Friends,

Some updates!

We have another review up thanks to The Black and White Magazine. You can check that out here: http://www.theblackandwhitemag.com/reviews.asp?cid=n. It's the second review down. It is an incredibly nice review, and an honor to have such things said about us. Thank you Garrett! The text of the review is here:

"Welcome to the world of eclectic indie-rock. This little band Natural Monuments doesn't exactly cover new musical territory, but they definitely do their poppy thing well. This 5-song debut EP actually has all the makings of that 'obscure, hard-to-find EP that Natural Monuments put out when no one knew them' kind of presence. Band leader Alec Jensen has an enchanting, engaging way with his uncertain charm, not too unlike Stephen Malkmus meets Frank Lenz...or something. But the great thing about the For Sanity's Sake EP is that every track borders on perfection. Whether it's the messy power-pop of "Alex Phelge" or the avant-garde ballad turned jangle-jam of "The Cemetery", this band demonstrates flawless instinct and a nack for great hooks. "Rescues" is by far the best song here, and so good that it should end up on 'best of 2007' lists. The angular guitars and intricate drumming tie this EP togther tight. I know that indie bands are a dime a dozen in the myspace age, but Natural Monuments have something quite special to offer. I think The Walkmen and Wilco would be envious of this little EP. My bet is that with a little time and exposure, Natural Monuments will end up on a too-cool label like Merge...then Pitchfork will love them."

Secondly, we FINALLY have the "For Sanity's Sake" EP for sale on the internet. It is so easy, you can just click on the little "buy it now" button on our MySpace, and pay a measely $6 for it through PayPal, which covers shipping. So those of you who still need/want to get your sweaty paws on the EP, now's your chance!

As for what's next musically from us, things are still mostly up in the air. Last I heard, Alec has demoed all, or at least most, of his upcomming full lenght album. I cannot wait to hear that. Travis and I have started work on our Christmas song for the upcomming Suburban Sprawl Music Christmas compilation. Also, eventually we will record our London Calling cover EP under our Triceratops moniker.

That's about it! Keep in touch, we love you all.

Cheers,
AQ

First and foremost, I found that we got a little mention in the Detroit blog Web Vomit way back on August 9th. It doesn't say a ton, but it's a funny little blip. You can read that here: http://jasper.webvomit.com/index.php?s=natural+monuments. Only if you want, though.

Also, finally, we have the "For Sanity's Sake" EP up for sale on the internet. Unfortunately, it is not in such an easy way that you can buy it direct from us. Not yet. If you'd like to pick up the EP, please head on over to our friends at Crossroads of America Records (http://www.crossroadsofamericarecords.com). Crossroads is a label run out of Bloomington, IN by our friends Husband & Wife. Mike asked if we would like the EP sold in the distribution section on their website, and I said, "of course!" So you can head over there and purchase it for a measley $6. Also, you should check out the album they have up in the distro section by this band from Louisville, KY, Chemic. They sound like later Promise Ring/Maritime. It's really good stuff.

I promise, soon I will get off my lazy butt and make the EP available for purchase on our MySpace here.

Lastly, what does everyone think of the new Radiohead?

Love,
A. Quillen

Friends, it's been awhile, eh?

First, we've gotten two little blips about us and our EP in two different Michigan publications: Real Detroit Weekly, and Grand Rapids' Recoil Magazine (which is great, because one half of it covers music and entertainment, and the other half is a satirical newspaper, very much like The Onion). We already posted about the Real Detroit one, but, hey, I'll post it again, and include the text in the actual blog entry here. Also, the Recoil review probably won't be up on their sight after September. So, here goes:

Real Detroit Weekly, 8/15/07
http://www.realdetroitweekly.com/article_3080.shtml
In My Ear
Find the groove. Stay there a while. The listener starts to get the gist, the emotion — happy there is emotion. Change it up. Staccato perhaps. Make it feel new. Make it feel honest. Lack pretention. Make it feel only slightly familiar then pull back. Make a refrence. Take time writing a line. The beat, the beat, the beat. This is Natural Monuments and you can hear them at the Magic Stick opening for Thunderbirds Are Now! and Mason Proper on August 24.

Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
The Beatles - Help!
Brenden Benson - Alternative to Love
Feist - The Reminder
Field Music - Tones of Town
Guided by Voices - Alien Lanes
M. Ward - Transistor Radio
R.E.M. - Murmer
Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
The Weakerthans - Left and Leaving

Recoil Magazine, 9/07
http://www.recoilmag.com/unsigned_artists.html
Sensory Attack
Michigan quartet Natural Monuments have produced a well-polished five song EP. This is a very professional disc with impressively cohesive pop songwriting, resonating like modern rockers such as Arctic Monkeys, The Strokes and Wilco. Urgent yet not overpowering guitars ring out loudly. The rock-stylized voice and lyrics paint realistic characters while the underlying backbeat drives the tunes forward. All elements are in place for a pleasurable listening experience. Complete with slightly inexplicable artwork, this is a CD well worth checking out, if not for the pleasant songs, then for the air of radio friendliness and stellar recording quality. See myspace.com/naturalmonuments for details.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

As for some actual updates on the band. Alec and Tom live in an apartment together in Chicago. Tom is a consultant for a business firm. Alec is working in shipping/recieving at a toy store (I believe that's what he told me). He also is writing for his next solo record. Travis and his wife Marlena have a daughter on the way come the end of October or early November.He also is writing and recording songs. I am doing data entry full time still, and looking for another awesome band to play drums in. Those are the most basic updates I can give ya.

Thanks for reading!

Love,
AQ

Per usual, Natural Monuments ran a little late for the show in Mount Pleasant (thanks to me). After leaving work a few minutes late, underestimating how much time it would take me to load my car, pick up Al and Tom, and leave Ann Arbor we arrived in Plymouth to join up with The Word Play almost 45 minutes later than planned. We then drove to Fenton, picked up Travis,. and made our way to MP, arriving at 9:00, one hour late.

Fifi's French Press is a tiny coffee house with a sizable stage considering the lack of space there. Also, it is the best sounding coffee house venue I've ever played at, though that only compares to the Thunderbird in Jackson, Four Seasons in Canton, and another Mount Pleasant coffee house, the University Cup.

I felt terrible because we used The Word Play's van, most of their equipment, and borrowed Sean Clancy's (from Rescue/Child Bite) trailor. I wish I could feel that all the booking and gas money we put into the trip made up for that.

It's always awkward playing on another drum kit than one's own, but Brandon's is much better than mine, so it was nice. I didn't play as tightly as I would have liked, which is usually the case, but as a whole we played alright. And of course, The Word Play were awesome. When are they not? Well, when they played the Painted Lady in Hamtramck in May '06 and they all were sick or something. But that's beside the point. Camerata were great as well. I was outside for most of their set, which actually is where the sound was best. Their newest song is the jam. A great night to play with our two best bud bands.

What really made the show great for me was the various friends from town and elsewhere who came. Thanks to Alisha, Stephen, Garrett, Jaime, Beth, Chris, Tony, and Shawna for that.

After the show we headed to a bar called The Bird and got our drink on, hanging out with our Mount Pleasant friends. Thanks to the $.90 High Life deal and Tony Pacheco (sp?) buying us four pitchers, some of us drank a wee bit too much, which eventually led to the most enjoyable opening night of tour I could have imagined.

Pictures to prove it:

We don't need Travis

Ian's Brandon impression

Alec and Tom in the Word Play van

Camerata @ Fifi's French Press

So glad to see you, Lish and Stephen

With Tony (not drunk) at The Bird

THE BIRD!

Chris Hatfield (defs drunk)

Love,
AQ

First and foremost, I don't think we've done a good job of letting people know this, but our EP, For Sanity's Sake is out now! Finally! After almost a year of recording hazards and business type push backs, it is done and out. Eventually I'll get off my lazy rear and figure out a Pay Pal thing and have it for sale online through MySpace. Until then, just come see us in concert, and we'll definitely have plenty of copies for you!

Last week (Tuesday 7/17 through Sunday 7/22) we were on tour with our best buds The Word Play. It was an incredible week, the best one I've ever had, I would say. The following blog entries contain summaries and highlights from each day. If you're not into a lot of details or pictures, then these blogs are not for you. If you are, then bonus!

THE PLAYERS

Natural Monuments:
Alec Jensen - vocals, guitar
Travis Bravender - guitar
Tom Giltrow - bass
Aaron Quillen - drums

The Word Play:
Kevin McGorey - vocals, guitar
Ian Rapnicki - guitar, vocals
Brent Mosser - bass
Brandon Sczomack - drums

~ AQ