Balthrop, Alabama

The band Balthrop, Alabama does not hail from Balthrop, Alabama, because such a town does not exist. Its two primary members siblings Lauren and Pascal Balthrop grew up in Mobile, but nowadays live about four blocks away from each other in Brooklyn's Carroll Gardens neighborhood.

They imagined the fictional locale in order to create a story for their group, which, come to mention it, is practically big enough to fill a diminutive burg. It features about a dozen players, each of whom has adopted a hillbilly persona, ranging from town drunk to stereo salesman to milkman. In concert, each dresses accordingly.

“We wanted to create a small town on the stage, and since Lauren and I were the primary players, I wanted to put our name in it,� explains Pascal recently, as he and Lauren share a pitcher of beer at a bar near their homes called Gowanus Yacht Club. (This landlocked watering hole is deceptively named as well.) He credits the band’s manager, Mo Shoshin, for coming up with the group’s moniker, and says the idea for a collective came to him after attending a particularly stirring 2005 Arcade Fire show, which also featured a colossal on-stage contingency. “It was like a religious experience, so intense, so much energy—I wanted to create a spectacle like that. I enjoy bands that create a universe, where you can explore all the nooks and crannies of their imaginary world.�

In performance, the Balthrop, Alabama actor/musicians play everything from the washboard and flute to the trumpet and tooter. At the center of the stage is Pascal—the town’s rabbit farmer who goes by the name Jemison Thorsby—pounding on his acoustic guitar. He shares vocal duties with Lauren, aka town “dreamer� Georgiana Starlington, who plays the keys, a variety of percussion instruments, and sings. Her sweet, easy harmonies serve as an effective counter-balance to Pascal’s grittier vocals. Always melody conscious, with a solid stash of hooks, the outfit’s tunefulness recalls Belle and Sebastian, another act that features enough people to fill a school board. “The trick is not to be a wall of noise. We struggle to maintain the balance of loud and quiet,� notes Pascal.

“Part of the fun of having so many people on stage is that there’s always something fun to look at,� he goes on. And fun is indeed the operative. Artist Michael Arthur pens song-inspired doodles that are projected onto the back wall, and the show even features a stand-up comedy element: Jemison and Georgiana sometimes claim to be both cousins and siblings.

In real life, the sometimes bickering but clearly close pair of siblings seem as tight as twins, despite their 14-year age gap. They often finish each other’s sentences, and are united in this artistic endeavor that recently brought them together at very different stages of their lives. Pascal is the thickly-bearded, 37-year-old mastermind of the outfit, the oldest of four Balthrop siblings and a freelance web programmer who works at home and often pulls all-nighters. Having played with different Brooklyn bands and in solo projects since moving to New York half a decade ago, he was joined by the bright-eyed and adorable Lauren just last year. A 23-year-old, recent graduate of Florida State University with a double major in theater and French, and the youngest Balthrop sibling, she works at a local nonprofit agency called ReServe Elder Service.
“I didn’t really have a plan when I came here, other than wanting to play music,� says Lauren. “I realized I wanted to play music all the time.�Balthrop, Alabama: Photo by Bernie DeChant

The group released its debut last year on its own label, End Up. Entitled Your Big Plans & Our Little Town, it’s a double CD full of tragicomic tales like “Taipei� (chorus: “Taipei is a shithole�) and “Explode�, which calmly imparts that: “Today is the day, that the world is gonna explode / Watch and see, you will die / This makes me smile to think about / How today is the day of our last goodbye.� Pascal co-produced and wrote most of the songs, and his vocal stylings on tracks like “A Brother was Dead� recall Neutral Milk Hotel. (“He sounds so much like Jeff Mangum, it’s creepy,� says Lauren. “I’m older than him. He sounds like me,� responds her brother.) In any case, the album is highlighted by its supporting female melodies, including Lauren’s and those of Caithlin De Marrais, who sings on standout track “Down on Us.� (De Marrais will release a solo album on End Up soon, and her former Rainer Maria sidekick Kyle Fischer’s CD Black Milk is currently available for free on the label’s website, endup.org.)

