Clare Quilty

“Simply put, CLARE QUILTY rocks. This is one recording you’ll want to share, provided you every want to take it out of the CD player.” SWIRLPOP

“[Jenn Rhubright] is possibly sporting one of the sexiest voices in pop today…If you like great, melodic, well-crafted songs with more hooks than a tacklebox, this record is an absolute must for you. I don’t think there’s a weak song in the bunch—they are all STRONG.” NINE TIMES

“It’s absolutely enthralling. The go-go beats of ‘Secret Sharer’ provide a stage for some lightning-quick wordply…It’s on ‘Angel of the Odd’ though, that the band really seems to come alive…It’s just this sort of clever, lip-smacking confidence that’s going to take CLARE QUILTY places and distinguish them from their competitors.” CONSUMABLE ONLINE

“With its varied dynamics and easy hooks, STRONG’s charms are both simple and immediate, but watch your back—beneath the driving power chords and lilting purr lurks a subversive element worthy of, if not Nabakov, aat least a B-grad thriller.”
CMJ

“Some albums inspire joy from the first note. This was one of those. Hard to be terribly objective when your body is screaming out with some sort of pre-orgasmic tension. Oh, yeah, by the way, I liked this.”
AIDING AND ABETTING

“this album contains the darkness of the cure, the sassiness and cuteness of letters to cleo, and the rock of the breeders and nirvana. This is a keeper.” BUDDYHEAD

“From the first few seconds of the album’s first track ‘Anger is Beautiful,’ I knew they were going to be pretty cool…[a] mash of musical and lyrical mastery….Ultra-cool female vocals…and cool guitar…in pop format. Did I mention cool?”
UNSEALED ZINE

“This reminds me of Portishead, Elastica, and the Pixies mashed together with a bit of vanilla on top. Weird thing is, I don’t like any of those bands. I’ve been dancing around my bedroom naked all day. So needless to say, I like it.” ANTI-FLUFF (Formerly Anarchist Barbie Doll)

“[Angel of the Odd] is the song that makes you turn up the volume and roll down your windows so everyone else can hear too…what they are doing is sounding good. Really good as a matter of fact. This CD could be a monster if it got into the hands of the right people.” DELUSIONS OF ADEQUACY

“Clare Quilty is a quartet that can burn you when things get hot with their roaring power-pop, or a band that can make you melt with sweet, glorious pop melodies that are warm and bright, and all-too-tempting. Here’s a pop album that you’ll surely enjoy.”
IN MUSIC WE TRUST

“Their sound is hauntingly original…A perfect breath of fresh air in this all too constant rotation of the same old sound. Their lyrics are smart, their sound is sharp, and their career is nothing but bright.” FRIGHT X MAGAZINE

“I’ll get straight to the point about their newest release STRONG, and let you know that it rules. They cover an astonishing array of moods, kicking the album off in a languid, dream-like state and working their way up to more energetic heights of aggression…Clare Quiltian melodies are unconventionally bent most of the time, barely restrained intensity underlies every lyric, and the whole experience is in such good taste that you actually feel like you’re getting smarter just by listening. It’s a real treat, in other words, to hear these artistic craftspeople at play.” C-VILLE WEEKLY

“CLARE QUILTY mixes social post-punk lyrics with keen guitar aggression…[they] take music beyond the obvious, combining innovative musical twists with smart lyrics. Elements from dream-pop, distortion-pop, and post-Velvet Underground guitar rock are coupled with sweet and sour vocals, creating a diverse and cerebral song collection ready to stimulate your eardrums and cerebrum.” MUSIC 101

“CLARE QUILTY knows how to rock, yet has enough melody and clever songwriting to make you sit up and notice…at times, the group’s sound is comparable to Chicago’s Veruca Salt or the Pixies, though Clare Quilty’s sound is distinctive enough to overcome those similarities. This is a STRONG album and gets even better upon repeat listens.”
GRAND RAPIDS MUSIC REVIEW

