http://burnthebowery.blogspot.com/2008/04/kaisercartel-new-ep.html
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2008
KaiserCartel- new ep
2008 is setting up to be the year of the guy/girl combos it seems. The past two months alone have seen stellar releases from Wye Oak, She & Him and the Weepies. The latest standout to join the pack is the group KaiserCartel. The duo is made up of Courtney Kaiser (vocals, guitar, keys) & Benjamin Cartel (vocals, guitar, drums), and on their new Ep Okay(And Other Things We Feel) they bring a heavy dose of their inviting, hook filled folk pop melodies. The lead track "Okay" is a perfect example of what the band has to offer, with spot on harmonies on a soaring chorus filled up with stomping drums and tambourine. The pair trade lead vocals on the playful "Favorite Song" & the countrified "This Little Feeling" with Benjamin taking the reigns. The band doesn't miss a step in the process, keeping the tone and overall genuine vibe going. Also be sure to check out "Dog Stars", which is one of the highlights of the Ep and showcases Kaiser's soft mellow vocals.
The Okay Ep is a precursor to the band's new full length that is slated to be released on June 10th.
To check out their music you can head over to their myspace.
http://ceruleanlobster.livejournal.com/629212.html
Songs That Might Otherwise Pass You By***
KaiserCartel, "Okay"
Courtney Kaiser's voice envelopes you in a richness so deep, so dense that if someone told you you had to break from it to save yourself from mortal danger, you may not be able to--you may not want to. The song is already beautiful, but she raises it to the level of devastatingly gorgeous. If she asks if you're okay, you have no choice but to answer "yes"--while you're listening to that voice, you are, indeed "okay". The song builds from her vocals and a softly strummed guitar to include a full compliment of guitars, keyboards, tamborine and the addition of bandmate Benjamin Cartel's vocals. When the song is over, you may be exhausted (in addition to feeling okay) from the amount of energy and volume of music they pour into this song.
* From a nice BLOG POST by aqualung:
"I started 2008 in Los Angeles which is in America. (WWWesscoasss') (west coast). I was there producing an album for a band called KaiserCartel. They are two elementary school teachers from Brooklyn. One is called Courtney and is a girl. The other one is called Benjamin and is a boy. Courtney (guitar, vox, piano, drums) is extremely cat-ish and Benjamin (drums, vox, guitar, birthdays) is extremely dog-ish. You would expect them to just chase each other around the studio the whole time yapping and hissing but they didn't. Not all the time. They both have wonderful voices and make music that is simultaneously eccentric and classic. They use no bass - I like this because you can really hear the kick drum and the thrum of the acoustic guitars. I made Courtney record the sound of their house to put into one of the mixes because I wanted the place that the songs come from to be in the recording somewhere but it got left off in the end. That means I've got a recording of their apartment which I like to listen to and imagine I'm not me. But them. And they're not them. But me....
The album we made together is called 'March Forth' and will be out in June on bluhammock. I'm proud to have been involved in it. I suggest you check it out."
