Russell Karloff. M. Grusha.
& friends
guest/past musicians*: Christopher McGuire (John Vanderslice, The Mountain Goats, Menomena). Josh Vernier (What Made Milwaukee Famous, This Life Electric). Josh Rosenblatt (Low Line Caller). Henna Chou (Many Birthdays, AM Syndicate). James Vehslage (For Those Who Know, Peel, Ringo Deathstarr). Rick Vehslage (For Those Who Know). Don Curtis (Poison Control Center, Organ Donor).
+ too many more to count.
booking: Russell
Influences
The Beach Boys, My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, The Zombies, Low, The Kinks, Echo & the Bunnymen, Ride, The Stone Roses, The Cocteau Twins, The Eaves, The Smiths, Pale Saints, The Magnetic Fields, The Divine Comedy, Panda Bear, Sebadoh, Verve, The Jesus And Mary Chain, The Velvet Underground, Bjork, 13th Floor Elevators.
Sounds Like
Coming into accordance with all these instruments and witnesses
YOU HAVE THE right to expect a well-crafted,
meticulously designed product from a band consisting of two academically-trained composers.
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(CALL YOUR LOCAL COLLEGE RADIO STATION TO REQUEST "WHO CAN'T SAY YES.")
Who Can't Say Yes. (26:19)
1. I Love You, Blowtorch Eyes
2. Lieutenant
3. You Can't Change a Thing
4. The Clandestine
5. It's My Way of Staying Connected
6. Monarch
7. Prairie Burn
BUY THE CD online at Tonevendor, CD Baby, Disk Union (Japan), Amazon.co.jp, & iTunes.
at local record stores: Waterloo Records (Austin, TX), End of an Ear Records (Austin, TX)
* * *
"She, Sir has obvious antecedents (Slowdive and Ride among them), but its sublime shoegaze is far more complex than a carbon copy: buried within the layers of delay are careful arrangements that, like the greatest of pointillist paintings, coalesce into a slightly blurred portrait of mutable beauty."
Best Of 2006 Addendum: She, Sir's Who Can't Say Yes. "...drop everything and run, don't walk. You must own Who Can't Say Yes. The EP is a superlative document of '90s-style American indie shoegaze the likes of which you haven't heard since the first Lilys full-length In The Presence Of Nothing. Yeah, we said it."
Best Albums of 2006: No. 11 "...this is what would've happened if shoegaze was around when Bach was growing up. 'Intricately crafted' doesn't even begin to describe it. Every sound has its counterpoint, every note is in place."
"With the subtle hooks and deep atmospherics of Who Can't Say Yes, She, Sir drop pop music to an even vaguer level than Loveless. She, Sir beautifully fractures music for the next generation of dream-pop connoisseurs."
"Extremely avant-garde and artistic, and in many ways still ahead of its time. She, Sir take one step beyond traditional noise rock and make shimmering, hauntingly beautiful arrangements that not only emphasize great precision, but also move in unpredictable, often pleasantly surprising ways."
"She, Sir have one of the most modernly unique sounds I have heard lately ...incredible ingenuity and a fitting flow. She, Sir's music seems to be oddly engaging. The EP contains a diverseness that should express great attention and detail to the music at hand."
"Delicately harmonized vocals and transparent guitar hooks that rarely backslide into simply leaden melodies. Who Can't Say Yes finds She, Sir's melodic rock unhurried atmospherics and sharp melodies further adorned by layers of instrumentation. ...A band happy with an uncommon melodious minimalism."
"...you can hear the detail, not just the wash of different sounds and layers: something that so, so many of the first-wave shoegaze bands just couldn't pull off. They didn't know how to. These guys do."
happy fifth of july, russell. as we all know, it is not how long of history you have with someone but how deep your friendship truly is. MATT fails to realize this. just because he has known you for quite some time, doesn't automatically score him the title of the better friend. how many times would he scorn us for "going off on our own" for a little "quality time?" scorned for who you once were. and he thinks he's the better friend...RUBBISH, I SAY! miss you russface. sing jamie for me again in a hotel room sometime :)
looks like the earliest I can get there is the 20th. which still gives us a whole day before you go into the studio, but i'd have liked to get there at least a day earlier. oh well.
i'll probably hang out til the 25th or 26th if that's cool with you and we can just work on whatever. I've got some stuff that needs your tender affection and i'm really curious as to see what all you're working on.
can't wait to see you man. its been too long.
and jay, i'm the better friend. I think history shows that russell and I have more history that you and he do.
who got ambushed by his crazy ex girlfriend when she jumped out from behind a fern and tried to kill me when he lived at green meadows west? that would be me.
i wanna see this interview matt speaks of! so, happy fourth of july russell, you all american. you should eat some apple pie and play a game of baseball. i am an inflated balloon because you said you might visit. remember our plans...i bet MATT doesn't have any plans except using your guitar and eating your food. tell matt he can eat a bowl of dick because i am the better friend and you and i both know the truth :) if you do not visit me, my happy balloon will deflate. please don't deflate my happy balloon, russell. we will enjoy long, drunk walks on the beach and eat really good indian food. miss you! does MATT tell you he misses you? doubtful.
hey, i love that part in the interview after you give that long response about how you're uniquely qualified and how you're music cant be categorized in any one genre; you stop talking, but the camera sits on you for like 5 seconds and you just stare at it. hahahahaha you pretentious bastard!
oh yeah and tell jaymie to suck it long and suck it hard. i'm coming to see you on the 18th or 19th. what's SHE gonna be doing?? probably sitting at home with the husband, picking out paint samples or something. how queer. i am clearly the better friend here. although, and we both know this, not nearly as attractive as she is.
russell, you will be pleased to know i have placed you before matt on my top list. i'm sure matt will read this and think "this means war" but he hasn't fought over you with me on your page in awhile...miss you russface!!!!!!!! remember, i'll butter your toast. matt will just leach.
russell, come back to california. i misss you so0o0oo much! and we could have awesome ....moments again, like that foster freeze episode. awww i'm calling you RIGHT NOW!
russell, i see matt is trying to butter you up with a plane ticket....but WILL HE EVEN MAKE YOU BREAKFAST AND BUTTER YOUR TOAST FOR YOU?! doubtful. i had a dream about you again, and this time you saved me from bad people. you are a hero! it was just like the movies...only in dreams.... :)
hey i just got a listen to those demos. wow you werent kidding about that being a different direction. i really like lemongrass. reminds me a lot of divine comedy. the other two sound more familiar, like your last record, but i like where you're going especially vocally. i'm also especially fond of your eclectic use of instrumentation. i'm gonna keep listening to these and i'll send you more feedback as it comes to me.
if this is any indication of how good the new record is gonna sound, you've definitely got something amazing on your hands.
well despite jaymie's best efforts to derail your progress train, I have hit upon a bit of good fortune.
my brother got a free plane ticket from work and is willing to sell it to me dirt cheap. so that may speed up my departure time. i'm pretty pumped, let's make some magic.
don't listen to matt, russell. you know you can always stay with ME and i will butter your toast for you :) i would love to hear your voice again so i will be sending my contact information along. ta ta my friend.
russell!!!!!!! i still remember going to foster's freeze, then on the way to the candy store me driving your car on the wrong side of the road...you do realize it took you a good 3 minutes to realize that it was the wrong side, right? :) misss yoU!!!!!!
oh sorry :/ matt is really bad about that shit. youre not the only one that doesnt get returned phone calls from him.... so its nothing personal im sure:)
