the peaces

"The new Peaces CD, Is/Are/Was/Were, is bursting at the seams with well-crafted songs and tremendous, buoyant harmonies that might remind one of Sunny California, even though the band is from New York. Feelgood music all the way through: just try to be depressed while listening to this CD. Go ahead, I dare you!"
- international pop overthrow

MAJOR FIND for Not Lame folks! No way around it, this is about a big, big winner! Fans of The Rubinoos will be in 7th Heaven, but The Peaces play a style of gently jangled power pop that leaves the knees weak. "Don't Take It For Granted", which you should sample below, is a perfect introduction to the sounds of The Peaces. You dig this one, well rest comfortably in the fact you have more coming in the 13 songs that follow this one. Leader Brian Halverson is a major find for fans of pure pop craftmanship. Fans of Cloud Eleven, The Rubinoos, The Merrymakers, Beagle, David Grahame, Raspberries, Wondermints, Left Banke and on and on with all kinds of reminders of bands most of us live for. Simply, The Peaces are a band to seriously get hugely excited about.
It's feel good, happy vibes all the way, but it's not a geek-fest. " Is/Are Was/Were " is wetly dripping w/ classic clean Beatle memories, pristine production values, lots and lots of ringing and chiming guitars that hit the spot at every turn and, of course, massive hooks and sophisticated craftsmanship. The Hallmarks Are All Here. The album never falls into the trap of being too limp as many bands from this part of the world can and have stumbled into, the melodies are always engaging and bright, the vocals transport smoothly and easily into the listeners` eardrums and jangle fans. Grade: "A+", it's Mission Critical for a power pop fan.
- notlame.com

In keeping with yesterday's CD of the Day, here are The Peaces, another New York City band that owes its sound to 1960s pop. But where the Zombies of the Stratosphere were more influenced by 60s mod and psychedelia, The Peaces have a more "pure" pop sound that owes more to Beatles circa 1965 and other more classic-sounding contemporary power poppers like The Rubinoos, The Spongetones or The Red Button.??The most notable characteristic of The Peaces are their harmonies, and nowhere are they more evident that in the opening track "Don't Take It For Granted" and its immediate followup, the piano-based "Endless Line", which come off as lost Association or Left Banke tracks with a bit more pep. "She Stands So Close to Me" jangles away, and just when you think it's all sweetness and harmony, they give us the somewhat acerbic "Portrait In Vanity", complete with guitar solo (but still somewhat sweet-sounding). The Holliesesque "Nobody Cares" is another highlight. All in all, it's a great disc for those who enjoy the kind of harmonic pop that you heard on the radio in the 60s.? - absolutepowerpop.com

The Peaces are an NYC trio that concentrate on six part harmonies and clean classic pop. Lead singer Brian Halverson and the group do a perfectly pleasant job of weaving melodies and harmony on highlights like "Oasis" and "She Stands So Close." If you are a fan of the light touch of the Association, Cloud Eleven and The Curiosity Shoppe, you'll definitely enjoy this album. "Existential Me" is the best track in my opinion. It is a bit faster paced and has a killer hook similar to The Wondermints with nice harpsichord and guitar breaks. The chorus sings "I'm not so different from you...". But The Peaces are different from you and me -- they've got real melodic talent here and thank goodness! "Old Anxiety" gets a little bit harder with a great Badfinger-like track. "Nobody Cares" is a pitch perfect Rubinoos-styled tune that continues the gentle jangle of this album. The guitar work is also first rate as "Something Wrong could be right" contains a nice little solo. The last track "From each other's eyes" mines a bit of the 70's, with lounge calypso beats and makes a curious ending, but overall a stellar effort! I really look forward to more music from the Peaces. Listen to streaming samples on The Cherry Bomb records site. - powerpopaholic.com

WOW!  This brilliant, 60's-inspired, experty-delivered, hook 'n jangle-filled gem is a solid winner!  "Bursting at the seams with well-crafted songs and tremendous, buoyant harmonies that might remind one of sunny California, even though the band is from New York.  Feel good music all the way through.  Just try to be depressed while listening to this CD - I dare you!" - David Bash/IPO   You nailed it David!  Think a lighter, janglier Rubinoos in terms of delivery.  Their wonderful hook 'n harmony-soaked (recalling classic poppers such The Rubinoos, The Beach Boys, The Association and The Cyrkle) songs are true joy!  The Lennon-esque "Natalie Wood" is a Mod Pop delight!  "Existential Me" is a great Mersey-inspired jangler!  The songwriting is simply superb!  Top-notch jangle pop of the highest order!  Can't say enough about this!  GREAT!!!
- koolkatmusik. com

New York-based group The Peaces embrace retro pop-rock influences and create winning songs. Their smoothly woven harmonies call to mind the intricate arrangements of the Association. Wistfully winsome tunes such as "Natalie Would" and "Sunny Day Into My Heart" will leave you humming.
- east bay daily news

The most remarkable aspect of the Peaces' debut album is the young trio's easy-as-breathing three-part harmony, which is straight out of the '60s/'70s playbook of folks like the Hollies, the Left Banke, America and the Raspberries. The low-key, pleasantly catchy, soft pop tunes are mostly by Paul Stingo and Brian Halverson, working separately; neither is a particularly distinctive or original songwriter, and as a result, Is, Are, Was, Were primarily works as an unapologetic homage to the standard-bearers of a certain strain of relentlessly polite AM radio-friendly pop that hasn't been heard much in the musical mainstream since Badfinger broke up. The tunes are jangly, generally mid-tempo or below, and crisply if somewhat unimaginatively arranged to showcase their occasional resemblances to great pop hits of the past. The dramatic "Dahlia," for example, strongly recalls Eric Carmen's fondness for over the top ballads. Pop underground fans with a yen for the glory days when Wings, Electric Light Orchestra, Todd Rundgren and the pre-disco Bee Gees walked tall on the pop landscape will find Is, Are, Was, Were an acceptable simulacrum of soft pop circa 1973, but the blatant hero worship of the Peaces might turn off those who prefer bands who don't sound like the sum totals of their record collections. - allmusicguide.com