Pupa’s Window is the pseudonym for Baltimore based singer/songwriter Michael Nestor.
Beginning in the mid-’90s, most of the early work of Pupa’s Window
was known in small musical circles by people who listened to cassette based
low-fi indie pop. Two recent records released by The Beechfields Record Label, entitled "Lost Voice, Found Voice: Repeat" (2003) and "An Audiography
of Prohibited Sounds" (2004), were both met with critical acclaim and
were enthusiastically received by audiences up and down the east coast.
While splitting time as a member of the indie-rock band The Seldon Plan
in 2004 and 2005, Pupa’s Window was able to gather a large amount
of airplay on college radio as well as make the case for the relevancy of
low-fi indie pop.
The current Pupa’s Window split EP called A Family Portrait , is both forward reaching and backward looking for Pupa’s Window. Combining the essential elemental low-fi pop that has defined the Pupa’s Window sound with new forms of instrumentation and songwriting, Pupa’s Window has put together a blurry snapshot of a past life in future motion.
This EP is simple, and that is its goal, to be simple and clearly
recognizable – something that is increasingly hard to do in today’s music.
It’s perfect for long drives, or for perusing home and garden magazines.
You might hear some Idaho, Maritime, Damien Jurado or Sufjan Stevens,
but mostly you will hear Pupa’s Window.
You can get the latest PW record, A Family Portrait from iTunes using this link.
Check out some reviews for A Family Portrait:
"Indie pop with sugar-sweet harmonies from the vocal department is but one building block for this gifted split album. Each band plays off of one another so well that it’s a saccharine delight of melody and indie intelligence. Pick it up for sure." -Smother.net
"[Of Pupa’s Window] I was instantly smitten with them (well, him). Using a full band sound with bass, drums and acoustic guitars (and the occasional keyboard), Michael writes catchy songs that fall somewhere between a mellower Fountains Of Wayne (yes, they’re that catchy!) and Teenage Fanclub." -Indiepages.com
"I loved how Nestor backed himself up on vocals, and the fact that he played, or programmed, in the case of some drum tracks, the entire album himself makes his portion of A Family Portrait all the more impressive. Pupa’s Window left me smiling, tapping my feet, and wanting more." -Independent Clauses
"Family Portrait, a thirteen-track split album, which is as precious as its title. It represents what is becoming The Beechfields’ signature sound: a stripped-down, folky type of alt-country with a freak factor provided by plenty of echoey production, a few odd instruments and sounds, and tape-loop tinkering." -Robbie Whelan, The Baltimore Urbanite
“Do you know how you look when you sleep my love? Breathing rhythm into my heart when you sleep my love.” Love poetry to go with the soft guitars, percussion and voices. The chorus of whipped cream adds other musical flavors to keep this exciting pop record listenable over and over." -Eartaste.com
"Too clever by half and melodic to the point of being cloying, there’s just something addictive about these songs. Very cool. A good split. These bands contrast well with each other, and the combined contributions make for a fun album." -Aiding & Abetting
"Good record, [Pupa’s Window sounds like] Seldon Plan plus Amanset"
-Palebear.com
“Pupa’s Window has a melodic acoustic sound with a bit of synth. I would liken them to a nerdy Death Cab for Cutie. The songs are catchy...With 8 tracks represented on this release, I enjoyed just about all of them, especially “Grainy Film Summers”, “Whipped Cream” and “Penna State Line”. Anyway, if you pick up this CD...you will like what you hear." -The Chickenfish Speaks
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