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Press
Worldclass (CD, Undependent, Progressive pop)
"Uniquely cool progressive pop delivered with exuberance and distinctively world class style. This New York-based quartet plays unusually well-written pop music. These guys are no hippie punks. Their tunes are smart and inventive. Worldclass is the band's first album which was produced and released by the members themselves. The songs feature complex guitar riffs, precise rhythms, and excellent vocals. Instead of using familiar formulas, these fellows prefer to let their songs take them wherever they may. As a result, there are many wonderfully spontaneous moments to be found here. Considering how complicated these tunes are, it is rather amazing how catchy many of the melodies are. This superb collection of tunes clocks in at just under thirty minutes. The guys in Worldclass have done what many other bands can only dream of. They have written and recorded a batch of tunes that is certain to grab hold of folks from the very first spin. Killer cuts include "Escudos," "Etcetera," "Playing Possum," and "Mistuck." Great stuff." (Rating: 5 [Excellent])
- babysue - LMNOP Reviews
"Really exceptional stuff... how refreshing it is to hear something good." - Mike Manning (Mill Pond Records)
"Good, good stuff...I'm going to have fun listening to it on repeat for awhile." - airradio.net
"Wow, it's been a long time since i've heard something like this. Worldclass produces some indierock or dare we even say alternative rock which gave me an instant flashback to the nineties. In this case, it's a good thing. When i first heard this cd, it was just passing me by a bit, but now it had time to grow on me and i must say that i really like this. It's nothing too special (that's hard these days) but still i'm convinced by catchy hooks, a good solid voice and a great sence of melody. Like i said, this is kinda similar to the alternative rock of the nineties, but unfortunately the only band i can compare this to is The Dildo Warheads. A defunct band from Belgium who did the same thing: rock out with a gentle touch. I know lots of people who'd like this. " - jim - Mashnote.net
"Brooklyn-based Worldclass create pop rock filled to the brim with charming vocal harmonies and catchy guitar hooks on their self-titled EP. In just a short time, the band's unique melodic sense has given way to an ever-growing fan-base to support its emotional live shows. "Playing Possum" stands out with its rocking and piercing guitar licks that wil no doubt inspire head nodding. The harder-edged "You Got It" features a stop-start riff that morphs into a frenzy before the track concludes. Worldclass have the power to evoke the excitement incited when a band first stomps on the distortion pedal during a live show. The sheer energy of this disc will make you long for the days when you wondered if you would come out of the mosh-pit alive." - Jim Keller - The Deli Magazine
Discography
worldclass. (Undependent) - EP
The single "You You You" distributed nationwide to independent radio stations.
EP available through iTunes, MusicNet, LoudEye, DigiPie, MusicIsHere, MusicNow,MP3Tunes, MSN Music, Sony Connect, Rhapsody, Napster, MusicMatch, Liquid Digital Media, Puretracks, CdBaby, and TowerRecords
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
worldclass are an exuberant and prolific 4-piece rock outfit straight out of Brooklyn, New York, who are clearly excited about music. One visit to a live show demonstrates that nothing is more important to these four than the sounds exploding out of the speaker cones, escaping from their throats, and reverberating from the drum kit; all to summon a spirit that has just suddenly appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. They re-define the rules of pop accessibility-meets-sonic innovation on their self-produced EP worldclass (Undependent Records). It's a juggernaut of a debut, simultaneously announcing a potent songwriting ability with equally deft musicianship, and remaining conspicuously unburdened of the need to do anything except rock.
On their self-titled EP, worldclass displays a wealth of respectable influences. There's a fondness for early Radiohead, angsty and sonically lush, but then tempers it with the sweetness and pop craftsmanship of the Cars and Blur. Let's not forget the eponymous rock of bands such as AC/DC, but, through the disc, worldclass fails to brand themselves a copy of any band. Their sound is fully developed, but is still maturing, show by show, and this EP is just a hint of what's to come. On the chorus of "Etcetera", their debut single, 2 and 3-part vocal hooks choir above an electric guitar machine, melting into each other and separating again to reveal spacious grooves, and Kris Bauman's direct and warm vocal style. Each song paints its own aural landscape, a new mixture of vivid chord color with rhythms that fragment, bisect, and outline the impetus within. It is their uniquely unmatched ability to stand out musically in the modern independent scene that has earned them their loyal fan base and the respect of fellow New York bands across genres.
Kris Bauman (songwriter/guitar/voice) and Dave Burnett (drums) first met while studying jazz in New York, where both developed a unique identity and approach towards improvisation. Bauman released a quartet album as a leader on Fresh Sound/New Talent while Burnett was involved with many diverse projects in and out of the city. The pair became ultimately drawn back to their rock and roll roots, however, and felt it necessary to simplify the means of expression they had acquired. A new platform was needed to bring an original, melodic, and emotional experience to the listener. worldclass was formed. The original lineup put Tim Reynolds (lead guitar) on the bass, a powerful live performer and a product of the Chicago Hardcore scene, with whom Burnett had been playing with in various metal/hard rock contexts since high school. The band put together a set of originals and quickly began gigging around the city, however, "there were so many things I was hearing that were impossible to play as a trio," says Bauman. "We needed two guitars." Jochen Rueckert (bass) was recruited, an accomplished and sought-after musician in his own right who solidified the rhythm section. Reynolds happily moved back to his native instrument of guitar, and the four-piece worldclass lineup was complete.
With their set list growing larger and larger, the band set out recording their debut, worldclass., in July 2004. Basic tracking began at Abattoir Studios in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where drums and bass were captured, and the rest of the tracking was finished up at worldclass' own studio. Fully self-funded and to be released on their upstart label Undependent, they had assumed the responsibility of producing, co-engineering, and mixing the entire record. Burnett mixed the 8 songs, and then sent it over to Mike Barnard (The Strokes, Lit, Eve6, The Calling), for mastering, whom worldclass had met through producer/engineer Brian Malouf.
The result speaks for itself. The EP captures the promise of great things to come from worldclass, and that promise is already being fulfilled. Watching worldclass live reveals a depth of material that was born with these 8 songs but has since found an even longer stride. The lock-tight musicianship of the band combined with a soaring sonic delivery results in a dynamic and emotional show, after which it's not uncommon to see kids and non-kids alike stumbling over each other to meet worldclass, join the mailing list, and buy CDs. "This band is about giving people something more than the status quo," says Burnett, "We give 100 percent onstage because it's about the music. We're just really excited about playing music." worldclass rocks. Shouldn't you?
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