Born from the ashes of two of New York City’s most exciting bands, the Saints and Lovers story begins with the auspicious meeting of Dennis Cahlo, formerly of the Realistics, and V guitarist Scott Meola. Sharing a love of noise, minimalism, and a music-as-art aesthetic, the two musicians bonded immediately. Meola’s ghostly, layered guitar work was the perfect complement to Cahlo’s supernal voice. After an initial exchange of ideas, Cahlo and Meola began rehearsing for a residency in New York....
Born from the ashes of two of New York City’s most exciting bands, the Saints and Lovers story begins with the auspicious meeting of Dennis Cahlo, formerly of the Realistics, and V guitarist Scott Meola. Sharing a love of noise, minimalism, and a music-as-art aesthetic, the two musicians bonded immediately. Meola’s ghostly, layered guitar work was the perfect complement to Cahlo’s supernal voice. After an initial exchange of ideas, Cahlo and Meola began rehearsing for a residency in New York. The duo stood out from the pack with their unearthly sound. After an amazing reception throughout the month, the next step was the addition of a drummer. Scott’s brother Doug joined the fold and rehearsals began in preparation for their first full-band show at NYC’s Mercury Lounge. With the addition of Doug’s Sturm und Drang drumming, the Saints sound bloomed. The original ambient echoes of Brian Eno, U2, and Jeff Buckley took a new form. Now there were mentions of Sigur Rós, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Led Zeppelin, My Bloody Valentine, Spiritualized, David Bowie, The Cure, Slowdive, and Joy Division. With Cahlo’s beautiful falsetto drifting over a dense fog ofotherworldy noise, audiences found themselves in disbelief that three musicians could create such a mammoth sound. In 2006, Saints and Lovers embarked on the creation Stille, the band’s first full-length album. Recorded, mixed, and produced entirely by the band, the album marks the maturation of Saints and Lovers’ songwriting ability and sonic scope. Songs like “Let Me Drown” and “Anywhere But Here” recall the feel of some of John Lennon’s solo work and The Cure’s The Head On the Door, while “The Warning” may be the most prophetic opening track since U2’s “Zoo Station.” Early reviews have likened Stille to albums by U2, Coldplay, and The Cure. Stille stretches out far beyond the terroir of the band’s 2005 EP release, Atmosphere (Stolen Transmission), illuminating the shadows of what has come before and whispering of untold possibilities to come. With the addition of a new “live” member, keyboardist Gina Lee, the band continues to perform in New York, opening for great acts like The Raveonettes, The Bravery, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The Dears, and Morningwood. Marrying beautiful melodies with dissonance, volume, and bombast, Saints and Lovers has created an incredibly unique sound. Sarah Lewitinn of Spin wrote, “In about one year’s time this will be your absolutely favorite band of all time.” In increasing numbers, fans all over New York and beyond agree that they’ve stumbled onto a band that is truly original—one that truly matters.
show more...
