Mike Drake-Yodeling, Tweezers = Matt Harris-Featherduster, Warbling = Patrick Main-Theramin, Choreography = Bob Reed-Hot Wheels Track, Flashback Technician
U.S.:
Overseas:
Influences
The Solid Gold Dancers, Irish Whiskey, Criticism, The Moon.
Sounds Like
We sound like what unicorns would, if they were music.
Culled from such notables as American Sensei and the Stick Figures, Oranger (Mike Drake-Guitar/Vocs, Matt Harris-Bass/Vocs and Jim Lindsay-Drums) rocketed onto the San Francisco music scene with their debut "Doorway To Norway"(Pray For Mojo) in 1998. Critics heralded them as "Pretty Good. Pretty Damn Good, I'll Tell You What!". "Doorway" contained the runaway smash(in Latvia) "Mike Love, Not War" as well as unforgettable tunes like "Eggtooth" and "Donald, You're Freaking Out". Continued rockin' live performances garnished them a reputation as a band people would pay good money to see. This was helped, in part, by the lovable onstage antics of drummer Jim Lindsay who earned favorable comparisons to Keith Moon and Olivia DeHaviland. 2001 saw the release of "The Quiet Vibrationland" (Amazing Grease) and the addition of Patrick Main(Jolly) on Keyboards. The group's sophmore effort found them heading into territory once only inhabited by the high and the mighty. Standouts like "A View Of The City From An Airplane" and "Texas Snow" proved the band still knew how to rock and rock hard, while tracks like "sorry Paul" and "Falling Stars" showed a softer, introspective side. Touring throughout that year gave them their reputation as a "band's band" being asked to join such notables as Guided By Voices, Elliot Smith and Wilco as support.
Fast forward to 2003 and the release of "Shutdown The Sun"(Jackpine Social Club). The band has found a distinct voice and every track on the album is a standout. The lucky few who bought one of the first 5000 copies of "Shutdown" also received the 34 track(!) companion cd "From The Ashes Of Electric Elves". With the further addition of Bob Reed(Overwhelming Colorfast) on guitar, the future looks Oranger than ever! - P. Stoff, Flying Pretend Magazine
Gorilla vs. Bear:
Monday, August 01, 2005
Summer Music
I don't know how I'd never come across this San Francisco band before (they've been around for a while, and have toured w/ Wilco, Pavement, and Elliott Smith), but I was instantly smitten by their psych-pop style, which makes an absolutely perfect soundtrack for a summer evening. Oranger's new album, "New Comes and Goes", comes out on September 20, and I personally can't wait.
Highly recommended for fans of the Elephant 6 collective bands, Grandaddy, the Beach Boys.
posted by Chris @ 8:11 AM
Scenestars:
Oranger is about to release a record that is definitely getting heavy rotation at my house these days, an impressive feat when you consider the assload of music being thrown at me constantly. What happens when your band plays musical chairs and you decide to shack up in the studio for a hard and fast two weeks to bang out your new songs on tape before you're sick of them? The defiantly raw, harmonically poppy and blissfully psychedelic result comes to life on the newest Oranger album, New Comes And Goes. Calling it a mere work of overachievement by five talented musicians doesn't do the album enough justice. It's an incredibly relevant, well-played piece of modern psychedelic rock littered with the friendly fire of the west coast sound of the mid-1990's. The band has toured with numerous luminaries such as Elliott Smith, Pavement, and Apples In Stereo, developing a fanbase along the way that has remained constant even when band membership has not. New Comes And Goes is fun from beginning to end, filled with crazy effects, crunching guitars, and droning keyboards to fuzz out your brain cells that much faster. I can't recommend this record to you enough. I can't really even review it except to say: this record is just fucking good and you need to own it.
posted by EJ @ 7/27/2005 05:30:00 PM
Neufutur:
Oranger New Comes and Goes / 2005 Eenie Meenie / 13 Tracks / http://www.oranger.net / http://www.eeniemeenie.com / Reviewed 24 July 2005
The high-flying rock aerobatics that Oranger pulls off during the title track for this album has the band split up figuratively for increasing returns there are at least two different levels that the band plays at during this track, and through their success in this field, individuals already know that the band is serious. Where Weezer have been stealin Steve Miller Bands guitar riffs for the last few years, and The Donnas have traded in their pop-punk for a seventies revivalism, Oranger makes no pretense that this is their sound, not simply a mantle to be donned for the space of one album.
