Comparisons (so far): Pavement, Hefner, The Velvet Underground, The Pastels, The Orchids, The Sea and Cake, Beat Happening, The McTells, Modern Lovers, The Shins, Airport Girl, The Strokes(?), The Tenderfoot, Neutral Milk Hotel, Daniel Johnston, Sufjan Stevens, Television Personalities

"Watching from the crowd as Esio Trot charm and beguile, transported back to 1988 and it’s a village hall in Hertford and The McTells and Beat Happening are on stage, and The Legend! plays a set with his electric guitar unplugged, and everything is discordant and jangling, out-of-tune but so mesmerising, Velvet Underground filtered through a secondhand tape-recorder and a collection of Postcard Records." - Everett True (Plan B)

"Esiotrot, endearingly shambolic, open. Some are on guitars and bass, there are a few horns, a drummer; they fill the stage with bodies and the room with soft, pervasive melodic lines that twine round listeners and bind them into a reverie. They’re loose and ramshackle, though charming. Matthew’s voice, already fragile on the album, treads the finest of lines between sweetly crackling and cracking up. The horns – part rhythm bass, part Chuck Mangione – are a constant sonic presence, alternately burbling and blurting in the background. A dank, sub-Camden corner of London feels almost summery. The scene is set." Emily Moore- (Drowned In Sound)

"Of the groups playing, two really stood out for me. First there was Esiotrot, a Brighton based troupe who reminded me variously (appropriately enough) of Hefner, The Tenderfoot and oh, of any host of kids from the past twenty years who ever dreamed of strapping on guitars and being in The Modern Lovers. They also have a song about playing Stereolab, which is kind of cool. Initially I thought the singer was going on about playing the stereo, which actually would have been better still. I used to offer that glib remark whenever anyone asked if I played any music myself. Only on the stereo I would reply. Which is about as close as I ever got to being funny and is probably the reason conversations always dried up. But I digress. Esiotrot look like my sixth form art class would look like if I had one, and sound suitably intriguing. Im keen to hear more." - Alistair Fitchett (Unpopular Records)

"MySpace is great isn’t it? Especially if you’re a band. Suffice to say this writer found Esiotrot through another band’s ‘Space, and it made him happy. Happy enough to write about himself in the third person. Anyway, Brighton’s Esiotrot are presumably named after the Roald Dahl novel of the same name (it’s Tortoise backwards, innit) and make the kind of twinkly indie-pop that’s far too rare on these rainy shores. Think Pavement and The Shins, ’praps. Mmm. You’d like them." - Will Dean (Drowned in Sound)

"sprawling indie-folk bohos" (Time-Out)

"What does it spell backwards? Yes! Cute eh? Cute Indie-pop sounds are indeed the name, and the name of the game for this Brighton based band who make the genre work for me in a way I don’t find in so many indie-pop bands (the best twee and indie-pop bands can be found at indie-mp3 and skatterbrain blogs) but here the interrupted musical elements seem to bring to mind American complicators (working hard to mix things up and quickly extending the number of instruments used (see Sufjan Stevens, The Shins)) more than straight up jangly 80’s guitar bands. And this works for me. This is 2007, things don’t add up, we aren’t all that sure of our position of complete dominance on this earth, we are fearful of horrors on the other side of the world and on our doorstep - lo-fi music doesn’t have such a resonance for me. Today at least (I say looking at the clock the moment it changes to 00:00). The solution seems to be embracing and creating of music to reflect this tone. Although this song seems to be about a girl, I prefer the complicated interpretation, and I love that these guys are British." - Nothing But Green Lights

"brilliantly eccentric Hefner-ish songwriting"- Latest 7

SCHMESIOTROT REVIEW: 8/10 "They make music that sounds like it’s played out sepia tinged montages of days out on the beach at, say, Eastbourne. And that’s a good thing...Esiotrot are a brilliant outsider’s band. Well, not outsiders as such, but more the reliable friend who gets turned to for advice when all he really wants to do is turn the lights off and get naked. Something singer Matthew Rains makes clear on the fantastically jaunty ’There’ll Be A Time For Nice Guys’ when he despairs, “I can’t believe you’d rather date a man with a skateboard than spend time with me”...But as well as being a better-than-functional indie-pop band, full of bouncing staccato guitar lines and self-deprecating lines about pretty life models, the south-coaster’s ace in the pack is a three-piece brass section. Brass, when used well (and it rarely is) can make a good song into what Mark Nicholas might call a “right little ripper”...Opener ’Marianne’, the sound of an indecisive sunny day with Your Girl Friday, has its whole guts underlined with a chirping brass line - it’s just a pleasure to listen to. Close your eyes and you can see the soft-focused memories in your head. ’Tight White Shorts’, again, is enveloped by tumbling brass that sounds like a colliery mine band that’s had too much of its post-Thatcher Prozac... Schmesiotrot is a love letter to loves lost. Yes, at times it feels like you could pick the music out of the air and break it in your hands, but god knows we need more bands versed in the delicate art of Quiet. “I don’t mind what we do, as long as it’s together” they sing on ’Marianne’. We know the feeling."- Drowned in Sound

