Moving To France

IR: The SoCal Sessions #12 - Light After Dark

Starting us off on an eerie welcoming note, the 'Mississippi Mudsharks' rise again with a darkly polished new album of originals, and lead the charge from the Devil's Road toward LA. This is where we find the incredible solo artistry of local author 'Henry Baum' with his project 'Ash Tree', as well as the indie lounge musings of 'Ren Stewart' and her incredible backing band. Check out the violin work and what sounds like sultry xylophones.

Next, three of LA's best kept secrets, 'The Weather Underground', 'The Black Watch', and 'Moving to France' will no doubt blast your senses and make you clambor towards their websites looking for a longer rock fix. Advice: Succumb to your desires.

http://www.last.fm/user/Discochuck/journal/2007/05/21/430243/
- Last.fm - London

"Moving To France combines some of the best ambiance with electro rock that we've ever heard. It's the perfect blend between Radiohead searching for Coldplay as we cross the Atlantic."

-Luke Wryder, CEO of Upstream Radio

-Other Moving To France facts provided by Luke Rider regarding MTF's performance on upstream Radio:
-"Moving To France is consistently rated in our Top 20 Indie Artists"
-"Moving To France receives consistent daily UPstream Radio Play"
-"'The Remote Control' was in the Hot 25 for several Months
and still in the top 50 out several thousand songs that receive Upstream Radio Play." - Upstream Radio

This past Sunday, I was lucky enough to have worked with some wonderful people to put together a benefit concert for the organization Music For America (MFA). MFA is dedicated to inspiring a generation of Americans to get involved by integrating music and politics, and increasing awareness of the issues that most affect us.

The concert took place at the legendary club “Mint” in Hollywood, CA, and starred Brian Buckley, Brett Vogell, Moving to France, and Jesse Rosen. Special thanks to Sam Feld of the De Martinez talent agency, who championed the night by arranging the bookings and the acts.

Rosen began the evening with his Conor Oberst style singing and songwriting, adding his own audience-incorporating slant to the act. His music is unique, eye opening, and slightly funny. His debut album is expected sometime in the spring. A special set by Long Beach resident and recording artist Noah aka “Alex Burr” brought the crowd some laughs. Check out his work here or at Myspace.

The indie rock stylings of “Moving to France” stole the show, delivering soft melodies over smooth guitars. Their music, although not always rocking, rolled through the somewhat unexpecting audience. You can find this talented group of LA natives on the web at www.movingtofranceband.com. - keithadam.com

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Moving To France: Self-titled (self-released LP)

Moving To France formed in Los Angeles in 2005 amidst a sea of well-dressed and unimpressed hipsters. The quartet has since captured a melodic and textured rock sound that rumbles and yet maintains a comforting and inviting intimacy. A considerably heady blend of influences (Radiohead, David Bowie, Jeff Buckley, The Killers, My Morning Jacket, and The Cure) mesh to create the band's unique sound.

Michael, the band's vocalist, captures listeners with his sonorous vocal styling, engaging lyrics, and sing-along hooks. Greg, the lead guitarist, masters dark and catchy guitar licks that give the music a melodic drive and hookiness all its own. Adam, the bassist, supplies the band its heartbeat playing funk-infused rock lines that lock seamlessly with Joe, the band's drummer, percussionist, and beat programmer. The result is a sound that sings and shakes.

Moving to France has been spun on Los Angeles' Indie 103.1 FM, San Francisco's Alice Radio 97.3 FM, Montreal's CKUT 90.3 FM, and New Orleans' WTUL. They frequent LA's legendary rock venues such as the Troubadour, Viper Room, and Spaceland, and have also rocked in New Orleans, San Francisco and Las Vegas.

The band has just completed its self-titled full-length debut 12 song release available for purchase at select LA record stores, online through the band's website, and soon for digital download on iTunes.
- www.harmonyinmyears.blogspot.com

On Monday nights in Los Angeles polished indie acts regularly grace the Indie 103.1 FM showcase at the Viper Room. While many of these acts have honed a specific sound in the indie rock genre, it is rare to find a band that fuses disparate musical elements seamlessly to create a truly rich indie rock experience.

Moving To France is one of those rare acts. Opening for Saint Motel and Division Day at Indie103.1 FM's Monday night Viper room showcase, the quartet’s set exhibited the band’s penchant for writing memorable songs that feature both sonic depth and stylistic range.

Moving To France combines elements of Brit pop, classic rock, and electronica through layered electric and acoustic guitars, vocal harmonies and the occasional thumping electronic backbeat. The band’s sound is ultimately a unique mix of its members’ individual stylistic contributions.

Guitarist Gregory Nortman provides rich guitar lines that at times soar and at times shriek (think Tom Morello meets Jonny Greenwood playing through the Edge’s rig.) Bassist Adam Reese plays with the zingy resonance and virtuosity of the Who’s John Entwhistle punctuating his lines with funk riffs and syncopations reminiscent of Rocco Prestia of Tower of Power. Drummer and beat programmer Joe Zabielski effectively imports color into his playing with ostinattos on his rims and tambourines or by washing his cymbals and playing along with electronic drum textures that hint at synth pop and even, at times, dirty south hip hop.

