Editorial Reviews
The Stranger, Seattle, March 21, 2001
Hallelujah for the return of Sanford Arms. One foot in indie rock and the other in alt country. -KATHLEEN WILSON
About the Artist
Former Alcohol Funnycar leader Ben London swerves and takes us on an unexpected ride with his new band Sanford Arms. This long-awaited release from one of Seattle's most respected musical masterminds features 12 of the most lush, beautifully crafted pop soundscapes you'll hear this year (or any year, for that matter). On Too Loud for the Snowman, London surrounds himself with veteran Seattle musicians such as guitarist Harris Thurmond (Hammerbox, Orbiter) and bass player Jeff Wood (Gerald Collier) to transport listeners to a musical space located somewhere between the country-tinged experimentalism of Wilco and the sonic exploration of Mercury Rev.
Formed in 1998, Sanford Arms spent much of the past three years crafting the songs on Too Loud… and recording this debut with producer Tucker Martine (Modest Mouse, Bill Frisell, Land of the Loops), who helped the band explore otherworldly sound treatments and dreamy arrangements. The result is a record that both surprises and rewards.
DESCRIPTION
Sanford Arms ventures into a tender twilight, mixing hooky pop melodies with a haunting ethereal soundscape of thrift store keyboards, accordion, lonesome guitar and bold, loopy drums. London's wistful vocals punctuate the songs with honesty. Too Loud for the Snowman is a sonic collage of hear-felt classic pop that journeys through a sprawling, widescreen landscape.
Too Loud for the Snowman,Sanford Arms,Pattern 25 Records,Dreamy pop with slight twang. For fans of Sparklehorse, Wilco, and Califone.,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop
Average customer rating: 
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Too Loud for the Snowman
Sanford Arms Manufacturer: Orchard.Com ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD  General
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
Pop Rock
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B00005NTTJ Release Date: 2001-07-31 |
Tracks:
Customer Reviews:
grew on me.......2002-12-17
The truth is the first time I put this album in I was kind of turned off. It seemed a bit too slow and drawn out. but after listening to it a couple more times I started to appreciate it.
This album has a great relaxed feel to it. The songs are loaded with great sounds that keep me interested. Definitely not some cookie cutter sound that seems to be a trend these days. If you like Spyglass (on same label) and sounds like Belle and Sebastian, then try these guys. Well worth the money. And never grow out of punk as others might have.
Devil in the Woods, Issue 3.3, 2001.......2001-11-05
Entertainment Today, Oct 11, 2001.......2001-11-05
"I've been laying here like a yearbook on your shelf," London sings on "Mercury." "Pull out from time to time so you can laugh at yourself." The dreamily pensive guitars build toward a rousing climax as the mercury keeps falling and falling. This is the best song on a strong album; in fact, it's one of the best-crafted pop songs of the year.
London is the sole songwriter on the album, and his songs are continually smarter than just about anything else that's out there. The lyrics actually feel like you haven't heard them a million times before, and he continually hones in on sharp imagery. Sanford Arms formed three years ago - composed of veterans from the Seattle indie scene - yet this is their first album together. The patience shows. In terms of mood, the album lingers somewhere near Coldplay's Parachutes. While Snowman may not provoke the same commercial clamoring, it is actually the better of the two albums. London sidesteps mopiness, even if his heart is being broken, and the Sanford sound is both fully rooted and polished. "These days are the hardest," starts "Ohio Summers Ends." London's wistful vocals float over the subtle string arrangement and Rob Dent's lazy cadence. "The silence is uncomfortable for someone who likes to speak." And you know it hurts - you've been hurt like this before - and yet you can't help wanting to be back there again.
-- Adam McKibbin
No Depression, September-October, 2001.......2001-11-05
Departures and reversals fill the lyrics on Too Loud for the Snowman. The cosmic cowboy that moves in waltz time on Sanford Arms' debut isn't so much a distant relative of Jimmie Dale Gilmore as a drinking buddy of Joe Pernice. Former Alcohol Funnycar leader London possesses a downy voice and a wounded delivery that convey early-morning reckonings and late-night comforts.
