nice things from the press....
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Frontispiece proves Emby Alexander is "The Sound of Phoenix."
Phoenix, AZ -- For the last two years, Phoenix indie giants Emby Alexander have stood out as a staple of the central Arizona's eclectic DIY music scene. Called "Phoenix's own Talking Heads" by Java Magazine, Emby Alexander aim to further push the envelope of experimental music with their first full-length album, Frontispiece.
Frontispiece is a twelve-track epic featuring four "suites," three songs each, which are meant to be listened in order, encapsulating one cohesive, overlapping message. Exploring themes of God, philosophy, interpersonal relationships and the world around us, Frontispiece is filled with esoteric, cryptic lyrics combining with modern sample-based loops and '60s girl-group pop.
Members, Michael Alexander (voice/producer), Kyle Grabski (bass), Austin Harshman (samples/guitar), Tim Arimborgo (glockenspiel/percussion), and Max Weidle (percussion) met in college studying audio engineering. Their last two EPs were released through UK label Bigo and Twigetti, their hit single "Drag The Long Way Home" reaching the #1 slot on Wellington, New Zealand's Radioactive FM. They've toured extensively throughout the Southwest, and this summer will mark the band's first major tour with 20 plus dates across the West Coast and Southwest, with stops in Seattle, L.A., San Francisco and Portland.
Emby Alexander, who have been likened to The Beach Boys, Van Dyke Parks, Broken Social Scene, The Smiths, Vampire Weekend, and David Bowie, have worked with various artists, including painter Eric Kasper and director Trevvor Riley to combine the visual with the sonic. For their first two EPs, they released a video for each song and plans to do the same for Frontispiece. The band plans to put Phoenix's eclectic music scene on the map with extensive east coast and European tours.
"....slightly hypnotic, beautifully haunting and remotely nervous...this may well be [Phoenix's] own Talking Heads and Alexander’s voice finds an affinity for David Byrne’s at his peak..."
- Sounds Around Town
"..nervously passionate energy of compositional genius..."
".....both extremely loud and extremely quiet, extremely emotional, extremely pop...."
"...I begin to think that Michael Alexander is Phoenix's own modern day Van Dyke Parks..."
".... so god damn catchy, like all good Christmas songs it gets stuck in your head...."
"...This is enhanced indie music that doesn't attempt to be anyone else, but is familiar enough for any fan of decent music to be comfortable with....."