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The Owl Mag: The 50 Best Albums of 2012
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Mister Loveless – Grow Up
@MisterLoveless vandalizes the concept of coming of age through a lyrical...Mister Loveless – Grow Up
@MisterLoveless vandalizes the concept of coming of age through a lyrical license to own the glory of our youthful blunders. #OwlBest2012 –Jennifer Shields
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Performer Magazine: Album Review | Mister Loveless - Grow Up
"Ferocious Roots-Indie-Rock with more hooks than a tackle box."
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Ripple Effect: Album Review | Mister Loveless - Grow Up
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Sometimes you just know it's gonna be good.
Pulling a copy of Sparks, Big Beat out of the d...Sometimes you just know it's gonna be good.
Pulling a copy of Sparks, Big Beat out of the discount bin at Rasputins Records in Concord, the voice came from behind me, "Great find." Turning, I saw Rasputins employee, Rob I Miller, smiling, telling me how he'd just found the entire Sparks catalog at a thrift store. My kinda guy! The conversation quickly skyrocketed across the entire interspace of indie rock from the '80's to present and next thing you knew, a copy of Mister Loveless's new CD Grow Up was spinning in my car.
Why do I mention all this? Because so many of the guitar-based indie rock bands these days seem to think that the history of post-punk started and ended with Joy Division, when in reality, there was so much more going on back then. Knowing that Rob had records as obscure as Sparks in his collection, every fiber in my being knew that his band, Mister Loveless, would be able to deliver something bigger than the routine post-Joy Division homage.
Boy, was I ever right!
Sure, Joy Division is a great starting point for any band, but where Mister Loveless succeeds is branching out from that arm of the music tree, bringing in some biting guitar work a la The Strokes, the urgency of The Pixies and Sonic Youth, and a writing sense that is at the same time familiar yet totally their own. Big Beat was the perfect album for me to have pulled out when I met Rob, because Mister Loveless brings a big beat to their flammable rock. It's indie rock with no loss of emphasis on the "rock" while still maintaining a haunting familiarity of jangling guitars, angular structures, and organic earnestness. Sometimes, it's post-90's grunge, others it's post-80's post punk. But at all times it's distinctly theirs.
"Nineties Children" is a great introduction to the band, all amped up and charging guitars, Nick Clark's militaristic drums, and Charlie Koliha's large, looping bassline. Miller attacks his vocals with a cool schizophrenia of calm dissociation and impassioned urging. Sean Gaffney's chiming Rickenbacker soars in and swirls around the verse closings with fearless abandon while the band keeps a firm bedrock of punchy alt rock. This is a band screaming to be heard. It's a song that screams a whimper of resistance and a cry of surrender for an entire generation born after the golden age of their nation had already come and gone; children now facing the reality of a ruined economy and vacuous society hooked on iPhones and youTube, just as they're reaching adulthood. "On the edge of our tiny part of the world/ we medicate our problems with meaningless thrills/ We ain't got no focus/ we ain't got no goals/ There are no values we wish to uphold/ We need something to believe in/ us nineties children."
That's punk rock, baby. That's just as real as the '70's urban punk raging on the streets of England, rallying against a bleak future. It's big and epic and cries for a whole generation without ever over-reaching. Create a movie tracking the emptiness this generation feels with their over-priced education and under-paying jobs and make this the theme song. Play this at the RNC and the DNC and let the politicians hear what the 90's generation really feels. Or just play it to rock out. It's a killer cut no matter how you slice it.
"Wild Summer" bounces across a jaunty, feel-good, summery guitar line, and a calm detachment. This is indie rock the way it's supposed to be; intelligent lyrics, soaring choruses, solid chops and plain old good times. With a cool post-a-Ha video to boot. That bouncing guitar line just calls me in like a welcome mat, opening the door to what I know is gonna be a good time. I dig the hooky chorus that just rides above the carpet of guitar, and Miller's rallying call to misbehave. Maybe here I detect a touch of that Sparks-ish influence, not in the true sense but in willingness to experiment and play with pop standards sense. Get the band atonal pap of Fun.'s "We Are Young" off the radio and let's get Mister Loveless on instead. This should be what's radiating out of the kids cars as summer fades to black.
I don't write about a lot of indie rock these days because so much of it sounds the same to me, then a band like Mister Loveless comes along and infuses a new sense of personality into the mix. The whole album is chockfull of dynamic changes, vibrant guitar fly-bys, and melodies that grow like weeds in my brain. And most importantly, Mister Loveless is assured and accomplished enough to pull the whole thing off.
