|
"As far removed as possible from that vibe was Red Door
Exchange, a quartet led by vocalist/guitarist Jesse Pietroniro
and pianist/vocalist Kate Stephens and rounded out by a
drummer and bassist. The band's polished sound inhabited
the realm of dark pop and angst-colored rock, and had a
strange allure thanks to the ghostly, wordless cooing that
the two vocalists returned to often in the songs."
- Ken Maiuri, Clubland, Daily Hampshire
Gazette
|
|
Heads in the Stars
The Valley's Red Door Exchange plays a moody brand of acoustic/electric rock that's hard to pin down because its influences are farflung. This is, thank heaven, not more alt-country. This is not a return to the roots, rather, an attempt to make new branches from such roots as Camper Van Beethoven, the Moody Blues, Eugene Chadbourne and early (Syd Barrett) Pink Floyd. The scene was a dark, smoky Brass Cat in Easthampton, Massachusetts.
Reverbed vocals, a bit dreamy, a bit off, wander atop mid-tempo guitar chords and piano. Keyboardist/vocalist Kate Stephens provides high backup to Jesse Lee Pietroniro's achy tenor. The lyrics, stuffed, sometimes askew, into the mix are: a) cheeky b) way earnest or c) both. Their concerns are large-scale: "the cyclical nature beneath a linear veil/ some call it 'creator,' some the bars of their jail." They call themselves "a three-member group dedicated to the creation and realization of original music" (hmmm -- a "band"?), so the cheeky/earnest answer may be elusive.
The EP is full of big washes of guitar that alternate or combine with spacious, moody piano interludes on lengthy compositions; call it back-porch space rock with a dose of rainy-day Martian cathedral music. Red Door Exchange possesses a nice sense of movement in its ever-evolving songs -- rarely does one get to relax in the assurance that the rest of the song will be just like the current sound. This is dramatic, moody and elusive fun. You can catch Red Door Exchange Nov. 15 at the Brass Cat.
- James Heflin, The Valley Advocate
|
|
“The trio sounds a little like Low, minus the cavernous echo. Shimmering, moody, mellow.”
- Ken Maiuri, Critic’s Choice, Daily Hampshire Gazette
|
