The Lovely Public

At Fresno's Tokyo Gardens, it's smart indie-pop from the Bay Area tonight with the Lovely Public! - CNN Entertainment (video)

This long-awaited album by local San Francisco band The Lovely Public is already in regular rotation here at Pacific Noise.

The ongoing theme throughout Burning Tape is of a meal, and this album does indeed satisfy a variety of cravings: lo-fi, Sonic Youth influenced songs such as "Dinner Chatter" whet the appetite then meld into meatier, lingering psych rock guitar in "The Game of Opposites," and others, which then descend delightfully into light 'n' creamy treats such as "Delicious Surprise Kisses" and "Pillow."

Like a satisfying meal, Burning Tape at the Mystery Dinner satiates with variety and deliciousness.
- Pacific Noise

The Lovely Public's Burning Tape At The Mystery Dinner has been recieving much airplay at The Bay Bridged HQ in recent weeks. Be sure to catch them at Donuts on December 11th at The Knockout.
- The Bay Bridged

Who doesn't like kisses? Chocolate ones, French ones, innocent ones — they're all delicious. Especially tempting is "Delicious Surprise Kisses," an infectiously hypnotic song by San Francisco's the Lovely Public. The track displays the group's impressive songwriting skills, which combine a finely tuned ear for interesting melodies with a knack for angular phrasing that makes sense and yet remains unpredictable. On stage, lead singer and guitarist Jason Kick leans into the mic like a devoted disciple of Thurston Moore, brown hair hanging over his lowered eyelids. Nacera Mekki's choppy bass lines provide the perfect counterpoint to Joe Miller's contagiously tight drum beats, while Olivia Parriott and Chris Campbell add lyrical synth textures to complete the sound. Come support one of the best up-and-coming local rock bands as they release their latest CD, Burning Tape at the Mystery Dinner (Wall of Sound), at the Make-Out Room. Speaking of making out, maybe you'll get a delicious surprise kiss of your own, if you're lucky! (Eliana Fiore) - San Francisco Bay Guardian

"Burning Tape At the Mystery Dinner", the debut cd from the Lovely Public, fuses together musical interludes, defying basic song structure, while still building an album of perfect flow and clarity.

Driving tempos start and are abruptly mutated and lost as a song moves into its next section, which then flows directly into the next song, basically making the track list unneccessary. "Burning Tape" is the work of a band that was obviously trying to make a great ALBUM, and, as far as we're concerned, they've succeeded.

Forming as a "rocknroll circus in northern Indiana" in 2002, the core members of The Lovely Public, Jason Kick and Joe Miller, relocated to the Bay Area and began recording together again in 2005 with new surrounding members.

The band's myspace page cites such as influences as Sonic Youth, Deerhoof and "Syd Barrett and his Pink Floyd", which are definitely good reference points, though the Olivia Tremor Control's "Dusk At Cubist Castle" is the closest thing we can recall to "Burning Tape's" wonderfully manic geography.

The Lovely Public have just returned from a cross-county tour, and are playing a show this Tuesday, October 10th, at the Make-Out Room.
- The Deli Magazine SF

Every time I put this on, I'm surprised at how good it is. "Burning Tape.." is no mere collection of songs, it is an album in the truest sense.

<The Deli Magazine SF named The Lovely Public's "Burning Tape at the Mystery Dinner" as their number 4 favorite release for 2006>
- The Deli Magazine SF

Very strange and cool. The debut album from this SF group brings with it a heady air of somber intrigue. The Lovely Public draws together many styles as they roam through different dramatic scenes, slinking in and out of the shadows -- like an ensemble of olden time court entertainers descending into an electrified pagan ritual.

Burning Tape At The Mystery Dinner has elements of jazz, post-rock, avant-folk, pop, krautrock, psych and much more. Whew, can you keep up with them? At once, very trippy yet very surefooted. Fans of Oneida and the latest Liars album will probably find much to dig here. Recommended.
- Aquarius Records, San Francisco

After we interview a band, we like to ask them to recommend other Bay Area groups that we should check out, one of the groups mentioned most often by their peers is San Francisco's The Lovely Public... It's immediately apparent why so many different bands are fans after hearing "Burning Tape..". During our interview, the band members facetiously blamed their genre-defying sound on their short attention spans, but it's clear that their mix of indie rock, punk, and experimental pop elements, among others, stems more from talent than boredom. Alternately hummable and rocking, challenging and catchy, this is an excellent album. - The Bay Bridged

Once The Lovely Public took the stage the audience moved in, suddenly at attention. I love the eclectic sound of The Lovely Public; each song conjures a different influence and emotion. Their genre-hopping sound suits my label-hating sensibilities and produces a very interesting voice. The first song of the set took me straight back to high school with its heavy Breeders-esque qualities, dreamy and hard all at once. Other songs remind me of indie poppers Deerhoof and Sonic Youth. The lovely Public manages to create an unpredictable sound full of ever-changing riffs and tones while remaining relatable and catchy.

There is no felicity in the world greater than when a band truly rocks live. It’s the kind of occurrence that causes a goofy grin to distort my face for hours. The Lovely Public’s combination of lo-fi, indie rock, punk, and noise pop had the crowd rocking out hard. So hard that one bearded hipster in a teal corduroy coat with elbow patches crashed into the stage more than once, overtaken as he evidently was with that all-too-deadly combination of appreciation and beer. It would have been slightly more amusing had he not spilled beer on their equipment. Enthusiasm he had, coordination he did not.

Anyway, I can now say that The Lovely Public does not disappoint live. When it’s all over, all I want is more.

-Katie Kaapcke
- Wiretap Music