Three Imaginary Girls - The Quiet Ones

Tonight's recommended show: The Croc opens its doors

ChrisB — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:26:27 +0000

Well, kids, the night is finally here. The legendary Crocodile is once again opening its doors after about 15 years and everyone (who is 21 or older) is invited.

First shows announced for the Crocodile -- and they're free!

ChrisB — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 00:15:45 +0000

The speculation can (finally) end now for who will be playing the first nights at The Crocodile. It was just announced today that the club will open with two free shows of excellent local bands on Thursday and Friday.

Free Music Friday with the Quiet Ones, Pattern Is Movement, Moby and more!

imaginary ash — Fri, 23 May 2008 13:09:42 +0000

We're back from the great beyond to give you your weekly MP3 fix!

Noise for the Needy announces shows with Matt & Kim, YACHT, No-Fi Soul Rebellion, Two Gallants, and Black Angels

imaginary dana — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 01:31:53 +0000

This JUST in: local non-profit Noise for the Needy has just pre-announced some great show dates for their forthcoming 2008 musical festival.

A stormy night with BOAT

Imaginary Kiku — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 04:09:19 +0000

1 Dec 2007

boat07dec.jpg

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night can keep me from attending a BOAT show. Really only a 300-pound bouncer with an eye for fake IDs can. So although the sudden snowstorm may have prevented a larger crowd from gathering at VERA last night, I was there to once again witness the BOAT magic.

The show featured four talented and diverse local bands, opening with the catchy punk hooks of the Quiet Ones and ending with the Cops celebrating the release of their new CD Free Electricity. Sandwiched between these two hard-rocking bands was a sloppy-pop center made up of Throw Me the Statue and BOAT. It was these bands that motivated me to brave the elements and make the dangerous commute downtown.

Before Saturday night I hadn't heard much of Throw Me the Statue, but as I drove down to VERA luck would have it that Audioasis was playing a track off their latest CD Moonbeams. I fell fast for their poppy riffs and cute, muffled vocals, and their live show only solidified my admiration. Throw Me the Statue is a really fantastic and energetic band with lots of great keyboards and a star shaped tambourine. I don't know how else to describe this band but to say that they are everything I look for in my local music. They danced, they had effortless harmonies, and did I mention the keys? Their enthusiasm on stage was infectious, and for two songs in a row they got the whole audience to clap along, including a cover of the Guided By Voices song "My Valuable Hunting Knife." Perhaps the most impressive part of their performance came at the end of their set, when the guitarist took over the keys, and the keyboardist executed the most remarkable xylophone solo I have ever heard. His mallets were moving so fast they were invisible to the naked eye. Unfortunately Throw Me the Statue's set was much too short, as they had to take off for their official CD release party at the Croc, but their full length Moonbeams is now most definitely on my Christmas list.

Finally, the band I braved the storm for, forced my parents to drive on slushy roads for: BOAT took the stage. I realized before the show that I hadn't seen BOAT since the Three Imaginary Girls' anniversary party, way back in July. Maybe it was just because of the withdrawal, but their performance seemed even better than usual. The sound was CD quality, but the little jokes they threw into their live songs made each one personal. BOAT has taken the local music scene by storm, winning TIG's Best Album of the Year in 2006, and surly prime contenders for the same award this year. Their unique sloppy-pop sound is full to bursting with strange noises from a variety of obscure instruments. It seems that every BOAT song is completely new, never to be confused with another melody. The set list was full of gems from their two LPs (Songs That You Might Not Like and Let's Drag Our Feet!), but also included two new songs (goodness these boys keep busy!). They introduced one new tune by saying, "It's about a band we like." Someone in the audience shouted, What band? So they gave us clues. Some of them have beards. None of them smoke. I asked, Do they like diet soda? Yes, answered lead singer Dave Crane, I've heard some do like diet soda. The song is called "Four Beds for BOAT," and is one of the more adorable songs I can think of, with humble lyrics and a sweet, sleepy melody. Near the end, lead Dave checked his watch and noticed it was 10:15. He said nervously "We're supposed to be done by 10:15. Oh well, I hear the Cops are lenient in Seattle". And that little pun made my evening.

I think this is a good time to mention that one of the highlights of the night was the rock-star lighting operated by a kid in the back known as Lane. I've heard photographers complain about VERA lighting, how it's not good for picture-taking, but it was incredible that night for creating a real mega-concert atmosphere. Throw Me the Statue's lead singer Scott Reitherman even said during his performance, "Whoever is doing the lights, thank you for blowing my mind". I don't know how he did it, but the talented youth managed to make the lights match every song almost perfectly. Kudos Lane!

Finally, I was gifted BOAT's set list (shown above), which was given to me very generously by extreme BOAT fan Al Sauer. I think it's every bit as adorable and artful as BOAT themselves.

Finally, the band I braved the storm for, forced my parents to drive on slushy roads for: BOAT took the stage.

