Music
Press
Out of all the bands performing Friday, Telograph stuck out as the band to watch. Lead singer Andy Boliek sounds a bit like Better Than Ezra’s Kevin Griffin, but that is in no way an insult. The man can sing. And the band pounded out songs that were reminiscent of new wave-hipsters Interpol and The Strokes, but Telograph nicely gave the genre its own spin - www.DCist.com
When Telograph (***) played the Six Points Music Festival back in April, they were easily our favorite band in the festival’s Velvet Lounge lineup. We may have compared them to new-wave hipsters Interpol and The Strokes, but Telograph’s great live show made it difficult to categorize them simply as another “it” band. We’re happy to say that their upcoming EP Little Bits of Plastic justifies our initial impression: Telograph is a band to watch.
Over the course of the EP’s five songs, the band – consisting of Arash Ardalan on drums, Andy Boliek on vocals and guitar, Gary On on bass, and J.B. Whittenburg on keyboards and guitar – plays what they refer to as indie pop, but the production and mood created around those songs set them apart from their peers.
The band definitely wears its Brit-rock influences like badges of honor. At times (especially on “Electric Light”), Boliek’s vocals are comparable to Echo and the Bunnymen’s Ian McCulloch, but with a higher range. It’s also obvious that the band devoured all those Pablo Honey and The Bends b-sides that many Radiohead fans have obsessively collected over the years. Opener “Beneath Your Feet” and closer “We Won’t Settle Down” feel like comfortable throwbacks to that mid-90s British revolution. The music is especially recognizable to those of us who secretly loved Oasis and remember seeing The Verve in concert just before they broke up (and cursing Massive Attack for dropping out of that tour).
Geeky name-dropping aside, Little Bits of Plastic has a lot more going for it than inspiring nostalgia. More importantly, the songs are well crafted and you’ll have a hard time getting them out of your head. Isn’t that what it’s all about?
Little Bits of Plastic will be released Jan. 1. Telograph will play the Patriot Center on Jan. 26 with O.A.R. and Gomez.
- www.DCist.com
It's a new year and that means new music. To kick off the year for regional releases, DC's Telograph released a new EP today. We keep telling anyone who will listen, that 2007 is going to be the year that DC hits the national conscious. If that is true, Little Bits of Plastic is certainly a nice way to start.
I received a digital copy of these songs right around Halloween and have been wanting to share them ever since. These are the kind of infectious tunes that will be stuck in your head for days. This EP also gives a hint of what the band is capable of and raises the bar for future releases. Telograph is going to be around for awhile and that is certainly a good thing for Washington, DC and music lovers in general. - http://instrumentalanalysis.blogspot.com/2007/01/telograph-gives-us-little-bits-of.html#links
"...homegrown DC music with its own energy, and the strong compositions stay with you long after a listen." - On Tap Magazine
"Telograph really have a great feel for that sweepy sturm und drang that bands like the Doves get across so well--massive in scope yet warm. Their music soars, and they have one of the District's better vocalists in the studied baritone of Andy Boliek." - http://dceiver.blogspot.com/2007/01/audiofile-cant-stop-wincing-night-away.html#links
Brit-rock leanings are nothing new these days. Every gig-hungry band with an amp seems to be able to put a few three minute wonders together. But it takes musicianship and an imagination to turn of-the-now genre adherence into an actual good band. Luckily, Telograph has both. - www.DCist.com
"Telograph is a local rock group with a sound that feels more London than D.C. They admit to their Brit-pop inspirations and are familiar with comparisons to bands such as Franz Ferdinand and The Strokes. So if those groups are your cup of tea, then Telograph's 'Beneath Your Feet' is sure to impress. Atop of the warm, fuzzy guitars, singer Andy Boliek's voice is clear and deep, a real standout vocal track. The drum pattern changes several times through the song, keeping you on your toes anticipating tempo changes." - The Washington Post
"...the kind of local band that's so great it should be famous, but isn't yet." - Washington Post Express
IN THE MID- TO LATE '70S, local bands were heavily influenced by arty British pop, rock and punk. Then California-style hardcore made its impact, and the U.K. sound became less conspicuous. It never really disappeared, however, and these two discs suggest that a comeback is underway. Both D.C.'s Telograph and Baltimore's Two If By Sea play sweeping, stately, yet economical music that's rooted in the styles of such exemplars as the Psychedelic Furs, Joy Division and Echo and the Bunnymen.
The five songs on Telograph's self-produced "Little Bits of Plastic" are an impressive introduction to the local quartet. If the band's influences are unmistakable, such tunes as "Beneath Your Feet" and "Electric Light" aren't simple mix-and-match jobs in the manner of such latter-day revivalists as Interpol and Franz Ferdinand. Impeccably arranged and confidently played, Telograph's material balances grand gestures with propulsive energy and an astute sense of space: The music sounds big but never overstuffed. Ultimately, of course, the group needs to move beyond its circa-1980 vision, but this EP demonstrates all the skills needed to do just that.
An almost eerily appropriate support act for Telograph, Two If By Sea is even closer to the headliner stylistically than it is geographically. The most notable difference between the two bands is that TIBS singer-guitarist Cris Cowan has a deeper voice and a more declamatory style than Telograph's Andy Boliek. On such songs as "High Water Mark," TIBS also reveals a little more hard-rock firepower: David Hardy's guitar shifts into arena-rock mode, and drummer Chuck Cole slams his kit. Just as frequently, however, the band's melodies float above the thumping rhythms, creating tension and a feeling of distance -- both hallmarks of the British art-punk method.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/01/AR2007020100576.html - The Washington Post
"Washington DC natives Telograph are a pleasant surprise that land in your stereo with an affinity to lull you with their brand of Brit-pop. Catchy pop hooks are precisely driven home with eager drums and an easy-on-the-ear vocal. One of the more up-tempo and uplifting albums to break out of the DC indie scene, “Little Bits of Plastic” is anything but ‘little’. This is a band to pay attention to and follow with rabid fascination." - Smother Magazine - http://www.smother.net/
Discography
Little Bits of Plastic EP (2007)
Telograph EP (2008)
Photos
Bio
In a current music industry that is being more and more divided between “pop” and “indie” rock, Telograph arrives to bridge the gap. The self-proclaimed Cinematic Popsters have come a long way in the past few years. Now two EPs deep, they have created a soundtrack to their own world and a clear musical vision for the future.
Telograph’s second EP, Telograph EP, was released in January of 2008. The record was produced by Chris Keup and Stewart Myers (Jason Mraz, Rachel Yamagata, Lifehouse), and is best described by its use of driving guitars, powerful vocals, and atmospheric production. Influenced by 90’s British rock bands, as well as modern indie rockers, Telograph EP was well received by the media and was described as 'Impeccably arranged and confidently played,' by the Washington Post.
Since the release of the band’s first EP in January 2007, the band has gone on to tour and perform with national acts including Gomez, Longwave, O.A.R., Robbers on High Street, Augustana, and 1990s, at some of the largest venues on the east coast. In every city, Telograph continues to receive warm receptions, proving their ability to cross genre boundaries while enchanting listeners with their sound.
Never slowing down creatively, new material is already in the works, and the group plans to continue touring as hard as possible to get the word out. Telograph wants to be the biggest band in the world, and given the momentum thus far, they just might be in store for something big.
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