Into Arcadia

Panic - Into Arcadia

If there is one thing I can’t eat but love it’s cheese. Due to a moderate intolerance I am no longer able to savor the sweet, sweet delights of an ice cream sundae or a late night Easy-Mac binge. The good news is this: I just discovered there is a Wisconsin by-product I can overindulge in that won’t leave me unhappy and regretful…that being Milwaukee based band, Into Arcadia.

I can only give you what I know and let’s face it, part of this is sheer opinion and confidence in that opinion. If their sound doesn’t hook you via Otto Ohlsson’s vocals reminiscent of a frontman from an 80s alt rock band then their guitar driven indie pop vibe should. I’d offer up a safe bet and say that if you have ever had The Cinematics, Interpol, or even FOALS on your most played list, you might consider adding Into Arcadia into that list, that is once they finish their album which they are currently in studio working on.

In the interim, anyone who wants a taste of “Panic” for themselves, can go straight to the Into Arcadia facebook page OR their tumblr and nab a free download to bide time until we see what else they’ve got up their sleeves.

Dare I say if these four maintain the quality this single possesses, they could be better than Easy-Mac and potentially just as popular. (Sorry guys, you’ll never beat Ice Cream).

- Bandage

Panic - Into Arcadia

If there is one thing I can’t eat but love it’s cheese. Due to a moderate intolerance I am no longer able to savor the sweet, sweet delights of an ice cream sundae or a late night Easy-Mac binge. The good news is this: I just discovered there is a Wisconsin by-product I can overindulge in that won’t leave me unhappy and regretful…that being Milwaukee based band, Into Arcadia.

I can only give you what I know and let’s face it, part of this is sheer opinion and confidence in that opinion. If their sound doesn’t hook you via Otto Ohlsson’s vocals reminiscent of a frontman from an 80s alt rock band then their guitar driven indie pop vibe should. I’d offer up a safe bet and say that if you have ever had The Cinematics, Interpol, or even FOALS on your most played list, you might consider adding Into Arcadia into that list, that is once they finish their album which they are currently in studio working on.

In the interim, anyone who wants a taste of “Panic” for themselves, can go straight to the Into Arcadia facebook page OR their tumblr and nab a free download to bide time until we see what else they’ve got up their sleeves.

Dare I say if these four maintain the quality this single possesses, they could be better than Easy-Mac and potentially just as popular. (Sorry guys, you’ll never beat Ice Cream).

- Bandage

Into Arcadia has truly caught the spirit of renewal that comes with this time of year, and the quartet's recent recording session has breathed energy and direction into their sincere style of pop-rock, further invigorated by true camaraderie.

"We've retooled, restaffed, imploded, broken up and yet somehow managed to pick up the pieces and carry on," guitarist/keyboardist Kenny Buesing explains. "Half of the original lineup has changed, dozens of songs have been written and tossed, until we've come to the point we are at now where we have what we feel to be a collection of the most representative, if not the best, songs from the preceding two years ... We've made some missteps and learned quite a lot."

Into Arcadia's last release was the 2008 EP Maps for Children, a somber and intense barrage of post-rock guitars and drums paired with swirling pop elements. The band's new set of songs from a still-in-progress, yet-to-be-named album is more uplifting in timbre and lyricism.

Otto Ohlsson, Into Arcadia's founding member and vocalist/guitarist, says, "I think pop music can still be memorable; I can't write disposable songs. [When I was young] I got into the grunge scene because people were shouting about something I could relate to, and it influenced the way I write. You listen to Joy Division and you find your own way to relate to it. I don't spend my nights out drinking. I [prefer to] spend it writing music."

New members Zach Steiner and Antonio Ninham, on bass and drums respectively, have joined Ohlsson and Buesing to inspire and propel the band's renewed sound.

"This will be our first full-length," Buesing points out. "In the past, we had gone back and forth at times as to whether we felt like a full-length would be the next logical step. To a certain extent, it felt as though perhaps a continued string of EP releases would be an attractive option because of how quickly and frequently we could come out with new releases, and it seemed a bit of a sign of the times with the full-length's waning relevance in favor of shorter formats. In the end, though, the pull of the LP seemed pretty inevitable. It just seems one of those formats, like the novel, that has an undeniable quality."