The Balthrop siblings’ Alabama roots figure heavily into their songs. “A lot of stuff we write about is sprawl and car-centered development,� Pascal notes. But the pair doesn’t plan to return any time soon. “There are parts that are really the old South, and downtown is really q - CRAWDADDY

The band Balthrop, Alabama does not hail from Balthrop, Alabama, because such a town does not exist. Its two primary members siblings Lauren and Pascal Balthrop grew up in Mobile, but nowadays live about four blocks away from each other in Brooklyn's Carroll Gardens neighborhood.

They imagined the fictional locale in order to create a story for their group, which, come to mention it, is practically big enough to fill a diminutive burg. It features about a dozen players, each of whom has adopted a hillbilly persona, ranging from town drunk to stereo salesman to milkman. In concert, each dresses accordingly.

“We wanted to create a small town on the stage, and since Lauren and I were the primary players, I wanted to put our name in it,� explains Pascal recently, as he and Lauren share a pitcher of beer at a bar near their homes called Gowanus Yacht Club. (This landlocked watering hole is deceptively named as well.) He credits the band’s manager, Mo Shoshin, for coming up with the group’s moniker, and says the idea for a collective came to him after attending a particularly stirring 2005 Arcade Fire show, which also featured a colossal on-stage contingency. “It was like a religious experience, so intense, so much energy—I wanted to create a spectacle like that. I enjoy bands that create a universe, where you can explore all the nooks and crannies of their imaginary world.�

In performance, the Balthrop, Alabama actor/musicians play everything from the washboard and flute to the trumpet and tooter. At the center of the stage is Pascal—the town’s rabbit farmer who goes by the name Jemison Thorsby—pounding on his acoustic guitar. He shares vocal duties with Lauren, aka town “dreamer� Georgiana Starlington, who plays the keys, a variety of percussion instruments, and sings. Her sweet, easy harmonies serve as an effective counter-balance to Pascal’s grittier vocals. Always melody conscious, with a solid stash of hooks, the outfit’s tunefulness recalls Belle and Sebastian, another act that features enough people to fill a school board. “The trick is not to be a wall of noise. We struggle to maintain the balance of loud and quiet,� notes Pascal.

“Part of the fun of having so many people on stage is that there’s always something fun to look at,� he goes on. And fun is indeed the operative. Artist Michael Arthur pens song-inspired doodles that are projected onto the back wall, and the show even features a stand-up comedy element: Jemison and Georgiana sometimes claim to be both cousins and siblings.

In real life, the sometimes bickering but clearly close pair of siblings seem as tight as twins, despite their 14-year age gap. They often finish each other’s sentences, and are united in this artistic endeavor that recently brought them together at very different stages of their lives. Pascal is the thickly-bearded, 37-year-old mastermind of the outfit, the oldest of four Balthrop siblings and a freelance web programmer who works at home and often pulls all-nighters. Having played with different Brooklyn bands and in solo projects since moving to New York half a decade ago, he was joined by the bright-eyed and adorable Lauren just last year. A 23-year-old, recent graduate of Florida State University with a double major in theater and French, and the youngest Balthrop sibling, she works at a local nonprofit agency called ReServe Elder Service.
“I didn’t really have a plan when I came here, other than wanting to play music,� says Lauren. “I realized I wanted to play music all the time.�Balthrop, Alabama: Photo by Bernie DeChant

