"Through a combination of bad timing and a continuation of music industry circular logic, cutting edge acts tend to be pigeonholed by music critics based on the ear-opening efforts of previous bands. Even though Pale Young Gentlemen are distant cousins to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and while they have the baroque sensibility of any number of bands versed in barroom balladry, they have more in common with Andrew Bird and (dare I say it) Coldplay than they do these other acts. In short, Pale Young Gentlemen have the ability to move seamlessly from the quirky to the storied to the climactic. In their own words, "think Jacques Brel meets Randy Newman meets rowdy thespians."
If the Gentlemen's self-titled debut feels like a collection of ideas - snippets more than short fiction - that's because the album is filled with transitions that are paced as irregularly as lead singer Michael Reisenauer's varied intonations. Reisenauer demonstrates his ability to paint a burlesque portrait of a dancer ("Fraulein") while just as seamlessly using that Eastern-European leitmotif to create an effect of a synchronized dance floor ("Clap Your Hands"). This is not to mention first person personae explorations that fall on this side of the Eastern bloc, a soldier who questions his duty to go to war because he's in love ("Up North"), and another about a man holding true to his ideals because of his ability to decipher reality from its reproduction ("A Shadow On the Wall").
Thoroughly theatric, Pale Young Gentlemen's measured approach is channeled by the bricolage upshot of their composition. Reisenauer brothers Michael and Matt, along with friend Brett Randall (piano, drums, and guitar), formed the band in a big bedroom in Wisconsin, but they quickly added Milwaukee-based musician Andrew Brawner (bass) and cellist Elizabeth Weamer to complete a lineup that allows them to transition effortlessly from the crooning, booze-soaked man show of "Saturday Night" to the delicate orchestrations of "My Light, Maria," a show-stopping effort by Michael Reisenauer and Weamer.
While the streaming, podcasting, and downloadable revolution of the Interweb has produced a string of bands who have compiled winning debuts with little to no live experience, such is not the case with Pale Young Gentlemen. In fact the band has created a respectable following in their hometown of Madison, having opened for such praised acts as the Clientele and Beach House. Now, with the infectious blend of small and large scale compositions on their eponymous debut, the stir Pale Young Gentlemen are creating in south-central Wisconsin is sure to spread to the rest of the country, their lake effect brand of music leaving powdery drifts of lush Gypsy pop in their wake."
-Patrick Gill, Lost at Sea
"This band never missteps. Listen up." -Julie, Tiny Mix Tapes
"An album so good, so truly impressive, that I have not been able to turn it off or get it out of my head." -Betsy Boston, Three Imaginary Girls
"Pale Young Gentlemen have crafted a terrific album which should appeal to anyone looking for a celebration or a sympathetic croon." -Sahar Oz, Delusions of Adequacy
"A good, solid, consistent record, with professional musicianship, committed performances, and bright, catchy melodies...curious indie fans will find much here to revel in." -Alan Shulman, No Ripcord
"Pale Young Gentlemen are damn good, and I'm not certain why more people aren't talking about them. Here's the best band you don't know about.
-Jared Hoke, 5 Acts
