The Gazetteers
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The Gazetteers

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Band Pop Rock

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Music

The best kept secret in music

Press


""Navigates through an overtly idiosyncratic world""

With his crystal clear, hypernasal voice and pointed lyrics, [Frank] navigates through an overtly idiosyncratic world - Three Imaginary Girls


""Really hard not to like""

The songs have the usual Boscoe charm (he's really hard not to like), and are very well executed as well. This is definitely a very fun record! MTQ=10/10 - indiepages.com


""Combines the introspective with the topical""

Boscoe displays a consistent knack for combining the introspective with the topical, resulting in a playfully conversational songwriting style - Trouser Press


""The perfect soundtrack""

The perfect soundtrack to that era...when twenty-somethings looked for love and ended up with empty futons - SF Weekly


""Ik geniet hier lekker van""

Geluidsperfectionisten zullen hier van walgen, maar dat is vooral hun probleem. Ik geniet hier lekker van. - Think Small (Netherlands)


Discography

Territory Songs - Magic Marker, 2002. Cracked the US college radio charts.

Frank previously released a half-dozen albums and numerous singles between 1990-2002 in Wimp Factor 14 and Vehicle Flips. Jeannine and Rob also play in The Sisterhood of Convoluted Thinkers and Stick Insect. Steve plays in Christmas Decorations.

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

The Gazetteers are based in Albany, New York (Frank and Andrea) and Brooklyn (everyone else). First conceived when Frank met Steve at Rob and Jeannine's wedding several years back, they have released one album, Territory Songs, on Portland's Magic Marker records and have just finished recording a second.

The first album was intended as a project to write a song based in each of the states and territories, an undertaking not unique in the annals of indie music (most recently being undertaken, sort of, by Sufjan Stevens). Although uniquely in the annals of indie music, Frank does hold a Ph.D. in geography.

But rather than wait for nearly 60 songs to come together, the band recorded the first 15, which were whittled down into Territory Songs. Some of the tracks address historically and geographically specific topics (Denmark's sale of the Virgin Islands, the Japanese soldier who hid in the Guam jungle for 30 years after WWII ended) but most concern the everyday (an argument about the merits of vacationing in Maine, strained long-distance relationships, the urgent need to flee Florida).

The tunes are snappy, spare, three-minute affairs, with droll and deadpan lyrics, filled with odd and unexpected production touches courtesy of Rob and Steve. Not entirely unlike They Might Be Giants (indeed, John L. himself once released an album of state songs), and we daresay more amusing.

Andrea is an outstanding baker and live shows routinely feature her delicious cupcakes, which go well with any beer.

Given their separate locales, the full band is not always available for each performance, and Frank and Andrea often perform as a duo, particularly in upstate NY. Frank also plays the very-occasional solo set.

Other stated influences: The Magnetic Fields, The Kinks, Smog, bubblegum, one-hit wonders, karaoke.