The group released its debut last year on its own label, End Up. Entitled Your Big Plans & Our Little Town, it’s a double CD full of tragicomic tales like “Taipei� (chorus: “Taipei is a shithole�) and “Explode�, which calmly imparts that: “Today is the day, that the world is gonna explode / Watch and see, you will die / This makes me smile to think about / How today is the day of our last goodbye.� Pascal co-produced and wrote most of the songs, and his vocal stylings on tracks like “A Brother was Dead� recall Neutral Milk Hotel. (“He sounds so much like Jeff Mangum, it’s creepy,� says Lauren. “I’m older than him. He sounds like me,� responds her brother.) In any case, the album is highlighted by its supporting female melodies, including Lauren’s and those of Caithlin De Marrais, who sings on standout track “Down on Us.� (De Marrais will release a solo album on End Up soon, and her former Rainer Maria sidekick Kyle Fischer’s CD Black Milk is currently available for free on the label’s website, endup.org.)

The Balthrop siblings’ Alabama roots figure heavily into their songs. “A lot of stuff we write about is sprawl and car-centered development,� Pascal notes. But the pair doesn’t plan to return any time soon. “There are parts that are really the old South, and downtown is really q - CRAWDADDY

The Arcade Fire aren't the only quasi-religious utopians who can record in a church. Here in Carroll Gardens, Kyle Fischer recorded much of former bandmate Caithlin De Marrais's nostalgic, charming solo debut, My Magic City, at St. Paul's Episcopal Church. Since Fischer, who will start a master's program at Union Theological Seminary this fall, is a member of this grand, fire-scarred house of worship, they gave him the keys and let De Marrais use the piano. "This place is the opposite of a recording studio—it's echoey, and there's not really any power," Fischer says, pointing to a small switchplate on the floor currently powering the lectern light. "Those are the only two outlets we could use."

Fischer, De Marrais, and William Kuehn—now the drummer for French indie-poppers the Teenagers—are alums of the beloved, atmospheric indie trio Rainer Maria, who disbanded in late 2006 after five albums. Fischer and De Marrais have gone on to help found a record label called End Up, which put out Fischer's earnest, crushing debut, Black Milk, is scheduled to release My Magic City in October, and boasts the oversized, theatrical band they're both affiliated with: Balthrop, Alabama.

"We're trying not to call it a 'label,' " corrects De Marrais, who was recently certified as a yoga instructor. She prefers "an artistic enterprise as interested in community organizing and nonprofit work as selling records."

Most of the End Up and Balthrop folks live in the South Brooklyn neighborhood of BoCoCa (that would be "Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, and Carroll Gardens"—and yes, you are required to spit on the ground after saying it). HQ is Fall Café, the Smith Street coffee shop: "They're all here all the time," says owner Henry Byron, a former Las Vegas session drummer with an affinity for breathless lefty diatribes. Over coffee and breakfast sandwiches called "The Dave," the End Uppers plot their bar-trivia nights, as well as concerts to benefit Indian hospitals and albums to support families with AIDS in Connecticut.

They also plan their elaborate Balthrop, Alabama shows, which feature the 10 or so members dressed as the aw-shucks residents of a fictional Southern town. Started by siblings Pascal and Lauren Balthrop (natives of Mobile, Alabama), the group's elaborate stage show features the tenor-sax player dressed as the milkman, the lead singer as a rabbit farmer, and the bass player as the town drunk. Fischer, who plays lap-steel guitar dressed as the stereo salesman, helped produce the band's 2007 double LP, Your Big Plans & Our Little Town, which combines breezy, melody-driven pop with (a bit too much) Neutral Milk Hotel–style existential wailing. He has also produced "nautical-themed ukulele love songs" for singer/songwriter Michael Leviton, as well as Scary Mansion's debut, Every Joke Is Half the Truth, and, of course, Black Milk, which at one point he shopped to the labels, though "the world wasn't exactly waiting for another Kyle Fischer album," he says. Nor does he plan to promote it through many solo shows: "That would be sending the wrong message out into the universe about my future plans." The correct message would be that Fischer is focused on community building, bridging the gap between religions, and "bringing music into social-service situations."

So much caffeinated collectivist energy, so little time.

