The Special Pillow

Dan Cuddy's part-time, all-star psychedelic ensemble has done it again. While a seven year wait isn't exactly a proper amount of time to consider "in the wake of," Inside definitely rides the cosmic detritus of the Pillow's debut, Ancient History. Slightly more fuzzed out, and benefiting greatly from the production skills of Michael Deming (Beachwood Sparks), Inside's lilting, folk-y melodies shine throughout, as do inventive violin and viola arrangements. In fact, it's the strings that add most of the otherworldliness
to the proceedings, as the songs are rooted in a clear pop tradition. Despite the constantly shifting "The Whole Thing" and drone-drenched "Fantastic Light" that earn the album its true psych stripes, one can't help but feel a certain tongue-in-cheek approach to the genre, especially with an opener titled "Please Come To Our Séance" and forced-sounding references to sitars, teacups and ancient tongues. But syntactical reactions aside, Inside the Special Pillow is well worth the wait for fans of these once members of Hypnolovewheel, Sleepyhead and Run On, and a nice, warm place to enter to enter as a novitiate.

--Alex Stimmel
- From RESONANCE #41

After the dissolution of the quirky, mercurial indie-rock group Hypnolovewheel, bassist Dan Cuddy formed the Special Pillow, which is not the cuddly, twee band you might expect from its name. While the frontman's lyrics often evoke childhood innocence, that's usually to show something sinister in the sweetness, as with "Poison Apples," whose upbeat hooks and melodious nostalgia are subverted by mentions of "candy cyanide" and "jack-o’-lanterns filled up with razor blades." Generally following the "I Am the Walrus recipe for psychedelia—queasy insistent strings; surreal imagery; chords descending in discordant, unorthodox steps—the Special Pillow grasps what's thrilling and frightening in a kid’s unbounded imagination, capturing in song the moment that a coat draped over a chair becomes a monster in the dark. Not only do the album’s cello and violin shiver and warble, so does Cuddy’s coy, nasal voice, which slides and undulates around the melodies.
Despite two extended pieces, "Fantastic Light" and the epic, proggy "The Whole Thing," Inside isn't lugubrious, stuffy, or orchestral. Instead, the highlights—The droning, theremin-saturated "Nothing Important" and the country-tinged "You Can Do It (Just Don't Do it Wrong)"—reveal the band’s facility for crafting affecting pop. Though these songs work well enough on record, they come across even better live, where the Special Pillow goes with a streamlined, guitar-free setup, fully revealing the group’s ingenious arrangements. (Rob Horning)
- From TIME OUT NEW YORK, Jan. 1-8, 2004

The Special Pillow’s 1997 debut, Ancient History, was a marvelous blend of ’60s psychedelia and ’90s space-rock textures. Six years on, the follow-up, Inside the Special Pillow, offers pretty much the same, only with poppier songwriting and sharper melodic focus. As before, the Special Pillow is singer/songwriter Dan Cuddy, drummer/producer Peter Walsh and various friends, including violinist Katie Gentile and cellists Cindy Brolsma and Timothy Noel Harris, who add lush chamber-pop atmosphere to even the rockier tunes. The songs themselves are a fanciful, dreamy set of low-key, jangly/droney pop nuggets, with literate, impressionistic lyrics highly recommended for fans of Yo La Tengo and the Green Pajamas. (Stuart Mason) - From AMPLIFIER #40 (January/February 2004)