Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
“The magic of Climber's music, and the reason these guys deserve to be in the upper echelon of the Portland music world, is that they've found a way to create songs based in sadness that resonate with such life-affirming energy that they rarely leave a listener pondering the dark side of life.” - WILLAMETTE WEEK
“Combining the ambient explorations of Brian Eno and the more melodic elements of post-OK Computer Radiohead, hometown electro-heroes, Climber, make Music for Upscale Boutiques…Climber's smooth, futuristic electronic creations have more pop-resonance than most of their knob-twiddling contemporaries, making them the ideal band to passively appreciate.” - PORTLAND MERCURY
“It's no easy thing to pinpoint Climber's sound. Songs are dominated by as many as three keyboards playing at once, but it's always clean and minimal. There are electronic elements, but the primary goal is more about mood than big beats and dancing. The "loud-soft" dynamic rarely comes into play. The tunes are alluring, fragile and never head-scratchingly obtuse” - PORTLAND TRIBUNE
“Vocalist and pianist, Michael Nelson, reminds me of both Thom Yorke and Chris Martin, and he does it with a grace that few can pull off. It takes a certain quality of pipes to sing in that manner, and he possesses enough skill to not come off sounding extremely derivative, a failing task for many bands.” - THREE IMAGINARY GIRLS - Seattle
“Climber sounds computerized, even techy, but retains a human touch thanks to the sweet, vulnerable ache of vocalist Michael Nelson…” - THE OREGONIAN
Discography
Climber EP - 2004
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
“The magic of Climber's music, and the reason these guys deserve to be in the upper echelon of the Portland music world, is that they've found a way to create songs based in sadness that resonate with such life-affirming energy that they rarely leave a listener pondering the dark side of life,” writes Mark Baumgarten music editor for Portland’s Willamette Week.
Drawing their influence from European bands, the members of Climber (all Portland, OR residents) have created a sound distinctly their own. Disappearing into their basement studio in 2001 the group of friends, most of whom were not even twenty years old when they began, remained submerged working on their sound for two and a half years. “I guess it took so long because we really wanted something different,” Nelson says of the band's creative exile. “We didn't want to sound like another band.” John Chandler of the Portland Tribune writes, “Nelson is true to his word. It's no easy thing to pinpoint Climber's sound. Songs are dominated by as many as three keyboards playing at once, but it's always clean and minimal.”
Referring to Climber’s live show Alicia Rose, booker for Portland’s famous Doug Fir, wrote in Willamette Week, “My first hint that Climber might be something special was when members dragged their upright piano all the way from home for a show. From the first notes, I was arrested by the strains of orchestral rock. Climber's blend of lush, rich melodies, delicate piano lines, extraordinarily well-thought-out arrangements, emotive vocals and an overall coating of fancily effected guitar made me lose track of myself.”
Climber’s first EP was released in early 2004. They recently completed a demo project with producer/engineer Lars Fox (Nick Cave, John Mayer, Everclear, Remy Zero).
Links
