Controllar
Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands | Established. Jan 01, 2008 | SELF
Music
Press
Controllar, an Amsterdam based electronic duo, performed a set of engagingly twitchy art- pop songs... Anat Spiegel achingly sang lines from T.S Eliot's "Portrait of a lady" ("Dance, dance/ like a dancing bear") while Thomas Myrmel conjured up gritty grooves with a video game controller. - New Yorker, Alex Ross
There's something vaguely poppy in their chantable choruses and hypnotic grooves, and there's something defiantly art-school and confrontational in their off-kilter electro-sounds and declamatory vocals. Sometimes it all comes together as a bit of weird, haunting ear candy. - Fairfield County Weekly
Elektronisch popduo levert live een knappe prestatie in weirde songs, ergens tussen Portishead, experimentele elektronica en jazz in. Smaakt naar een hele live-show. - 3voor12, VPRO
Electronic post-rock trio Controllar is the kind of band that will scare lovers of mainstream fodder, raised on a diet of predictable chord changes and moon-june lyrics.
Based in Amsterdam, the American/Israeli indie-rock trio doesn't settle for just playing a song on their forthcoming album Only Strangers Are Normal, but go for it with everything they've got. Which is quite a lot. Hooks is propelled forward by freaky operatic vocals, handfuls of discords and loud-as-fuck drums. The doom-laden Belong sounds like Siouxsie and The Banshees on a highly illegal substance. Lead single Again Again moves in slow motion. David Cronenberg could use it for the opening credits for one of his movies.
Only Strangers Are Normal is like an onion. Layers are heaped upon layers, weaving a magical musical tapestry that can actually fly. Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy ride. - Here Comes The Flood/ Hans Werksman
Discography
Ep: Controllar 1
Lp: Controllar 2- Live in Levontin
"you do it all the time" on 3voor12 (netherlands, VPRO)
Photos
Bio
Controllar is an American/Israeli indie-rock trio based in Amsterdam. Lead by Anat Spiegel's unconventional vocals, Controllar' s music evokes shards of electro-noise swallowed by punk beats. The band members are punk drummer Gur Spiegel (Hapussy shel lucy), computer wizard and bassist Thomas Myrmel, and vocal artist and guitarist Anat Spiegel.
Following their EP Controllar I (2009) and their album Live in Levontin (2010), Controllar's upcoming release Only Strangers are Normal is their first studio album. Combining an expressive vocal approach together with elements of electronic rock, Controllar's sound is unique within the rock scene. Their musical inspirations range from established sounds such as Nina Simone and Portishead, to cutting edge, lo- fi american bands like She Keeps Bees and Le Butcherettes.
Controllar is known for their stunning stage presence, and was described as "you absolutely have to see them live!" by the Netherlands most popular music website (3voor12).
The band toured the USA multiple times, as well as Spain, Portugal, Germany, Norway, Netherlands, Romania, Belgium and Japan. They appeared in festivals such as Innersound (Bucharest) and venues like Le Poisson Rouge (NYC), Levontin7 (Tel Aviv), Revolver (Oslo) & Concertgebouw (Amsterdam).
Band Members
Links
