Paramount Styles Salute Vampires and/or A&R Men of Yore
"Come to New York/Get famous," Scott McCloud suggests in a sweet, sour, grand little tune toward the end of Failure American Style, the former Girls Against Boys singer-guitarist's first record as Paramount Styles. In a song cycle that exposes personal emotions within what was once the very public drama of the high-stakes '90s music business, "Come to New York" embodies the idea of the "real cool time" that Manhattan then offered buzzed-about rockers like GVSB. L.A. appears as a character as well: "Drinking makeup/Wearing champagne," McCloud warbles in "Hollywood Tales 2": "You would have done anything." But the ritual of shows, ambitions, a&r powwows, and nerves described in "Drunx, Whores & Mzk People" unfolded in many American cities, over a steady succession of nights that, as McCloud puts it, aspiring pro rockers without the word "no" in their working vocabularies were "meant to enjoy," vampires notwithstanding.
The inflamed grooves of GVSB largely abandoned, Paramount Styles instead update the tradition of minor-key brooding stretching from '70s Lou Reed to David + David's 1986 record Boomtown to the National. As "Alleyesareonyounowmypet" demonstrates, with its killer cadence and slippery lyrics, these are the songs of someone deeply caught by certain details, etiquettes, girls, highs. McCloud sings—or, at times, almost-sings—his tunes not with Reed's understatement or David Baerwald's heart or the National's poetics, but as a committed rock stylehound, while his cool mix (aided by producer Geoff Sanoff) of strategic guitars, occasional cello, and restrained rhythms serves as a model of post-arrangement arrangement. "It's like a style, right?" wonders McCloud at one point. On Failure American Style, it succeeds.
By James Hunter
The Village Voice
http://www.villagevoice.com/2008-09-03/music/paramount-styles-salute-vampires-and-or-a-r-men-of-yore/
Scott McCloud (Girls Against Boys voice/guitar); with the help of Alexis Fleisig (GVSB drums, also GVSB) and some similar lost & found souls; New York based. Since release of debut album "Failure American Style" on March 17, 2008 (via Cycle/Konkurrent label out of Amsterdam) the band has toured US and Europe repeatedly. Line up changes sometimes country to country with the inclusion of friends and adventurous types up for being picked up at train stations is Warsaw, or flying in to Prague, Amsterdam or Los Angeles with little instruction. But the songs remain the same.
On Album: contributors included Richard Fortus (Guns N' Roses, Psychedelic Furs; lead guitars) Angela McCluskey (BVox "Come To New York") Paul Cantelon (Piano) Geoff Sanoff (Bass, keys, guitars) Marlan Barry (Cello).
Produced/Engineered by Geoff Sanoff (Edsel, Television, Secret Machines, Fountains of Wayne) at Stratosphere Sound NYC.
***PUBLICITY: NORTHA AMERICA www.stuntcompany.com (Gary@stuntcompany.com)
EUROPE Aldo@konkurrent.nl
***EUROPEAN BOOKING www.toutpartout.be; Felix@toutpartout.be
***NORTH AMERICA BOOKING cruiseyourself@gmail.com
"Failure American Style" CD: Available from these fine distributors across Europe: FRANCE Differ-ant; GERMANY Cargo-Records.de; BENELUX Konkurrent.nl; UNITED KINGDOM; Shellshock; among others. ***North America, Japan, Australia; Touch & Go distribution= release date July, 08, 2008***
LIMITED EDITION Split 7" Paramount Styles "Start Burning 2"/Aran Epochal "Jivina" via Silver Rocket / PO Box 378 / 111 21 Praha 1 / silver-rocket.org, avail early Nov.
TOUR LINE UP'S HAVE INCLUDED: Always McCloud & Fleisig (GVSB);
Simon Lenski, cello (DAAU) from Antwerp, Belgium;
Chris Smet, lead guitar (Roadhouse Libra) from Antwerp, Belgium;
Libor Palucha, bass (Nomads of Prague) from Prague;
Adam Nenadal, bass (Gnu, Aran Epochal) from Prague;
Karolina Rec, cello (from Gdansk, Poland);
Milena Eva, cello (Rotterdam, NL);
Elvira Jimenez Vicente, cello (Barcelona, Spain);
Julia Kent (Antony and the Johnsons) from New York;
Michael Hampton, lead guitar (Faith, Embrace) from New York;
Geoff Sanoff, bass/keys (album producer, New York);
Matt Taylor, bass (Bellini) from New Mexico;
Jessica Billey, violin, from New Mexico;
John Schmersal, bass, guitar (Enon) out of Philadelphia;
Ellen O'Hayer (bright eyes amoung others) Chicago, IL;
PARAMOUNT STYLES live in Leuven-BELGIUM 29-01-09 part 4 from bernie van hecke on Vimeo.
PARAMOUNT STYLES live in Leuven-BELGIUM 29-1-09 part 1 from bernie van hecke on Vimeo.
PARAMOUNT STYLES live in Leuven-Belgium 29-01-09 part 2 from bernie van hecke on Vimeo.
PARAMOUNT STYLES live in Leuven-BELGIUM 29-01-09 PART 3 from bernie van hecke on Vimeo.
okay, you 'tards loaded SUPER new tunes and still don't know how to bulletin or let folk know! I guess I shoulda kicked yer arses a little harder, huh?
Thank you very much for da Link Up & Sharing the music Nice to meet you through cyberlink! Luv your tunes & keep up da Great Work! Wishes you All da Best in 2009! Enjoy your Week!
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SUONI INDIPENDENTI DAL SOTTOBOSCO è in fase di aggiornamento www.muzikfest.tk già presenti tutte le indicazioni per aderire entro il 30 giugno all'evento previsto per giovedì 6 agosto Spiaggia San Marco Calatabiano CT
WOW! I'm stunned! I NEVER thought anyone could knock Steve Wynn off my pedestal, but you just did it! Wow! WOW! Jesus Christ! It's gonna be hard to listen to "Tell Me When It's Over" and think it's all that great anymore. Oh my God! WOW!
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