Press Coverage of The Chairs
(If the Internet Says So It Must Be True)
"Nine Ways is colorful, strange, and intensely morbid. But more than anything, it is an absolutely fantastic album. After Laugh, It’s a Fright earlier this year, we were expecting a great second album, and we certainly weren’t disappointed. From the starting point of its already excellent debut, The Chairs progressed immensely higher. Combining the energetic musical creativity of The Chairs with Alex Schaaf’s excellent vocals and utterly amazing lyrics, Nine Ways is not only a great second album for The Chairs, but easily one of the best albums this year."
"I am feeling this new album by The Chairs..."
"Exercise patience and wade past “No Fingers’” opening 10 seconds of fuzz. “It’s worth it” would be an understatement."
"Appleton, Wisconsin's The Chairs have a sound that will throw you back to the first time you heard Neutral Milk Hotel. Think NMH, but less obscure and a little more optimistic. They have a new release entitled Nine Ways which I've really enjoyed."
Bridging the Atlantic (11/06/09)
"The Chairs’ own stuff stands up just as well. The track ‘Horse With Hoof Guns’ is a great song, and a single worthy of any new indie band. Its EP can be downloaded and streamed here, also free. When the driving, almost galloping, drum beat comes in is when you realise that these guys are really onto something. Likewise their first demo, ‘November EP’ (free here) has the real standout original track ‘Polly’."
And Pluck Your Strings (10/30/09)
"There are so many ideas and hooks within these songs that had they all been properly stretched out and explored, Laugh, It’s A Fright could have been a triple album. But all these ideas, as compressed and layered as they are, instead give this album a dense and layered effect which makes it a joy to pick through upon (many) repeated listens....It’s really hard for me to believe that this is a debut album. The maturity exhibited is far beyond that of most indie bands, never mind one as young as this. It’s also hard for me to believe this is a band that will remain unsigned for much longer.""Though The Chairs has been making music for under a year, they’re doing quite well. Currently unsigned, they’re not only indie in genre but in state - and yet they manage to easily sound as good (and much better) than many signed bands. Their first full-length album, Laugh, It’s a Fright, was released digitally on the 13th. The Chairs quite obviously has a great deal of potential - and they use it, creating one of the best albums released this year...(much more at the link below)"
""No Fingers" is an achingly beautiful song. It's one of those songs that you will play over and over again, using the length as an excuse every time you hit the play button. It's nothing but their signature vocal harmonies and a piano, and it just kills me how pretty it is. Bands like The Arcade Fire and The Decemberists make gorgeous music like this all the time partly because they have dramatic instrumentation to help. But The Chairs are making my jaw drop without any superfluous stuff, and now that I think about it, very few bands have done this in the last decade. "Magic" by Ben Folds Five and Radiohead's "Exit Music (For A Film)" are two songs that come to mind in comparison."
"From the first track “This Isn’t A Fire Fortress” you get a good grasp of what the Chairs are about. Strong distinct vocals from Alex, great instrumentation that makes you forget that you are listening to a debut album. These guys play with enough skill to rub off as vets of the game. The song are well constructed with chorus, concise playing from their rhythm section, and light but well placed guitar plucking. Songs like “No Fingers” show an intimate stripped down side of the band....Overall this is one of the better true indie albums of the year. Spring is finally upon us, go for a nice drive with no destination in mind and pop in “Laugh, It’s A Fright.” It will accompany you well."
We All Want Someone to Shout For (3/27/09)
"I’ve heard two tracks from the album which is available on their myspace page and it’s a little different than their EP. But in a good way. I think I am made fully aware when I heard ‘If You Were a Murderer‘ that The Chairs, now more than ever, have their own distinct unique sound. I really do love ‘If You Were a Murderer’; everything about the song is beautiful. I love the minor Chords that they use, the emotive vocals, that little bit of Horn, and the choice of words in the lyric. At the 3 minute mark, the song takes on an unexpected change in direction and then you just learn to appreciate the song a lot more. This song is the closing track for Laugh, It’s a Fright and I can only imagine that this would be the prefect closing track- it gives you closure while at the same time it leaves you wanting more.
After listening to the song, I wish that I would have the privilege to see them live though; I think it would be pretty magical yes? But since no one ever comes here nor do I have the cash to travel anywhere out of this little sunny island, I’ll have to just make do with what I have.
I can’t wait to listen to the album as a whole; probably gonna pre-order it myself soon-ish once I get myself some cash!"
Adventures in Solitude (3/2/09)
"The Chairs are releasing Laugh, It's a Fright on March 17. By "releasing", they mean they will personally mail it to you. You can order it at their website as of right now. They promise to spend the money on Christmas ornaments, funny hats and hamster food.
