Stereofan

I first heard Stereofan on my way to pick up a Finnish drag queen from the Greyhound station. That first EP was as sweet as mulled wine - my friend and I got so lost in the layers of violins, guitars, and vocals that we had to circle the city a second time to regain our bearings. On this, their fifth record together, Stereofan has again mixed dissimilar elements to produce a new whole. But this record goes beyond simple pastiche; it is a vibrant collage of textures, culled from sounds as diverse as Gillian Welch's Time (The Revelator) and "14 Cheerleader Coldfront" from Guided By Voices' Propeller. Beatlesque strings ache under "Ours is the Darkness," while the shimmer of electric guitar punctuates "Postcards."  These elements all run like watercolor, bleeding together on the shifted page. With them, Gould & Weeder paint a Kandinsky portrait of the fragility of love. For fans of Neil Young, Andrew Bird, Smoke, & Elliott Smith, "Stain My Heart" sets a new standard for the beauty of heartache." - Sam Crawford- Record Engineer/Producer

'Stain My Heart' features seven powerfully written tracks recalling the genius of Low, Neil Young, Damien Jurado, Ida, and Will Oldham. - InSound

"The duo known as Stereofan -- Zeb Gould (guitar, vocals) and Megan Weeder (violin, vocals) -- capture the essence of Hank Williams Sr. with their tender, poignant, and sparse songs that recall the elder Williams' true country heritage. However, they take it one step further, fueling it with a stark, loose indie approach, making the songs on Stain My Heart, including the title track, sound that much more immediate. This is delicate, open-heart music that doesn't sacrifice on beauty or essence in the name of stripping down the music. Rather, they keep it simple and capture pure emotions in a palatable, easy-to-relate sound that is just as direct as it is intimate..." - In Music We Trust Magazine

"Several things come to mind when listening to Stain My Heart: a small cabin tucked away in the forest, desolation, dim lighting, candles, and (of course) heartbreak. The outlook is predominantly bleak during these seven songs, but some musicians fare better with tales of despair and romance gone wrong -- Zeb Gould (guitars and vocals) and Megan Weeder (violin and vocals) certainly do. Weeder's violin playing is rich yet subtle, drifting through songs like "In A Couple Of Days" with a ghostly presence. Combine that with the occasional twang of pedal steel, plus Gould's soft acoustic strumming and yearning vocals, and it's a perfect balm for an aching heart. Fans of singer-songwriters like Will Oldham and Elliott Smith should approve of Stereofan's ability to convey such strong emotional content via soft, lulling tracks like "Highs Of Love" and "Postcards".
If you already have a pessimistic view of love, your opinion on the subject won't change after listening to Stain My Heart. However, you'll at least gain an appreciation for Stereofan's ability to depress the hell out of you." - Splendid Magazine

"Stereofan, simply put, is an amazing band. Their relatively simple guitar, violin and harmonizing portray heartbreak in such a beautiful way that it at once is familiar and new." - The Deli Music Magazine