THEMES TOUR JOURNAL THEMESMUSIC.COM/TOUR
THEMES creates a lush sound scape of proto folk rock mixing thick Baritone guitars, heavy piano driven arrangements, and fiercely pensive rhythms, while male and female vocals intertwine, weaving colorful blankets of stories filled with an ageless haunted insight, that somehow, seems urgently necessary in today’s world. Drawing comparisons to such greats as Nick Cave, M. Gira, Joni Mitchell, Cat Stevens, and Neil Young. McIntosh and Crawford's Latest album "War Over The Great Plains" is over an hour of such intensly vivid music that one might feel they are listening to a film score. When it ends, one is left wanting to know more about the mysterious people who make THEMES music.
What began Santa Rosa, CA, in the winter of 2006, as the collaboration between Jacy McIntosh (ex-end transmission, askeleton, ela) and Kelsey Crawford (ex Vox Vermillion). Returned to Minneapolis, with a developed sound, to record their first full length "War Over The Great Plains". As a whole, the album seems to be a sort protest piece, at times dealing with the displacement of Midwestern native and folk cultures in an age of modernity and capitalistic expansion. While in between, there lies a certain unreachable beauty through the darkness, that is only spoken of briefly before it disappears again.
Now, THEMES enter new territory within their sound with multi instrumentalists, Justin Burkhard (ex-clair de lune ), Josh Syx, and Hannah Murray (of a whisper in the noise), Who round out the music of THEMES as today's most promising modern folk rock acts that just might have the power to stop a riot from breaking out.... or could it be the power to insight one... I guess we’ll find out soon enough
PRESS & REVIEWS
FANTASTICWEAPON.COM 04/03/08
SIOUX FALLS, SD 2 / 01-04-08
PETALUMA, CA, NORTH BAY BOHEMIAN, BY GABE MELINE 05-20-08
"Lemme just say first off that when I brought Themes‘ new 7 Inch "I can't make you believe, It's not hopeless to survive." home on Sunday afternoon, I listened to it three times in a row, over and over. It’s that good. Full of optimistic hooks, unifying harmonies, and hopeful lyrics, it’s nothing short of inspiring. It’s the Obama of 7 Inches !!"
PORTLAND, OR, WILLAMETTE WEEKLY BY AMY MCCULLOUGH. 5-21-08
"This guy-girl duo also claims to play "folk rock," but the songs on its latest full-length, War Over the Great Plains, employ plenty of electric piano and guitar, theatrical vocals and an epic nature that smacks more of post metal than old Americana. (Think Faith No More Videos, and You've got the right idea.) Jacy McIntosh's deep roar of a voice could've sound tracked something like Twister, all foreboding and mysterious and intense. Makes sense, then, that THEMES lists "Mother Nature's random acts of violence" as its only inspiration. Key-tickler Kelsey Crawford, adds loftier, heavenly vocals to all the drama, highlighting the songs' melodies and saving the THEMES message from suffocating in its own smoldering dark-rock fire."
CHICO, CA THEMES LIVE @ THE CRUX GALLERY, BY : RYAN PRADO for Synthesis.net
Themes was instantly engaging; McIntosh’s epic vocal bravado laid the groundwork for the multi-instrumentalists in the band to paint lush resonance within highly progressive musical evolutions. Crawford’s lovely key work added lulling repose to what were by and large monolithic hybrids of folk/rock/orchestral-pop opuses, and the result was hugely impressive; the sparkling brows of the Crux audience nodded along with every plotted beat. Find this band and listen to them today.
