Music
Press
http://mp3hugger.com/2007/08/city-horses-little-finland.html
For the first couple of minutes nothing entirely remarkable happens on ‘Little Finland’. Surprising then that by the end you could easily be welling up such is the powerful sense of emotion that permeates. The City & Horses is the work of Marc Louis who spends his time writing music in his Manhattan apartment and then giving it away for free on his website. The venture is unlikely to make Marc a millionaire but it should ensure his music reaches pockets of listeners searching for the missing link between Teenage Fanclub and a whole host of artists from the Sarah label. ‘Little Finland’ ranges from the subtle to the beguiling and marks the beginning of a mini EP released on SVC in January this year. Finding tunes as well crafted and affecting as ‘Little Finland’ is what makes doing this music blogging lark so rewarding. - MP3Hugger.com
http://cableandtweed.blogspot.com/2007/03/city-horses.html
The City & Horses is Marc Louis. The City & Horses is also a lo-fi indie pop/folk act from New York City. By all indications, Marc Louis is a talented and prolific singer-songwriter with quite a flair for pop and Pro Tools. With jangly guitars, tambourines, and other staples of the genre you might find his music at home in your collection alongside the works of Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Benjy Ferree, or Jens Lekman. - Cable and Tweed
http://www.culturedeluxe.com/news_item.asp?id=1311
A Great New Act Out Now On SVC Records.
It's always a pleasure when our friends over at Spoilt Victorian Child Records send us an e-mail. News came in last week of the free 'Little Finland EP' (and believe me, free always catches my attention) by the curiously named The City And Horses. It's true, the best things in life cost nowt.
The group have a sound somewhere between Mercury Rev and Teenage Fanclub, but perhaps a more obvious reference point would be The Velvet Underground (although every second band seems to still think they are Lou Reed's offspring these days). Judge for yourselves: have a listen to lead track 'Little Finland' below.
Marc from the group answered some questions for Culture Deluxe ...
Where did the name "The City & Horses" come from ?
I went to college in Philadelphia and always thought that it'd be easier for people to get around if they rode horses. I felt this way for a while until I took a walk past a horse and buggy and was reminded of the odour of the equine. It seems a modern city isn't the best place for an army of defecating horses. I also wrote a screenplay called "The City & Horses" about a young man who betrays his conservative family by accepting an offer to star in one of his famous uncle's TV shows and sleeps with his teenage movie star cousin who turns out to be his sister. The script was never optioned, sold or made.
Where is the band from? Give us some background about them please!
I'm from Atlantic City, NJ. It's the seaside town they forgot to burn down. Instead they built casinos and boardwalks. I'm actually from a little town right outside of Atlantic City but it sounds cooler if I say I'm from such a seedy place.
Name your hero and your zero.
Hero: John Adams, Zero: Sam Adams
Private Benjamin or Death Becomes Her?
Private Benjamin. I love how soft and tan she looked in those army fatigues (he's right y'know!)
If we want to hear some more, where do we look?
I'm putting a band together now but so far I only have another guitarist and a girl who plays violin. Once we get bass and drums the City & Horses should be ready to ride. As for forthcoming releases, SVC Records and I are thinking about re-releasing a compilation of some of my older songs on CD. I'm also talking with a Brooklyn-based indie called White Shoe Records about putting out a new album. Legendary producer Kramer said he wants to record me but I can't afford it at the moment.
CDX is now waiting impatiently for more, but for now check the site and download 'Little Finland'. - Culture Deluxe
http://sixeyes.blogspot.com/2007/01/city-horses.html
The City & Horses is a catchy, jangly, lo-fi project out of New York from generously talented, and generous, Marc Louis. Listen to the sweet and achy jangle of "Little Finland" and then get excited when I tell you that the tiny 3 song EP which contains this song is just one of many free downloads written and recorded by Louis over the past ten years. - Sixeyes MP3 Blog
Discography
"I Don't Want to Dream," Debut full-length album
White Shoe Records
Winter 2009
"Little Finland" EP
SVC Records, UK
2007
BreakThruRadio.com
Live in-studio set and interview
June, 2008
http://www.breakthruradio.com/index.php?show=4314
Photos
Bio
The City and Horses is the work of Brooklyn songwriter and former Cosby Show extra (Season 7, Episodes 25 & 26) Marc Cantone. While firmly steeped in the indie tradition, Marc’s songs traverse many genres of pop: from twee to power to psychedelic to chamber to folk to lo-fi (and back again). The common threads are Marc’s idiosyncratic vocals, often accompanied by surprising harmonies, and clever and heartfelt lyrics that marry the sardonic wit of Stephen Merritt with the sympathetic wist of Stuart Murdoch.
