Our new CD, STILLE reviewed in Amplifier Magazine by Kenyon Phillips:

SAINTS + LOVERS
STILLE
INDEPENDENT
Every once in a while a band emerges from the rocky soil of the indie underground with a sound so perfectly crystallized you'd swear you've been hearing them on the radio for years. Such is the case with New York's Saints + Lovers. On their breathtaking debut, Stille, the three-piece explores much of the same sonic terrain navigated by übergroups like U2, Coldplay and Muse with an expertise that's downright shocking for a new band. Equally shocking is the fact that the album's arena-ready sound was produced not by Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois or Nigel Godrich but by the band itself under the helm of guitarist Scott Meola.

From the get-go, Stille establishes itself as a major event. The wash of guitars that herald album opener "The Warning" r ing out with Teutonic glory before giving way to the majestic rhythm section of percussionist Doug Meola and bass player-cum-singer Dennis Cahlo. By the time Cahlo's urgent - and flawless - tenor makes its debut nearly forty seconds into the song, the band has officially vindicated itself from whatever grandiosity might be intimated by a name like Saints + Lovers. The album's first single, "Let Me Drown," pits a chaotic swirl of guitar noise against a simple piano progression that wouldn't be out of place on a Coldplay album. The result is a riveting portrait of erotic surrender that is as intoxicating as anything off of Cocteau Twins' Heaven or Las Vegas. "To Pieces" and "The Bedroom Door" pay homage to U2's The Joshua Tree with arpeggiated guitar riffs steeped in reverb and jangly percussion that threatens to erupt but never quite does. Meanwhile, sexier tracks like "Telling Lies" and "The Seal" feature slinky bass lines, dancefloor-ready beats and falsetto vocals from Cahlo that echo Muse's Matthew Bellamy.

Lyrically, Cahlo's stories of yearning and alienation fit the music perfectly - and will no doubt resonate equally with sullen teens and the more existential fringes of the adult contemporary crowd. But what is perhaps most remarkable about Stille is that it makes a strong case for T he Album in an age where The Single - or more specifically, The Download - reigns supreme. While each of the eleven songs works beautifully on their own, together they provide the sort of transcendent listening experience that borders on the cathartic.

--Kenyon Phillips [August 6, 2008]

http://amplifiermagazine.com/reviews/cds/saints_lovers_cd.php

THANKS KENYON!

xo

S + L