I don't expect to find Rob working at Rasputins much longer as Mister Loveless's spark becomes a flame. I see big things coming and pretty damn fast.
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ALBUM REVIEW: “Grow Up” by Mister Loveless
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Mister Loveless
Grow Up
[Shady Glen Records]
Picture a re-imagined ’90s version of “Less Than Z...Mister Loveless
Grow Up
[Shady Glen Records]
Picture a re-imagined ’90s version of “Less Than Zero” set deep in the summer months, and you have the soundtrack to adolescent ennui with Mister Loveless’ highly anticipated new album, Grow Up. In?uences like The Smiths, The Pixies, and Interpol abound as you listen, but they’ve updated the post-punk sound to a cheerier beat along the lines of Vampire Weekend. Tracks like “Curfew” and “Nineties Children” (released as a single in 2011) have the tongue-in-cheek gloominess of The Smiths (“We need someone or something / to believe in / us nineties children…”) with a catchy backbeat. Their Perez Brothers-directed video for “Wild Summer” is a viral hit, winning the young band fans all over the country.
Rob Miller’s baritone vocals range from the snarl of “Punk Like Me” to the slower, more plaintive “Her Parents,” the latter tune an updated Romeo and Juliet-like story. “Vandalism Dreams” best sums up the theme of the frustrated youth, demanding to be heard as you hear “I’ll vandalize / every inch of this town / just to be heard / and I will ride / down every street in this town / screaming these words” Mister Loveless don’t have to worry about having too much time on their hands as they’ve been heavily touring Northern and Southern California the past couple of months on their own and as an opening act for veteran punk band The Vaselines.
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WLUR 91.FM REVIEW: Mister Loveless - Grow Up
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Four-piece art/alt rock group Mister Loveless have created a super-dreamy record that is timeless in...Four-piece art/alt rock group Mister Loveless have created a super-dreamy record that is timeless in its surf-rock sound. But not the surf rock of Best Coast and Wavves. I'm talking about the surf rock of Tarantino films (second Q.T. reference of the month, if you're keeping score), and the kind of surf rock that's indebted to the reverb- and distortion-doused riff-trading of The Pixies, The Smiths and Sonic Youth.
Mister Loveless has developed a dual sound that can both drive the audience into a frenzy and then move them to the brink of tears. Named one of the "Top 20 Bay Area Bands" back in 2011, the band puts on a tug-o-war game of emotions with Grow Up that will you keep you enthralled throughout the 11-track event.
In a word, "perfect". Grow Up stands out for its surf-punk earnestness and is an absolute top-notch release. Tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 9 and 11 just go to prove that the band is on its way to good things and even better times.
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East Bay Express / Reviews / Nineties Children by Mister Loveless
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Mister Loveless , Nineties Children
If you ever wondered what would become of all those high scho...Mister Loveless , Nineties Children
If you ever wondered what would become of all those high school prodigy bands from Walnut Creek, check out Mister Loveless. "Nineties Children" tells what it's like to be an apathetic, over-educated, possibly over-medicated teenager during the era of grunge. The song's form, with its hooky melody and bellowed-out lyrics, resembles that of a perfect rock song from 1995. There's even that peal of distortion at the beginning. (self-released)
At Bottom of the Hill (1233 17th St. San Francisco) on Saturday, July 23. 9 p.m., $10
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Exclusive Premiere: Mister Loveless' Taut New Rock-Out, "Nineties Children"
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nd in comes a good new thing from a rising local band: Mister Loveless' new single "Nineties Childre...nd in comes a good new thing from a rising local band: Mister Loveless' new single "Nineties Children," a fierce exploration of (what else!) coming of age in the Clinton years. We introduced you to these dudes last year, after they opened for the Wedding Present and went on to play our first-ever All Shook Down Festival. Now, Mister Loveless has a new album, Grow Up, dropping July 19. The first single is fast and tight -- hear it after the jump.
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CMJ: Sonicbids Spotlight
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Mister Loveless is a California-based band comprised of Rob Miller (vocals/guitar), Charlie Koliha (...Mister Loveless is a California-based band comprised of Rob Miller (vocals/guitar), Charlie Koliha (bass), Nick Clark (drums), and Sean Gaffney (guitar). Started in Walnut Creek (a Bay Area suburb) by Miller and Koliha in 2003, the band grew to add school friend Gaffney after seeing him destroy a microphone and bleed over his guitar at Las Lomas High School’s Battle Of The Bands. They added Clark on drums when it became apparent that he was, as Miller describes, an “all-around swell guy.” Known for its high-octane live shows (with a guitarist like that, it would have to be), since its formation the band has toured around California for the past few years, opening for high profile acts like Black Francis.