And to go for quality they enlisted the help of Paul Kneevers at Kneever-Kneeverland to record, along with Simon Bundy, committing their new tracks on reel to reel, for a sound that is warm and vibrant.

"When we recorded our first EP, it was at Simon Bundy's," Buesing says. "While he had no part in the tracking of the album, he would be present in the studio and had occasion to overhear stuff on playback. He seemed to be taken with the music and took an active interest in us. At some point he wanted to try his hand at mixing one of the tracks, and after hearing the results we kept him on to mix the rest of it. Simon has a tremendous influence on the sound of the recorded material. He challenges us to consider different avenues and forces us to articulate and define what the hell we are looking to achieve from each song."

The band's first single, "Panic," is a testament to the hard work of the band, Bundy and Kneevers. When asked whether "Panic" is indicative of what the rest of the album sounds like, Buesing replies with a wise answer.

"It is and it isn't," he says. "When writing material we never had any preconceived notions as to what would lend itself to airplay, and when the time came, we felt a bit spoiled for choice because most of our material essentially adheres to a pop structure and therefore has an inherent accessibility to it. [This] album has already given us a lot more freedom to sculpt the kind of sound we want, [and there was] more of a process going into creating the final product. We'll probably drive ourselves a bit nuts along the way, but hopefully we'll come out on the other end with something fully formed to show for it."

Into Arcadia headlines the Cascio Interstate Music Groove Stage at Summerfest at 9 p.m. on Saturday, July 9. - Express

Into Arcadia has truly caught the spirit of renewal that comes with this time of year, and the quartet's recent recording session has breathed energy and direction into their sincere style of pop-rock, further invigorated by true camaraderie.

"We've retooled, restaffed, imploded, broken up and yet somehow managed to pick up the pieces and carry on," guitarist/keyboardist Kenny Buesing explains. "Half of the original lineup has changed, dozens of songs have been written and tossed, until we've come to the point we are at now where we have what we feel to be a collection of the most representative, if not the best, songs from the preceding two years ... We've made some missteps and learned quite a lot."

Into Arcadia's last release was the 2008 EP Maps for Children, a somber and intense barrage of post-rock guitars and drums paired with swirling pop elements. The band's new set of songs from a still-in-progress, yet-to-be-named album is more uplifting in timbre and lyricism.

Otto Ohlsson, Into Arcadia's founding member and vocalist/guitarist, says, "I think pop music can still be memorable; I can't write disposable songs. [When I was young] I got into the grunge scene because people were shouting about something I could relate to, and it influenced the way I write. You listen to Joy Division and you find your own way to relate to it. I don't spend my nights out drinking. I [prefer to] spend it writing music."

New members Zach Steiner and Antonio Ninham, on bass and drums respectively, have joined Ohlsson and Buesing to inspire and propel the band's renewed sound.

"This will be our first full-length," Buesing points out. "In the past, we had gone back and forth at times as to whether we felt like a full-length would be the next logical step. To a certain extent, it felt as though perhaps a continued string of EP releases would be an attractive option because of how quickly and frequently we could come out with new releases, and it seemed a bit of a sign of the times with the full-length's waning relevance in favor of shorter formats. In the end, though, the pull of the LP seemed pretty inevitable. It just seems one of those formats, like the novel, that has an undeniable quality."

And to go for quality they enlisted the help of Paul Kneevers at Kneever-Kneeverland to record, along with Simon Bundy, committing their new tracks on reel to reel, for a sound that is warm and vibrant.

"When we recorded our first EP, it was at Simon Bundy's," Buesing says. "While he had no part in the tracking of the album, he would be present in the studio and had occasion to overhear stuff on playback. He seemed to be taken with the music and took an active interest in us. At some point he wanted to try his hand at mixing one of the tracks, and after hearing the results we kept him on to mix the rest of it. Simon has a tremendous influence on the sound of the recorded material. He challenges us to consider different avenues and forces us to articulate and define what the hell we are looking to achieve from each song."

The band's first single, "Panic," is a testament to the hard work of the band, Bundy and Kneevers. When asked whether "Panic" is indicative of what the rest of the album sounds like, Buesing replies with a wise answer.