If you pre-order before March 17th, the band will write you a haiku. I'm going to keep them honest by inviting everyone to post their haiku on my blog. It's not that I think they'd lie. It's just that their honesty is one of the best things about following the band, and if they became too jaded I'd be sad. They even admitted that they recorded the album in a dorm room next to their adopted hamster, Margot. Now, don't you want to buy the record/feed the hamster?
They have two songs from the new record on their Myspace page, my favorite of which is "This Isn't a Fire Fortress". Also up there right now is "Polly"and an excellent Neutral Milk Hotel cover from their last EP.
http://www.myspace.com/thechairsband"
Let's Trade Mix Tapes (3/2/09)
"I've posted The Chairs' music before, but only in the form of covers. They did Neutral Milk Hotel's In An Aeroplane Over the Sea a while ago, and more recently Bon Iver's Flume. Here's one of their original songs from their recently finished Laugh, It's A Fright, out March 17th. (Preorder here). The song takes a nice twist at around 3:00."
"The Chairs cover one of my favorite tracks off my favorite album of 2008 and do a great job with it."
"Um som bom pra se ouvir com calma, no sábado cedo? The Chairs são de Wisconsin/EUA, começaram a aparecer pelos blogs mundo afora, no segundo semestre do ano passado. Primeiro, com um côver do Neutral Milk Hotel, depois com um EP intitulado “November“, pois quem ouvia aquele côver queria saber mais dessa banda. E assim foi (ouça pelo myspace deles). Se você quiser ter uma idéia melhor de como eles foram/estão aparecendo, dá uma lida nessa página do site dos caras.
Eu resolvi falar deles, hoje, não apenas porque é um sábado calmo e a música dos caras combina, mas porque recebi o côver que eles fizeram de “Flume“, do Bon Iver. Aí pensei que já passou da hora de compartilhar esses caras com a geral, não é? Quem curtir a sonoridade, segue eles. Aos outros, um bom sábado :)"
In New Music We Trust (2/21/09)
"The Chairs were one of my bands to watch for this year, and for good reason. They did an absolutely killer Neutral Milk Hotel Cover and released one really solid debut EP. They have hit me up with another cover this time of Bon Iver’s magical song “Flume”. They did a fanastic job with it, really making it their own while also keeping the eerie atmosphere that Bon Iver created. These guys keep putting out more magic. You gotta listen to this."
We All Want Someone to Shout For (2/19/09)
"My dear reader, if you remember the end of 2008, I ranked The Chairs' cover of "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea" #6 on my favorite covers of the year list. Looks like they're getting a head start on 2009 by tackling Bon Iver's "Flume"!
This cover takes Bon Iver's soulful lo-fi and gives it a sexy, Hot Chip "Made In The Dark" makeover. Enjoy!"
"I remember hearing a cover of Bon Iver’s Skinny Love and after that I swore to myself never to listen to another Bon Iver cover again. But last night, I received The Chairs’ cover of Flume by fellow Wisconsinite, Bon Iver, and I knew I had to listen to it especially after their solid November EP which included the cover of Neutral Milk Hotel’s In The Aeroplane Over The Sea.
The cover is a slightly different take than the original. It does away with the guitar and instead replaces it with the Piano and synth drums. The synths and piano just go so well with the vocals. And gosh, I absolutely adore the vocals. Essentially it is a gorgeous cover throughout so please do take a listen."
Adventures in Solitude (2/15/09)
"The Chairs came to my attention after the free self-release of their November EP. They write honest, simple rock songs that slowly build up and explode with heartfelt harmonies and sparked up guitars. Although they're not nearly as dark as Radiohead, there's an unmistakeable plaintive quality about lead singer Alex Schaaf's voice that reminds me of Thom Yorke. Their music has a subtle, deep-seated urgency to it that wormed its way into my head and left me wanting to hear more. I decided to ask the band what they were up to in Appleton, Wisconsin and when I'd get to hear something new. Here's what they had to say....(interview follows)
Let's Trade Mix Tapes (1/22/09)
"Their songs range from the jaunty haunty indie-pop of Polly to the ambient vocal-heavy rock of Fire and Ice, as well as a quiet grunge-tinged I Gotta Go. Lead singer Alex Schaaf sounds a lot like The Weakerthans’ John Samson, although perhaps half an octave lower. His songs are often a strange juxtaposition of mournful and hopeful. The excellent bassist Andre Juan paints the whole EP with a light shade of funk. This is an extremely accomplished debut, it doesn’t sound particularly lo-fi, but it is clear they will benefit from a more equipped studio and some experienced producers. It seems only a matter of time before The Chairs are signed, it isn’t inconceivable that when they are their label may halt the free downloads. The lack of foresight in the record industry never fails to astonish. Go download November now, if for no other reason than to wait till they get popular and say “I only like their early stuff.”