"My dream is that whenever something comes up in our lives that we want to interact with—political, artistic, personal—we can engage it through this business we've set up," says De Marrais. "Maybe I can incorporate yoga somehow?" - The Village Voice

Balthrop, Alabama is a Brooklyn band spearheaded by Pascal and Lauren Balthrop, siblings from Mobile, Ala. Their group includes 10 or so folks who play instruments such as washboard, keys, banjo and guitar. In concert, they dress up as locals from the fictional town of Balthrop, and perform in character as the milkman, the rabbit farmer, the town drunk and so on. Those theatrical live performances showcase a penchant for songs that are equally wry, glib and melancholy. (Sample line: "Today is the day that the world is going to explode... This makes me smile to think about how / today is the day of our last goodbye.")

Their most recent works are two EPs, Cowboy Songs and Subway Songs. The latter focuses on death and is highlighted by "Subway Horns," a brassy, stomping track which brings to mind a New Orleans funeral march. The song is dedicated to musicians who've committed suicide, particularly Elliott Smith, the beloved singer-songwriter who died in 2003. More upbeat than Smith's signature works, "Subway Horns" juxtaposes a merry melody with a tragic story. "I understand you're gone," goes the chorus, sung by Lauren Balthrop and Therese Cox. "But I don't believe you did it / Why can't you just hold on?" Half tribute to Smith and others, half a plea to those considering following suit, the track is as spooky and cheeky as it is moving. - NPR

Balthrop, Alabama is a Brooklyn band spearheaded by Pascal and Lauren Balthrop, siblings from Mobile, Ala. Their group includes 10 or so folks who play instruments such as washboard, keys, banjo and guitar. In concert, they dress up as locals from the fictional town of Balthrop, and perform in character as the milkman, the rabbit farmer, the town drunk and so on. Those theatrical live performances showcase a penchant for songs that are equally wry, glib and melancholy. (Sample line: "Today is the day that the world is going to explode... This makes me smile to think about how / today is the day of our last goodbye.")

Their most recent works are two EPs, Cowboy Songs and Subway Songs. The latter focuses on death and is highlighted by "Subway Horns," a brassy, stomping track which brings to mind a New Orleans funeral march. The song is dedicated to musicians who've committed suicide, particularly Elliott Smith, the beloved singer-songwriter who died in 2003. More upbeat than Smith's signature works, "Subway Horns" juxtaposes a merry melody with a tragic story. "I understand you're gone," goes the chorus, sung by Lauren Balthrop and Therese Cox. "But I don't believe you did it / Why can't you just hold on?" Half tribute to Smith and others, half a plea to those considering following suit, the track is as spooky and cheeky as it is moving. - NPR

It stays in the family for this bit of our musical tree , in part because Ben Arthur’s brother, Michael Arthur, is a member of the band. But really, it’s all a family thing anyway, having been started up by Lauren and Pascal Balthrop, and grown into the bustling musical metropolis it is today. With 11 members, a bevy of different instruments, and a carefully crafted backstory, Balthrop, Alabama creates wonderful songs that bring you back to the warm green grasses of home.

Lauren Balthrop (aka Georgiana Starlington) took the time to respond, talk a bit about their music, and represent the fair town of their creation.

How did you get started playing music?

We come from a pretty musical family. As kids, there were always sing-alongs and we were singing along with when the family got together. It was just always a part of who we were. My mom and her sisters are like the Andrew Sisters. When they’re together, they are in three part harmony. I wrote my first song when I was 6 after having gotten back from a trip to the circus. It was called Tightrope and it ended up on the first Balthrop, Alabama album ‘Your Big Plans and Our Little Town’.

What was the first recording you ever purchased?

I’m embarrassed to say that the first CD I ever bought was Mary Chapin Carpenter’s Come On Come On. I was 8 and heavily exposed to country music everywhere I went. She did a great cover of Lucinda William’s “Passionate Kisses”, and I was just obsessed with “I Feel Lucky”. Oh, to be 8 again.

