(PR) Chan "Cat Power" Marshall fronting Queens of the Stone Age? Karen O leading Death From Above 1979? Cleveland duo mr. Gnome has been given many unusual comparisons, all of which seem to indicate the band's spectacularly unique sound. And, while none seem to fully capture the band's loftily heavy-beautiful music, mr. Gnome offers up two brand new tracks from its forthcoming album recorded at Josh Homme's Pink Duck Studios in Los Angeles.The endlessly touring pair of guitarist/vocalist Nicole Barile and drummer/vocalist Sam Meister is currently mixing at Butch Vig's Smart Studios in Madison, WI putting the finishing touches on its sophomore album, Heave Yer Skeleton, slated for release in November. Leading up to the album's release, mr. Gnome will take to the road throughout October and November. Please see complete tour dates below.
The psychedelically syncopated sounds of Cleveland's mr. Gnome draw on a visceral mix of contrasting textures. Masculine and feminine, soft whispers and shrill yelps, pounding drums and soothing lullabies combine to form a discursive indie-rock collage. The duo's jagged symphony of sound has them compared to a scattershot of artists ranging from Portishead, Cat Power, Massive Attack, and Joanna Newsom, to Death From Above 1979, Blonde Redhead, Sonic Youth, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Heave Yer Skeleton, the follow-up to mr. Gnome's debut full-length, Deliver This Creature, promises to be no less a musical twist than the last offering. Returning with the same basic, minimalist ingredients; a soulful, feminine power and inventive, dynamic drumming, the two are suspended in a sea of drug-induced themes pouring from their simplistic set-up. The id, dreams, silver giants, hallucinations, flying horses, the devil, Armageddon, vampires, and ghosts are just a few of the hauntingly, hypnotic subjects floating between pleasure and pain in the soundscapes of Heave Yer Skeleton.
In April 2009 the duo received an invitation to record at Josh Homme's (Queens of the Stone Age) Pink Duck Studios located in Los Angeles. Studio manager and engineer Justin Smith (QOTSA, Eagles of Death Metal, Arctic Monkeys, Spinnerette) recorded the sessions and the location served as the perfect creative environment for mr. Gnome's sophomore effort. After returning to Cleveland, the album received last minute touches and additional tracking at Ante Up Audio with Adam Korbesmeyer.
The album was mixed at Butch Vig's Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin by Beau Sorenson (Death Cab For Cutie, Sparklehorse, The Secret Machines, Garbage, Tegan and Sara). Extending and experimenting on elements only touched on in their first full-length, mr. Gnome's Heave Yer Skeleton is scheduled for a November 2009 release.
mr. Gnome on tour:
10/1/09 - New Haven, Conn. @ Cafe 9
10/2/09 - Cambridge, Mass. @ All Asia
10/3/09 - Winooski, Vermont @ The Monkey House
10/4/09 - Philadelphia, PA @ North Star Bar
10/5/09 - Brooklyn, NY @ Union Hall
10/14/09 - Nashville, TN @ The End
10/15/09 - Atlanta, GA @ The Drunken Unicorn
10/16/09 - Murfreesboro, TN @ House Pride (House Partay)
10/17/09 - Birmingham, AL @ Magic City Wholesale
10/31/09 - Cleveland, OH @ The Sachsenheim Ballroom (Halloween Party)
11/11/09 - Indianapolis, IN @ The Melody Inn
11/12/09 - Madison, WI @ The Frequency
11/13/09 - Chicago, IL @ The Darkroom
11/14/09 - Covington, KY @ Madison Theater
11/16/09 - Lawrence, KS @ The Replay Lounge
11/18/09 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Club Vegas
11/21/09 - Seattle, WA @ The Sunset Tavern
11/27/09 - Tucson, AZ @ Plush
11/28/09 - Albuquerque, NM @ Atomic Cantina
Go listen here: http://www.myspace.com/mrgnome
