Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Released just over a year ago, "A Band of One's Own" fulfills the promise The Scattered Pages demonstrated on its first full-length, "Meet the Americant", an altogether pleasant but uneven affair.
Immediately demonstrating the band's growth since its debut, the opening track on "A Band of One's Own," 'Emily,' consistently surprises the listener, each verse increasingly intricate and innovative in its arrangement. Though the EP hints at the band’s self-acknowledged influences, Belle & Sebastian and Jon Brion, the music moves beyond mere derivation.
Were the EP picked up by a powerhouse indie label, A Band of One’s Own would have brought deserved attention to the band. If The Scattered Pages continue the growth demonstrated on A Band of One’s Own, its next full-length may just be the release to land the Texas Quartet a record deal.
7 Blips out of 10 (Growth Potential: 8/10)
- Under The Radar - Issue 7, by Josh Mound
"Lazy are the Skeletons is so brazenly ambitious that one can only speculate as to how the band managed to keep a lid on things in the first place. The album's thirteen tracks are so meticulously filled-out, it's a shame the record sleeve offers no hints as to the construction of these songs. With no producer listed, it's a speculative dead-end trying to imagine how three guys managed to put so much sound onto one record... Whereas This is Where the Story Ends showed potential, Lazy are the Skeletons does something miraculous with it."
Adam Schragin, Urban Pollution - Urban Pollution
...And my #1 album of 2006 is The Scattered Pages, Lazy Are the Skeletons, which was released in October. The Pages' new disc, is one of those rare works that offers grand theater for the ears with colorful characters and brilliant morality plays. It's an ambitious effort in the Pages' five-year career, and one that may launch them to a wider audience.
Sara Cress "The Houston Chronicle" - Houston Chronicle
"This Is Where the Story Ends (Three Ring) holds seven tracks of gentle country-rock lamentation. The title track is billowed by pedal steel and a deft vocal courtesy of Brandon Hancock, and threatens to float away in the summer breeze, until a bruising, mournful guitar line anchors the song in a lonesome cove. The final two cuts open things up a bit, "The Boating Party" incorporating a little skronky indie-guitar work, and "Stately Man" being perky keyboard pop lilting over some sixties harmonizing...well done."
Michael Meade, Skyscraper Magazine - Skyscraper Magazine
"This Is Where the Story Ends came wafting out of my 14,000-song iTunes library, grabbed me by the lapels and riveted me immediately with its mellow, Harvest-era Neil Young feeling. I had no idea who it was at first -- generally, at work, I play my whole library on shuffle and hope for pleasant surprises, and the Scattered Pages was absolutely one of the most pleasant. The title track's brushed snares and breezy, keening guitars forced me to stop doing whatever I was doing at the time and pull up my iTunes to find out just who this great new band was."
John Lomax, The Houston Press - The Houston Press
Best CD by Local Musicians (2006)
This Is Where the Story Ends, Scattered Pages
Exquisite melancholy is a difficult emotion to capture on disc -- most bands that strive for it end up sounding either whiny or pretentious. Scattered Pages is not most bands. The newest of their three EPs -- 2006's This Is Where the Story Ends -- picks up where Neil Young's Harvest left off: gently strummed acoustic guitars awash in pedal steel atop brushed-snare hits and vocals softly sung. These guys are starting to get lots of comparisons to fellow Smiths/Morrissey devotees the Decemberists, but we would argue that the locals are better, and not just 'cause they're locals. Singer Brandon Hancock's voice isn't as grating as that of Colin Meloy of the Decemberists, and the Scattered Pages' arrangements retain your interest longer. Who knew Baytown -- all three members hail from there -- could produce such sigh-inducing beauty? - The Houston Press
Discography
"Lazy Are The Skeletons" : October 10, 2006 - Three Ring Records
"This is Where the Story Ends" : e.p., April 18, 2006 - Three Ring Records
"A Band Of One's Own" : e.p., 2003 - Three Ring Records
"Meet The Americant" : 2003 - Three Ring Records
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
The Scattered Pages, a pop/folk trio from Houston, Texas, is comprised of singer/guitarist Brandon Hancock, drummer/multi-instrumentalist Andy McWilliams and bassist/vocalist Kurt Coburn. Drawing comparisons to The Decemberists and The Smiths, the band has produced contemplative but hopeful dirges since the 2003 release of their first full-length Meet The Americant and EP A Band of One's Own. After the success of 2003, the band hit the road hard in 2004-05 with multiple East Coast tours and countless gigs in their native state of Texas. Gathering momentum at home and abroad, the band signed with Three Ring Records in late 2005 and shortly thereafter released two new records. The country-tinged EP This is Where the Story Ends (May 2006) received critical acclaim from publications including Skyscraper Magazine, Smother and was awarded Best Local CD of 2006 by The Houston Press. The band countered the country lamentation of This is Where the Story Ends with a dynamic and whimsical full-length album entitled Lazy Are the Skeletons (October 2006). Following its release, the band spent two weeks in October/November 2006 on a twelve-city tour of the West Coast. Coupled with ongoing Press and Radio campaigns, the tour dramatically increased the band’s national exposure and has garnered new audiences and praise for their work. The single, "Annie Get Yer Gun," has climbed to #94 on the CMJ charts. In January 2007, Three Ring Records released the compilation At the Crossroads, a project whose profits will benefit homeless youth and young adults. Featuring Calexico, Rouge Wave and The Faint, The Scattered Pages open the CD with their cover of The Smith's "Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want." For the rest of 2007, the band plans to maintain their regional touring schedule, participate in festivals around the country and begin recording new material.
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