Band To Watch: Throw Me The Statue
Seattle multi-instrumentalist Scott Reitherman aka Throw Me The Statue throws a perfect storm of clatter into his homey pop. He's actually picked up a band at this point, but we enjoy the below, wintertime image of Reitherman hibernating in his bedroom, putting shit down on tape, or loosing it in the air, worn Dostoyevsky in the distance. Moonbeams, his proper debut outside of tons of recordings he did in high school, includes Casey Foubert (Sufjan Stevens's band, Pedro The Lion, Crystal Castles, etc), but for the live show, and perhaps beyond, Reitherman opens it up to a larger five piece, equally multi-instrumental family, who come armed with four-part harmonies and lots of noisemakers. TMTS's songs have actually been floating around the internet a few solid months now, but the patchwork seems more refined as the weather shifts toward ice and the repackaging of Moonbeams from its original Baskerville Hill form to a slightly different Secretly Canadian issuing approaches. So what about the music? In the first few seconds of "About To Walk," you're bound to hear some Jeff Mangum, but watch how it opens to more frizzled Guided By Voices territories, but with a percussive kick that feels more post-disco, or something...
Throw Me The Statue - "About To Walk" (MP3)
The absolutely addictive "Lolita" hits like Bob Pollard's beloved Kinks asking us to, please, come dancing. The overall hiss and crash sets an Eric's Trip atmosphere, though on more a Shrimper kick. Manage to absorb it without hand-clapping in place?
Throw Me The Statue - "Lolita" (MP3)
More MP3s here (go to 'Downloads'). TMTS has some shows with label pal Mr. Jens Lekman this month. If you live on the West Coast, do make the trip.
11/06 - Seattle, WA @ Nectar
11/07 - Portland, OR @ Someday Lounge
11/09 - San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo's 365 Club
11/10 - West Hollywood, CA @ Troubadour
Moonbeams is out now on Baskerville Hill and will be released in slightly different on 2/19 by Secretly Canadian.
Posted at 2:25 PM in Band To Watch, MP3
Tags: Throw Me The Statue
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Oh yes... go TMTS!
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Oooh, Three Imaginary Girls HEARTS Throw Me the Statue tons!!!! The band is opening for Jens Lekman in Seattle next week -- we'll be sure to write all about it.
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Throw Me The Snooze Button! It only seems fitting that this band would get signed to Secretly Canadian, cause there’s no secret to them being BORING! Over-hyped crap!
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this is stuff is soooo good for me right now, thank you Universe.
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loved this stuff, the man's got some serious talent.
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throw me the statue rules. i love the lolita song.
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I heard the album already and all I gotta say is...
Kinda like LCD Soundsystem, Neutral Milk Hotel, and Benoît Pioulard, probably a few others too...
Except all of them do it better.
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i love tmts. been reppin this shiz for months now since i found him through black bear on baskerville (also good).
glad to see some well-deserved buzz for some highly original songs.
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TMTS are pretty awesome. Anyone know where I can find their album? I live in the UK and its pretty hard to find without having to pay a load of money to get it sent across the pond.
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I just saw his band last night at the Nectar in Seattle. McKenzie is right, it's overhyped crap. A monkey could write more inspired chord progressions, for sure. And, while I was at first impressed by Mr. Reitherman's exuberance, it soon became apparent that he is extremely egotistical. The expression he wears on stage is that of a satisfied cat lapping up milk.
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"Lolita" is a cover of a Mustard Plug song, Mustard Plug being a ska band most notable for their cover of "The Freshman" by The Verve Pipe.
I sorta dig this version.
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I like it, don't want to put too much thought into it, don't want to compare it to other bands... just want to listen to it and determine if I like the sound. I like the sound :)
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Scott writes all his own material, and he's not an egotistical bastard, but it's true all the chords have been played before.
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