“Rhubright’s dangerous mewling and guitarist Michael Rodi’s power chords are still the foundation of the band’s sound, but are leavened by newer and more diverse elements. For instance, the band isn’t so married to its heavy sound that it won’t experiment with a groove. ‘Anger is Beautiful’ is a swirly and surly number that veers into trip-hop territory, propelled almost incidently by a drum loop, and the band’s crunch takes on an industrial tone in “Comfort Me.” Snatches of 70’s arena-rock, 60s psychedelia and disco are woven through ‘Secret Sharer’ and ‘Crush’ rushes along with the same drunken swagger that make the early Pretenders so great. These touches are used without self-consciousness, which allows the band to pull them off without sounding the least bit ‘retro’”
THE JOURNAL

“CLARE QUILTY obviously likes their rock with a heavy and distorted tint and, with a smattering of depression, they dish out plenty of it.”
INK NINETEEN

“This isn’t punk pop in the style of Blink 182 or Green Day, but Clare Quilty shares with those bands a tendency to disguise pop sophistication with surface aggression.”
ALL MUSIC GUIDE

“good stuff for the mainstream rock crowd, the same people who loved Elastica, Ruby, Garbage, Hole & the Cardigans. If you want to send a rocket up the CMJ charts, give the schizo-phrenically cute & forceful ‘Sleep with You’ to your local, pirate, or school DJ” POTPOURRI AND ROSES

“CLARE QUILTY have loaded this disk with indie, girl-pop tunes…varying in personality and texture, but definitely steering askew in terms of the mainstream…Innovation is subtle, but apparent, without being so far-fetched as to require the listener to have to bend their head around it; a balance not easily achieved.” 181.4 DEGREES FROM THE NORM

“…maybe the best rock album Charlottesville has ever produced.”
KRIPSY DUCK
- Various

The Charlottesville, VA, foursome combines a stylish mix of trip-hop undertones and frothy electro-pop layers for a sultry set of songs matched for the modern-rock crowd and club kids alike. From the Ivy-esque languor of "Sister" to the summery beats of "Tormented Artist" and the mechanical push and pull of "Breathe," Clare Quilty maintain a pleasant head-trip without losing focus of their craft. Face the Strange is indeed peculiar with its kitschy-cool impression, but their songs are tight and circular, and Rhubright's wispy vocals are perfectly placed.

- BUST Magazine

This kicky DC four-piece straddles the line between moody trip-hop and collegiate indie rock, although they're definitely leaning more towards the Portishead side of things with this engaging album of sultry beats and catchy tunes, all perfectly accented by Jenn
Rhubright's breathy vocalizing.
- URB Magazine

Clare Quilty - Face the Strange Review
by Morley Seaver

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This is a solid set of songs from Clare Quilty with their third record, Face the Strange. This is a thinking man (womans?) pop/rock music that takes a while to sink in. The first few times I played it, it was just OK. The more I played it, the more I liked it. (Then again, maybe…regrettably…I'm not a thinking man)

The music leans toward trip-hop territory but the vocals are sung not rapped so there goes that category. Singer Jenn Rhubright doesn't sing as much as lets the notes flow from her, almost as though she speaks that way…not vocalizes. There is a laid-back delivery and quality to the music that almost suckers you into complacency. Those that stick with it, though, will be well rewarded.

The first cut, "Sad Untitled #1" slow-sambas its way out of the speakers with an almost hypnotic gait that seems like it's a cobra doing the swaying motion to paralyze you before striking. There's a Suzanne Vega vibe to it somehow, as well if you can extrapolate those two launching points.

One of the best cuts on the record is "Breathe". Another mesmerizing rhythm percolates along before awakening for the fine chorus. "Numb", the follow-up, is almost pixie-ish (as in cute and earnest, not the band) in its delivery.

"Beautiful Lies" is in the running for the standout cut. It's a bit more straightforward than the others, and it has a nice bit of Pink Floyd "Breathe"-type guitar throughout.

