Photo by Gary Issacs
ALAMEDA is the new Portland-based outfit founded by singer/guitarist Stirling Myles and cellist Jessie Dettwiler, joined by guitarist Tim Grimes, orchestral Clarinetist, Jennifer Woodall and well-known violinist Kate O'Brien-Clarke. Compared to the baroque pop of Nick Drake and the slow-core dream pop of early Low, ALAMEDA blends orchestral arrangements with modern instrumentation, thus blurring the lines of genres and moods and offering a lush backdrop for Myles' folk-inspired songs.
ALAMEDA take a delicate and intentional approach to song writing, taking Myles' original compositions and further arranging them along with a rotating cast of collaborators, including members of Horse Feathers, AgesandAges, Builders and the Butchers, and musicians from various regional symphonies. This kind of songwriting has helped nurture an organic sound that connects the older sensibilities of folk with modern influences of looped effects pedals and electric guitar textures. Though ALAMEDA is a relatively new band, they have spent the last year cutting their teeth in the music world, having toured and shared the stage with Horse Feathers, Ian Cooke, Nick Jaina, Jen Wood, Quiet Life and Autopilot is for Lovers. In 2010 ALAMEDA released their debut EP Floating Hospital, and in 2011 they will spend much of their time on the road, in support of their debut full-length, Seasons/Spectres, on False Migration Records. |
Music Scene PDXApparently Alameda is a “new” band. I couldn’t tell it by navigating my way, track-by-track through their album, Seasons/Spectres. While they may be new to each other and exist under the umbrella of a new title, none of Alameda’s 5 members are new to the business or to the Portland music scene. The album bursts at the seams with skilled and creative musicianship and composition. Call it folk. Call it chamber music. Call it whatever you want. Alameda is delicate and simple. Stirling Myles’ song-writing is wholesome and relatable. To top it all off, they claim the great city of Portland as their stomping grounds and we LOVE good, local music.
Portland MercuryConsisting of only three members—singer/guitarist Stirling Myles, cellist Jessie Dettwiler and Portland Symphony clarinetist Jennifer Woddall— Alameda has pulled taut the strings of their spare and stunning live shows and put them to record. Thus, their debut album, Seasons/Spectres, is a solid collection of lovely, simply-arranged orchestral pop songs. I might have even used the word "lush" to account for their sound, but they've already set the record for "Most Times Music Writers Use 'Lush' When Describing Their Music," so nevermind.
---- Portland bands have been known to get stringy; something about this incessant rain makes us yearn to drown our sorrows (or slit our throats?) with the lonesome bow of the violin. While some may overindulge, though, Alameda has found a safe spot among the frantic bow wielders, artfully blending classical arrangements with indie rock sensibilities for an understated and beautiful outcome. Lead singer/guitarist Stirling Myles is an earnest-voiced fellow with two female counterparts, cellist Jessie Dettwiler and Jennifer Woodall, a symphony clarinetist who ups the woodwind's cool factor (fourth-grade self, rejoice!). And so it stands, the trio's ready-to-release debut album, Seasons/Spectres, is bound to find a good home among us maudlin cave dwellers, with "New Leaf," the band's lead single, graciously alluding to those first hopeful specks of spring. My Old Kentucky BlogWith the eternal hope of spring comes Seasons/Spectres, the full-length debut from Portland’s Alameda. It’s a sparkling offering of spine-tingling spiritual musings carefully fused with humbled earthly entreaties from the talents of Stirling Myles, Jessie Dettwiler and Jenn Woodall. With an ever-changing cast of collaborators from regional symphonies, this trio on guitar, cello and clarinet respectively, with their tenderly crafted arrangements and mesmerizing harmonies, will haunt you in the loveliest possible way. I can’t think of a more fitting album title for this deeply introspective and copiously atmospheric musical journey of the spirit. Lying somewhere within the vicinity, yet slightly northwest of the mischievous scores Mark Mothersbaugh creates for Wes Anderson flicks, or the fantastical arrangements that comprise a Sufjan Stevens album, Alameda plays it closer to the chest by means of a uniquely eloquent restraint. Fans of the Avett Brothers, Devotchka, and Low will be grateful for yet another exciting discovery of extraordinarily talented instrumentalists, vocalists and songwriters.
