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The indie-pop band Thinland formed in St. Paul, Minnesota in 2001. After a couple of early line-up changes, the band solidified around the quartet of Jeff Crandall (vocals, guitars), Aaron Kerr (cello), Jason Fritts (bass, vocals) and Patrick Hennessey (drums, percussion). Over the course of 2002, Thinland recorded Tracing the Cracks, the only full-length Thinland release.
In the summer of 2007, Jason and Pat left the band near the end of the recording of "Songs for Strippers (and other professions)," the would-be sophomore album that eventually became the first album released by Swallows, the band that Aaron and Jeff formed with Frank Spencer (guitar, resophonic, dulcimer) and The Sleeper Pins's Tyson Allison (vocals, keys, percussion, guitar) after Pat and Jason left Thinland.
Since 2007, Thinland (as a band and as a concept) has been on hiatus while Jeff and Aaron have been working on various projects related to Swallows. However, with the better part of a CD's worth of Thinland material still sitting in the studio, the guys have decided to head back in to complete the songs that didn't quite fit the Swallows' concept, but which were central to Thinland's live sets between 2003 and 2007.
There are also a few Thinland songs that were never recorded that the guys are planning to arrange for this collection.
The band is hoping to release whatever they come up with as an EP or as a full album under the Thinland name by the end of 2009.
Selected Press
Not Lame Records
"Sometimes you come across 'great music' that just does not conform the way you usually listen to music and which demands a bit more of your focus and attention. Thinland is a band that combines acoustic and orchestral elements, layered guitars, poignant and introspective lyrics, and compelling melodies, giving the band an unique sound that ranges from acoustic folk songs with string and orchestral backing to full-out rockers with loud, aggressive guitars, driving rhythms, and memorable melodies. We could compare them to the very best of moving R.E.M., the beatific landscapes of David Sylvian's solo material, Leonard Cohen and The Eels. That said, no one comparison fully captures the essence of Thinland's sound except the simple fact you should hear this record, sooner as opposed to later. Extremely Highly Recommended. - Not Lame Records, February, 2003
Kings of A&R, New York
"Intelligent, luxuriant & compelling indie rock/pop/folk. Falls somewhere between Elliot Smith, REM, Radiohead, Nick Drake, The Eels, U2, etc. New album Tracing The Cracks is an album that NEEDS to be heard. It's dreamy, imaginative and inspiring. Listen to it again & again & again." - Kings of A&R, New York, April 21, 2003
CDBaby.com Featured CD
"An ethereal, lush and dreamy expedition into the dark, deep and blue crystal crevasses of David Sylvian, R.E.M., Nick Drake, and Elliot Smith, among others, tumbling their listeners into an emotionally exposed and beautifully melancholy existence. If and when you picture yourself floating through the expanses of space, moving stars and planets with a sweep of the hand, feeling the glows of the galaxy imprint your heart, Thinland will be the soundtrack. Dive into the formless dream worlds and the gloriously powerless zero-gravity of fate... and take this CD with you." - Tamara Turner, CDBaby.com, April 14-17 2003
The Reader
Omaha, NE, June 26, 2004
"Lush arrangements and arresting harmonies highlight Tracing The Cracks, the debut full-length from St. Paul, Minn., quartet Thinland. Formed in 2001 by songwriter/guitarist Jeff Crandall and bassist Jason Fritts, Thinland quickly added two new members and developed a sound of "atmospheric pop and high-intensity alternative rock" that's reminiscent of both R.E.M. and U2. Tracing The Cracks finds the band alternating from acoustic folk songs to electric rockers, all the while enhancing their material with well-produced string arrangements."
In the thick of things with Thinland
"For a group called Thinland, the band sure has a huge sound.
The Minnesota quartet's massive sound - a mix of dreamy, atmospheric pop and high-intensity rock - is due partly to the musicianship of cello player Aaron Kerr.
