Names of Stars
Los Angeles, California, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
N/A (audio interview) - Microsoft Zune
The Music180.com New Music Channel on Delta will showcase members’ recordings to a captive audience of millions…through one of the largest in-flight audio programs in the world. The 45 minute show will be on Delta flights for the months of July and August….approximately 45,000 flights…over 5 million potential listeners!
Music180 members submitted to this opportunity in March and April. Congratulations to the following artists that were selected for participation….check out their music and visit their profiles.
Awake! Awake! – Distance
CrimsonFaced – Sublime Profanity
Danielle Barbe – Ghost Town
Matt Dahan – Spinning
Jamie Lynn Noon – Til Ya Make It
Names Of Stars – What Is This Place
Nicole Sullivan – In Every Way
Oh No Not Stereo – Lets Get It Started
Reality Addiction – People Die Building Bridges
Travis Tighe – Lies Don’t Come Cheap
Love Is A Story – Take Control
Sender – Cover Up
Beau Davidson – Over You - Music180.com
Names of Stars, despite their camel riding ways, are a L.A.-based band that play indie-guitar pop-rock. I know it’s lazy making comparisons, but I’d say they’re in that ballpark between Augustana and Phoenix (not too shabby), providing great beats that hipster kids can sway to. Some stand-out tracks on the album include “What Is This Place?” and “Love In L.A.”
http://brentstephensmith.wordpress.com/2010/05/03/the-road-less-traveled-may-3-2010/ - http://brentstephensmith.wordpress.com
After further digging through the digital record crates, I found these gems for you.
Florrie – Panic Attack [Fred Falke Extended Mix]
Hot Chip – I Feel Bonnie [feat. Bonny "Prince" Billy
The Ruby Suns - Closet Astrologer
An Horse - Listen [Bodega Girls Remix]
Brian Eno & Karl Hyde – Beebop Hurry
Solvent – Loss For Words [Vector Lovers Remix]
James White & The Blacks – Almost Black [Richard Sen Padded Cell Edit]
Names Of Stars – What Is This Place
Philadelphia Grand Jury – The Good News
Florence + The Machine – Throwing Bricks
- Pampelmoose (Dave Allen from Gang of Four)
Comparisons will be drawn to Phoenix after you hear Names Of Stars' "What Is This Place?"––from vocal inflections to production tone to intricately woven, bubbly guitar lines, there are many similarities to the breakout French band's style. Names Of Stars hail from L.A. and are currently unsigned, but their production skills, artwork and self-publicizing chops suggest this will probably not be the case for long. - http://lizzyville.blogs.com
Names Of Stars are an LA-based foursome that really make you work for a chorus. Bad thing? Nah. Great thing. Consider the sweet spot that unfolds at the heart of “Siren,” mpfree from their forthcoming debut LP: it’s simple, insistent and galvanizing all at once. What initially appears to be a straight-ahead indie rock plod becomes a jam that’s completely and totally open with you. Cherish the song that turns itself inside-out and back again.
-David Bevan (Tripwire/Pitchfork) - Fader.com
LA based Names of Stars makes their case to be featured on your iPod with their self-titled album released earlier this year. The disc features a nice combination of dynamic vocals, pop beats and creative riffs to keep the listener intrigued for the album’s 29 minute duration.
Chris Martin-esque vocals sneak into the falsetto range just to keep your interest before diving into the lower reaches for a second to add a lyrical afterthought and then settle back into a comfortable spot for a few moments. The energetic lyrics ride along on top of the pop-rhythms and take turns in the spotlight with the guitar tangents.
The album does a good job showcasing the group’s versatility. Each track manages to sound different from the preceding one. For something slower, check out “Siren” or “Speak”. If you’re looking for something a little more upbeat and driving, put on “Middle of the Night” (my personal favorite) or “What Is This Place?”
As far as musical similarities go, the track “Change” sounds like it could have come straight off of a Coldplay record. For the first third of the song, the unsuspecting listener would be led to believe that Names of Stars managed to pull off the greatest collaboration between an unknown indie group and the world’s most successful alt-rock group. The piano and vocals on the track could be mistaken for an X&Y tribute but then an extra guitar and set of drums introduce themselves and give the track a whole new profile.
Names of Stars is in what some might call its infancy. If it survives its early years, it might prove to be an important addition to the indie music scene but based on their solitary eight track release, the group may have a difficult time standing out from the multitude of other indie-pop hybrids. Still, their fusion of sounds has the potential to stick around and make a real difference. - University of San Diego Radio (http://www.usdradio.org)
Nice fluffy pop clouds of fluffiness, fluffily fluffed in a shiny candy wrapper. The emo equivalent of a strawberry milkshake on a hot summer day surrounded by tanned and pleasantly medicated young bodies. Good clean fun. Nice big recording, reminds happily of The Smiths, The Cure, and other deliciously depressing 80's pop confectioners, with some contemporary spices which save it from sounding out of date. Names of Stars slips off the buffet table of smartpop, flips and twirls thru three decades, before landing gracefully like a cat on all fours in 2010. Did I really just write that? I did. Lovely song, check it out ! - http://superfan2010.com
Check out our interview with Names of Stars from Los Angeles, CA. The band is preparing to release their self-produced album this
March with a record release party/performance on April 10th @ 9PM at Petro Zillia (8218 West 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA), a fashion boutique that will be hollowed out for the show. For those in LA, please RSVP to RSVP@names-of-stars.com. Check out the band’s MySpace Page for more information.