Seasons/Spectres is a vast vessel of intricate orchestral beauty accompanied by honeyed voices cooing darkly poignant melodies. Dettwiler’s cello and Woodall’s clarinet add a sorrowful depth to even the most hopeful of lyrics, while their angelic harmonies on the first single New Leaf are on par with the sweetly baptismal croonings of an Alison Krauss or Emmylou Harris. New Leaf begins with a nostalgic Kermit the Frog-esque banjo-plucking and the melancholic appeal of Myles soothing vocal, but it soon swells into an earnest, bouncing, toe-tapper of pure musical splendor and woebegone yearnings. And it has hand claps. Did I mention hand claps? I love hand claps. The first song Rotating Hospital is another standout; all layered guitars, woeful cello and beautifully whispered moments that fade off into an achingly exquisite climax. Lullaby is an instrumental so dazzling and bursting with verve you‘ll play it again and again. And the country-gospel flavored Silver Hands is yet another revelation, full of warm strumming, tambourines and quietly cascading harmonies.Seasons/Spectres is both haunting and hypnotic, folksy and soulful. Laden with heart swelling angst and hushed meditations, it’s a stunning slow-burn of orchestral pop you won’t want to miss. Indie Rock ReviewsAlameda is a Portland-based three-piece outfit founded by singer/guitarist Stirling Myles and cellist Jessie Dettwiler, joined by Portland Symphony Clarinetist, Jenn Woodall. Compared to the baroque pop of Nick Drake and the slow-core dream pop of early Low, Alameda blends orchestral arrangements with modern instrumentation, thus blurring the lines of genres and moods. Alameda is joined by a rotating cast of collaborators from Horse Feathers, AgesandAges and various musicians from regional symphonies. These collaborative efforts result in a purely organic sound that connects the older sensibilities of folk with the modern influences of music today.
The Music BeamThe music is a little bit dreamy and you can hear the reference to the 90's indie pop and the folkrock of today.
RCRD LBLFor their upcoming debut full-length Seasons/Spectres, Portland trio Alameda is getting deep into emotional indie-folk hybrid. "New Leaf" is a little bit sea shanty folky rambler theme music—which makes sense because singer/guitarist Stirling Myles took inspiration from the folk and prog records he brought with him while he was scouring the globe, studying art. What makes it robust are the ladies of the band: cellist Jessie Dettwiler and Portland Symphony clarinetist, Jenn Wooddall (where she still has a seat). Together they've created something that hints at early 90s indie pop, when lush and dreamy were paramount. Globetrotters and star-gazers unite.
Deli PortlandAlameda is not just another three-piece folk-pop Portland band – it's vocalist/guitarist Stirling Myles, classically-trained cellist Jessie Dettwiler, and classical clarinetist, Jennifer Woodall, along with visitations by members of the Horse Feathers, AgesandAges and various musicians from regional symphonies. Altogether, the result is a collaboration of orchestral comprehensions, a full symphonic accord that finds balance between folk modesty and effervescent chamber pop; a balance that will doubtlessly put up a great show.
Music That Isn't BadHere's something new and different. Alameda have an awesomely distinct sound that combines subtle vocals, clarinet, cello and the occasional banjo plucks (you all know how I love me some banjo...). I seriously dig the smoothness and sincerity in this track [New Leaf].
Denver Westword"Alameda, sports a fluid lineup that crafts melancholy, atmospheric songs that teeter between folky simplicity and chamber-music lushness. Besides stepping up to the microphone, [Stirling] Myles has switched from bass to guitar; Alameda's debut EP, The Floating Hospital, reveals his hushed and tranquil songwriting, a solid core around which revolves the outfit's baroque yet stark multi-instrumentalism."
Crappy Indie Music Blog"You have your acoustic guitar singer-songwriter backed by a lush group of musicians. This is a formula that when done well, I do not tire of. There are a few people who do this around town, most notably Horse Feathers. But I assure you there is no Horse Feathery occuring in this music. It is its own thing. Perfect for the current cold and rain filled atmosphere that has take[n] Portland over."
Thomas Murphy"Alameda's luminous, spare melodies suggest solitude without loneliness and the peace of fruitful introspection. Like the work of early Low, the latest songs from Alameda are soothing yet haunting and possessed of a delicate immediacy."
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