Music
Press
Anna-Lynne Williams's voice is so heavenly, it's almost hard to believe she's not an angel. Yet there she was, sitting with a guitar on her lap, singing the signature ethereal mood music of Trespassers William to an intimate crowd of about 35 at DC9 Thursday night.
Even song requests took on a new kind of sweetness. " 'Different Stars' -- if you want," a woman called out in a quiet moment between quiet songs. When the Seattle quartet started playing something else, the fan withdrew. "This one's good, too."
Williams's voice has that effect on people. It's also a perfect match for the group's otherworldly sound. Each note seemed to ride a roller coaster of distortions before coming through the speakers. But one unwelcome layer of sound sneaked into the hour-long set -- a constant feedback hum, caused by any number of the pedals and gizmos the band had onstage.
No matter. Williams flowed from song to song, many from the band's latest album, "Having," taking breaks only to sip tea and sometimes mention a track title. She writes all the lyrics, which tend toward the dreamy: "I am falling, say my name and I'll lie in the sound / What is love but whatever my heart needs around." Words often dissolve into "la da dee dahs," which also get the point across.
The performance reached peak intensity during the song "I Don't Mind." The fellas in the group hunched over their instruments, stomping and rocking back and forth. Williams stayed seated and closed her eyes, the picture of angelic serenity.
-- Rachel Beckman - Washinton Post
"...a beautifully crafted album that never succumbs to any need to provide immediate gratification. Instead, the songs on Having expand and evolve slowly, constructing an unhurried experience that proves to be meaningful and evocative. Having is an album which should be experienced in totality to allow the radiant array of sounds and imagery to wash over the listener. The members of Trespassers William have not only submitted a record that is substantive but have created an atmosphere that rewards the listener for their trust and patience."
- Silent Uproar.com - Silent Uproar.com
"The band trespassers william is that rare group, like the Cocteau Twins and Sigur Rós, able to stir the air with a mix of emotive vocals, effects-drenched guitar, spacious sounds and intricate melodies. It's a recipe best heard to appreciate, and that's exactly what an increasing number of listeners are doing. Sigur Rós' latest effort "Takk " was one of the best albums of 2005... and trespassers william has matched that style of brilliance on its third full-length effort, Having." - Orange County Register - Orange County Register
"This time the band have struck up a winning collaboration with revered produced Dave Fridmann (Mercury Rev, Mogwai, Flaming Lips) and the results are undeniably powerful. Distilling all the classic verve of the shoegazer era and adding a taste of their own talents (gorgeous female vocals, measured songwriting) to create something which sounds irresistible. Destined to appeal to fans of Slowdive, The Cocteau Twins and Mazzy Star, this is classic indie music of the highest order, a welcome suprise..." -Boomkat.com - Boomkat.com
"Epic musical soundscapes mixed with the beautiful voice of Anna-Lynne Williams make for one of the most relaxing, after lights-out experiences since Sigur Ros ( ) ...How Ive managed to let trespassers william escape through my musical net is beyond me this is a masterpiece, and given the right exposure they could do a Sigur Ros on us and become the next big underground success." -Sominty.com
- Sominty.com
"Trespassers William draft warm songs in a cold world. Dreamy melancholy ripples across the lonely stillness of this Southern California band's psychedelic folk-pop." -M. Myers (KEXP) - KEXP
"Singer Anna-Lynne Williams has one of those crystal-clear voices made up of shyness, loneliness and quiet despair, while her band dream up the kind of space country that might have sound tracked 'Twin Peaks: The Comedown Years'.-NME - NME
"...her voice is immediately lovable and her inconsolable world-weariness completely convincing. Moving, even. Each song unfolds through a swathe of reverb and allows Anna-Lynne acres of space to express her woes with quiet dignity. File alongside Red House Painters, another band all to aware of the terrifying beauty of sadness." - Rock Sound - Rock Sound
"...it makes you feel like you're listening to music for the first time. Yeah, the album 'different stars is that good...." -CitizenRobot .com - Citizen Robot.com
Discography
Natural Order of Things E.P. (2009) on Gizeh Records.
Noble House E.P. (2007) Self-Released
Having (2006) Nettwerk Records
Different Stars (2002/2004) Bella Union, Nettwerk
Anchor (1999) Sonikwire Records
Singles:
Lie in the Sound
Vapour Trail (reached Top 5 requested songs on KCRW)
Photos
Bio
After many incarnations of the band, the duo of Matt Brown and Anna-Lynne Williams, who founded the project over 10 years ago in Southern California, continue to craft the sound of Trespassers William in Seattle, WA. Their experimental shoegaze music has been featured in numerous films and television programs, and they have toured Europe and the United States extensively. A new EP, The Natural Order of Things, was released on Gizeh Records in 2009, and a 6-week European tour is to follow. In the meantime, Matt has been releasing solo albums under the name Disinterested, and Anna-Lynne has released a debut solo album with the pseudonym Lotte Kestner, as well as working on several other projects in Seattle.
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