World History

Neil and Jamie have so much charm its ridiculous... Wonderfully orchestrated songs with beautiful group sing alongs all brimming with hope. - Lost Sound Tapes

In terms of post-Mangum acts, World History sits neatly between the full-on Neutral Non-Fat Milk Hotel pastiche of Rock Plaza Central and the maniacal carnival-folk of They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?, neither as confrontationally jarring as the latter nor as suspiciously reverent as the former. - Passion of the Weiss

I haven't quite been able to pinpoint exactly what it is about You Can't Stop Trying, the latest release from World History, that charms my socks off. It could be the Neutral Milk Hotel croning up and over vocals on songs like "It's Okay to be Alive" and "Ricardo, You Run Free" or the alt-Americana mountaineer singalong march of "Take Our Your Swords." My favorite point in the album is near the end when they veer into upbeat lo-fi sweetness of boy/girl harmonies on "Shine."

The album is flush with restrained instrumentation with a strong focus on autoharp, guitar, drum with flute and melodica thrown in for a touch of a suavity. Add in a couple guest star friends like Adam Oelsner (LAKE, Kickball) and Zach Burba (iji, Sundance Kids, Megabog) and you've got a notable debut album. - Three Imaginary Girls

DIY albums can be a source of excitement; they’re often filled with an element of surprise. More often than not the music contained within homemade packaging is lo-fi and the Nautical References EP is no exception. World History is an appropriate name for the band as the tunes are filled with historical and literary notes or riddled with light elements of intellectualism.

Neil Campau’s crafty songs feature his light guitar and vocals in the limelight with various mystery sounds in the background. On “Mustafa Kemal Ataturk”, it’s merely the same guitar chords mixed with distortion. Many songs feature the recorder, hated by 5th graders nationwide but adored by modern lo-fi and twee artists. Both “The Exile Of Dick And Minna” and “Magellan And The Sea” are minimal in nature.

In opener “Magellan”, as well as closing track “Maria Francesca”, Campau comes off with a light Stephen Merritt vocal influence. In the latter, Campau also adds a choir of vocalists to conclude this too-short EP on a lovable high point. As World History hits the road, let’s hope Campau and company keep pumping out creative lo-fi masterpieces. - FensePost

Tourmate Neil Campau’s “art project,” World History, lives up to its name by writing songs about explorers and proclaiming a love for history’s losers. The fact that he sings like Silkworm’s Tim Midgett means that even repeating the line “thank god for 1841? over and over doesn’t feel like a misstep. - The Portland Mercury

While BlöödHag perform thrashing death-metal songs about sci-fi writers, World History play sleepy, bedroom pop songs about historical figures like Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and Francesca —Seattle’s a smart, smart city. - The Stranger

Were bands actually children, then while Neutral Milk Hotel was studying at the school of hard knocks, stealing from his father’s liquor cabinet, before trying to “lay and learn” with the girl next door, his quieter, more studious twin brother World History, was sat at the front of the class, asking the teachers questions for which they had no answers. Questions about those forgotten heroes, and long lost losers who have faded from the pages of our history books, who’s stories go untold, their songs unsung. - Simple Folk Radio

In this sea-faring, folk pop duo, Neil Campau rocks the guitar and autoharp with strong vocal work. Jamie Menzel completes the duo with flute, melodica, drums and vocals. Neil’s voice possesses a warm and uncanny feeling of recognition but remains new and unique. Powerful and explosive at certain points, he has the ability to comfort and urgently bolt what he needs to say. - BackForty Presents

Campau provides the majority of the vocals for World History, complemented by delicate guitar picking so isolated that you can feel every twang and squeal of the strings. His voice is instantly recognizable and hard to describe at the same time. At times you may be reminded of Andrew Bird, Charlie Fink of Noah and the Whale (in “The Exile of Dick and Minna”), Neutral Milk Hotel’s Jeff Magnum (in “Mustafa Kemal Ataturk”) and Jens Lekman (in “Maria Francesca [in mono]“). That’s not to say that Campau or World History as a whole aren’t unique. They are quite good and Campau’s voice is incredibly likeable and comforting while at the same time powerful, almost as if it is ready to burst open at any moment. Menzel provides a well-orchestrated backing to the songs, while also lending her voice in a few of them. - The AS Review

Neil Thomas Campau and Jamie Elizabeth Menzel are World History, a band that is hard to peg but harder to ignore. Campau’s voice is reminiscent of Neil Young and his lyrics often tell of the past, though its constant shifting from linear story telling to non-linear associations, leave one imagining a time both real and imagined. - Sound Magazine