Pale Young Gentlemen

After their critically underrated, self-titled 2006 debut, the Pale Young Gentlemen have returned with a lovely vengeance. The gents perfect the wistful woes of love forlorn over a swell of violins, cementing their indie cred and making one of the most impressive bids for fame of recent memory. Led by Michael Reisenauer, you might be shocked to hear that PYG call Madison, Wisconsin "home." Reisenauer's vocals are a curious blend of Thom Yorke meets Nick Cave inflections paired with understated European-American folk-infusions. These expertly arranged bucolic concertinos balanced with a flawless amalgam of rougher eclectic influences have a sound all their own that should earn the band more than the ubiquitous one month in the blog spotlight. - LAC, CMJ New Music Report, October 6, 2008 - CMJ

Pale Young Gentlemen
Black Forest (Tra La La)

(Science of Sound)

US release date: 7 October 2008
by Aarik Danielsen

Perhaps one of the best Britrock records of 2008, a year which has seen releases from UK giants like Coldplay, Snow Patrol, Keane and Travis, comes to us special delivery from Madison, Wisconsin and the band Pale Young Gentlemen.

Why give such a geographically-confusing label to the four pale young gentlemen and three pale young ladies who crafted these 12 lush tunes? The answer lies in the group’s union of endearing, melancholy melodies and gentle, pastoral soundscapes; in their sound, Pale Young Gentlemen capture the feelings that Great Britain’s overcast skies and bucolic countryside tend to evoke with more clarity and certainty than any band in recent memory.

Black Forest (Tra La La) is an album that is modest in its aims, yet nearly cinematic in its execution; the band never shoots for the atmospheric hooks or spectacular crescendos produced by their contemporaries. The album is, however, gently stirring and thoroughly stunning. While each song is simple in structure and approached with a certain degree of minimalism, the group understands how to adorn their work with an unpretentious beauty.

Pale Young Gentlemen give you a sense of where they’re headed musically from track one, “Coal/Ivory.� The tune commences with active, rootsy guitars, fluid strings and a pulsing drum beat. Vocalist Michael Reisenauer delivers a quirky and commanding vocal turn; at times, Reisenauer’s baritone approaches a quality not unlike that of Coldplay leader Chris Martin. The band’s tendency toward British stylings increase exponentially in the moments Reisenauer sounds most like Martin.

“Coal/Ivory� introduces the skill and sensitivity of the three string players in the album’s lineup; their playing makes the musical colors provided by violin, viola and cello a constant and often comforting presence. Whether tracks prove hearty and up-tempo or soft and sincere, the group’s string arrangements are adapted to ensure the instruments prove a welcome addition to every track and never a distraction.

The record progresses forward with two of its best songs coming back-to-back: “I Wasn’t Worried,� relies on fingerpicked acoustic guitar and a softly pleading melody from Reisenauer, taking on the dreary feel and minimal form often embraced by Radiohead. “Marvelous Design� follows, revisiting and reviving the album’s often cinematic outlook; with its interplay between rich piano chords and winding strings, the tune sounds like the accompaniment for a cold and blustery street scene, where a protagonist soldiers on, fighting both the wind and his own emotional distress.

Throughout Black Forest , the band blends in a variety of influences; with its lively string passages, gently grooving guitar/bass and percussive stomp, “Our History� feels like a Decemberists track. “We Will Meet,� arguably the album’s crowning achievement, sets a melody that’s pure McCartney against a backdrop worthy of a stately Renaissance chamber concert, giving the track the sound of a modern-day madrigal. In fact, the band’s predisposition toward structuring arrangements around acoustic guitar and strings, writing downy melodies and adding quirky accents often lends the songs on Black Forest a sort of timelessness that is refreshing in this time. That sense is most notably captured on “Goldenface, Morninglight,� a ballad which is shaped by its string figures and includes an wonderful, lilting mid-section which is reprised briefly at the song’s coda.