1) How did you get your band name?
Funny story. We had another name for awhile that turned out to be copyrighted by some rapper in Wisconsin. If you are in a band settling on a name, definitely check the name out before you grow attached, because it totally bummed us out. We’d narrowed it down to Names of Stars and another name we quite liked….wound up calling a random SF number (nice dude) and asking him which to go with. The rest is rock history. But not ‘arena rock’ history.
2) How did you get started as a band?
Scott saw Gabe giving a solo electronic show at an old L.A. joint that has since gone under, called temple bar. Introductions were made following the show. Broc came on board and then we had a Japanese bassist for awhile but he got deported. Sad story. But former KCRW DJ, Tricia Halloran, introduced us to Sid, who had been touring with Pete Yorn the past couple years.
3) Memorable Tour Experience?
The following wasn’t part of a tour, but we had a peculiar experience opening with an acoustic set for Ok GO to an audience of about thirty people. it was more of an open mic night kinda thing so we were as surprised as anyone to find who we were sharing the bill with. it was fun, one of the guys was rocking the stylophone. We didn’t even have a band name, a myspace page or any other stuff way back then in June ‘09… just a white piece of paper we passed out for people to write down their contact info if they dug our shit.
4) What bands are you influenced by?
We love rock bands that have really made the most of lush textures–Radiohead, Smashing Pumpkins, even Roxy Music. …but the band members individually each have their influences representing great music from various genres… stuff like John Coltrane, Bjork, Justice and Pantera.
5) Who would be an ultimate artist for you to collaborate with musically?
Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead…and Marshall Mathers
6) Top 3 albums you would take on a stranded island?
Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced?
U2 – the Unforgettable Fire
Eden Ahbez - Eden’s Island …check out the freaky guy on the cover and the crazy weird tracks all about being stuck on some Island that Dude named after himself. Weird shit.
…And we don’t really listen to Jimmy Buffet but isn’t he supposed to be that type of music?
7) What has been the best moment for you all as a band so far?
The first five minutes the four of us ever played all together. We knew it was going somewhere. We’ve been trying ever since to get that tight again.
- TheMusicStoop.com
Twenty Tracks You Need
1) Future Islands - In The Fall website
2) Fools Gold - Nadine (Acid Girls Remix) website
3) Chloe - Distant website
4) Tobacco - Sweatmother website
5) Joy Formidable - Whirring website
6) The Cannon Logic - Avenue of Criminals website
7) A Place To Bury Strangers - Figo website
8) Steel Train - Turnpike Ghost website
9) Shotgun Lover - Oh No, Yeah Yeah website
10) Titiyos - Drunken Gnome (Montauk Remix) website
11) Pretty Good Dance Moves - Bad Habits website
12) Casper & The Cookies - Eulogy For Marcel website
13) Fol Chen - Ruins website
14) Tame Impala - Runway, Houses, City, Clouds website (Innerspeaker is out 21/5 in Australia & 8/6 ROW)
15) Ou Est Le Swimming Pool - These New Knights (Don Diablo Remix) website
16) Meesha - Daat (Talal & Zoi Remix) website
17) Johnny Flynn - Kentucky Pill website
18) Minus The Bear - My Time website
19) Name of Stars - Speak website
20) Mommyheads - Flying Suit website - The POP! Stereo
Discography
Names of Stars released their eponymous debut in July 2010.
Photos
Bio
Names of Stars' 2010 self-produced eponymous debut made an immediate impact in the blogosphere and beyond, drawing praise and comparisons to Phoenix. The band boasts a strong core audience in L.A that is expanding quickly, thanks to their emotional and sonically-rich performances, and has drawn positive attention for restoring a dramatic ethos to the indie rock genre. Their debut is highly eclectic--spawning multiple singles in different genres, from alternative rock to indie pop.
Early champions of Names of Stars include historical taste-maker KCRW based out of Los Angeles, David Bevan (contributor to Pitchfork and Tripwire.com) and Jonathan Lenac (head of programming and artist/label relations at Yahoo!Music). Names of Stars was also selected to be featured on Delta’s In-Flight New Music Channel for July & August (over 45,000 flights).
Singer/keyboardist Gabe Grayson formerly performed as a solo electronica artist (after apprenticing under electronica pioneer BT) and Names of Stars was born when guitarist Scott Glenn, after attending one of Gabe's shows at the now-defunct Temple Bar in Santa Monica, approached him about starting the project. Bassist Sid Jordan spent his past years in supporting Pete Yorn as well as playing in his own band, the T-Bone Burnett-produced Minibar. He was introduced to Names of Stars by legendary KCRW DJ Tricia Halloran and quickly became a full-time member. Broc Funke holds down the drums in his unique style founded in his jazz training.
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