How would you describe the music you play now?

Someone called it “Barnyard Epic Indie Rock” and I guess that sums it up pretty well. We always say that our songs tell stories about dead people and dead people in love, although sometimes they aren’t quite dead. The songs tend to be pretty narrative and when we play in concert, our town drawer, Toxey Goodwater (Michael Arthur) does these live drawings that are projected behind us, which makes the show kind of like a live cartoon.

Some reviewer in Alabama said we were like a touring version of Barack Obama’s Rent and that will also do as a description, even though I don’t really know what it means. I think he didn’t like us, but we like Barack Obama and Rent’s a pretty good show, although Hedwig [And The Angry Inch] is better. We’re like a touring version of Barack Obama’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

Balthrop, AL has a population of about 11…how did this particular musical town come to incorporate?

It started with my brother Pascal and I, but the expansion was pretty organic. We all knew each other through this local coffee shop called the Fall Cafe in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn which is across the street from where Pascal lived. Most of us either worked there or spent some time each day there. But the Fall Cafe is sort of where the community of it all began. That’s where the city limits were laid out.

Is there good real estate value in Balthrop?

Well, Balthrop, Alabama is located primarily in Brooklyn and real estate’s mighty pricey in New York City. But, the town travels around a good bit, so we can find deals here and there. I gotta say we have some nice parts of town and some pretty shady areas, and sometimes it can change just like that. But, it’s strong property and we consider it a good investment. There was some fear that we might qualify for a super-fund clean up, but then Douglas Snead showered and everything worked itself out.

Is there a comparison you would make between your music and something non-musical? A painter, building, dish of cereal?

Oh, I think we’re pretty much that good pair of overalls that everyone has but only wears on laundry days. It never gets washed, but it’s comfy and every stain tells a story.

Who would you consider your musical inspiration?

That changes all the time. I’m pretty restless and I get bored easy, so I listen to and borrow from a lot of stuff. Pascal got the notion of the band after seeing an Arcade Fire show. I think we’re all inspired by the Beatles story–the hard work and constant creative stuff that went on there, but we’re also pretty partial to Hank Williams too. On tour, we’re always swapping out iPods and listening to everyone else’s music–it’s a pretty eclectic group of tastes, so we listen to Hillbilly stuff and punk stuff and big bands and show tunes and a lot of Patton Oswalt. Man, Pascal and Jason really like that Patton Oswalt album.

If you could pick a perfect lineup (dead or alive) for a show where you were the headliner, who would it be?

Well, I think we’d be playing a bar show with the Hamburg-era Beatles. We’d probably have Rocketship Park and the Ne’er Do Evers play, because their members are in our band too and we have fun playing in all sorts of configurations. I wonder if we can get the Hamburg-era Beatles to tour again–it would be a sweet opening slot for them and we wouldn’t make them change out of their leather stuff jackets. Also, Coldplay should be in there, just so the - Ear to Ear Project

It stays in the family for this bit of our musical tree , in part because Ben Arthur’s brother, Michael Arthur, is a member of the band. But really, it’s all a family thing anyway, having been started up by Lauren and Pascal Balthrop, and grown into the bustling musical metropolis it is today. With 11 members, a bevy of different instruments, and a carefully crafted backstory, Balthrop, Alabama creates wonderful songs that bring you back to the warm green grasses of home.

Lauren Balthrop (aka Georgiana Starlington) took the time to respond, talk a bit about their music, and represent the fair town of their creation.

How did you get started playing music?

We come from a pretty musical family. As kids, there were always sing-alongs and we were singing along with when the family got together. It was just always a part of who we were. My mom and her sisters are like the Andrew Sisters. When they’re together, they are in three part harmony. I wrote my first song when I was 6 after having gotten back from a trip to the circus. It was called Tightrope and it ended up on the first Balthrop, Alabama album ‘Your Big Plans and Our Little Town’.

