Red Leaves

"... when you talk about Red Leaves’ second EP you can’t help but point out how ridiculously well things have fallen into place for the post punk outfit that formed in 2004.
Their first EP, All The Zombies, garnered much praise for it’s dark, low-fi Cure-eqsue sound that came across as overwhelmingly fresh. Now, they’ve returned with another EP and have taken their obvious love for the Cure and manipulated into their own style. The band still feels fresh, but a bit more grown up and aware of where they’re going.
This is especially evident in standout tracks like “Kill You Sister” and “The Clockmaker,” which feature David Lujan and his Robert Smith-enthused vocals over a bed of complex rhythms...Singer Mayberry also makes her presence strongly felt with groove-inducing bass lines and by serving as a perfect vocal companion to Lujan. “Love War Robots,” another notable number, showcases the trio’s pop sensibilities with excellent songwriting that exclaims lines like, “She can’t seem to get it out/ Words collide inside her mouth/ And don’t make sense.” The band truly has a dynamic sound, which is also prevalent in the other three songs on the EP: “Bicycle Escape Plan,” “Market Place” and “Dungeon Dance.”
If Disposable Parts has a downside in any way it’s definitely the fact that there is only about 20 minutes of music. The masses are going to need much more than that to hold them over until the arrival of the debut full length."
-John Laird, AustinSound.net, September 2007
"The Austin, Texas, trio’s orchestral arrangements with post punk savvy are as engaging as they are rowdy."
-Santa Fe Reporter, August 2007, Top 10 Acts Not to Miss at The Santa Fe Muzik Fest
"Packing up Disposable Parts and heading west, Red Leaves kicks off its tour with a hometown set of dark-pulse synth and tightly wound guitar."
-Doug Freeman, The Austin Chronicle, August 4, 2007: Recommended Show at The Parlor
"A fierce collection of dark pop sensations, Disposable Parts combines emotion, precision, and style without ever compromising sincerity. Album opener “Kill Your Sister” showcases one of Red Leaves’ most intriguing strengths- the powerful and unconventional vocal interplay of bassist Singer Mayberry and guitarist David Lujan. Mayberry’s hollow bass lines provide the album’s steady heartbeat. Meanwhile, Lujan’s jagged riffs and writhing melodies sharpen the album’s sound with a refreshing emotive edge...[the EP] gives testament to Red Leaves' progression into a sound all their own. Complete with hand-screened packaging, this self-released album brings together an earnest DIY aesthetic with impassioned and catchy songwriting. Buy it and turn it up.”
-Lauren LL, Study Breaks Magazine, June 2007
"Who doesn't enjoy an album where you can not only feel, but follow and appreciate the bass patterns? Whether basic, one-two-three-four whole notes or a more patterned srtucture, Singer Mayberry holds down the low end in perfect time... on guitar, David Lujan is the band's songwriter and his self described "cynical" style and 70s punk influence are evident."
-Jeff Leech, Longhorn Living (The Daily Texan), June 13, 2007
"The trio recently left behind the blatant Cure-isms of 2006's "All the Zombies" for a twitchier, more singular sound on the recent "Disposable Parts". Singer David Lujan still cops a pained Robert Smith yowl, but the band blazes its own goth-tinged path on standout track "Kill your Sister"...
-The Onion, Austin, June 29th, 2007
"When we last left Red Leaves, the local trio was dodging zombies. Here, on their second EP, they're building something bigger... "Bicycle Escape Plan" goes double Dutch on the jump-rope basslines of Singer Mayberry...Lujan's howl floats into Robert Smith territory, perhaps a nod to darker influences given the other tracks cut from an eyeliner-stained cloth: the dreamy "Love War Robots" and organ-driven "Dungeon Dance," which revisits last year's All the Zombies. Both songs build a solid case for the trio's synth-pop canon."
-Audra Schroeder, The Austin Chronicle, April 2007
Llen Rad of the Austin Independent Magazine called the first EP "All the Zombies" the "latest offering to the gods of rock, that brings together something old, something new, and something blue... lo-fi trembling synth melodies and jaunty calculated guitar stabs... Lujan's vocals are urgent and pleading, juxtaposed nicely with fellow singer Singer's airy chants of reassurance... the dark and lively soundscapes Red Leaves weave remain fresh and poignant like old love letters to someone you still hold the flame for."
- Austin Independent Magazine, March 2007
"All the Zombies blends Cureish singing with muffled, lo-fi guitar pop... David Lujan has his Robert Smith moan down cold on the title track, which really does sound like a demo off the Cure's "Seventeen Seconds" album. Singer Mayberry lightens things up with her soft background vocals..."
-Joe Gross, XL Magazine, July 2006
“All the Zombies jerks and twitches toward fresh, throbbing melody on opener “Dungeon Dance”. “House on Fire” and “Always Behind” both combine the chime of guitarist David Lujan and bassist/synth player Singer Mayberry with predatory basslines and head-start guitars that are Pixies-fed and Texas grown. It’s almost as if each song is a color in a neon sign that screams: Dance, you heathens.”
-Audra Schroeder, The Austin Chronicle, July 2006
I edited my profile with Thomas Myspace Editor V4.4 (www.strikefile.com/myspace)