Progressive yet embracing the past, full of fit and flourish without ever sounding fanciful, Black Forest (Tra La La) is one of the most unique and glorious albums of the year. Pale Young Gentleman have truly captured what it means to be captivating and this record possesses the qualities nececssary to live long past the day in which it was recorded.

* * Multiple songs MySpace

— 11 November 2008 - PopMatters.com

Pale Young Gentlemen

Eric Sams :: 22 October 2008

The Pale Young Gentlemen just released a pretty great second album, added some members to their chamber pop ensemble, and embarked on their first full US tour. Big things are happening, and what better time for CMG to hassle Gents lead singer Mike Reisenauer than in the midst of all this general kerfuffle. We quizzed him on the new album, the Madison music scene, and obscure Belgian folk artists. He answered ably, and also subtly contends that Black Forest (Tra La La) isn’t eligible for a sophomore slump.

CMG’s Eric Sams (CMG): You guys have gone through some pretty major changes since the last album, you signed with Science of Sound in March and you’ve had a shakeup in your band’s roster. How has that affected the writing and recording process?

PYG’s Mike Reisenauer (PYG): Actually, it didn’t change a whole lot. Personnel changes do slow things down a bit, but everyone that left left amicably, with a lot of notice, and very little drama. We demoed the new songs at Science of Sound’s studio, which really helped speed up the album’s aging process and readied it for proper recording. Honestly, having only made two records, we don’t have a whole lot of regular processes to disrupt. And I knew at the onset that the process for this album was going to be inherently different—so it’s fairly difficult to compare. There were no variables to isolate.

CMG: About the roster change. Who left? Who joined? What prompted it?

PYG: There’s a lot of uninteresting back story here but essentially our bass player left, we picked up a few more string players and then lost some of them, and the guitar player now plays bass. People left for the same reasons anyone leaves anything: found new opportunities, needed to make some changes, wanted to fuck with their own personal inertia. The rest of the band is currently on tour: Gwen Miller (viola), Beth Morgan (cello), Brett Randall (bass), my brother Matt (drums) and myself.
CMG: Your website says that this album “represents a new turn, an evolution for PYG,� and that Black Forest (Tra La La) “is distinct from your previous release.� What went into the decision to change your sound? How do you think the changes of the past year are reflected in Black Forest, beyond the obvious addition of instruments?

PYG: I think the main difference this time around is intent. If the first record “sounds� like anything, it is purely accidental. They were just some songs that were fun and stuck around long enough to be recorded. The songs on the new record were written to live next door to each other. And I wanted to evoke a physical setting—for it to play out like a fairytale or a folktale or something. I also tried to grab only the essence of the song and keep out as many distracting musical devices as possible, tried to form a sort of musical language that suited the ideas I was trying to put across.

CMG: I’ve written kind of a slew of reviews about Madison acts over the past year, starting with the PYG debut. On the strength of these albums it seems like there’s quite a strong music scene up there. What’s it like? Is it tight knit? I know that Beth played on Whatfor’s new record. Do you guys all go to each other’s shows? Out drinking after the shows? Is there any sort of hierarchy of bands, and, if so, where do you see PYG fitting into that?

PYG: Honestly, I am no authority on the Madison music scene. There are definitely some exciting things happening: Sleeping in the Aviary, that Whatfor record you mentioned, Time Since Western (our old bass player’s group), some others. We bounce tracks off each other once in awhile, but it’s not like a movie or anything.

CMG: So the Gents are in the middle of their first big ass US tour. With such a collaborative sound and so much orchestration necessary to come up with a finished product it seems like songwriting would require a lot of planning and scheduling, but Black Forest was recorded and mixed in two weeks. How does the songwriting normally go?

PYG: Generally, after I get a tone for the song in place and a few lyrics, I start working on the arrangement, which starts some weird kind of feedback loop where the arrangement starts informing the song and other songs around it or related to it.

