Clare and the Reasons
Josh Mease
Clare and the Reasons
Musée Mécanique
Clare and the Reasons
ARROW reviewed in the December issue of SPIN MAGAZINE!
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December 7th, 2009
Clare & the Reasons, “That’s All”
This rules: Brooklyn chamber-pop crew Clare & the Reasons give “That’s All” the “Tusk” treatment, tricking it out with tubas and making it sound slinky and sinister.
December 4th, 2009
Arrow’s immediate predecessor, 2007′s The Movie, was a fine debut by Clare & the Reasons that occasionally suffered from a lack of musical diversity. Arrow lacks no such thing, twisting and turning for nearly 50 minutes while maintaining sharp focus on Clare Muldaur’s slinky coos and lovely, playful lyrics.
Opener “All the Wine” features Muldaur’s crisp, soaring voice and ukulele strums as she fantasizes of a perfect afternoon out. “It’s our time!” she sings, overwhelmed by her own imagination and desire. It’s a simple little song, but her voice reaches so far above the sun and clouds, it pulls her dream down to Earth. The band enters with understated texture during the last half of the song, and in barely over two minutes, Arrow sets its bar high…
December 3rd, 2009
Clare and the Reasons are the featured artist for this month on FIP!
Grâce, sophistication, fluidité, souplesse, légèreté, voici comment décrire en quelques mots le second album de Clare & The reasons.
Un collectif franco-américain qui après deux ans passés sur les routes pour promouvoir leur premier opus « The movie », revient dans les bacs avec leur nouvelle création : « Arrow ». 13 titres où avec fantaisie et délicatesse, Clare & The reasons porte quelques messages sérieux : déception amoureuse, égarement, nécessité de vivre l’instant présent…
December 2nd, 2009
Daily Candy has nominated Clare and the Reasons as one of the three “Sweetest Things” of 2009. Now you can vote to make them #1!
December 1st, 2009
Clare Manchon, leader of indie chamber pop band Clare and the Reasons, has no problem admitting that taking the super indie DIY route as a band can be a little difficult, but she has no plans to go all mainstream. Instead they’re trying new ways to make things a little easier. “If it doesn’t work out that’s why God invented credit cards,” laughs Clare.
This sunny optimism falls right in line with the message of their music. Their first album, The Movie, was a delicate pop album featuring Sufjan Stevens and Van Dyke Parks. The album was best played for small, quiet rooms where each and every sound had a chance to be heard. With their new album, Arrow, Clare didn’t want it to be quite so fragile or cutesy and she looked to toughen things up a little. Of course there are still some precious moments, but now they are balanced with some reflective maturity….
November 30th, 2009
Some things come along, like a sunny day after weeks of rain, or a good baguette, or a comfortable, yet good looking pair of shoes… That stuff is exciting, brings joy. When you find out you’re touring with Van Dyke Parks, well, that’s something entirely different.
The legendary musical genius will be playing some rare
(as rare as a good baguette in a small US city) concerts
of his very own songs – not anyone else’s - his masterpieces. I’m assuming you will want to come to these shows, I know we would – wait, we are!
Some Reasons will be joining Van Dyke on stage.
If the world is still a good and decent place, these tickets will go fast. Don’t wait until the last minute, procrastinators will be missing out on goodness.
Guest appearance by songwriting wunderkind Josh Mease.
We’re so honored to be sharing this tour and making evenings filled with music with
THE REAL VAN DYKE PARKS
Feb 9th: Seattle - The Triple Door (buy tickets)
Feb 10th: Portland - Mississippi Studios (buy tickets)
Feb 12th: San Francisco - The Swedish American Hall (buy tickets)
Feb 14th: (make out show!) Los Angeles - McCabe’s (buy tickets)
Buy Arrow!
Visit Clare and the Reasons on the web!
November 19th, 2009
Josh Mease will be hitting the road for a four-stop tour of the Lone Star State!
12.15.09 – Houston, TX
Live on KPFT 90.1 FM – Sound Awake – 1PM
12.15.09 – Auston, TX
Ghost Room
12.16.09 – Houston, TX
The Mink
12.18.09 – Denton, TX
J&J’s
12.19.09 – Dallas, TX
The Cavern
For more details, click here!
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November 18th, 2009
Few cities in the world can call themselves home to such an eclectic mix of musical styles as New York, a place which produces excellent artists from what seems like an unseen factory encompassing all its myriad districts. It would not be unfair or totally inaccurate to say that much of the musical output of the city has a cynical edge though, from the spiky art punk of Patti Smith to the cavernous, sepulchral Interpol, with a multitude of stops along the way. Even jazz-pop pioneers Steely Dan were the kings of dark, twisted tales disguised by immaculate grooves. It therefore often comes as a shock to see the other side of the coin – a record which dispenses with the world-weary New Yorker’s perspective in favour of fully embracing the possibilities inherent in the city that never sleeps. It is even more surprising when New York-based artists pluck their influences instead from the West Coast, as seems to be the case with Arrow, the second album from Brooklyn residents Clare & The Reasons…
November 17th, 2009
Arrow shoots into the heart with spritely voiced Clare Manchon at the bow. Her husband, Olivier, collaborates with her as well as a cast of characters that includes members of the National, Beirut, and My Brightest Diamond….