Fan-Tan

"... this is epic man, epic." - OhMyRockness

... it's impossible to get out of your head." - Tympanogram

live studio performance and interview with the band:

http://www.breakthruradio.com/index.php?show=4406

recorded 07/16/08 - -

"maybe it's the guitar hero damage... i can see "fall of rome" being one of the bonus tracks in the latest version of that game. or maybe it's my soft spot for eps. i don't know, but i gotta say i'm liking bars and windows, fan-tan's recently released debut ep. it's been a while post-rock.. hello again."

- The Bat and the Bird
(www.thebatandthebird.com)
- -

"Brooklyn New Wave band fan-tan have a catchy EP called Bars in Window. They sell it at their live show s fo a meager 5 dollars, a minor investment for well produced self-released album.

Best track: venom and the venomous, in which guitar, bass and drums lock in as one riff-driven instrument."

- Here Comes the Flood blog
(http://blogger.xs4all.nl/werksman)
- -

"New York seems so much more musically alive lately, maybe a revitalised love of Alternative Rock or the obvious lure of those wonderfully sounding music bars. At least one out of three bands i`ve warmed to recently inhabit that part of the U.S. Indeed i`m loving the sounds that reach us from East coast . Brooklyn based `Fan-Tan` have arrived armed with a striking five track EP`Bars In Window`, a glowing stand-off between some very cool musicians gives us an exciting introduction to these highly recommended post-punk exponents."

- Mojophenia
(mojophenia.blogspot.com) - -

NYC Artists on the rise: Fan-Tan - CD release at Mercury on 03.26

Fan-Tan’s origins lie in the college town of Chapel Hill, N.C., which has sparked the musical careers of the likes of Superchunk and Archers of Loaf and more recently, The Love Language. The quintet’s distinctive “city” sound – dark, mysterious and alluring – probably disoriented the town’s residents and sonically clashed with other local musicians. Now based in Brooklyn, Fan-Tan is comfortably playing shows with artists that compliment its synth-pop sound such as Cale Parks and Led Er Est. On the band’s second EP “The Age of Discovery,” the urgent vocals compel the vivid guitar and looming bass with an overlay of atmospheric, subtle synths. The music is full of dramatics and tension, and it has an unyielding ability to remain in listeners’ heads for days. - Nancy Chow, The Deli Magazine

Really, isn’t that an awesome cover? It’s a weird collection of colors and animals that are decorated with symbols and images that are brought from every direction: east, west, north, south. It makes up a sweet collage of fusing elements that are all out for one goal: properly depicting the music behind its wall. For Fan-Tan, a group of musicians that are well aware that their own influences and sounds also come every direction – east, west, north, south – it’s the perfect way to introduce their latest, great EP, The Age of Discovery.

A band that met in Chapel Hill, this quartet of musicians pride themselves on providing the ultimate concert experience. And what an honestly humble way to put yourself in people’s faces. So much of what the concert is capable of has been lost by what bands believe to be just another night of performing. It used to be that if you sucked live, you didn’t stand a chance and now, it’s dismissed as easily as whatever new album the greatest new band has coming out. Fan-Tan not only delivers astounding live shows, they’ve been able to capture something many bands struggle with for years and years: bringing all of that astonishment to the studio.

Shaking with an uncontrollable amount of pizzazz and propulsion, Kuki and Sandee Kooks’ rhythm section has the band gelling and flowing together. Like some kind of well-oiled machine, the fluidity of their train is driven forward by Mike Walters’ timely synthesizers. Not only do they add flavor and dimension to the music but they provide those aforementioned colors that conjure up many different kinds of dynamics. Even as an EP, each song is at least four minutes long, allowing enough time for the listener to realize the band’s scope. By the time the fantastic “No Complaint” comes around to close it all out, you’ve already appreciated the album’s ability at providing excellent sounds from every corner.

For a small selection of songs, The Age of Discovery is anything but insignificant with every new song possessing a massive wall of sound. “A.O.D.” begins with a bass line and hi-hat that sounds like it was stolen off Interpol’s best song before it turns into a dancing, upbeat mixture of eccentric vocals and synths. The energy beaming off these five songs is deliriously magnetic, it pulses with an incredible amount of vivid drive. Singer Ryan Lee Dunlap sounds like a crazy combination of Carey Mercer and Spencer Krug, with each influence melting into each other to bring forth a manic expression of enthusiastic amazement.

Everything hits at the right time with Fan-Tan’s foursome of talented musicians. The Age of Discovery isn’t just a brief encounter of what may be coming next but in all, it sounds like the proper release of a band finding their way, together. Much like that cover, everyone and everything seems to be pointed in different directions, not knowing where the compass will take them but as a unit, they have a firm understanding of the music they’re making. And when it’s packed with this much energy, you can’t go wrong. - Delusions of Adequacy