CMG: Are there several phases or do you kind of go in creative bursts? Are you guys going to try to write on the road?

PYG: Like any job, there’s a mix of productive and unproductive times. But I was working on so many songs at once (for me) that I was able to skip around when things weren’t working. Some days were better for lyrics, others better for a certain string part or whatever. Once I feel like it’s ready enough to show the band without wasting their time, I do. We’d test in rehearsals and then I’d go back and try to fix things. So the music is pretty much done by the time it goes to the studio. As for writing on the road, so far it seems impossible. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about things, but writing is really personal to me and the road doesn’t seem like a great atmosphere for it.
CMG: I’ve heard you compare your sound to Jacques Brel, who really only gets love in America through English language covers of his work. Have you guys ever thought about doing a Gents cover of “Ne Me Quitte Pas� or something?

PYG: Truthfully, I’ve never really been a fan of his stuff. I think at the time I just liked the idea of it.

CMG: A lot of the songs on Pale Young Gentlemen (“Fraulein, “Clap Your Hands�) had a kind of 20s gin joint feel, and on this album “I Wasn’t Worried� contains the line “I rob the pockets of our good old days.� Does the band see itself as sort of a musical anachronism?

PYG: Nope, that first record landed me in a place I didn’t intend to be as a songwriter. I didn’t know it at the time, but it did. Maybe it can be blamed on naiveté? “I Wasn’t Worried� is about relationship modeling.

CMG: Somewhat related to that, in “Our History� you sing “You can’t touch me, my people, our history.� It seems like this persistent theme looking backward or writing in that mode could be taken as a statement about how you see the state of modern music. Is that something that you do consciously or is it just that you identify more closely with that (or those) era(s)?

PYG: I don’t really identify with those eras anymore than anyone else, I don’t think. I actually don’t listen to a lot of new or old music and have no opinions about modern music other than it seems like there are very few people doing or writing things on purpose. I hear a lot of music that sounds like one big pile-up, a ProTools car accident. Maybe I am old-fashioned in that sense. I like being led to a chorus of some kind or for there to be some explanation for it. I like the music to enhance the lyrics and vice versa. I wanted this new record to sound like it could come from any era or no era, a make-believe or real place. “Our History� is about having a newfound and heightened sense of connection to your family, your lineage. Probably fed to me through whatever residual Irish blood I have.

CMG: Without needing to be too specific, what do you see as some of the narrative threads of this record?

PYG: To me this record is about self-preservation, self-reliance, personal battles. Like a sad heroic quest or something. I don’t want to inform listeners too much—if that’s necessary, maybe I didn’t do my job very well. - CokemachineGlow.com

October 21, 2008
Held Up High

Pale Young Gentlemen - "Kettle Drum (I Left A Note)"

Where is it? Where is that damn thing? It must be here, amidst these thousand little drawers, I'll find it, give me a minute. Not here, nope, nor here. Not here. Oh my goodness, where is it? I don't mind saying I'm a bit embarrassed at this occurrence. I just cannot find it. Where is it? Here? Here? Hmm. I simply cannot express how sorry I am at how long this is taking. I think I might have gone and lost it. Is it in here? Oh no. Well, I think that I can't imagine many other places it could be. It's not like I always move these things around, it's all been the same for so long now, I don't think it grew legs and walked away, hardly. Is it in here? No. Here? Oh! Here it is! Yes, this is it! Oh, I really did think I had lost it, silly thing, I almost started sobbing right it front of you, I must be all red, I must. Yes, this is it. This is what I was talking about. This is what your grandfather looked like. In his uniform. Yes, this is how handsome he really was. Devilishly handsome, that's what my sister said. I never the saw the Devil for a day in him, but that's what people always said. I suppose his smile did have a bit of a curl to it, but I always thought it matched the curl in his hair. Yes, this is a good picture of him. His facebook profile picture doesn't do him justice. [buy] - saidthegramophone.com

Pale Young Gentlemen, Black Forest (Tra La La)

Album Review
By John Pritchard [10.22.08] - 161 reads
TAGS: albums, music

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(Science of Sound, CD)

The brothers Reisenauer return, fellow pale gents and gentle ladies, with Black Forest (Tra La La), the followup to their critically acclaimed 2006 self-titled debut. Pale Young Gentlemen remain a band of heady intellect principally focused on highly structured, theatrical arrangements, which the lavish baritone yarns of lead singer Michael Reisenauer gracefully complement.

