Flat People

FLAT PEOPLE perform "Isn't It Time" at Granada THeater in Dallas, TX on 12/20/07. (video by aimlessamers) Sample Press Music Reviews: This is a record that I will return to years from now with certain excitement…. Get this record and we'll have something interesting to talk about tomorrow. Park Cities News newspaper: The [Flat People] album, produced by Salim Nourallah, is honest and edgy and a true reflection of the influence musicians have had on Guittard over the years. Fort Worth Star-Telegram: By turns psychedelic, thoughtful and quietly adventurous, Dallas quartet Flat People's self-titled debut is a smart collection of pop-rock songs that somehow evoke Wilco and Pink Floyd.Led by Big D native Bob Guittard (and produced at Dallas' Pleasantry Lane Studio by local sound wizard Salim Nourallah), whose limber tenor wraps itself around oblique lyrics with ease, Flat People features a few guest shots from area luminaries, including guitarist Chris Holt, drummer John Dufilho, pedal steel maestro Ward Williams and some bass work from Nourallah. These 12 tracks run the gamut from sunny (Oh Conspiracy) to somber (Jay Borsky), revealing Guittard's gift for fusing the personal and the peculiar in compelling fashion. TheAdvocatemag.com: We humans love to put things in boxes. Whether we’re squeezing our ideologies into the confines of a political party or deciding how to most effectively store the Christmas decorations until next year, we seem to find a certain amount of comfort in organization and classification. In the case of classifying Lake Highlands resident Bob Guittard’s musical project Flat People, all efforts are futile. This self-titled, sophomore release blends genres and challenges eardrums. While the most accurate description is probably “alternative rock,” this label fails to highlight the country sprinklings of the pedal steel work, as well as the wide range of guitar and percussion experiments. Flat People, produced by Salim Nourallah at Dallas’ Pleasantry Lane Studios, is an intricately crafted album of well-written songs. An unexpected bit of humor makes an appearance on track 3, “For the Birds,” in which Guittard so intimately and precisely describes the monotony of the daily grind. Perhaps the old system of placing music into genre-defining boxes is “For the Birds” as well. The AudioFile is content to avoid the comforts of definition and simply describe Bob Guittard’s Flat People as really good music. —BEN MAGILL Fort Worth Weekly: After fronting bands in Austin, then going solo in Los Angeles, singer-songwriter and native Dallasite Bob Guittard made his journey back to Big D in 2002 to launch Flat People. His new band went through a variety of line-up changes, all while recording and polishing new songs at his home studio. One day late last year, though, Guittard finally decided to share his songs with Dallas producer Salim Nourallah. The band now has a somewhat steady line-up, and several familiar North Texas artists are featured on Guittard’s new, eponymous album, including Nourallah, Warren Barry, Daniel Hopkins, Ward Williams, Chris Holt, James Driscoll, John Dufilho, Rip Rowan, Rick Nelson, Rich Williams, and Graham Cathey.
The result is a highly infectious, varied collection of honey-dripped quiet rock with a slight veneer of country and folk, sounding at times like Pink Floyd morphing to Beck, a not-so-drug-addled Camper Van Beethoven, and perhaps a little Wilco, if John Lennon had shared songwriting duties.
As sweet and sing-able as Flat People’s melodies are, they have a dark streak, which alone merits hitting the replay button again and again, to allow the potential of each track to unfold and be fully absorbed.
One prime example of FP’s beautiful, underlying darkness can be found in “Oh, Conspiracy,” which includes some lovely XTC-tinged harmonies atop upbeat electric strumming. While the opening strains immediately conjure up snapshots of Buddy Holly glasses and notions of a simpler time, the lyrics immediately contradict such innocent imagery: “Shapeshifter leader, a lizardry breed / They’re part of the machine / No, nothing’s as it seems” and also “Socially dead, isolated, and serene / Lights out, water off / Black copters cleaning house / Yeah, I think we’re all done for.” But the sonic dichotomies, in Flat People’s hands, never sound forced or contrived.
Some of the lyrics are not as sinister as those of “Oh, Conspiracy” but are simply quaint variations on well-worn motifs, like unrequited love. In the delightfully twee vignette “My Heart is Beating Warm,” Guittard begs, “Won’t you come with me? / I won’t do you no harm / Why can’t you show me anything? / My heart is beating warm ... You touch me like a rose / I cut you like the thorns.” They’re simple lyrics, sure, but they’re given weight by the tone, tension, and subtle atmospherics.
There’s actually a connection between the black ’copters and broken hearts. The lead track, “Sensitive Clumsy Astronaut,” in addition to being one of Flat People’s more overtly rocking numbers, introduces the album’s overarching theme of alienation and may perhaps remind some listeners of Harry Nilsson’s “Spaceman” or David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” in vibe.
You don’t have to think too much to enjoy Flat People — the melodies will tease a smile out of even the grumpiest Beatle fan — but there’s a wealth of sly depth for listeners who aren’t afraid to read between the lines.
FLAT PEOPLE is what you hear on these songs above, and on the latest self-titled album, released in December 2007, recorded by Salim Nourallah at Pleasantry Lane Studios. The band was formed by Bob Guittard in Dallas, Texas.
BOB GUITTARD is a 29-year-old singer/songwriter originally from Dallas. He utilizes rich vocal melodies, personal lyrics, and instrumental soundscapes to create catchy but emotional tunes that will depart into the occasional chaotic groove. It's a weird blend of RocknRoll edge with an introspective mood of honesty & vulnerability.
Bob Guittard made his first full-length band studio album called "The Spoon Sessions" in 2000 with his band Timado based in Austin, Texas. This album was recorded at MARK HALLMAN's Congress House Studio in Austin...and produced by CHET HIMES, who had previously been nominated for a couple of Grammys and Academy Awards for Best Producer & Best Album. (He lost to Pink Floyd's "The Wall" album.) Bob also did some recording with various acts while in Los Angeles in 2001-2002. Austin however was really his original launching pad into live music, playing such legendary spots on 6th Street & around town like Steamboat, Lucy's, Hole In The Wall, Saxon Pub,...etc. (some of which don't exist anymore... tear...sniff...sniff).
He just finished recording his latest album under the name FLAT PEOPLE which is in stores December 2007, as well as online on iTunes, eMusic,...etc.. SALIM NOURALLAH produced Bob's album at his Pleasantry Lane Studios in Dallas, Texas. Salim received the "Best Producer" award this year in the Dallas Observer's "Best of Dallas 2006 Music Awards." Salim also received "Best Song" and "Best Album" for his solo album "Beautiful Noise." He then deservedly won "Best Producer" again in 2007.