SCHMESIOTROT REVIEW:8.8/10 "There’s certain sounds, songs, bands that always hit me in a certain way. Think pure euphoria, think joy, think arm hair standing on end, think being high without actually being high. Think Pavement’s “Box Elder,” The Loft’s “Why Does It Rain,” Sonic Youth’s “Teenage Riot,” and Belle & Sebastian’s “The State I’m In.” Well I did get that kind of feeling while listening to Esiotrot’s Schmesiotrot...it was just really hard to sit still while listening to the record. This is the kind of music that will give aching headaches to tall people in low ceiling apartments, because sooner or later they are going to be pogo’ing around the room to Esiotrot. As good as the songs are on the record, its hard picking any one song, because they all are that good."-Lunapark6

"Esiotrot are awesome. There must be close to 1000 reasons as to why the rock ass. Firstly, they’re named after one of my favourite childhood books which is worth a purchase on its own, but to top that off with a lofi genius and nods towards three of my most favourite bands: Pavement, Hefner and Belle & Sebastian and I personally have hit the jackpot. The Brighton collective on the excellent Kentish label The Mentalist Association have tuned into something very uncool hence the lack of media-inklings floating around, in fact only DrownedinSound scalped a review of the newly released album "Schmesiotrot", yet for all this retro-alternativeness, it is both relevant and contemporary, pulling away from the 3 bands listed above and adding to their mix with aplomb. Tracks cover themes as wide ranging as over-reliance on technology, to indie girls dating pretty-boys, to punching William G. Stewart on 15-to-1, ther’s literally something there for everyone."-everyone’s got nothing to say

"Their debut album, Schmesiotrot, eventually arrived in Paris yesterday, and it is one of the best things I’ve heard for the last few months. Esiotrot are a bunch of indie kids hailing from Brighton, who already got half a dozen great reviews in the best magazines and webzines and shared stages to play several chaotic gigs with Jens Lekman, Lisa Li-Lund, Pants Yell!, Airport Girl... I guess it sets the scene pretty clearly."-apopalthing.blogspot.com

"in my world, they are perfect. There is so much feeling, fun and joy in their playing, and their lyrics are fantastic. They are as charming as the music, - witty, sharp, observant and sometimes as well written as the ones by another british gentleman who once wore flowers in his back pockets."-eardrumsmusic

"Next up are the sublime Esiotrot. Presumably named after Roald Dahl’s book, they are equally idiosyncratic. Polished Hefner/Pavement-esque lovelorn pop contrasts impressively with the early abrasion of Meins and is instantly etched in the mind. The constantly evolving Brighton seven piece are fantastic at what they do and sound supremely confident, albeit through the fractured voice of vocalist Duncan Barrett evoking the spirit of lo-fi teens being slightly miffed across the country . Up-tempo moments such as Marianne from their recently self-released ‘Schmesiotrot’ album fill the entire venue with honey-coated folksy rhythms and tender glockenspiel dances over the lumbering brass section effortlessly, as if the Velvets’ Sunday Morning was somehow reincarnated. As the place rapidly fills up, the band go from strength to strength. Like the extra-curricular science club they might be mistaken for, their ability and sheer enjoyment of what they’re doing lends them a wonderful lack of self-awareness, leaving the crowd panting eagerly for more. There is time for a few more should-be-hits in the form of the strangely haunting Darren and the incorruptible sweetness of Bleach On The Fingers and the band finish appropriately with a jaunty non-album version of Sally Loves The Beach Boys. The cool kids have been seduced by the geeks and Esiotrot are going to be difficult to top." Nick Aldwinckle- Mpora

"I’m going to come right out and say it: The song below called Emily Scott is the best song that I’ve heard this year. I’ve been trying to cut down on my use of hyperbole of late, so I’m not saying that lightly. You know that warm and fuzzy feeling you get from the second you first hear a band that they are going to be something special? Esiotrot bring that feeling in a big way... There’s a lot more to their songs than the unrequited love indie rock staple. Songs about nature, realising the school bully is now a loser, and most bizarrely, a song about a guy who punches a quiz show presenter and ends up in prison after getting knocked out in the first round. Every song is constructed with such pitch perfect tone while still sounding so delightfully rough. I really can’t recommend these guys enough. If there is any justice in the world, Esiotrot will be the poster band of the quiet indie kids who stand in the corner of the disco. If they actually put up posters."- Another Form of Relief

"Chipper and chiming all breezy with horn sections ala Belle & Sebastian on Marianne they give you that lovely warm and fuzzy feeling with cute heartfelt lyrics that we’ve grown to adore about the Swedes. On There’ll be a time for nice guys (my theme song at mo’... don’t ask... or do...), incidentally, they tend to remind me a little of South Africans Eat This Horse (whom I posted on two weeks ago). It’s kinda like The Strokes Spooning with the Microphones on a sunny holiday trip somewhere in Stockholm, along some Sunday drive daydreaming. Well, swerving short of crashing into The Velvet Underground."- Riann (Who Needs Radio)