What was the first recording you ever purchased?

I’m embarrassed to say that the first CD I ever bought was Mary Chapin Carpenter’s Come On Come On. I was 8 and heavily exposed to country music everywhere I went. She did a great cover of Lucinda William’s “Passionate Kisses”, and I was just obsessed with “I Feel Lucky”. Oh, to be 8 again.

How would you describe the music you play now?

Someone called it “Barnyard Epic Indie Rock” and I guess that sums it up pretty well. We always say that our songs tell stories about dead people and dead people in love, although sometimes they aren’t quite dead. The songs tend to be pretty narrative and when we play in concert, our town drawer, Toxey Goodwater (Michael Arthur) does these live drawings that are projected behind us, which makes the show kind of like a live cartoon.

Some reviewer in Alabama said we were like a touring version of Barack Obama’s Rent and that will also do as a description, even though I don’t really know what it means. I think he didn’t like us, but we like Barack Obama and Rent’s a pretty good show, although Hedwig [And The Angry Inch] is better. We’re like a touring version of Barack Obama’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

Balthrop, AL has a population of about 11…how did this particular musical town come to incorporate?

It started with my brother Pascal and I, but the expansion was pretty organic. We all knew each other through this local coffee shop called the Fall Cafe in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn which is across the street from where Pascal lived. Most of us either worked there or spent some time each day there. But the Fall Cafe is sort of where the community of it all began. That’s where the city limits were laid out.

Is there good real estate value in Balthrop?

Well, Balthrop, Alabama is located primarily in Brooklyn and real estate’s mighty pricey in New York City. But, the town travels around a good bit, so we can find deals here and there. I gotta say we have some nice parts of town and some pretty shady areas, and sometimes it can change just like that. But, it’s strong property and we consider it a good investment. There was some fear that we might qualify for a super-fund clean up, but then Douglas Snead showered and everything worked itself out.

Is there a comparison you would make between your music and something non-musical? A painter, building, dish of cereal?

Oh, I think we’re pretty much that good pair of overalls that everyone has but only wears on laundry days. It never gets washed, but it’s comfy and every stain tells a story.

Who would you consider your musical inspiration?

That changes all the time. I’m pretty restless and I get bored easy, so I listen to and borrow from a lot of stuff. Pascal got the notion of the band after seeing an Arcade Fire show. I think we’re all inspired by the Beatles story–the hard work and constant creative stuff that went on there, but we’re also pretty partial to Hank Williams too. On tour, we’re always swapping out iPods and listening to everyone else’s music–it’s a pretty eclectic group of tastes, so we listen to Hillbilly stuff and punk stuff and big bands and show tunes and a lot of Patton Oswalt. Man, Pascal and Jason really like that Patton Oswalt album.

If you could pick a perfect lineup (dead or alive) for a show where you were the headliner, who would it be?

Well, I think we’d be playing a bar show with the Hamburg-era Beatles. We’d probably have Rocketship Park and the Ne’er Do Evers play, because their members are in our band too and we have fun playing in all sorts of configurations. I wonder if we can get the Hamburg-era Beatles to tour again–it would be a sweet opening slot for them and we wouldn’t make them change out of their leather stuff jackets. Also, Coldplay should be in there, just so the - Ear to Ear Project

JOE’S PUB
425 Lafayette St. (212-539-8777)—April 18: Balthrop, Alabama is an expansive local folk-rock collective led by the singer, songwriter, and guitarist Pascal Balthrop and his sister Lauren, a vocalist and keyboardist. They grew up singing gospel and pop tunes with their family in Mobile, Alabama, and now the pair and their band play paeans to the lovelorn and the droll. The group, whose name is meant to conjure a fictional town in the heart of Dixie (the band members go by aliases), released an impressive début double album, “Your Big Plans & Our Little Town.” Tonight the “townspeople,” including Kyle Fischer, formerly of Rainer Maria, on lap-steel guitar, turn out for a full-blown hootenanny. The group will be accompanied by the artist Michael Arthur, who will be drawing spontaneous ink-based interpretations of the songs. The drawings will be projected onto a screen behind the stage, in the tradition of a “chalk talk,” a lightning-fast drawing act from the days of vaudeville—practiced by such comic-strip luminaries as Winsor McKay (“Little Nemo in Slumberland”)—that was a precursor to animation. The singer Caithlin De Marrais, also formerly of Rainer Maria, opens. - The New Yorker

