Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
"...Skybox's new release, Arco Iris, stakes a concrete claim in the genre (New Weird American) with an album of incredibly rich profundity and beauty."
(Phoenix New Times 26 January 2006) - Casey Lynch
"I buzzed over to the Beat Kitchen Saturday night to catch an 11:15PM performance of Skybox and the Figurines, as a part of the Chicago Innerview June Post-Intonation Spotlight Show. All I can say is I'm damn glad I did."
[...]
“Tim Ellis' lead vocals and active stage persona was thoroughly entertaining and engaging. He touched on vocal notes that call to mind Devendra Banhart and Julian Casablancas, especially on “Various Kitchen Utensils�, a hodge podge of Tom Waits piano tickled to life by Christian Fields, and sprinkled with wooden box beats and other burlesque textures by Anthony Hornyak.�—
- Radio Free Chicago
“One of the best albums I’ve heard this year is Arco Isis by this obscure quintet which relocated to Chicago a bit over a month ago. Aside from having some of the best cover art I’ve seen in a while, the album is interesting from post to wire, a wildly diverse journey through musical styles.�—Chicago Innerview Magazine - Chicago Innerview Magazine
"But it was Skybox that impressed us most of all, early in the eve at West Village basement R&R, so please -- somebody sign them. Best described as "ADD rock," the band was wily, tight and funner than an open bar on the moon. That's right, we said funner." Billboard Magazine, CMJ Review on their Jaded Insider blog. - Billboard Magazine
"Receiving comparisons to The Flaming Lips, Skybox has such a unique sound, though, that makes them wonderfully original. Their music has the theatricality of Rufus Wainwright, yet it still posses the old school rockingness of Jerry Lee Lewis. Plus, Skybox have written one of the best songs about masturbation since the Violent Femmes' Blister In The Sun. At least we "think" it's about masturbation.
Whatever it's about, Various Kitchen Utensils is one of the best songs we have heard in a real long time. Just listening to it will put a smile on your face!
- www.perezhilton.com
Discography
Arco Iris
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
It was the year 2005 Anno Domini when a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky and smashed down mightily into the barren desert landscape of Phoenix, Arizona, leaving in its red hot embers the colorful spectre of the eclectic pop band that would be known as Skybox. That cosmic genesis would portend great things for the young quintet. Their debut LP âArco Irisâ was recorded by Jamie Woolford (The Stereo, Let Go) and mastered by Jason Livermore (The Ataris, Rise Against, MxPx) . It immediately won over critics and fans alike with its mix of spacey indie-pop melodies and darker, Radiohead-esque moodiness. Their wide-ranging appeal has strangers mumbling comparisons to The Flaming Lips from dimly-lit corners of coffee shops and brothels. Thatâs what it sounds like, at leastâ¦.itâs tough to be sure about such things. After a yearâs worth of buzz-building live appearances with bands like The Honorary Title, The Format, Dios (Malos), Jackâs Mannequin, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, and Communique, the spaceship demanded a larger landing pad.
Packing their gear and some vacuum packed Mexican food, the band set off post haste for the larger stage of Chicago. Perplexed by the savage cold and apparent lack of available sunlight, the band still managed in a few short months to catch the eye of the collective Chicago music scene. They have shared the stage with heavyweights like The Figurines and Head of Femur and have been invited to play industry showcases at The Midwest Music Summit and the CMJ Music Marathon in October. In late fall the band will be setting out on their third national tour in support of Arco Iris. Keep your eyes on the skies, folks: Skybox is on the way.
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