The record is tenacious. And it is refreshing to hear artists so secure in an imaginative approach. Tracks such as “Coal/Ivory� and “Kettle Drum (I Left a Note)� are cured, antiquated shanties. The plucky, curving, expertly crafted lullabies are the band’s forte. Reisenauer is a talented storyteller, comfortable in numerous melodic ranges, conversational lows and — as the record’s subtitle suggests — sing-along, chorus-backed highs.

The record will no doubt be improperly lumped under indie rock’s sodden umbrella, and that is unfortunate. “The Crook of My Good Arm,� a ferociously lean, cello-led, 3-minute gallop is the only remotely rock-styled song on the album. But that does not detract from its excellence. It’s a lyrical high moment for Reisenauer as well: “Run, run for the child in your heart / that’s taken all the blame.�

Black Forest’s delicately created charm and atmosphere make the recording a more than respectable achievement. Yet it has a rare and pivotal advantage: one of the best songs of the dwindling release year.

“Marvelous Design� appears in the album’s introductory stages. But the brilliance of its impression lasts throughout the entire record. The song is so poignantly agile and addictive that it bolsters the release as a whole.

A lustrous string-and-piano accompaniment merges with a chillingly beautiful chorale, ornamented with weighty, jazz-infused hooks. The track typifies the band’s fervent sincerity; it’s a ballad of melodic complexity that Reisenauer navigates brilliantly, his full impressive vocal range employed.

Pale Young Gentlemen’s performance this Saturday, October 25, at Radio Bean will include a performance of this fantastic tune, along with numerous other selections from their catalogue — the shimmering, harmonious hues that are anything but pale. - Seven Days

Mad respect should be accorded to bands with string sections - it's a basic tenet of music. Pale Young Gentlemen has put together one of the best chamber pop ensambles in recent memory. Backed by lilting violin, cello, and a freaking xylophonist, vocalist Mike Reisenauer's baritone melds the line between balladry and raucous, riotous rock. They're simply amazing, and best of all, they sound hardly like anyone else, perhaps leaning just a bit twee. Avoiding Sufjan's preciousness and the Arcade Fire's hyperbolic bombast, Pale Young Gentlemen produce one hell of a symphony.

-Jeff Echert - Nov 12, 2008 - The Inlander

Pale Young Gentlemen - The Crook Of My Good Arm.

Pale Young Gentlemen hail from Madison, Wisconsin. I really like their new record, Black Forest (Tra La La), which came out on Oct. 7. It's part rock, part folk, part Eastern European darkness. It's also strikingly creative, if that's not too vague a term. I love bands who find interesting ways to make tight, focused music, and with their arsenal of string instruments, Pale Young Gentlemen have done just that.

You can see the band live tomorrow night in Burlington, VT, next week at the Middle East in Cambridge, and a whole bunch of other cities in the near future. (Fellow Twin Citians, go see them at the Nomad on Nov. 21.)

You can, and should, buy Black Forest (Tra La La) from the band's label, Science of Sound. - musicforrobots.com

Pale Young Gentlemen
Black Forest (tra la la) (Science of Sound)

By Aynsley Karps
Published: October 11th, 2008 | 9:00am
4 1/2 Stars

After last year’s release of Pale Young Gentlemen's self-titled debut, the group's reputation became that of "the best band you don't know about." But with the upcoming release of their sophomore record, Black Forest (tra la la), name recognition shouldn't be a problem anymore.