JOE’S PUB
425 Lafayette St. (212-539-8777)—April 18: Balthrop, Alabama is an expansive local folk-rock collective led by the singer, songwriter, and guitarist Pascal Balthrop and his sister Lauren, a vocalist and keyboardist. They grew up singing gospel and pop tunes with their family in Mobile, Alabama, and now the pair and their band play paeans to the lovelorn and the droll. The group, whose name is meant to conjure a fictional town in the heart of Dixie (the band members go by aliases), released an impressive début double album, “Your Big Plans & Our Little Town.” Tonight the “townspeople,” including Kyle Fischer, formerly of Rainer Maria, on lap-steel guitar, turn out for a full-blown hootenanny. The group will be accompanied by the artist Michael Arthur, who will be drawing spontaneous ink-based interpretations of the songs. The drawings will be projected onto a screen behind the stage, in the tradition of a “chalk talk,” a lightning-fast drawing act from the days of vaudeville—practiced by such comic-strip luminaries as Winsor McKay (“Little Nemo in Slumberland”)—that was a precursor to animation. The singer Caithlin De Marrais, also formerly of Rainer Maria, opens. - The New Yorker

Balthrop, Alabama have released a beautiful debut record, or should I say, two beautiful records: Your Big Plans and Our Little Town. Each disc contains 8 tracks, elaborately packaged as one, in a manner that brings to mind more of a Criterion Collection DVD release than a double record. The eco-friendly cardboard packaging comes complete with a booklet containing lyrics and specific artwork for each track. Really, the entire project has a very cinematic feeling. The credits list a cast of characters with fictional names, adding to the feeling that you have in your possession something more than just a collection of songs.

Though a cast of over 30 characters are credited, Balthrop, Alabama is essentially a project of Pascal Balthrop, who wrote the words and music, and commands prominent vox and guitar on nearly all 16 tracks.

Disc 1, Your Big Plans, opens with birds chirping over organ like keys for a mellow almost deceiving number that flows into “Colored Eggs”, a rough track showcasing Pascal’s vocals which are prominent on the rest of the album. It took me a couple listens to get used to the tracks that showcase some of his rougher vocals, very reminiscent of Spencer Krug (Sunset Rubdown, Wolf Parade), but they work nicely in between the more melodic songs that really drive the album.

It wont take long to recognize that there is quite a bit of depth in these records, with an excellent display of background vocals from a rotating cast of characters, and an eclectic bit of instrumentation including the perfect use of a bad toy piano to create a xylophone sound (unless it actually is a xylophone?). In addition to the toy piano, you’ll hear cornet, viola, and a glockenspiel riddled throughout the album. Lyrically the album is sound, and equally eclectic - with songs of love, loss, and escape, then there’s the ode to satellites, a little girl on a beach, and a song about how "Taipei is a Shithole". Track 4, “Love to Love You” is an incredibly likable track, and track 7, "Explode", showcases a great use of shared male/female vox, as well as the remarkable backing vocals that really give the album as a whole a refreshing sound.

