photo credit: Lippe
Dream Bitches'
Coke-and-Spiriters
Out now on Recommended If You Like Records!
http://www.riylrecords.com
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New reviews!:
"Local band the Dream Bitches celebrates the release of its second album, Coke and Spiriters, a nicely ramshackle rock album with a cuddly sensibility reminiscent of K Records acts from the ’90s (with a very NYC sort of self-referentialism)."
-Time Out NY, 5/13/08
"This ten song album is all about that indie rock glory, jangly guitars and harmony vocals that remind me of the best of The Breeders and Bratmobile as they sing songs about vacations, silent days, cars... On the surface, their songs might seem like an endless collection of quirky pop references but take in the whole picture and one will find a lot of well written songs. They can be puzzle-like and unfold to reveal its truths, and perhaps that's what they're doing, hoping for fans to unravel the puzzle in order to reach the song's final destination and dwell in the glory of the epiphany."
-The Run-Off Groove, 5/21/08
"Dream Bitches exist somewhere in between folk music, punk, and playground rhymes. The obvious focal point of the band is the lead-singing-pair Yoko Kikuchi and Ann Zakaluk. This duo's ability to harmonize effortlessly and then move to the same melody sets this band apart from the thousands of other garage-inspired pop-punk bands. Beyond their skill, the lyrics are decently clever and catchy. In focusing on the two singers, it easy to forget that they would be left behind if it wasn't for the rest of the band, who are very serviceable at playing pop hooks that move forward at a decent pace. The end result is a very catchy garage pop (or "indie pop" if you are so inclined to use that label) album."
-WLURradio.blogspot.com, 5/5/08
"Dream Bitches is a chick band that makes rocking good music. They have the raw, gritty, deskilled feel of garage rock, but paired with sweet female vocals for a little sugar with their spice. On their second album, they use pop sensibilities with rough garage and throw in some violins -- very nice. There are also a few acoustic tracks, which really help the listener focus on the amazing lyrical skills these ladies possess. This is a nice, versatile album that has a strong direction backed by true talent."
-Jessica Kizer, Kalamazoo Gazette, 5/7/08
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Bio:
Coke-and-Spiriters, the second album from New York’s Dream Bitches, is a combustive culmination of the band’s first five years making music together. Packed with snarling pop anthems and hyper-literate acoustic ballads, this concise collection captures the Bitches at their most vibrant and volatile.
Yoko Kikuchi and Ann Zakaluk, friends and collaborators since their tween years, began the group as a duo in 2003, each fresh out of art school. By the time their first album, Sanfransisters, was released by Olive Juice Music in early 2005, Yoko and Ann had recruited a backing band that would become an integral part of their sound and style. A playful folk-pop affair, Sanfransisters boasted jangly guitars, catchy choruses, and wry lyrics in the wordy tradition of antifolkies Kimya Dawson (K) and Jeffrey Lewis (Rough Trade).
Dream Bitches' sophomore release finds the now five-piece band sporting songs with bigger hooks and biting, schizophrenic subject matter. Where Sanfransisters celebrated friendship, the relationships chronicled on Coke-and-Spiriters are beyond dysfunctional; lyricist Kikuchi's narrators come out swinging on songs like "Bad Luck Bill" and "Maniacal Mechanic," and even sweet couplets like "You're as perfect as I want it / You're as pretty as they come" are spat out like death threats.
Despite the misanthropic lyrics, the music is far from introverted. Dream Bitches' sound has expanded tremendously since their last record—it's bigger, brighter, and bolder than before, a kind of brainy power pop that evokes forebears like the Breeders and contemporaries like Tegan & Sara. Kikuchi and Zakaluk's vocal melodies stagger and intertwine, and their intricate harmonies make every chorus soar.
Coke-and-Spiriters was recorded by Mark Ospovat at Emandee Studios (CocoRosie, Wooden Wand) in Brooklyn, NY, and produced and mixed by Casey Holford (Cheese on Bread, Daouets). It will be released by Recommended If You Like Records on May 20th, 2008, after which the band will play select dates throughout the United States.
Produced by Casey Holford .
Mastered by Alex Abrash .
Photography by Leonard Greco .
Drawings by Nicole Thompson MacNeill .
Buy our debut cd, Sanfransisters (2005),
over at OLIVE JUICE MUSIC!
Also available at Sound Fix Records , 110 Bedford Ave, Williamsburg.
Now available:
Yoko Kikuchi / Casey Holford split EP (This Song/That Song)!!!
Get your copy at Recommended If You Like Records .
Also available at Sound Fix Records , 110 Bedford Ave, Williamsburg.
capones collage
THE "FULL BAND":
Yoko Kikuchi ( myspace page ) - guitars and vocals
Ann Zakaluk ( myspace page ) - vocals and tambourine
Casey Holford ( myspace page ) - noise guitar
Julie DeLano (of The Leader ) - bass
Tina Harris - drums
cakeshop montage
