Whistle Peak

Several varied elements are coalesced together to create a sound that moves and sways and ultimately sticks. It's got some pop, some folk, electronic sounds, and all that would be great as is. However, Whistle Peak has pushed a little further and mixed the elements up into a beautifully produced grab bag that makes sense. - American Gloam

Whistle Peak’s lo-fi Americana fits in well with bands like Yeasayer and Colossal Gospel–bands who take traditional elements and play them a little … Strangely. Sometimes there’s an off-key accordi0n or a suffocated vocal. It’s always a little bit whimsical, a little bit painful, and never, ever takes itself too seriously. It’s music that’s willing to take a chance at failure, or at doing something radical and weird. It’s never broad, but never narrow. - Berkeley Place

Unlike so many of the supremely self-conscious freak folkers and ambient noodlers who’ve been getting all the acclaim lately...Whistle Peak sound neither drunk nor full of themselves.

They sound like little children discovering toys in their grandparents’ basement, a place where miniature Casio keyboards sit next to antique washboards and pieces of stray china. Throw in a toy piano, a tuba, some clever lyrics and some dogs barking in the distance and you have New Folk with a sense of humor.

Infinitely more interesting than a lot of mandolin-driven crap being hyped these days. Thank God is all I can say about that. - Michael Verity

I’m really excited about Whistle Peak, a group that offers an exceptional balance of sounding different and cohesive at the same time. Half Asleep is one of those rare invitations to step into a different world, one that feels like it has its own unique landscape, climate and culture. The instrumentation and execution are distinctive (the prominence of the ukulele certainly stands out), and while the percussion sounds vary from track to track along with a diverse set of texture-massaging samples, these elements never feel detached or unrelated. Half Asleep is so pleasing to enjoy from start to finish in part because it offers variety within a specific imaginary space, giving the listener a comprehensive tour of this uncanny world. And to my ears, it sounds like Half Asleep‘s slightly off-kilter universe is weighed down by an ever so slightly inflated gravitational pull, as if its inhabitants enjoy all the joys and excitement that us Earth humans do, just on a slightly muted basis. Or maybe this alternate race of humanoids simply evolved to be shorter and squatter than we did. Either way, the filtered vocals and descending melodies have a weight that, even in the album’s most freewheeling moments, keeps the mood grounded. And I love it. - You Hear That?