'It's a surprisingly great instrument to play in a rock band,' said Kerr, an Omaha native who moved to St. Paul, Minn., in 1995. 'It provides a great tone. It can be a background instrument, a melody instrument. You can use it texturally in a lot of ways.'
Kerr, whose background is in jazz and classical music, said having a cellist sets the group apart.
'There's not a lot of cellists playing in rock bands,'said the 32-year-old Kerr. 'I kind of take the place of what a lead guitarist would do.'
In addition to Kerr, a 1990 graduate of Central High School, Thinland includes lead singer-guitarist Jeff Crandall from St. Paul, bass player-vocalist Jason Fritts of Minneapolis and drummer Patrick Hennessey from Anoka, Minn.
Kerr said Thinland's influences include R.E.M., U2, Radiohead, Elliott Smith and the Eels.
Since releasing Tracing The Cracks, Thinland's debut album in January 2003, the group has toured heavily - especially in Minneapolis, Chicago and Milwaukee - earning rave reviews.
'Any happiness people can derive from hearing us live is why I'm a musician,' Kerr said. 'I just want to put on a great show for them.'
'I want people to walk away going, 'Wow, what a great show. What a great opportunity to hear live music.' I really think that's what it's all about.'"
- Niz Proskocil, Omaha World-Herald, April 22, 2004
Minneapolis Music Hits the Spot
"While visiting Garageband.com a couple weeks ago, I fell upon Jeff Crandall and Thinland in the number 7 spot of the folk/country section. The featured track was 'Rarebird.' I couldn't believe my ears. It was like listening to a sponge soaked with originality and little pieces of Nick Drake, Elliot Smith, and Beck. It reminded me of something I had heard while driving around on a fall day (very peaceful). I contacted the band and received their CD entitled, Tracing The Cracks, only a few days later. Lyrically, the album had made a positive impression before listening. When put together with the music I was in awe. On the track, 'I Don't Belong to the Sun,' a 24-piece orchestra was added making the music untouchable." - Corrie Minor, The Virus, May-June 2003
Indie-Music.com
"Lush and sensual, with haunting influxes of cello and strings." - Tyler Dancy, May 2003
Thick and Thinland: Local band lays it on at the Highland Fest
Look for the indie rock group Thinland to be the musical hit of Highland Fest this weekend. Though few have heard of the St. Paul band, its obscurity won't last long. Thinland's recently released CD, "Tracing The Cracks," has been praised by music moguls and critics from as far away as Chicago, San Francisco, and London, where it is being distributed by the pretigious Minus Zero Records.
A transplanted Californian, Crandall studied English literature and theology in college. After graduate school he moved to Minnesota to work in graphic arts, and he is currently making his living as a web designer and graphic artist. Four years ago, he and Fritts were playing together as a duo at coffeehouses and other folk venues when they made the decision to pursue a bigger sound.
"I guess you could say we were folkies," Crandall said, "but [modern] rock bands like R.E.M. and U2 were always an inspiration."
Fritts and Crandall played a set in February 2000 at a CD release party for Heyday Records and were later included on the Heyday release "Out of the Gate: Heyday Records' Bay Area Sampler," along with notable local performers like Mellow Drunk, Mandible Chatter, and Missy Roback. After the San Francisco gig, they added Kerr and Hennessey and soon began laying the tracks for what would become Tracing The Cracks.
The layered arrangements on Tracing The Cracks create a thick, almost operatic foundation for the vocals. The chord progressions are simple, often melodic, and Crandall's and Fritt's lyrics are reminiscent of groups like U2. In selections like "Water for the Man" and "I Don't Belong to the Sun," the band wrestles with the nature of the cosmos, God and the desire for, and flight from, wholeness. The lyrics are devoid of the snide irony so commonplace in popular music today, and complex enough to have confused listeners who haven't delved beneath the surface.
- Bill Stieger, The Highland Villager, August 6, 2003
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