CLARK the band

…a beautifully crafted album that soars from frantic to sullen with poetic ease. (4 1/2 stars)”
Wes Smiderle on Clark the band’s debut CD, Terra Incognita - The Ottawa Citizen
- Ottawa Citizen

“John Tielli has a passionate approach to singing...along with the angst there is a sense of humanity in his performance that is very compelling. The music soars and thunders along like the weather systems that criss-cross the country. Is this quintessentially Canadian music? It just may be.”
Matt Crosier - CBC Radio’s Bandwidth
nov. 2001
- CBC

“With time running out, Terra Incognita looks to be a dark-horse contender for Canadian debut of the year. (4 stars)”
Ryan Watson - Eye Weekly, Toronto
2001
- Eye Weekly

On this sophomore album from Ottawa’s own Clark [the band], the indie-pop misfits mess around with pop and rock standards in just the right amounts and in just the right ways, so as not to lose the infectious hooks. Yet they cast a fresh, intriguing sense of instability that is as engaging as it is jolting. Singer John Tielli’s haunting, earnest vocals combined with the richly textured, fragile, arrangements make for intoxicating indie-pop akin in style and substance to indie heavyweights such as Arcade Fire, Apostle of Hustle and The Rheostatics.
Jennifer Tattersall on The Woods – the Ottawa X Press
- Ottawa X PRess

Calgary Dec. 1 2005
CD REVIEW

Meet singer-songwriter John Tielli, the talented little brother of Martin (Rheostatics), who evidently shares the same knack for crafting stately pieces of sonic art. Guest stars include Jeremy Gara (The Arcade Fire), Andrew McCormack (Wooden Stars), Ryan Myrshall (Local Rabbits), Mike Dubue and Phil Bova (Hi Lo Trons).

From the rootsy start of the tumbling lead track on The Woods, Clark the Band casts a skeptical glance upon the hustle and bustle of urban life. Tielli’s earthy voice motions to a pastoral escapism where stargazing is best done through a windshield, and anxiety, not for trying, can’t be left in the rear-view mirror. Throughout their second release, Clark peppers a mostly hushed and intimate affair with feverish interludes and a constant barrage of unpredictable, brainy hooks. It’s a sweet surprise.

4/5
- FFWD Weekly (Calgary)

22 November 2005, popmatters.com

Clark the Band, The Woods (Zunior) Rating: 8
Clark The Band is the core trio of John Tielli, Matt Gagnon and Andrew McCormack. However, with the additions of members of Arcade Fire, Wooden Stars and Local Rabbits, it's definitely a group effort with "Metropolis", eerily recalling the best days that Canadian institution The Rheostatics as it gains steam with its subtle "beep beep" throughout. Think of a roots-oriented version of Stars and you should get the picture. From there, the group nails "The Metal Boys" with the poppy panache of The New Pornographers. The lyrics are as ideal as the music, particularly on the mid-tempo flair of "Camera" and the deliciously infectious "Won't Give Up to Midnight". Tielli and crew also show their mastery on the rambunctious, boogie-brimming "Prayers for Shelter" as well as during the jerky, art rock of "Bite" that packs a lot of, er, bite.
— Jason MacNeil
- popmatters.com

"Ottawa's John Tielli has spearheaded something truly special with The Woods, the second record by his band, Clark. Though working in a pop framework, Tielli's songs are too eccentric and artistically unique to be categorized easily. Instead they resonate on an emotional plain with songs like "The Metal Boys" gnawing away at the sub-conscious and "Camera" eliciting dream-like scenes from the listener. With drummer Andrew McCormack (Wooden Stars) and bassist Matt Gagnon in tow, something like "The Psychiatric Ward" takes on a jagged edge.* Fans of the Rheostatics will be drawn to Tielli's voice and phrasing but make no mistake, there is more to Clark than a famous Canadian namesake. This is the kind o impassioned, sophisticated rock music that we need to hear more of and Clark [the band] can be credited for a stunning achievement with The Woods."

- Vish Khanna



- Exclaim! magazine

Metro (Toronto/Ottawa), August 24, 2005
CLARK the band
The Woods
Four out of Five
"It's inevitable you'll be comparing the shaky vocal lilts of John Tielli, frontman for this Ottawa outfit, to his brother , Rheostatics singer-guitarist Martin TIelli. Just don't lump John's band in as merely junior Rheos. Clark the Band (they were originally just Clark, but didn't want to stir up confusion with other Clarks in the world) maintains a fairly straightforward pop-rock approach.

That doesn't mean this sophmore effort is any less challenging: sophisticated arrangements on rockers Prayers For Shelter, THe Psychiatric Ward and Not Max stray away from being anything remotely predictable. The softer string-laden You FLy Higher and The Animals And Us come across as progressive, but never pompous sounding. Besides, if your lyrical themes talk of isolation, internal chaos and external superficiality, it's better matched with complex, intelligent pop-rock."

- Ian Nathanson



- Metro

The Ottawa Sun, August 24, 2005
CLARK the band
The Woods
(excerpt from article: "The Woods rich with sound")
"...Tielli and co.'s long-overdue sophomore album, The Woods, has arrived and is among the most sublime collection of brilliant, utterly unique pop music you're ever likely to hear."

- Allan Wigney

- The Ottawa Sun

Ottawa Sun, Nov. 2005
CLARK the band
The Woods
Four out of Five
"Ottawa's Clark the Band has crafted a sophomore album that simmers with emotion, melody and intelligence.

The band shifts with aplomb between delicate pop and the emotional tension of early XTC thanks to John Tielli's high singing voice -- he sounds much like his brother, Rheostatics guitarist Martin -- and the energy of bassist Matt Gagnon and a revolving cast of drummers: Philip Shaw Bova, Andy McCormack and Jeremy Gara. Tielli's guitar work similarly walks the tightrope between the atmospheric and 1960s power chord crunch.

It's a perfect accompaniment to the nervous unease, longing and melancholy conveyed by the impressionistic, cryptic lyrics."

- Andrew Carver
- Ottawa Sun