Even if the band shows their preference for the sounds of Blue Oyster Cult and Thin Lizzy on their sleeves, a distinct parallel between tracks like Garden Party for the Murder Pride and Becks Midnite Vultures begin to become visible. Each track on New Comes and Goes uses clear, simplistic arrangements to affect Orangers listeners in a more guttural way; for example during Outtatoch, the outward sound of the disc really feels to be no more complicated than the average Ramones song, even as the guitar wank-o-rama impassions all that listen to it. Even simple chord progression, such as the guitar solo present on Whacha Holden will be incredibly enticing to listeners of all stripes, whether they be punkers, the average bar patron or even rock traditionalists.
...Orangers strongest suit is in the modification of their sound while still maintaining the hallmarks that distinguish their music from the rest on the scene; there are even times during the album (Light Machine, Target You By Feel) that Mikes vocals achieve a They Might Be Giants-like sound. Oranger comes out with an album of radio hits, able enough to span the vast expanses of commercial radio, whether it be rock, alternative or anything else that the band is thrown. With infectious rhythms matching with equally-well arranged music, it is only a matter of time before Oranger takes the mantle that Cake and Beck have largely departed in the current time. Pick this up before they blow up!
Top Tracks: New Comes and Goes, Target You By Feel
Rating: 7.0/10
Avoid Peril:
Oranger
New Comes And Goes
Eenie Meenie Records / 2005
Sometimes flashy packaging and a lack of liner notes can be a bad thing, as we cynics fear the possibility that someone is trying to pull a fast one on us. Thankfully, Orangers record and its lovely production values are not the musical equivalent of an ugly girl in an overpriced prom dress. This is the 4th full-length from the Bay Area band, and while theyve had a lineup change here and there, the record definitely sounds like the product of a band thats got its shit together musically. New Comes and Goes is the kind of record that older Apples In Stereos fans put on after the younger fans have gone to bed; it shares the same poppy, new-wavey tendencies of the Apples, but it sounds a bit darker and world-weary as well. The albums title track is a good example of a moment where the band is firing on all their pop cylinders, but the band is still burning strong by the time you reach the eighth song, Crones. Its not often that you find your favorite song by an unproven talent so deep into an album, and there are still plenty of songs worth listening to past that point. If youre looking for a solid, lengthy set of pretty songs, grab this.
-- Jim McGrath, 08/12/05
Bars & Guitars:
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Oranger is Back...
and they've got a fine new album of melodic power pop full of hooks. The record is called New Comes And Goes. I'm going to obnoxiously lump this record in with a couple of other good ones thus far this year by Mazarin, California Oranges, and The National. New Comes And Goes is definitely more polished than Oranger's previous efforts. It's not like they've turned into Nada Surf or Coldplay but the production is crisper and there feels as though there's a certain bid for the next level type of thing in the air. That's not a knock as much as fact. The record's strong and don't think you can deny the fact that the band's songwriting is becoming first rate. Around my parts there's definitely a love 'em or hate 'em vibe with these guys. I'm falling on the side of loving right now but that's only because I'm a no good hippie (please know that I'm kidding about that).
you fellas have fun playing the rock and roll. Everyone has their own room in that castle. Some have extra padding. i thought on the west coast a storm of that magnitude was called a cyclone, not a hurricane.. ill go back to my gnomes now- have fun
Matt, you need to check out Cooking With Rockstars - http://cookingwithrockstars. com/ - then you need to be on it with your mad pastry cheffy skills! I'm still thinking about that maple-bacon-bar from Voodoo Donut. :) Hope all's well - Alison (Le Concorde)
erm... did we forget to say, that you are still one of our favourite bands... hey, but when are going to record some new stuff... we..ve been waiting too long now for new songs...