Tonight's Recommended Show: Kay Kay & His Weathered Underground/The Quiet Ones/Southerly at the Croc

imaginary dana — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 14:51:54 +0000

When Seattle band Kay Kay & His Weathered Underground were picked as one of the Strangers Bands to Watch for 2007, I must confess I'd never heard of them before. I have now, and all I can say is... whoa. The band features Kirk Huffman and Kyle O'Quin of Gatsby's American Dream and Phil Peterson of Tennis Pro unleashing a whimsical, whirling cacaphony of indie-pop orchestral sounds, reminiscent of Queen and/or Jellyfish and yet sounding almost startlingly unique. I can't fathom how this will translate to a live show (more instrumentalists onstage? Fabulous costumes?), but I'm sure hoping to make it over there to find out.

Also, according to the band's MySpace page, they're scheduled to play on Last Call with Carson Daly on June 13th (!!). Go tonight, and you can say you saw them during the proverbial when.

Good news for Tim Seely fans

imaginary dana — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 18:02:14 +0000

Good news from Team Prince! Prince (and his publishing peeps) finally allowed Tim Seely to place "Slow Love" back up on iTunes.

Nite You Surprised Me

Craig Vinyl — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 08:00:00 +0000

6.2

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000IMVEHI/wwwthreeimagi-20

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Listening to the newest release by cross-country vagabonds The Quiet Ones, I found myself staring out the window watching the wind stir the trees with restless anxiety, and imagining scenes of the past and future as if they were short film clips gathered in a montage and set to. . . well, The Quiet Ones.

The music on this six-track EP is gorgeous. While many bands who categorize themselves as "indie" would be satisfied with five instruments layered in logical "this is how the band sounds in our basement" structure, the Quiet Ones believe that more is more, when done right — and they do it right. The sonic palette, the layering combinations, the overall production aesthetic: it's all crafted with nuance and grace, and deeply enjoyable to hear.

The main reason for the sound of Nite You Surpised Me may be how it was made. The band, comprised of the three Totten brothers (John, Chris, and David) and close friend Ryan Dixon, spent over a year sending tracks back and forth across the country, trading with Boston-based producer Neely, as the brothers relocated the band from restlessness-inducing Tennessee, to Missoula, and then Seattle. These tracks speak, via their calculated, zipper-tight layers, of that distance, of the necessary time infused into such a process, and of course of the wonders of today's digital home recording tools. It's a process that just can't happen if a band is sitting in the basement getting tunes ready for the next gig.

Every space on the Quiet Ones EP is filled, including the preludes and epilogues of songs. Children at play, ethereal synths, and strings blend from one track to another. Ground-breaking? No, pretty standard for the midi-and-multi-tracking adept. Executed successfully? Absolutely. And yet for all these layers of orchestral nuance — hell, there's a harp in the first twenty seconds of the lead track, "The Girl With the Dark Hair" — it never feels overdone. Te group keeps the chord structures simple and the song forms straightforward.

And yet, another reason the album doesn't ever feel like it's too much lies in the main vocal melodies. For all the paints on The Quiet Ones' palette, something is missing that keeps these songs from grabbing you, from affecting you, from transforming that pensive moment staring out the window that the arrangements inspire. The band's melodies are as precise as their instrumentation; there's almost a Stereolab quality to the delivery of the verses on "The Girl With the Dark Hair." The lyrics are distant as well, with a vagueness to them. There's nothing discordant here; the melodies and lyrics fit the music without a doubt, and yet, the melodies aren't urgent enough to distract from your own thoughts, and what's being sung on these songs is not going to cause you to reconsider your window daydream perspective.

The result is that the best track on Nite You Surprised Me is the instrumental: "Se De´Fausser A` Cœur," which transports you to an elegant ballroom circa 1938, complete with either a formal gown or an officer's uniform. The strings and the bells: it's dreamy. And no sooner have you sauntered the floor and spotted the object of your time-traveling affection, the one that got away long ago, then a sneaky electric guitar nudges in, grabs the curtain, and transports you to a hip patio luau some thirty years later, complete with bongos, lit swimming pool, open collars and perhaps a whiff of espionage. With the exception of some Star Trek quality vocal brush strokes, there's no vocal on this track, and we don't mind.

The place where the band comes closest to meeting their arranging flair halfway with a really affecting vocal melody is in the very next track, "I Don't Know Why." The song begins with a grand, Pet Sounds-y opening. Then everything drops away except for banjo and a vocal with a Flaming Lips affectation. The drums sneak in, and by the time we hear the simple refrain: "And I don't know why," well, you don't know why either, in the good way. It's the kind of moment that makes you reconsider the happy daydream, a pop treasure. A late verse about abandoned halls and floors covered and left behind, set to tambourine and bells, brings the song out of a triumphant bridge and into a dreamy, there-goes-the-spaceship-into-the-arizona-night moment of whimsy that works so well you smile out the window.

The Quiet Ones believe that more is more, when done right — and they do it right.

TIG on KEXP Podcast February 2007

three imaginary girls — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 18:00:00 +0000

Podcast of our Feburary 10, 2007 appearance on KEXP's Audioasis with DJ Shannon. Listen to our favorite local picks of the moment, including tracks from the Shaky Hands, H is for Hellgate, the Femurs, Brent Amaker, Dolour, Friday Mile, the Golden Year, M. Bison, Optimus Rhyme, & The Quiet Ones.

47:38 minutes (8 MB)