Mister Loveless is heavily influenced by post-punk, but Miller takes issue with the idea that it’s another post-punk revival band. And truthfully, it doesn’t sound like it, either. One thing that defines Mister Loveless is a timelessness—this isn’t an “of-the-moment” band. The songs can be kind of hard to peg; at one point it can sound like British post-punk and another sound like American post-grunge. It doesn’t seem like Mister Loveless has any stigma against being influenced by any particular genre; the members just play what they like. There is a big alt-rock streak through Miller’s alternately breathy and roaring baritone vocals and the drum work of Nick Clark. It’s refreshing to hear another guitar band that doesn’t sound like just another guitar band.
Miller calls Mister Loveless “as collaborative as a rock ‘n’ roll band can be, I think.” Most of the band’s songs fit into a wistful melancholic vein of straight rock, but they have been influenced by everything from Wire to Fleetwood Mac. The songs grow organically out of an idea, Miller says, sometimes just “derived from spontaneous jams.”
The group is focused on recording its next album, Grow Up, consisting of all new songs. Mister Loveless plans to embark on its first national tour this summer after the record is completed. Meanwhile, there will be a few shows in San Diego and Los Angeles, but for right now the members are hunkering down in Oakland to hammer out new songs.
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SF WEEKLY Print Feature/Interview
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Mister Loveless' fans are not required to wear flannel
Comments (3) By Ian S. Port Wednesday, Aug...
Mister Loveless' fans are not required to wear flannel
Comments (3) By Ian S. Port Wednesday, Aug 11 2010
Mister Loveless isn't fashionable. The four dudes in the band get that. They put a lot into their sigh-heavy, Smiths-indebted post-grunge — years of hunting for the right band members, obsessive songwriting, coordinated outfits — and the finished product is promising (if restrained), crisp (if predictable), and hard not to like (unless you just hate bands that sound like they know what they're doing). The band sounds right at home on Live 105 — hell, it sounds better than a lot of bands played on Live 105. And that's the problem.
With Mister Loveless, the music is the main selling point. There isn't a new subgenre for the band to stake out, or a gimmick for bloggers to obsess over. Mister Loveless' songs are not (for the most part) soaked in tanks of reverb, sun-baked by '60s pop harmonies, or salted with the psychedelic fuzz of shoegaze. You will find no winking irony, no inside joke to get. Mister Loveless did not just arise — it has been around in various forms for seven years. None of the members are glamorous art-school girls (or any other kind of girls).
All of which makes Mister Loveless pretty darn unfashionable. "I always felt like we were a band that people weren't going to write about," singer-guitarist Rob Miller says nonchalantly over beers on a recent afternoon. "We already kind of realized that at this point we're not going to be a band that achieves overnight success."
Miller partly attributes that largely to the group's unflashy, accessible sound. Mister Loveless doesn't ape one obvious influence, instead settling on some triangulation of the Smiths, Joy Division, and the Pixies. Recorded mostly at San Francisco's Different Fur studios, the songs on its latest Three Words EP plod along at medium tempos, gaze into listless atmospheres of lonely echo, and erupt suddenly into full-blown distorted climaxes. Miller's baritone sounds like a less affected Paul Banks of Interpol — except Miller can modulate seamlessly between a confessional whisper and a thumping exclaim. With this capacity and coordination, Mister Loveless ends up sounding like the product of more restraint and planning than is cool in rock music these days. (The only exception is the slightly more raucous "Strange and Futureless," a track the band recorded in one day at Tiny Telephone Studios with the help of a recording grant from the Bay Bridged.)
But if Mister Loveless' recordings feel a bit overcautious, its members shake out every grimace of twentysomething angst in their live show. Honed over years in East Bay dive bars before the band slid into Oakland and San Francisco, Mister Loveless' performances put a fire under its practiced dynamics. An agitated presence is even considered essential for membership: It was only after guitarist Sean Gaffney kicked over a mike stand and bloodied himself on the stage of a high school talent show that Miller and bassist Charlie Koliha decided they wanted him in the band.
