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Tuesday, 14 August 2007 |
Press
Release:
 OC Weekly Review
Model Airplanes will make you smile. And they'll do it because they do indie rock right-just ask those fortunate enough to have caught these fresh young fellows on any given Monday night this month at the Detroit Bar. But if you're just beginning to see the light, the Planes have been offering up some the the best post-Gaffney-era-Sebadoh indie-rock love around. "Lead" Plane Bonnie "Prince" Kevin Silverthorne creates melodies sweeter than candy on a stick. His slanting and enchanting band mates know that girls can tell and respond in approprate fashion by preferring not to kill the moonlight but foster it, allowing you to bask in the glow of their collegiate indie-rock goodness. Upon first listen to "Hard Light," for instance, one wouldn't be surprised to look down and see a Barsuk or Saddle Creek imprint stamped somewhere on the disk. The song successfully translates the sophistication found in Transatlantic Death Cab rides without coming off like a weepy twentysomething reading a breakup e-mail over a venti soy latte. Then there's "Barricade," a track likely to induce comparisons to Bettie Serveert or early Teenage Fanclub and chock full of the stuff that could be found on any college dorm room turntable in the early '90s. Conversely, the stately "I'm Still Here" is filled with a quietude that Conor Oberst would literally kill to possess (and, frankly, who could blame him?). Model Airplanes mean no harm, though-they just aim to please. They're soon to be taking off in all the nation's airports, so you'd best hit the pavement and catch Model Airplanes at Detroit this Monday before it's too late.
-Robert Acosta |
| Biography: Living in the suburbs might seem a death sentence for big hopes and daydreams or at the very least weekend plans except when it comes to rock & roll. Whether its the quiet days and lonely nights behind The Beach Boys' "In My Room" or the mallrat disillusion that fueled such Pavement songs as "Shady Lane," the slow-paced solitude and odd ball quirks of living life outside the city have resulted in some of rock's most cherished bands. Model Airplanes are the new kids on this block, a five-piece group hailing from La Mirada and Buena Park, two sleepy towns on the cusp of Los Angeles and Orange Counties. And just like The Beach Boys and Pavement (and Superchunk and Spoon) before them, the band continues the tradition of crafting catchy tunes about the essence of life as a twentysomething: sometimes it's a celebration of life and love, other times it's all just self-loathing and sadness. "Model Airplanes will make you smile," wrote Robert Acosta in OC Weekly. "And they'll do it because they do indie rock right." New songs "Everything Came True" and "All You Ever Do" find the band pushing ever further toward the perfect indie mix, with infectious, angular guitar riffs bumping up alongside pleasant keyboard melodies, topped off by singer Kevin Silverthorne's Snuggle-soft vocals. It's been a long time since life in the suburbs sounded this great. Past shows include a month-long residency at Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa, as well as shows with local Southern California bands Brett Bixby, Division Day, Sea Wolf and Devics and opening for international touring act Matt Costa.
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 19 August 2009 )
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