Clatter Clatter
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Music
Press
Although they have enough soul and bite to stand out from other indie bands these days, Clatter Clatter just want to have fun. Screw the trappings of being a musician! Playing great songs is their mission. As a New Yorker, I shouldn’t be rooting for Bostonians, but whatever, they’re good. - Late Night Wallflower
[About "Just To Say":]
Please do not assume the length or the manner of this post reflects the purpose or the brilliance of the artists mentioned. If anything, the collection of these songs I am sharing with you, dear readers, are the most beautiful, creative, and amazing songs that make you think "wow.. music can make everything alright". You know when you get that tingly feeling that doesn't subside until you have listened to the track, about .. 50 times? Well I know these tracks do it for me.
These songs leave me speechless, please also check out the artist's websites for info. Enjoy. - Off The Record
Clatter Clatter is a five-piece Berklee band that proves that you can have chops and know when to use them to serve the song. The five songs here are influenced, not by Dream Theatre or some soulless jazz/funk fusion wankfest, but by melodic tunesmiths like Ben Folds, Wilco, Elliot Smith, and the Beatles. Clever hooks, inventive wordplay and tight harmonies are punctuated by the DIY production ethic of bands like Guided By Voices, Fugazi and Sloan. I never thought I would put those influences and Berklee in the same paragraph, but there’s always a first time. This debut is impressive. (Joel Simches) - The Noise
There's something to be said for sheer replay value, and today's featured artist-- the Bostonian band Clatter Clatter-- has that in spades. This crew from the eastern seaboard can weave a serious hook, pulling together melody lines that will haunt your every waking moment until someone starts humming "Like A Prayer" (or any 80s pop song has a staying power that's almost primal).
Graduates from the Berklee School of Music in Boston, it's clear these guys know music. Every instrument gets its day; there's nothing muddled or awkward about their sound, nothing superfluous or thrown in to show off (and if there's is, congratulations, because they sure fooled me). Clatter Clatter sounds polished, clean and-- best of all-- like they're really enjoying themselves. Bubbling over with three-part harmony, jangly guitar, thumping piano, and lyrics that are tongue-in-cheek, these guys seem to realize that in its heart of hearts rock is fun. Their debut EP, Too Many Boxes, is available tomorrow (January 27th). - Radio Free Chicago
It’s pretty ambitious and in it’s own way, Clatter Clatter’s debut full-length Too Many Boxes actually works quite well. Despite “Downpour” opening up the record sounding like a fucking Maroon 5 song, it does get better, throwing both guitar- and piano-driven pop melodies behind some insightful and non-totally lame indie lyrics. While you can hear some, and I hesitate to use such a broad stroke here, “classic rock and pop influences”, they work here.
That’s probably the best way I can describe this album, that it works. Trying somethign as ambitious as Clatter Clatter have is usually a risk that crashes into a burning Hindenburg-esque husk on the ground of the club or the practice space, or in my case, splintered as I stomp the CD to death on the sidewalk. But this sort of reminds me of my mom’s Billy Joel records, which I have some fond memories of, and makes me enjoy this surprise of a gem quite a bit. - Fistfight At The Arthouse
I have wrong about bands before. It doesn't make me a bad person.
When I first received tracks from Clatter Clatter, I listened to "One Last Cigarette" off their debut EP, "Too Many Boxes." Maybe the stars weren't aligned. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood. Maybe it was because that was the first song I listened to. But I didn't like it. I shut off iTunes and went on with my life.
The EP dropped Jan. 27, and I decided to give it another listen. After all, they've played Nashua's Holiday Stroll before and two of the members hail from New Hampshire.
"One Last Cigarette" still doesn't do that much for me. It feels a bit too long and although definitely has polish, it's just not ever going to make my "Top 25 Most Played" list. But that's OK. I am sure that song has plenty of fans and I will spare you the lecture on how diversity of tastes makes the world go around because, please. There are enough puppies, rainbows and kittens out on the Internet. You don't need that here.
But as for the other tracks. Well, they've got me there. Uncle, already. "Downpour" has an infectious, boppy hook and "Australia" has that way of getting in your head and setting up camp. They certainly do the Berklee School of Music proud. And they seem to be having a lot of fun, which should totally be the point of being in a band.
My favorite track is the sublimely sweet-sounding "Just to Say," which combines ethereal piano with some unexpectedly hurt lyrics -- "I never thought she could f*ck me up/But here I say, 'I miss you'/I say, 'It's always you. Why don't you feel it, too?' "
Yeah, maybe that sounds emo, but Clatter Clatter masters it without bringing on the eyeroll. Check it out for yourself below. Then catch them in Keene on April 3. - Nashua Telegraph
Discography
2009 Too Many Boxes EP
Photos
Bio
"Clatter Clatter is a Berklee band that proves that you can have chops and know when to use them to serve the song. The songs here -- influenced by melodic tunesmiths like Wilco, Elliot Smith, and the Beatles -- have clever hooks, inventive wordplay and tight harmonies that are punctuated by the DIY production ethic of bands like Guided By Voices, Fugazi and Sloan. I never thought I would put those influences and Berklee in the same paragraph, but there’s always a first time. Impressive." -- The Noise, Rock Around Boston
Clatter Clatter was first formed with some friends and fellow musicians in the fall of 2007, during frontman Keith Nelson's first few months after moving to the city of Boston. In the next two years, the band grew exponentially, defining their sound through common musical interests; the best of indie rock, including artists such as Spoon and Wilco. In January of 2009, they released their debut record, Too Many Boxes. This introduced them to new audiences, including performing rights organization SESAC (who signed them in late 2008).
Fast forward to July of 2009, when Clatter Clatter transitioned into a brand-new linup, featuring drummer Jordyn Blakely and bassist Dylan Vukelich. With a new energy, new songs, and an entirely new excitement for music, the band began rehearsing almost daily, reshaping their sound.
Now, looking to 2010, it's easy to see that good things are on the way. Clatter Clatter's debut full-length record will be recorded in the summer, with an early fall release. In the meantime, they are writing, rehearsing, and playing maaaaad many shows -- at established Boston venues (the Middle East, TT The Bear's Place, Great Scott, etc.), New York venues (the Annex), local colleges, record stores, and wherever else they can entertain an audience. They've also shared the stage with Elizabeth & The Catapult, Fun., Via Audio, Mother Mother, Abe Vigoda, and members of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Au Revoir Simone.
They have also been featured on WFNX radio, in addition to college radio at Berklee and Northeastern. Word of mouth is helping them build a strong following among the college crowd of Boston, playing shows on and around campus at Berklee, Emerson, and Northeastern. They’ve already been lauded by the Nashua Telegraph and the Noise, as well as by internet personalities such as Radio Free Chicago, Late Night Wallflower, Under The Rotunda and Off The Record (who said “Just To Say” was one of “the most beautiful, creative, and amazing songs that make you think ‘wow.. music can make everything alright’.”). It's only a matter of time before everyone else catches on.
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