As with its first album, PYG (based in Madison, Wisconsin) successfully captures the dramatic nuances of baroque, romantic 19th century folk in their indie pop sound. Yet this time around, the band steered away from the high-spirited and bouncy dancehall tunes prominent in their first album — almost all of the tracks on Black Forest evoke a harmoniously dreamy, mellow tone. There are a few scattered songs featuring fast-paced drumbeats, like “Coal/Ivory,� “The Crook Of My Good Arm,� and “Our History,� making for a pleasantly surprising track placement that allows for seamless transitions. Vocalist Michael Reisenauer (who has a voice similar to Andrew Bird’s) showcases more of a quiver, which works perfectly with the rise and fall of the strings. In fact, PYG lays off the piano and puts strings in the forefront for this album, leading songs with a combination of wild and elegant plucks of the cello, violin, viola, and guitar.

The album almost feels as though it’s a soundtrack to a fairytale, telling a dream — like fable of a man looking back on his life and searching for answers. Traces of harp, flute, glockenspiel, and French horn add to the wistful, faraway feel. Ending on “She’s All Mine, I Think,� the leading man has found his answer for now, but there’s always room for another twist in a future album. The band’s aspiring transformation and maturation between albums should give it an even happier ending this go-round. - Venus Zine

Pale Young Gentlemen
Black Forest (tra la la) CD - Science of Sound

Madison, Wisconsin's Pale Young Gentlemen caused a minor stir among pop sophisticates with a classy self-titled debut album that evoked comparisons to Andrew Bird, The Dears, and Rufus Wainwright, as well as Tin Pan Alley and Cole Porter. On Black Forest (tra la la), the Pale Young Gentlemen (and ladies, complexion and age unknown) stick to a game plan that is both similar to and different from its predecessor. On one hand, the dramatic feel of Michael Reisenauer's lyrics and vocals hang over every song; on the other, the band's approach to its sound has changed considerably. This album hits more somber notes, uses strings more, and shies away from relying on the jaunty, piano-led compositions that dominated their debut. On "Coal/Ivory," Pale Young Gentlemen seem to be drinking from the same fountain that The Arcade Fire taps from time to time; it is highly emphatic and highly enjoyable. From this we depart from overwrought Can-rock and drift all over the map. "Marvelous Design" and "The Crook of My Good Arm" are expertly composed and skip along stylishly in the Kinks vein (I cannot get over how much Reisenauer's voice reminds me of Ray Davies' at times). Black Forest (tra la la) is an understated gem full of warm but striking pop that actually out-distances the debut album in just about any category you would care to name.

(David Nadelle)
paleyounggentlemen.com - David Nadelle

Pale Young Gentleman is one of the Midwest’s best-kept music secrets. Hopefully the secret will soon be out, as they’re currently embarking on their first national tour. Boston, however, is still somewhat in the dark. The Sunday night crowd at their Middle East Upstairs concert filled in less than half the room, despite three local opening acts. Seeing just a few fans singing along, it appeared that only a handful of people present were familiar with their music (coincidentally, some of these were friends of mine who I didn’t know were fans). Nonetheless, the sparse crowd was certainly won over by Pale Young Gentlemen’s blend of folksy storytelling, subtle orchestration, and charming, whimsical, and sometimes emotional performance.

Singer and songwriter Mike Reisenauer (who is shockingly tall) writes from another era, with each piece feeling like a fairytale or a soundtrack to a leisurely walk through an enchanted forest. Though their recent release, Black Forest, has some spirited, body-moving pieces, what shines are their dreamy, contemplative musings. The most concise way I can describe the band is Andrew Bird less ambition and whistling. And I mean that in the most complimentary way. Don’t miss these guys. Their tiny Madison, Wisconsin based label Science of Sound is also worth checking out, as they’ve handpicked a diverse group of interesting and talented artists. - http://mel.opho.be