Disc 2, Our Little Town, is the stronger of the two discs, with a bigger, very solid, and more fluid sound. It opens with the dark jingle-jangly “Another Hell to Live In”. The second track, “Down On Us” shines as a beautiful Beatlesque number featuring stand out vocals by Caithlin de Marrais (Rainer Maria). Truly a must-hear, this lofty breakup song will have you melting with lyrics like:
“and every time I think of you, I smile despite the pain / cuz I know that it was worth it all somehow / and I know that we could never be together again / but a friend is something we could both use now.”
Track 4, "Satellite" is a toe-tapping infectious number, "Gergiana Starlington", another stand-out track, delves into the lyrically darker side, flowing nicely into"Tightrope", which utilizes a wurlitzer-like sound to create a slightly creepy, yet appropriate, circus feeling.

Overall Our Big Plans & Your Little Town is a great album; at times it remind me of a more pop-friendly Sunset Rubdown, other times I can’t help thinking Belle & Sebastian and The Moldy Peaches. (So, there’s your obligatory RIYL.) The whole package gets an 8 out of 10; a well thought-out record, dark on the inside and coated with an indie, yet friendly pop-sensibility. - mymixtapes.org

Balthrop, Alabama have released a beautiful debut record, or should I say, two beautiful records: Your Big Plans and Our Little Town. Each disc contains 8 tracks, elaborately packaged as one, in a manner that brings to mind more of a Criterion Collection DVD release than a double record. The eco-friendly cardboard packaging comes complete with a booklet containing lyrics and specific artwork for each track. Really, the entire project has a very cinematic feeling. The credits list a cast of characters with fictional names, adding to the feeling that you have in your possession something more than just a collection of songs.

Though a cast of over 30 characters are credited, Balthrop, Alabama is essentially a project of Pascal Balthrop, who wrote the words and music, and commands prominent vox and guitar on nearly all 16 tracks.

Disc 1, Your Big Plans, opens with birds chirping over organ like keys for a mellow almost deceiving number that flows into “Colored Eggs”, a rough track showcasing Pascal’s vocals which are prominent on the rest of the album. It took me a couple listens to get used to the tracks that showcase some of his rougher vocals, very reminiscent of Spencer Krug (Sunset Rubdown, Wolf Parade), but they work nicely in between the more melodic songs that really drive the album.

It wont take long to recognize that there is quite a bit of depth in these records, with an excellent display of background vocals from a rotating cast of characters, and an eclectic bit of instrumentation including the perfect use of a bad toy piano to create a xylophone sound (unless it actually is a xylophone?). In addition to the toy piano, you’ll hear cornet, viola, and a glockenspiel riddled throughout the album. Lyrically the album is sound, and equally eclectic - with songs of love, loss, and escape, then there’s the ode to satellites, a little girl on a beach, and a song about how "Taipei is a Shithole". Track 4, “Love to Love You” is an incredibly likable track, and track 7, "Explode", showcases a great use of shared male/female vox, as well as the remarkable backing vocals that really give the album as a whole a refreshing sound.

Disc 2, Our Little Town, is the stronger of the two discs, with a bigger, very solid, and more fluid sound. It opens with the dark jingle-jangly “Another Hell to Live In”. The second track, “Down On Us” shines as a beautiful Beatlesque number featuring stand out vocals by Caithlin de Marrais (Rainer Maria). Truly a must-hear, this lofty breakup song will have you melting with lyrics like:
“and every time I think of you, I smile despite the pain / cuz I know that it was worth it all somehow / and I know that we could never be together again / but a friend is something we could both use now.”
Track 4, "Satellite" is a toe-tapping infectious number, "Gergiana Starlington", another stand-out track, delves into the lyrically darker side, flowing nicely into"Tightrope", which utilizes a wurlitzer-like sound to create a slightly creepy, yet appropriate, circus feeling.

Overall Our Big Plans & Your Little Town is a great album; at times it remind me of a more pop-friendly Sunset Rubdown, other times I can’t help thinking Belle & Sebastian and The Moldy Peaches. (So, there’s your obligatory RIYL.) The whole package gets an 8 out of 10; a well thought-out record, dark on the inside and coated with an indie, yet friendly pop-sensibility. - mymixtapes.org