While the sound is both powerful and eclectic the unifying force is the vocal.
Frontman Michael Edelstein sings with a yearning honesty, in Yorke and Buckleyesque timbers. Engaging, energetic, and charismatic, Edelstein’s sweet melodies belie the lyrical content: alienation, cultural criticism, and sometimes quite simply, love gone bad. In an earnest moment he pleads “I don’t want it all, but I do want a little.” In a more sardonic passage from the chorus of the song Laissez Faire World, he quips “Sometimes I have no idea what you’re talking about / I’m just smiling and nodding.” And in one of the most memorable songs of the night, the 5th track off the band’s debut LP, Edelstein was joined by Reese and Nortman singing the sweet yet bitingly censorious refrain “you should know, you should know/ the remote control is you.”

In the packed room on Monday night Moving To France was triumphant, inspiring its fans to dance and sing along and luring new fans to do the same with songs that were sophisticated yet easily accessible. With memorable hooks, a potent musical soundscape, and a compelling vocalist, Moving To France should soon emerge as one of LA's most promising new acts. They are a certainly a band worth following closely.
- Melissa Renee, Indie 103.1 FM, Los Angeles

Reviews of Moving To France's "Build a Wall:"

July 8th, 2007 --

"A spooky winner from start to finish!"

I was immediately hooked by the song's intro...with jangly, delayed, distant guitars, a quick synth stab, and then settling into a hypnotic drum and bass line.

The vocals and overall mood of the track are somewhat like Radiohead or Muse or The Bravery to my ear. All bands I think highly of, so I really like this song's style.

This song builds and builds until you're standing on top and looking down at an atmospheric, spooky, little rock masterpiece filled with dispair and danger.

Like driving really fast up a mountain road with a big, full moon making everything pale surreal.

I love this track!

http://www.garageband.com/review?|pe1|SsjLPXjDivDybVCyZ2hiDps3IF-HfZ1uDNE


July 11th, 2007 --

"Cool, Original and Slick"

Delicate intro, and then one of the best bass sounds I have heard in a long while. Raw /and/ fuzzy.

The vocals suprised me with their mellow laid back vibes, and they really started to grow on me after a couple of listens (perhaps a touch to much reverb). Had a sense of the ethereal quality of Muse about them, in tandem with the instrumentation.

The choruses and bridges gel really well, and the keys sound is great. In fact the production all round is excellent. There are very few songs on garageband that I'll make a point of listening to again, and this is one of them.

I'm finding it real hard to find anything critical to say, and I've learnt more listening to this for my own tunes than I can comment negatively on. Kudos and keep up the good work - I'll be looking at for you. Regards.

http://www.garageband.com/review?|pe1|SsjLPXjDivDybVCyZ2htA5owIF-HfZ1uDNI


September 29, 2007 --

"Now hear this!!"

Now here is a good example of alternative music. To me alternative music offers the listener a choice of something different than what you hear on any radio station. This song is one of those choices; it utilizes keyboards to set up the mood in the beginning and to carry the theme throughout the song. The vocalist is very pleasing to the ear; kinda reminds me of a young Bono or Morrisey in his heyday. What I enjoy about the guitars is the sound- they don't knock you over the head like most of today's music. They use atmospherics to get their point across, there is no use to stomp on the distortion pedal. The lyrics remind me of eighties alternative music like the Cure or like I said before early U2. I dig the guy's voice, the way he phrases his lyrics and what he is singing. It's very haunting and painful. I can't offer any constructive criticism here, this song is very good the way it is and I wouldn't change a thing.

http://www.garageband.com/review?|pe1|SsjLPXjDivDybVCyZmxiAZ03IF-HfZ1uDNI

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Reviews of "The Remote Control:"


April 29th, 2007 --

"Good Feel to this one...its original"

HAH...someone with something original on garageband. Love the layer of gtrs that sets this one apart and the change to more subdued...that was great. Vocals are original and tasteful. Best song I've heard in a long time on GB. DELAY is great and so is this song.

http://www.garageband.com/review?|pe1|SsjLPXjDivDybVCyYWBiD5o8IF-HfZ1uDNE

April 29th, 2007 --

"great job"

Right from the start i could tell this song was going to be cool. The delay guitars were real good, a great chord progression. The vocals were excellant, reminded me a little of Bono from U2, but with your own flavor. Great vocal harmonies throughout the entire song. A very tight performance by the entire band, the rythym section was dead on, in sync perfectly. Not anything to really critique here at all, perhaps a more drastic change up in the bridge, i felt the song had the same notes throughout and a nice dramtic changein the bridge would have moved it along differently, but still this song was great that is just the only suggestion i could make. Great job.

http://www.garageband.com/review?|pe1|SsjLPXjDivDybVCyYWBgAJ03IF-HfZ1uDNE


- www.garageband.com - Seattle