The rest of the cuts alternate between mid-tempo rockers and electro-tinged groove-fests. The lyrics are all above the norm, as they are rife with good description; "A nest of fine pink desert sand in the hollow of my chest", "The hunger that's in your eyes intoxicates my dread".

The only cut that, to my ears, didn't work was the cover of Bowie's "Rebel Rebel". They slowed it right down and made it seem like a lethargic shadow of its former self.

Included in the package is a second CD with remixes to three or four of the cuts.

Clare Quilty, by the way, is a character from the novel/movie, "Lolita". Sleepy, unassuming and deceptive. This record will sneak up on you, if you give it a chance.



- RocknWorld

[five stars out of five]

Curious about what Clare Quilty is about? Check out the album artwork on the eclectic electronic pop band's upcoming DCide Records release, Face the Strange. An Indian goddess-like woman's face on the cover adorned in beading and art, her "third eye" highlighted, tongue sticking out with a large nose piercing. On the back is a band photo four average-looking musicians that could stand-in for most college students. Vocalist Jenn Rhubright, guitarist Mike Rodi, bassist/vocalist Chris Ruotolo, drummer J Amburgey, keyboardist/vocalist Juliet Trail stand on a corner, one with a lollipop in hand, one with a cigarette in mouth, another starin intensely into the camera and another looking off a bit dreamily, buy maybe depressed, into the distance. Somehow these combined images capture the sound of Charlottesville-based Clare Quilty - a blends of artsy-alternative rock and techno, trip-hop vibes. The album's twelve tracks are sensual, original and innovative, Jenn Rhubright's vocals are smooth like Gwen Stefani, sensual like Liz Phair and seductive like Fiona Apple. Some of my favorite tracks include "Sad Untitled #1," "Breathe," "Numb," "Tremble," and "Beautiful Lies." This is the kind of music you listen to when you're doing naughty things that feel nice. Face the Strange releases nationwide June 7.
--Kristi Singer - The Village Idiot

CD: CLARE QUILTY Face the Strange
DCide
Rating: 7 Out Of 10 - Reviewed by Larissa Rose

Clare Quilty—a strange name with a sound to suit—in a good way. Kind of techno, kind of pop...not quite sure how to categorize this band, but they’ll be one to watch. Their sound has layers, lots of layers made up of electric beats and noises, drums, electric and acoustic guitars, bass and female lead and backup vocals. And the vocals are something to hear. Jenn Rhubright’s sometimes whispering, sometimes wispy, always honey-sweet voice, coupled with chick bassist Chris Ruotolo’s harmonies make Face the Strange a sensual listening experience. I’m not really into blondes, and I’m not into chicks, but I was quite turned on by “Sad Untitled #1”—and all the following tracks. The first three songs are quite melancholy, then “Numb” comes along with a catchy beat and pop-style singing. “Beautiful Lies” opens with acoustic guitar and Rhubright’s upbeat voice, joined by bongos, and at just the right moment, the drum beat, making this one of my favorite tracks. They even cover David Bowie’s “Rebel Rebel,” mixing in a hip-hop sounding bass line, and the rich vocals make this a much dirtier sounding song—in a good way. Then they throw in “810,” a totally techno sounding track with the vocals floating over the electric beats. The whole album sounds like it should be drifting across the quad of a college campus—in a good way. And then there’s a second disc, which sounds like it should be pumping out of the speakers at a rave. Face the Strange comes with a disc of remixes—12 tracks of different remixes of four songs, all with their techno beats and scratches. So silly name aside, Charlottesville’s Clare Quilty (which is the name of the Peter Sellers character in Stanley Kubrick’s 1962’s Lolita, if that explains anything, then again, Quilty is a town in County Clare, Ireland, so I’m stumped) gets a thumbs-up from me, and when their album is released on May 10, I recommend you check it out.

Apr 04 2005 by Bam2


- Away Team