Sitting with the four members at an outdoor table at Bean Bag Cafe on Divisadero Street, I found it surprisingly easy to imagine them gracing a widely distributed album cover. Their pale bodies are adorned almost exclusively in black formalwear — sportcoats, slacks, and dress boots. The members thoughtlessly grab french fries off one another's plates, and snatch cigarettes out of the box of Camels on the table. They seem to agree on pretty much everything: Asked about their favorite local venues to play, they all gaze across Divisadero and point at the Independent. "Right there," they agree, remembering a sold-out gig in April opening for British indie rockers The Wedding Present. "I've sat here countless times drinking beer and being like, 'How do I fucking penetrate those walls?'" Miller says. "It was really hard to go back to being a regular person with a job and responsibilities after that."
So Mister Loveless — named after a teacher Miller had in sixth grade — is getting somewhere. The band has toured up and down the West Coast, and plans to hit SXSW next year. But even when it comes to building an audience, this band eschews the tempting trend of niche appeal. "There's no prepackaged sort of lifestyle you have to buy into when you listen to our records," Miller says. "It's not exclusive." Not exclusive? How unfashionable, indeed.
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Performer Magazine: Three Words EP Review
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There's no doubt that Mister Loveless are from California. Far from the sun, surf and celebrity of L...There's no doubt that Mister Loveless are from California. Far from the sun, surf and celebrity of Los Angeles, Mister Loveless hail from a forgotten burg in NorCal, but still manage to encapsulate the state's warm and breezy reputation.
On their second EP, Three Words, Mister Loveless prove that they're well on their way to good things. Born in the bored suburb of Walnut Creek, but now splitting their time between bustling Berkeley and San Francisco, Mister Loveless specialize in super-dreamy, lofty, melodic pop. Three Words moves slowly and changes very little from one song to the next, which can quickly put you into a haze, but that's not to say it's a bore. In fact, many may call it hypnotic. Clever wordplay and haunting phrases drift over the fuzzy guitars, and nowhere is this more apparent then on the second track "From Burning Bridges." Singer Rob Miller claims to be "keeping warm from burning bridges" and "living somewhere that doesn't exist". Miller's voice can change quickly from deadpan to passionate, and when it does, the music follows.
Three Words, as West Coast as it is, isn't always an upper. Though it stays relatively static, it sometimes hits some darker notes, such as "Strange And Futureless" and the shadowy "What People Do". The distant, droning guitars paint a dystopian picture of the Golden State. On the flipside, "Hidden Just Enough" is a pretty respite from the spinning pyschedelica of the surrounding material. There's a clear common thread that ties Three Words together, making the songs feel less like tracks and more like movements in a larger piece of music. (Shady Glen Records)
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Fecal Face: Three Words EP Review
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Fresh off their tour of the Southwestern United States (and a bit bloodshot in the eyes), Mister Lov...Fresh off their tour of the Southwestern United States (and a bit bloodshot in the eyes), Mister Loveless' newest release, the Three Words EP, hit shelves just a fortnight ago
FFThreeWordsEPCOVER.jpg
Having so effectively channeled an aesthetic which fits comfortably between Echo and the Bunnymen and Joy Division, and despite the relative youth of its members, Mister Loveless resonates strongly with the generation who came up during the 70's and 80's.
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the band Mister Loveless, from left: Charlie Koliha (bass), Rob Miller (lead vocals, guitar), Nick Clark (drums), Sean Gaffney (guitar, backup vocals)
The concept for Three Words emerged in 2008, when the band sat down with an album's worth of material and determined that there was not enough cohesiveness between songs. The decision was made to split the material between two EP's, the track titles being two or three words long, it followed that they release a Two Words EP, and later a Three Words EP.
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Between Two Words and Three Words they came out with In Wonder (2009), and began writing more and more with Three Words in mind. This EP accomplished the flowing arc of song-into-song transitions they had felt so at a loss for in 2008, and successfully stands alone as a sort of 27-minute epic.
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While mature, restrained, and contemplative, Mister Loveless tends to break into moments of hopeful optimism. Consistently, their songs conform to a more developed and transient structure than the typical verse-chorus-verse model. This allows for lengthy tracks which span a broad spectrum of emotions, dynamics, and poetry.
FFMister%20Loveless%204.jpg
Mister Loveless accomplishes far more than expected from your garden variety local group. Their music has a way of infecting, and slowly carving a place out in your heart where sits a new favorite band.