"I know I’ve said this before, but I really wish someone would hurry up and make Esiotrot the enormously successful band they deserve to be. I’m not going to say anything much about them, so as to pique your curiosity, so you’ll listen to them and be converted. They’re jangly alright, but not afraid to make a sound so big it could take the roof of a church. They’ve played with folks like Danielson, Los Campesinos, Jens Lekman, Jeniferever, Pants Yell! and Sleeping States. And yet, chances are you haven’t heard of them. I smell a conspiracy."- (The Torture Garden)

"Esiotrot can’t help but demand your attention. Singing about not always getting the girl has never seemed so much fun. Emotionally honest, or emotionally explicit, lyrics that say: “You know what? Sometimes you want something that isn’t right, or could be right but won’t happen. And guess what else? That’s okay”. Lead vocal duties are split between Duncan and Matthew; each imbuing their charge with their differing style. This is drawn together through Esiotrot’s fluid yet consistent musical arrangement. The resulting upbeat vibe has the room dancing almost instantly. This included, if I’m not mistaken, the staunchly-seated Windmill regulars who momentarily stopped their talk of boxing to shake their asses. From the sing-along pining of Emily Scott to the short and sweet Sally like the Beach Boys and the dance floor-shaking Marianne, Esiotrot have the crowd hooked. If you haven’t seen them live then I insist you go immediately. If only to watch my spasm-jig up front…." - Becky (gigsnewsreviews)

"...However, the brass in Esiotrot’s music is used so carefully and so well it only adds to, and complements, the songs themselves. The lyrics of the band range from dealing with typical problems with girls (Marianne) to the more bizarre example of the story of a gameshow contestant who punches the presenter and ends up in jail after being knocked out in the first round. Also, how could anyone not love a band with a song called My Chemical Romance Saved My Life?!... I definately recommend them as a live band, the slightly off-kilter delivery of the songs merely adds to their considerable charm. The "bass from hell" (their own words!) kept drifting out of tune and the keyboard/glockenspiel player couldn’t get time off work to be there but the sunny quality of the songs shined through nonetheless."- alexm (Call Me Mozart)

SCHMESIOTROT REVIEW: 4/5 "Da anni é in atto un processo di trasformazione della scena indie alimentato dal crescente interesse del pubblico nei confronti di quello che era considerata musica di nicchia. Questo fenomeno ha provocato un vero e proprio boom nel numero dei gruppi che praticano un genere musicale i cui confini tendono sempre piú ad allargarsi. E allora diventa naturale imbattersi prima o poi in un gruppo come gli Esiotrot, sette musicisti provenienti da Brighton tirati su con vagonate di Pavement, Sonic Youth e Belle & Sebastian. Ció che rende particolarmente interessante “Schmesiotrot” é la pregevole e sorprendente capacitá di combinare le citate influenze in un cocktail dal sapore fresco ed accattivante, una riuscitissima estrazione di essenze musicali condita da un raffinato tocco di personalitá. Le tredici tracce presenti sono la raffigurazione di un mondo tinto colore pastello dove emerge sinuosamente la cura per i particolari grazie al lavoro certosino di chitarre, tastiere ed ottoni: “Oskar kokoschka” é in bilico tra twee e college rock, mentre “Eugene you genious” é pura perfezione indiepop. I testi spesso trattano di delusioni sentimentali anche se é sempre l..ironia a farla da pardona, con lyrics come “I can’t believe you’d rather date a man with a skateboard than spend time with me”. Il processo di registrazione lo-fi alimenta un fascino non facilmente identificabile nel mainstream odierno, mentre, come classica ciliegina su una torta perfettamente guarnita, é da segnalare la scelta di fornire con l..album sei copertine intercambiabili da abbinare allo stato d..animo del giorno. Il debutto degli Esiotrot é leggero e colto allo stesso tempo, uno continuo gioco di incastri tra vocals e strumenti, una carrellata di sensazioni che si rincorrono senza sosta. Un gran bel disco. Fateci piú di un pensiero."-Alessandro (kronic.it)

"more zzzee skewed pop than Hefner, more melodious and odd than Pavement, more feisty and punk than Airport Girl,honestly i have no no idea about this band name but,esiotrot is ingenuity i like." - Pang (IMPO Record Shop, Taiwan)

"The Brixton Windmill is famous for two things, firstly it has the worst sound in London and secondly there is a rabid dog running wild on the roof. I went along to watch my favourite band perform and had a few nice musical surprises along the way. First up were EZIO TROT (typo. oops!), a rag-tag mix bag of dickensian looking librarians complete with road-kill make up and crooked smiles. They play the kind of lo-fi clatter that The Velvet Underground made their name with but they do it in an incredible laid back fashion, guitars go out of tune, strings break and songs fall apart but the band don’t seem to care. They refuse to tune up and simply count off another song that sounds like The Strokes being honest and playing what they feel. Personally I though they were amazing, real honest music this...." Natasha Zaitsev (ishotthedeputy.com)