Lesley Gore" and "Garofalo, C'est Moi," they better be pretty damn good. We happily report that The Gena Rowlands Band delivers, sonically, lyrically, attitudinally, every which-ally way."
- The Washington City Paper

"We have a CD here on Autoclave. It's by The Gena Rowlands Band who contain ex members of the excellent Telegraph Melts. This sounds really good on first listen - its downbeat guitar stuff full of twists and turns with a violin usefully employed creating a bit of chaos. Reminds me a bit of Cass McCombs in places but the songs are quite straightforward. Its what is going on around them that is interesting."
- Norman Records

"...Lovely..."
- Julio Diaz and Andrew Chadwick, Ink 19

"The Gena Rowlands Band aren't completely satisfied with what life has thrown at them: blonde strangers, convenience stores and bad parties. But if it weren't for these issues, we would be the ones missing out. Bob Massey writes heart-felt lyrics that could pierce the coldest of hearts. 'Kong Meets His Maker (A Parable About Dating)' has a wistful Massey, seemingly heartbroken on behalf of the King of the Jungle ('The place was a finer place cos she was in it / The empire state was not too high a climb for love'). He drives us deeper into depression with 'The Last Words of Lesley Gore' ('All the friends I love are gone / And it's been years since I seen family'), as if someone tore his heart out and told him to deal with it. Perhaps the individual members with the exception of Massey were happy once, before they met the jilted, unhappy and melancholic singer. 'Garofalo, C;est Moi' is almost delightful: 'I finally found what love is / Love is only in the movies / Now everything in this house is on fire / All my best memories are lies'. If that doesn't have you reaching for the bottle, nothing will. The Gena Rowlands Band may not be content with life but if it weren't for them, we might just be."
- Stuart McHugh, Is This Music?

"Washington (DC) band release debut EP on Highland label. Strange world in which Autoclave Records can exist in both Beauly and Brooklyn - but more power to their sterilising elbow. They also released that Calamateur CD we reviewed recently. This is rather different. Silver Jews meets The Divine Comedy on cabaret night at the clever bar. Not as crass as the latter, but not as touchingly human as the former. Clever, talented. Maybe too clever. Song titles that show a knowing literary bent - 'The Last Words of Lesley Gore', 'Kong Meets His Maker (A Parable About Dating)', Garofolo, C'est Moi' and 'Power, Lies, Helena's Lips' - coupled with a lazy, bemused vocal delivery and mature spacious musicla arrangements. Double bass, vibes, cello, violin and viola with guitar, piano and drums. Freeform meets lo-fi lunge/cabaret. Very nearly glorious."
- Bigmouth, Inverness City Advirtiser

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Oldsolar
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Calamateur
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The Gena Rowlands Band
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The Out_Circuit
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Steve Lawson
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