The City and Horses have been performing live for a little over a year and have become a New York City indie staple, playing monthly at prominent venues including Cake Shop, Arlene’s Grocery, Pete’s Candy Store, Glasslands Gallery, and Union Hall. Through the band’s popularity on MySpace, Marc was invited to perform in performance artist Charlyne Yi’s Music Box at the UCB Theater in Los Angeles with Alden Penner from The Unicorns, Honus Honus from Man Man, and actor Michael Cera.
In fact, Charlyne is using “I Miss It All” in the score for "Paper Heart," the faux-docu-comedy starring her and Michael Cera. Another one of Marc’s songs, “Holy Shit This is Manhattan,” the title track for the band's forthcoming LP, has been used in a web-promo featuring Jessica Simpson for her new product line.
"I Don’t Want to Dream" is the debut LP from The City and Horses and was released by White Shoe Records in February 2009.
Some nice things some nice people said about The City and Horses:
Time Out New York says, "The singer-songwriter behind the City and Horses refers to himself merely as Marc, hinting at the breezy informality of his indie-pop tunes. Unassuming as it might seem, though, the Brooklyn outfit’s debut, I Don’t Want to Dream, is both wise and disarmingly wistful."
Radio Butt says,"This NYC band has only 1,500 listeners according to their last.fm profile. And yet it sounds like it should have at least 100,000! The City and Horses plays cutesy belle-and-sebastian-ish indie pop with a surprisingly soothing effect conveyed by both wide-eyed lyrics and gentle strumming/tinkling/rattling.."
The Sky Report says I Don't Want to Dream is full of "erudite pop songcraft that’s comfortable without coming off as overbearingly scholarly or too cute to handle, hot potato" and describes the sound as "Pastoral-punk" and "Nerdy-sexy-cool pop music."
Rawk Blog says, “'Little Finland' hits all the right notes: teddy bear lead guitar, wind instruments borrowed from Belle & Sebastian, and wistful lyrics about a girl who’s 'not innocent.' 'Oops, I Did It Again' this ain’t, but you may find yourself dancing anyway."
Indie Rock Cafe says, The City and Horses is one of the bands to watch in 2009.
Another Form of Relief says "I Don't Want to Dream" is, "one of the most pleasant sounds of the year so far."
EarDrumsMusic says, I Don't Want to Dream is a "wonderful album" that's one of the best of 2009 so far.
Hypeful says that "the opening of 'I Love The Girls' has the kind of innocent and offbeat charm that would fit nicely into a Wes Anderson soundtrack."
Das Klienicum says something in German. Hopefully it's nice.
MP3Hugger.com says I Don’t Want to Dream is “a year round pleasure, a gentle stroll that’ll bring some order to your chaotic life. Take ‘I Love The Girls’ for example and realize that life’s simple pleasures has a brand new addition.”
In Big Takeover 63, Executive Editor Mick Lewis writes, “I Don’t Want to Dream [kicks] off in grand style with ‘A Thousand Lashes,’ a Kafka-esque curlicue on crimes of passion that is whipped with an irrepressible guitar riff, and visis twee indie pop in ‘Little Finland,’ early dB’s power pop on ‘Russian Military Badges,’ Belle & Sebastian-style self-analysis on the intersection between love and work on ‘Your Father’s Factory,’ and Eastern Bloc emigrants on the clever, charming, and catchy ‘I’ll Marry You (East Beats West).’ This is one City where you needn’t dream of perfect idiosyncratic pop; it’s yours for the taking. Giddy-up!”
MP3Hugger.com says "'Little Finland' ranges from the subtle to the beguiling" and that The City & Horses are "the missing link between Teenage Fanclub and a whole host of artists from the Sarah label." I could just hug MP3Hugger!
Monkey calls "Little Finland" "a little gem" that "starts as Teenage Fanclub and ends as Belle & Sebastian yet has a homespun charm all of its own."
Cable & Tweed says "Marc Louis is a talented and prolific singer-songwriter with quite a flair for pop and Pro Tools."
The Spoilt Victorian Child says "It's just stunning how somebody this talented hasn't been signed. Criminal. The worlds gone mad I tell ya!" Oh, Simon!
Culture Deluxe says The City & Horses are "a sound somewhere between Mercury Rev and Teenage Fanclub, but perhaps a more obvious reference point would be The Velvet Underground". And then they interviewed me.
SixEyes says "The City & Horses is a catchy, jangly, lo
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