selected press excerpts:
The Dying Californian:
We Are The Birds That Stay
"...as pretty and delicate as the abstract image on the cover of We
Are the Birds That Stay, the band's addictive first full-length. It's ultimately
the urgency and beauty of Nate Dalton's voice that drives the group, with the
singer's impeccable phrasing and his rasp tugging at something in your chest.
Seriously: At Dying Californian shows, squint-eyed tough guys with sideburns
talk about how the music touches their hearts. "
sf
weekly
"...We Are The Birds That Stay flickers between hard-earned elation
and desperate, heavy-hearted blues, mixing the two until it's impossible to
untangle the threads and all you can do is sink down into it, letting them take
you where they will. The end result is a subtle, heartbreaking masterpiece,
and just about as close to perfection as you could hope to find."
collective
zine
"Die IndieEcke empfiehlt und das ganz ganz ganz dringend:
Kauft euch "We are the birds that stay" von The Dying Californian. Demn?chst
werde ich mehr dazu schreiben. Einfach grandios!"
rollingstone.de
"Finally. Yes folks, it has
arrived, the Dying Californian's follow up to 2002's S/T EP teaser of addictive,
indie-rockified country laments. Music fans know all too well the disappointment
that often follows fervent anticipation, a letdown resulting as much from overblown
expectations as any lack of quality on the release's part. But TDC thankfully
renders all such concerns moot, laying a real gem in our hands with We Are
the Birds That Stay.
The band is powerful live, and how great it is to hear the peculiarly honest,
catchy, emotive sentiments captured here in true form. It's country in spirit,
with a soul not in twangy pedal steel but rather the raw, husky vocals of singer/guitarist
Nate Dalton. The melodies are dusty and endearing, equal parts barroom camaraderie,
introspective laments, gunfight dramatics, and lonely high plains adventure-all
with a modern lyrical bent. Most have an uncanny way of grabbing your heart
with their sincerity, Rhodes organ accompaniment, and varying guitar parts,
not to mention hearty distortion and snappy, aggressive percussion in all the
right places. You pick this album up, partner, and your inner indie rock drifter
will be thankful."
zero
magazine
"...Individual tracks don't so much stand out as ooze between the cracks
of everything around them. This is an album you put on when you want to watch
the tide cut ephemeral paintings in the sand. Over time lines will rise to the
surface, oddly curved shapes glimpsed for a moment between waves. Uneasy easy
listening for black clad Californians everywhere."
ebong
"...The [Dying] Californian's mix of sensibilities
takes otherwise straightforward songs and injects them with a subtlety that,
against all odds, makes them work"
sponic
zine
"...The Dying Californian established their markers
on their debut, and are now filling out the potential shown therein. The epic
ballad 'Long White Hair' settles in and takes you on a six minute journey, mesmerizing
you with beautiful chord changes and seducing you with atonal vocals that grow
on you like overnight dew. 'Longer Nights and Shorter Days' shows off the band's
more populist leanings.
We Are the Birds that Stay may occasionally remind you of some of your
favorite bands, but the album's strongest moments won't. With each listen, those
vague resemblances of other acts recedes further, and you're left with a unique
and compelling record whose songs slowly build to a simmer and saunter on their
way to the sublime."
splendid
ezine
"There's a CD here by The Dying Californian who do
a raucous brand of American guitar pop/rock like a bar room REM or a more slapdash
Long Winters."
norman
records
"...Kind of like My Morning Jacket without the reverb
but with better drumming. "
bars
and guitars
"Ihr habt richtig gelesen, der gute Mirko mag diese
CD, auch wenn es l?cherlich klingt. Aber wenn staubig verliebter Twang den Weg
freimacht zu swingenden "Bah Bah Bah"s fangen selbst steife Barhocker an, mitzuwippen.
Zwischen den Zeilen schwingt auch noch die Note der Vorg?ngerband Nuzzle mit
(nicht verwechseln mit Nozzle von Twang/Die Hard Records!), von denen die Kalifornier
das punktierte Poppen geerbt haben.
Die frischen Kl?nge der beiden Genres Pop und Country treten erst beim Secret-Track
ein wenig in den Hintergrund, der eine Saufballade zum besten gibt, die von
Kurt Cobain kurz vor seiner Kugel stammen k?nnte und den siffigen Blues von
Bukowski musikalisch einf?ngt. Leidenschaftlich vorgetragen und fY®r diese Musikrichtung
absolut gelungen, warum also nicht?"
germany
"Formerly Nuzzle, these guys changed their name to suit
their new alt-country sound. the guitars are twangy, the vocals are sung with
a slight strain, and the songs are melancholic and forlorn. this CD is very
pleasant and subtle, so support these guys instead of that douchebag Ryan Adams."
punk planet
"'My Heaven Knows No Reign' is the album's centerpiece. It rides on a softly
encouraging melody with Dalton's voice soaring above. As the band intensifies
the rhythm, they keep a steady central riff, showing an extra ounce of restraint.
The song is pristine, minimalist, and even uplifting..."
lost at sea
The Dying Californian:
Self Titled EP
"...Brothers Nathan and Andrew Dalton provide complimentary
vocals turns that approximate Will and Ned Oldham's off-handed, interactive
style. This band is definitely going for something different, and fortunately,
they've found it. If your sandpaper has been feeling a little too smooth lately,
these guys are for you. Ragged, affecting tunes for late night whiskey drinking.
Better than the brunt of the punk-gone-soft movement."
sponic
zine
"Their intimate style may draw comparisons to the more
introspective end of The Elephant Six posse, but The Dying Californian are in
a league of thier own..."
splendid
ezine
"...The music is kind of sloppy, but sloppy in a good
way. Music for hanging around the house in bare feet on a hot Saturday afternoon
with a cold beer in your hand and knowing that there's five more in the fridge."
screaming
bloody mess
"...Dreary, rootsy ballads mixed with classic California
pop. Their sound and influence has definitely matured beyond the conventions
of indie rock..."
epitonic
"Lazy and mournful with a voice similar to Hayden with
a lonesome guitar. The band comes in, bringing out a countrified indie rock
movement, like Pavement doing a mellow Willie Nelson, or Guided By Voices with
some Johnny Cash. It's a highway drive through the rest of the album, with the
end of the road hitting far too soon."
big takeover
take me back to the main page again, please this is torture.