"It is and it isn't," he says. "When writing material we never had any preconceived notions as to what would lend itself to airplay, and when the time came, we felt a bit spoiled for choice because most of our material essentially adheres to a pop structure and therefore has an inherent accessibility to it. [This] album has already given us a lot more freedom to sculpt the kind of sound we want, [and there was] more of a process going into creating the final product. We'll probably drive ourselves a bit nuts along the way, but hopefully we'll come out on the other end with something fully formed to show for it."

Into Arcadia headlines the Cascio Interstate Music Groove Stage at Summerfest at 9 p.m. on Saturday, July 9. - Express

wednesday, june 4, 2008

Manchester-Meets-Milwaukee

Into Arcadia’s Otto Ohlsson has taken the un-shiny parts of his past, exorcised them and studied them into songs, using his own love of bands such as Joy Division and Doves, and artists such as Nick Drake to fuel the creation of his band Into Arcadia’s first EP Maps for Children. Ohlsson and his band mates are finally able to share this cathartic collection of songs outside of the practice space and studio as their EP's recent release is only days ago.

Otto Ohlsson (vox, guitar), Kenny Buesing (guitar, keyboards), Zac Weiland (drums) and Wes Falk (bass, vox) have played together for a short amount of time, but from the driving, polished-but-pretty sounds of their first recording, it would be anyone’s guess. With merely a couple of local shows under their belts, most recently at The Ring, Into Arcadia is eager to generate more live shows and meet more local bands. Ohlsson, a transplant from Manchester, is impressed with the Milwaukee music scene, and finds Milwaukee a very vibrant place to be as a musician. In a recent conversation, he spoke of playing music back home and in New York before playing in Milwaukee, and he’s genuinely surprised by the warm welcome and sense of community that many of the local bands readily share compared to what he’s experienced elsewhere.

Into Arcadia should expect that this support will not waver, as word of their own brand of Manchester-meets-Milwaukee captures the ears of Milwaukee’s music-geeks ready for the next, exciting local arrival…

Find Into Arcadia’s Maps for Children at their myspace page, *here* or at local record stores such as Atomic Records, Rush-Mor Records and The Exclusive Company. Other local businesses, such as Fasten Collective, Top Shelf Guitar Shop and A-Hem Clothing Company will also be carrying the EP. - Erin Wolf

On their upcoming debut Maps for Children, Milwaukee’s Into Arcadia find themselves a bit bummed out by the modern age. A deep existential dread that borders on outright despair runs through the album, from lead singer Otto Ohlsson’s occasional channeling of Robert Smith’s tragic shrillness to the night-highway ambiance of their synths. Fortunately, their plight lends itself to provocative, spiritual, melancholic space pop. - Shepherd Express

I’ve been listening to Into Arcadia’s debut EP, entitled Maps For Children, religiously since I got my hands on it, and the fact that I wouldn’t be able to experience the band live came as somewhat of a disappointment. That was until I got in contact with lead singer/guitarist Otto Ohlsson, and he told me he’d make it up to me...by inviting me to the band’s studio, where they would perform a private set! Needless to say, I was honored by the opportunity. Obviously the fact that I’m writing for Suburban Bully has earned me some clout (hear that, unnamed establishment owner? Get in touch with me, damnit, I’m important!).

So as we drove in his car to the band’s Glendale rehearsal studio, with me eager as a teenaged boy on prom night riding in the passenger seat, Ohlsson asked me if I’d ever been to one of their shows before. “No, I haven’t,” I said, to which he responded, “It’s more a burlesque show than a musical performance. We have all sorts of really cute outfits we wear, and we have some really good ones for you tonight.”

The man was a comedian as well, was he...“Is that right?” I asked, “And will there also be a little miming and some hat tricks?” He very sincerely looked at me and said, “Yes, there will be...so you have been to one of our shows, then!”

Before I go any further into this, let me just give you some insight into this band (in case you’ve been living under a rock). Into Arcadia is one of the bands I have in mind when I make bold statements like the following: the Milwaukee music scene right now has the ability to turn the world on its ear. There's such a wealth of talent here right under our noses that it’s outright shameful if you aren’t out there experiencing it! You’re going to be paying out the ass to see these groups live someday - mark my words.