"If you have recently read my blog you will know that I think that The Chairs are a band to watch for 2009. They are hard at work on material and have taken some time off to record "O Come O Come Emmanuel" in order to celebrate the holiday season. The tune continues to showcase the strong vocals and playing that this young band has to offer. I really like their style of playing."
We All Want Someone to Shout For (12/22/08)
"Hard to do NMH justice with a cover, but The Chairs pull off their soft/loud prom-styled cover excellently!"
(#6 on Top Ten Covers of 2008) Let's Sexy Fighting (12/23/08)
" This November EP is a very good introduction to The Chairs. There is a lot of talent here. The band showcases their ability to play simple rock songs, as well as adding distorted dirty guitars. 'I Gotta Go' ends the EP appropriately with a frenzy of distorted fuzzy guitars that floats near shoe gaze. These guys have a lot of different territory of sound that they can hit. I am excited to see what they sound like live, and to hear what a full length of theirs would sound like.
Don't let the Chairs out of your sight. They are going to be making lots of waves in 2009."
We All Want Someone to Shout For (12/19/08)
"I just heard this song (and the entire EP) for the first time last night but I know 'Polly' will be put on repeat rather quickly."
All Things Steve (12/3/08)
"I heard about The Chairs when a few blogs posted the fantastic cover they did of my favourite Neutral Milk Hotel song ‘In The Aeroplane Over The Sea’. I then headed over to their website and discovered they are offering their November EP for price of…well, nothing!
It’s just 5 songs including the cover but it’s amazingly awesome. Alex Schaff, the guy on vocals, his voice slightly resembles that of Radiohead’s Thom Yorke so you can get a hint at how good this band is already. Furthermore, I love the subtle bass underlying their songs and the guitar riffs perfectly complement his voice. If you like what you hear, go to their website to download their EP."
Adventures in Solitude (11/21/08)
"Our friends from up north, Appleton's The Chairs, release their November EP today. You can listen to the whole EP on their Web site, and I suggest you do. Here's why we like them:
1. They're emotive without being whiny.
2. The songs employ ambient shoegaze elements while having strong composition.
3. Guitarist Phil Kronenberg plays hot rock guitar solos and noisy textures, but doesn't wank or noodle.
4. Alex Schaaf's voice is a sweet meld of Thom Yorke and Gordon Gano.
5. The rhythm section is strong, simplistic but unique - no generic beats/basslines here. The grooves are rhythmically quirky and supportive of the melody. Well done."
Fan-Belt Milwaukee (11/18/08)
" Indeed, they've got a fantastic blend of mellow bass lines, off-kilter synthesizer, emotive vocals, and dueling sets of lyrics and guitar riffs that sounds as if they are engaged in a heated game of back-and-forth ping pong. You already know they did a fantastic cover of Neutral Milk Hotel so you might assume "Polly" is a timeless Nirvana cover; tell 'em what they lost, Johnny! "Polly" is an original track that showcases some of The Chairs' potential to develop into a music mainstay."
I Guess I'm Floating (11/18/08)
"The Chairs, al loro November Ep, mi interessano alquanto. Sono leggermente ipnotici, dai suoni secchi, qualche elemento psichedelico, rumuori elettro e synth, linea di basso cruda e predominante, una voce che ricorda Claps Your Hands e, forse sì, un pò Thom Yorke, ma per l'attitudine e l'interpretazione"
Stilographics (11/19/08)
"The Chairs are a band from Wisconsin who plays a skewed kind of take on Americana and electro-pop. The have a new EP available for free download on their website (out Tuesday 11/18) that features a drastically reworked version of Neutral Milk Hotel’s classic “In The Aeroplane Over The Sea”. Fans of the original would really appreciate this - it sorta sounds like Eef Barzelay of Clem Snide fronting a high school version of Joy Division. I mean that in the nicest way possible."
Pop Headwound(11/17/08)
"On their debut recording, Wisconsin band The Chairs, with Alex Schaaf doing the vocal honors and searing guitar licks, pay homage to that source of inspiration. This cover is featured on a five-song EP that the band is self-releasing tomorrow on their website.
But the Chairs aren't just a cover band; their original songs are well-written and arranged with just the right balance of assertiveness and restraint. "I Gotta Go" has great dynamics, laying low at first and then coming out with a blast of sound. "Polly" is my personal favorite. Listen to them all on the little player on their website. Their November EP is a fine debut."
Speed of Dark (11/17/08)
"Same goes for covering Neutral Milk Hotel (ugh, hate that name). You’ve gotta be bonkers to attempt it. Luckily, this version by The Chairs makes the grade. I really love the drum intro and the quiet wailing thing they’ve got going on in the first half of the track, before the drums kick in again and the intensity builds."
It All Started With Carbon Monoxide (11/15/08)
" A solid set of pipes, few twists, and amped up guitar distortion gives one the impression that they're heading in the right sounding direction"
I Guess I'm Floating (11/13/08)