Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
There’s something instantly endearing about a band that intentionally bucks trends. The inherent bravery required to step apart from the pack can be irresistible, especially when the music by the band in question is top-shelf quality. We have to believe that such bands like the never will be rewarded in the end with deserved success. This Chapel Hill, N.C., outfit has begun to build an ardent local following on the strength of tunes that combine seeming disparate elements of Weezer, Ben Folds, and early Bruce Springsteen, among other influences. The connecting thread of the band’s material is a winking sense of humor and an undeniable disire to pave is own musical path. Even with such apparent influences, the real charm of the never is their quirky originality. It’s easy to pinpoint their pints of stylistic origin, but there are enough unique characteristics to render songs like the piano-driven “ I miss home,” with its shifting tempos and clever lyrics, and their relaxed, folk-spiced “wonderful,” deliciously distinctive. The band is currently string to widen its scope by playing gigs in various parts of the country. In fact, it recently took its first New York Bow to positive audience reaction. If justice prevails, a few smart major-label A&R executives were there taking notes - Billboard November 16, 2002
THE NEVER
The Never
(MoRisen)
What do you get when you cross the late-period Beatles with the Cure and Weezer? I'd like to say it's Paul McCartney with heavy makeup and a geeky girlfriend, but, no, the result is closer to the Never. That's a slightly facetious description, of course, and unfair to the North Carolina band, but its devotion to sophisticated pop melodies, muscular guitars, creamy vocal harmonies and frontman Noah's nerd-with-an-attitude vocal approach serve as signposts for those looking. The brash romantic power pop of "The Astronaut" and "Bigger Than Jared" and the delicate piano noodlings of "Wendy Darling" and "Baba Yaga" represent the extremes; if either appeals, the middle ground will definitely make you smile. Michael Toland - Michael Toland
If Pittsboro's The Never lacks anything, that thing is certainly not ambition. Over the course of its sixteen-track, fifty-nine minute eponymous debut, The Never (which turned more than one head for over a half-decade as The B-Sides) tackles the greats, funneling blue-eyed soul inspired by The Beach Boys ("Hearts in My Eyes") into Queen song structures ("The Astronaut") built on a Weezer-meets-Pavement look on love, life and the crushes that make both miserable (tracks one through sixteen, with scant exception). This quartet does it convincingly, too: pitch-perfect, four-part harmonies pique the songs here with a vocal dexterity uncommon to the indie universe, though Noah Smith's on-target guitar solos give the numbers their rock n' roll validity. The melodies are memorable and compelling, and John Plymale's engineering is that of a consumate expert.
The thing this band--or rather, this album--lacks is the belief that it can make a rock 'n' roll masterpiece that is not than a showcase of its own sundry styles and influences. That is, there is no cohesive thread here. Interludes separate a good deal of the Queen-to-Beach Boys shuffling, slowing the action and preventing this disc from going far enough fast enough. The opening "True or False" is reminiscent of the better Weezer pop that didn't make The Green Album, though its successor, "Bigger Than Jared," brings the potty-mouthed weight of Ben Folds to bear on a classic rock anthem, bombastic guitar solo in tow. The adroit eclecticism is as flattering as it is impressive, but it ultimately lends itself to the notion that this band had rather show its audience its nifty tool kit of paint brushes and watercolors than paint the perfect picture it is capable of rendering. Still, it's a pretty impressive kit, and The Never is a standout entree.
- Indy Week
• THE NEVER -- THE NEVER (MORISEN RECORDS)
The Never
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Mitch? Mitch Easter? Are you in there somewhere? No, but it sure sounds like it. But that's not a bad thing in this case. Good Guitar Pop is in short supply these days, and The Never seem to fill a void that the likes of Phantom Planet and Weezer can't quite do on their own. As this CD rolls along, you wait for the thud of a filler track, but it never comes. No track stands out as an obvious hit single, which might hinder their marketing efforts, but enough songs come close enough that the album should get a lot of exposure. "True or False," "The Astronaut" and the Queen-meets-Brain Wilson "Baba Yaga" are all worthy contenders. Pop on. (P.F. Wilson) Grade: A
- Cincinnati CityBeat
Discography
True or false EP-2003
The Valentines EP-2003
Antarctica single-2003
The Never (self titled) Morisen Records-2004
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
"Imagine if Brian Wilson
teamed up with Pink Floyd
and battled with Danny
Elfman and Queen."
In that case it's 2004 and it's a band called The Never. Part Queen, part Weezer, part Beach Boys, The Never has a style that is at once familiar but completely unclassifiable. With strong vocal harmonies, eclectic tempos, and variations in texture from track to track, the band bridges the gap between past and present, at the forefront of a new generation of music. This band has musical chemistry that is palpable and the transition from one style to the next is seamless. This is modern pop rock: fresh, catchy without being obnoxious, and incredibly endearing.
A senior thesis and a 30 foot TV screen.
That's how The Never got their start in the spring of 2000. Noah gathered a few friends from his hometown of Pittsboro, North Carolina, formed a band, and presented it as his final high school project. Not only did the performance include props, costumes, and a 30 foot TV screen replica; it was good enough to graduate from The North Carolina School of the Arts. The thesis proved to be so much of a success that nearly four years later The Never have 2 EPs, and 2 full length albums under their belts.
A bit of bluegrass, vocals, and a musical saw.
Largely self taught, The Never do a bit of everything, and the result is musical genius. Lead vocals switch between songs, all are guitarists, and the musical saw shows up here and there. The harmonies are classic 50's doo-wop, interspersed between deep guitar riffs. From the elaborate stage sets, to the songwriting, to the string arrangements, The Never composes it all. The talent is undeniable, the composition intriguing, and the overall sound unique. Influences include growing up in houses blaring everything from bluegrass to David Bowie. That's the magic of The Never: reinventing the best parts of Rock and Roll history without coming across as contrived.
Yesterday and Today.
With their first few records, The Never called on the talented Ken Mosher to show them the ropes. Known as The B-Sides at that time, their release, "Yes Indeed, The b-sides, Quite!" became the top selling independent release in North Carolina in 2001. This feat was accomplished by playing over 300 shows, gaining a strong local fan base, winning local music contests, securing college and commercial airplay and endless hard work. The Never were picked up by MoRisen Records in February of 2003, and got to work recording their latest LP, with producer John Plymale (Superchunk, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Marat). In October 2003 The Never won a Battle of the Bands competition in Raleigh, N.C. and first prize was an opening slot for R.E.M.'s Walnut Creek show. Always experimenting to stay "new and interesting," this band won't quit until they "save the world through rock and roll."
THE NEVER
Formerly known as The b-sides, THE NEVER are North Carolina's favorite newcomers to the music scene and deservedly so. Their contagious vibe andmercilessly energetic and engaging live show have won audiences over nationwide and shown that these youngsters are a force not to be ignored,while their inventive style, which layers rich harmonies on top ofdistinctive pop arrangements and searing rock guitar riffs, have proven them to be talents not to be denied. Their self released debut LP, YES INDEED, THE b-SIDES, QUITE!, has been critically praised throughout the U.S. and was North Carolina's top selling independent release in 2001, and now THE NEVER are poised for even greater success with the release of their MoRisen Records debut due out early 2004.
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