ARTIST: Thunderbirds Are Now!
TITLE: Make History
LABEL: Frenchkiss Records
GENRE: Indie
BITRATE: 205kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 36m total
RELEASE DATE: 2006-10-03
RIP DATE: 2006-09-26
Track List
----------
1. Panthers In Crime 4:50
2. The Veil Comes Down 3:36
3. We Win (Ha Ha) 3:09
4. Open Us Up 3:46
5. Why We War 3:19
6. Sound Issues,Smart Ideas 3:05
7. Sleeping In The Lion's Mouth 3:17
8. Shit Gold 2:42
9. Shake Them Awake 2:22
10. Ppl R Anmls 2:51
11. (The Making Of...) Make History 3:41
Release Notes:
http://www.thunderbirdsarenow.com/
http://www.myspace.com/thunderbirdsarenow
http://www.frenchkissrecords.com/
Make History, Detroit band Thunderbirds are Now!'s 3rd full-length and second on
Frenchkiss Records, does away with a band in full tail-chase and depicts one at
it's peak: no longer stressing about what people might expect, but rather
wearing their influences better than one of Interpol's tailored suits. "We live
off of pop music," says singer/guitarist Ryan Allen. "Some Beatles for
breakfast, a little Smiths for lunch, and the Pixies for dinner. Sometimes we'll
have a little New Pornographers for a midnight snack." Further, "making an album
full of melodies, actual choruses, songs in major keys... it's something I think
we all grew up with, so it was inevitable that we'd make a record like this.
It's our chance to do right by our influences and by ourselves."
To document Make History the band convened in New York and Philadelphia with
longtime friend John Schmersal, famous for his signature guitar skronk as a
member of Brainiac and for his skewed-pop sensibilities with his current band
Enon. Schmersal's ear for melody as well as unconventional sounds and structures
helped TAN! find a perfect marriage between the straight-ahead and the peculiar.
It's a coupling that can be heard all over Make History. Chris Zane & Syd Butler
(proprietor of Frenchkiss Records & Bassist of Les Savy Fav) mixed the album.
Take the opener, "Panthers in Crime," which starts off with an acoustic
introduction and crashes to an end with keyboardist Scott Allen manning a
Hammond organ and drummer Matt Rickle bashing his kit. Or examine "The Veil
Comes Down," a four-on-the-floor rocker that features bassist Howard Chang's
steady rhythms and some of the most eccentric keyboard noises the band has ever
cooked up. The eleven-song album culminates with live staple "(The Making of...)
Make History" and its chorus of pop-centric "ba ba da ba's" singing the album to
its triumphant close. It's all done with the utmost intent of separating
themselves from the dance-rock and the post-post-punk pigeonholing that has
plagued some of their contemporaries, making their own history along the way.
For those unfamiliar with the band's ever-changing evolution, let's get you up
to speed: The band started off as a five-piece in the suburbs of Detroit,
eventually trimming down to drummer Mike Durgan, bassist Marty Smith,
keyboardist Scott Allen, and singer/guitarist Ryan Allen. The band released two
EPs and one full-length record (2003's rambunctious Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief
on the Action Driver label), before signing to Frenchkiss Records to release
their 2005 breakthrough Justamustache. The record garnered praise across the
board from tastemakers like Pitchforkmedia.com and others.
After Smith left the group to become a married man the band drafted bassist
Howard Chang and hit the road with fervor, touring with the likes of Enon, Minus
the Bear, The Hold Steady, The Constantines, These Arms are Snakes, Supersystem,
and Rahim. Summer 2005 saw the band make their first appearance on the American
summer festival circuit playing the Pitchforkmedia-curated Intonation Music
Festival. To cap off their year the band visited the UK for the first time. In
early 2006, Durgan left the band, so new drummer Matt Rickle (of Detroit faves
Javelins) stepped in to the fray, joining the band for their first-ever
Australian tour alongside Les Savy Fav and the Hold Steady. 2006 promises more
of the same upward trajectory for TAN! starting with Make History in the fall
and their patented brand of unrelenting touring and inspiring live shows around
the globe to follow.