Do you enjoy Tickmaster’s exorbitant handling fees - the ones that turn a $35 concert ticket into a $65 charge on your Mastercard? I know I don’t - that’s why I see these bands before they’re huge, and a cover charge is all I have to worry about. Plus, I’ll have bragging rights to say pompous things later on in life, like, “Into Arcadia? Posh [flick of the wrist as I stir my gin and tonic], I saw them when they were just starting out in Milwaukee. They even performed a show just for me in their studio back in the day.” And people will roll their eyes and not believe me, but it will be the truth. The truth, I tell you!

The best comparison I can give you to describe the lucid soundscapes that Into Arcadia creates, is something like The Cure meets U2, with just a smattering (just a smattering, mind you) of INXS. Every song is a proclamation, a war call, an urge for revolution - all brought on by Ohlsson’s deliberately staccato vocal refrains, and the band’s master technical prowess. I watched the group’s second guitarist and keyboardist Kenny Buesing use a screw driver on his guitar to emulate a violin, for Christ’s sake! If I’d had my eyes closed, I’d have sworn it was the genuine article.

“That was just a flathead,” he told me, “you should see me on a Philips.”

Wes Falk plays a two-string fretless bass guitar that supports their sound in all the right places and with just the right growl - only two strings! And though drummer Antonio Ninham is replacing the work of Zak Weiland, he’s less filling his shoes and more raising the bar. Ninham is a much more elaborate drummer, with a noticeably more energetic delivery than his predecessor.

What enamored me most about the Maps For Children EP (and the band itself, for that matter) is not only their musicianship, but the uninterrupted theme to the collection (themes are something I’ve always been a sucker for). The album and the songs interact to make a tangible element between the music and the packaging. The cover depicts a young girl with her arms suspended on puppet strings, but in her hand she wields a scissors, and is in the act of snipping those pulleys away one by one. The design on the disc itself is of a compass; it all fits hand in hand with the content.

In the opening track, “Distance Equals Time”, Ohlsson sings, “would you give it up, would you let it go, would you let me learn, would you let me grow - I don’t mean you no harm.” It’s the message of separation from being told to finding out. It’s what every person, child or not, is entitled to; because we all develop our character and have our life experiences from learning in our own way and by following our own curiosities. We trust our own judgments even when we really should have been taking the advice of those who know better - but we want to learn for ourselves just how to know better. “Grace of Light” is a particularly defining track, where as the song closes Olsshon chants, “this world changed, and it’s a long way home...” True to the theme of the EP, it’s in this moment that the antagonized makes the realization that he or she has grown and matured, and the way back to those simpler times is long an - Suburban Bully

Horace Walpole, the 18th century English writer/historian/politician, oh-so-properly pointed out that “this world is a comedy to those that think, a tragedy to those that feel.” Walpole had a point, as those who are bound by the heart are usually more prone to the pathos that life dishes out.

Milwaukee’s Into Arcadia have transformed their fair share of dark days into earnestly exuberant songs, rooted in tragedy, yet propelled by a sound that is anything but dreary. Their five-song EP Maps for Children, according to Otto Ohlsson (vox, guitar), was based on his childhood experiences growing up in Manchester, England. The title, Ohlsson explains, comes from “the struggle between childhood’s innocence and the corrupting nature of coming of age;” Ohlsson added that the band doesn’t plan to dwell on this theme for the duration of their musical careers, and that he believes that their next writing ventures will be “more upbeat … more dance-y.”

Whatever direction the future holds for Into Arcadia, their debut EP is a pretty study in absolution from past wrongs, with beautiful driving guitars from Ohlsson and Kenny Buesing solidified by Wes Falk’s bass and Zac Weiland’s percussion. Joy Division, Doves, The Fall and early Coldplay are all familiar sounds for Maps for Children. “Time is no best friend of mine,” Ohlsson sings on “Distance Equals Time,” guitars chiming and percussion punching the wall of lyrics built to give the songs strength, even in their vulnerability. What would Walpole say about what the world holds for those who think and feel after hearing this record?

- Vital Source Magazine