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Music Induced Euphoria: Three Words EP Review
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Three Words displays a marked development of Mister Loveless’ sound. The SF based quartet originated...Three Words displays a marked development of Mister Loveless’ sound. The SF based quartet originated in Walnut Creek and have skirted around a few lineup changes in the past, but they’ve finally reached a point of aural homeostasis. The precise marching band beats from drummer Nick Clark and haunting baritone vocals from Rob Miller dominate the EP, surrounded by delicate chord progressions drowned in post-punk misery. The guitars surreptitiously emerge from the shadows in the vein of Echo & the Bunnymen, but by the third track (“What People Do”), they strike powerfully, spinning like sirens. The music is less angry, more chilling—and the lyrics lament the sinking feelings of loss and alienation. Rob sings about “feeling like the poorest rich kid” yet how "hope still remains, a slow burning flame that guides me through these dim lit times". The angst of the first few tracks fade into lulled acceptance in“Hidden Just Enough”, like a group of lost campers finally lying down and stargazing after hours of aimless wandering in the dark forest. Three Words stands as proof that it’s ok to be lost, and that we often have to make the best of the situations which we are faced with. Solace is probably lurking somewhere around the corner—come out to a gig and see for yourself.
4.5/5
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SFGate.com Write Up
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Mister Loveless is an indie rock band who plays a balancing act that shows these are guys who know h...Mister Loveless is an indie rock band who plays a balancing act that shows these are guys who know how to compose and write great songs. They segue from soft and mellow to a full overdrive guitar and screams from the guts of Rob Miller, the lead singer. The song In Wonder is reminiscent of Pink Floyd and other tracks have traces of the Pixies. Don't let the Pink Floyd reference scare you, they do it better than Floyd as far as I'm concerned. Mister Loveless includes Nick Cave as an influence on their website and I believe it's because they dress like the Bad Seeds.
Mister Loveless
Photo: FACE
Mister Loveless
Photo: FACE
That is another reason to love Mister Loveless. The men in the band where classy pants and suit jackets and old man shoes. There are so many people who forget about the importance of a spiffy pair of shoes.
And why aren't these guys signed? There's all this garbage on the radio now and they're really good.
Then there's the drummer Rachel...she looks like a librarian who would shush you because you were snapping your gum. From there a fantasy of love would ensue. You'd read articles from the latest copy of The New Yorker while smoking cigars and laughing about how silly those people are who don't read The New Yorker. When she leaves you look up the big words from the articles you just read in the dictionary and try to use them in sentences when she calls you to put you on the guest list for her next gig. You start snapping your gum to get shushed again but your fantasy floats out the library window when her boyfriend picks her up on his motorcycle and and looks like he can flatten you with his pinkie.
Seriously, Rachel is a sweet drummer.
Their next show is March 29th at Blake's on Telegraph in celebration of their latest 7" and the birthday of Rachel the drummer. All ages, $8 and they'll probably be in my top five local shows for that weekend.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/offtherecord/detail?blogid=59&entry_id=36232#ixzz0Y2C2ucRb
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WireTap Music EP Review
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Mister Loveless bring the swagger and the rock on their new EP, Two Words. Singer Rob Miller cops a ...Mister Loveless bring the swagger and the rock on their new EP, Two Words. Singer Rob Miller cops a radical singing style that reminds me of Jello Biafra, meaning that the bar’s already set pretty high for some serious rock n’ roll. Instantly delivering, the EP opens with “Hardly Young,” a Guided By Voices-style jam that builds like a great drinking song. At the end, Rob’s shouts are matched by a bawdy crowd of background singers.
The back beat kicks in and the guitars tidy up their sonics for the bouncing riff of the second track, “Good Story.” It’s got a 90s alternative feel to it, the guitars chiming and Rob sounding like a lamenting Ben Gibbard on the song’s quieter moments. True to their roots, Mister Loveless launch from the quiet to the bombastic in the chorus, led by charging guitars and Rob’s melodic rockarolla shouting.
The third track, “Just Thoughts,” is my favorite. It’s a got a super-visual feel to it, like you would want to make it into a great video. The band cranks up the song’s intensity second by second, till it’s sounding like a full-on Wolf Parade romp. They drop a few well-timed dramatic pauses to give a fresh starting place for the tension to rise from without ever providing a resolution. The song slips out from the growing intensity like a thief and ambles into a rad Swedish pop feel, complete with a whistled melody line like a tip of the hat to Peter Bjorn & John. I would love to hear a female vocalist during the end of “Just Thoughts.”
The CD ends on a bluesy waltz full of bleak music box melodies weaving in and out. The song goes on somewhat slowly to a Radiohead style guitar ballad, cycling through the chords while the long low wails of guitars ring the band further and further out of earshot… it’s Fake Plastic Trees-y for sheezy.
[Jeff Bissell]
