Member Since: 11/28/2004
Band Website: chamberpunk.com
Band Members: Sammie
Paul
Mark
Jamie
Brady
INTRO AND GOTHALO
BOTTOM OF THE HILL CD RELEASE CLIP
THE OLD BALAZO/PROCESSION PROMO
Influences: joanna newsom, radiohead, explosions in the sky, tv on the radio, broken social scene, slint, d'angelo, black star, slayer, outkast, godspeed! you black emperor, the boredoms (live), hum, sufjan stevens, neutral milk hotel, fugazi, bad brains, nina simone, mastodon, chuck mingus, converge, liars, mewithoutyou
Sounds Like: At least one of your favorite bands.
To join our mailing list, email [email protected]
To order copies of our debut album Procession , click the PayPal button below:
Procession -------$10
Reviewed
Synthesis Magazine
And A Few To Break: Procession (Relatively Conscious Records)
By
Rob Reeves
Jan 22-28, 2007
I wish I would have had this album a few weeks sooner than I did so I could have submitted it as my album of the year for 2006. This is a masterpiece.
I don’t even know what category to put it under, and iTunes merely lists it as “unclassifiable.†The closest I can come is to say it’s prog rock made in
the spirit of punk while listening to a huge amount of post-rock. The virtuosity it possesses is evident throughout, and even during the simpler parts of the songs, the composition is impeccable. The album as a whole is very well put together, with songs flowing seamlessly into one another, culminating in a 20-minute epic spread over three movements. Please, I
implore you, buy this album.
Reviewed
Soundcheck Magazine
And A Few To Break: Procession (Relatively Conscious Records)
By
Andromeda RossHarold Kushner is cited as having said that "it is not the fear of death, of our lives ending, that haunts our sleep so much as the fear...that as far as the world is concerned, we might as well never have lived." If this is true, then the sometime subject of And a Few to Break's Procession need never have worried. The San Francisco band's lyrics contain clear images of everyday and life-changing events and the people who influence them, as well as more ambiguous plays on words such as "weep on weapons/we pawn weapons", giving us pause as we consider meaning. It's their subversion of a tendency for some music to wallow in our emotions without ever showing that we have learned from the initial drama, however, that makes them so interesting.
Citing so many influences of seemingly divergent natures, including Nina Simone, Converge, Sufjan Stevens and more, it seems difficult to believe that such an eclectic debut album could take you on a journey of such mature nature; but it does. We travel with them, alternately treated one moment to a high-energy post-punk sound, raw vocals that show great potential and stimulating phrases that refuse to give everything away, then suddenly dropped the next moment to a more melodic energy, giving us the chance to absorb the lyrics and take something of the lesson for ourselves.
This challenging road starts personal, recalling past relationships and loss, then moves to a more global position, speaking of rebellion, anger and a severe disappointment in the current political climate. Finally, only getting better with each track, we find ourselves coming back to an inner position of resolve and purpose. Something has been gained from loss, and the teachings were not in vain. The final trilogy, "Procession: Death Becomes You", with the words "death becomes you/when it takes your love/and makes you its messenger", makes the "lesson" all too clear: those who are loved are never forgotten.
- Andromeda Ross
Reviewed
SF Station
And A Few To Break: Procession (Relatively Conscious Records)
By
Lynne Angel
March 8, 2007
A stunning debut from San Francisco locals And A Few To Break. This epic, survivalist approach to post hardcore sounds at once like everything and nothing you have ever heard. These fellas have something to fight for and this becomes quickly evident within the first few scream-along seconds of Procession.
Recorded at John Vanderslice’s Tiny Telephone Studios with Aaron Prellwitz manning the board (the capable hands that brought us Hella, Neil Young, and The Mountain Goats), this record is an all-out showcasing of the virtuosity of each band member coupled with an enthusiastic and refreshing approach to songwriting and structural concept.
Procession is one of those albums that practically makes your ears itch in aural sense memory. It is an onslaught of overlapping stylistic inspiration, paying homage to their influences but done with the thoughtful and artful skill of a true admirer. Just when you think you can place a certain sound, categorize a chorus, or classify a progression, the entire mood shifts, the feeling is gone and you are left reeling.
This quintet can change a mood like a Mid-western storm system, jumping from sun to ice and back again. Lead singer Brady’s vocals are tender and sly, moving through the album with an under-emphasized sense of style and grace where most vocalists would have chosen a more obvious and aggressive approach. They creep, whisper, and explode at will, leaving room for the assault of guitar dueling and rhythmical power-housing that sweeps through Procession, broken only by velveteen instrumentals and sinuous wails. It is these lulls that give us breath, lending life to sorry souls, providing fuel for the fire.
The album is seamless, a series of tracks merging into one another, reinventing themselves in the process and ending with the epic “Procession†trilogy. And while the expansiveness of sound and concept can at times be overwhelming, these guys are so far ahead of the game; it’s a forgivable offense in a one-minute world, and well worth the enigma.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Reviewed
SF WeeklyAnd A Few To Break: Procession (Relatively Conscious Records)
By
Nate Cavalieri
Dec 13, 2006
Like most records from post-punk and hardcore innovators, the debut LP from And A Few To Break feels like an urgent and necessary invention, and Procession collects messages of political, emotional, and musical revolution. This might be expected from a band that takes its name from politico-hardcore act Refused's lyrics ("I've got a bone to pick with capitalism, and a few to break"), but the San Francisco group's strengths, ably demonstrated in tunes like "KIS" and "Line of Fire," lies in its assured balance of influences. Whether it's the cowbell-hammering, gang-sing that evokes The Ex, or a guitar-backed howl that brings to mind '90s post-alls like At The-Drive In, Cave In, and the preceding batch of D.C. innovators, And a Few's passionate playing demonstrates that its members are just as skilled at listening as they are at performing. Despite moments of individual virtuosity, the most exciting moments on Procession come with the emotionally gnarled wreck of a final three songs, a sprawling trilogy of "Procession: Death Becomes You," "Procession: When It Takes Your Love," and "Procession: And Makes You Its Messenger." But by the end of Procession's wild ride — from apocalyptic guitar terror to bucolic nylon string serenity — the intertwining themes of love, death, loss, and redemption combine into a stunning message.
©2006 Village Voice Media All rights reserved.