The dozen songs are lushly crafted with idiosyncratic touches, playing as a remorse-laden song cycle with a clear-eyed observance that keeps the emotions in check. The lolling cadence and ghostly arrangements are built on Harris Thurmond's lonesome guitar, Jeff Wood's melodic bass, and Rob Dent's loopy drums. Rob Witmer's keys and accordion float through the soundscape, swelling to oceanic proportions and then ebbing back behind London's voice.
Producer Tucker Martine (Modest Mouse, Bill Frisell) creates a simpatico environment for the compositions with just the right balance of space and compression to let them breathe while keeping them grounded. That's the perfect twilight for Sanford Arms to hitch hook-laden pop melodies to folk-country cadences.
-- NATE LIPPENS
Lazy Rock.......2001-10-18
Let's face it, we can't be young and punks for the rest of our lives -- there has to come a day when we grow up, start a family, get a corporate job, and start drinking coffee. It looks like the guys in Sanford Arms have already reached that place and decided that it's not that bad.
"Smolder" and "Let it Show" are my two favorites by the way.
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Average customer rating:
|
Too Loud for the Snowman
Sanford Arms Manufacturer: Pattern 25 Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Alternative Rock
| Styles
| Music
General
| Rock
| Styles
| Music
Pop Rock
| Pop
| Styles
| Music
General
| Alternative Rock
| Indie Music
| Stores
| Music
Rock
| Alternative Rock
| Indie Music
| Stores
| Music
Similar Items:
ASIN: B00005N97P Release Date: 2001-09-11 |
Tracks:
Customer Reviews:
grew on me.......2002-12-17
The truth is the first time I put this album in I was kind of turned off. It seemed a bit too slow and drawn out. but after listening to it a couple more times I started to appreciate it.
This album has a great relaxed feel to it. The songs are loaded with great sounds that keep me interested. Definitely not some cookie cutter sound that seems to be a trend these days. If you like Spyglass (on same label) and sounds like Belle and Sebastian, then try these guys. Well worth the money. And never grow out of punk as others might have.
Devil in the Woods, Issue 3.3, 2001.......2001-11-05
Entertainment Today, Oct 11, 2001.......2001-11-05
"I've been laying here like a yearbook on your shelf," London sings on "Mercury." "Pull out from time to time so you can laugh at yourself." The dreamily pensive guitars build toward a rousing climax as the mercury keeps falling and falling. This is the best song on a strong album; in fact, it's one of the best-crafted pop songs of the year.
London is the sole songwriter on the album, and his songs are continually smarter than just about anything else that's out there. The lyrics actually feel like you haven't heard them a million times before, and he continually hones in on sharp imagery. Sanford Arms formed three years ago - composed of veterans from the Seattle indie scene - yet this is their first album together. The patience shows. In terms of mood, the album lingers somewhere near Coldplay's Parachutes. While Snowman may not provoke the same commercial clamoring, it is actually the better of the two albums. London sidesteps mopiness, even if his heart is being broken, and the Sanford sound is both fully rooted and polished. "These days are the hardest," starts "Ohio Summers Ends." London's wistful vocals float over the subtle string arrangement and Rob Dent's lazy cadence. "The silence is uncomfortable for someone who likes to speak." And you know it hurts - you've been hurt like this before - and yet you can't help wanting to be back there again.
-- Adam McKibbin
No Depression, September-October, 2001.......2001-11-05
Departures and reversals fill the lyrics on Too Loud for the Snowman. The cosmic cowboy that moves in waltz time on Sanford Arms' debut isn't so much a distant relative of Jimmie Dale Gilmore as a drinking buddy of Joe Pernice. Former Alcohol Funnycar leader London possesses a downy voice and a wounded delivery that convey early-morning reckonings and late-night comforts.
The dozen songs are lushly crafted with idiosyncratic touches, playing as a remorse-laden song cycle with a clear-eyed observance that keeps the emotions in check. The lolling cadence and ghostly arrangements are built on Harris Thurmond's lonesome guitar, Jeff Wood's melodic bass, and Rob Dent's loopy drums. Rob Witmer's keys and accordion float through the soundscape, swelling to oceanic proportions and then ebbing back behind London's voice.
Producer Tucker Martine (Modest Mouse, Bill Frisell) creates a simpatico environment for the compositions with just the right balance of space and compression to let them breathe while keeping them grounded. That's the perfect twilight for Sanford Arms to hitch hook-laden pop melodies to folk-country cadences.
-- NATE LIPPENS
Lazy Rock.......2001-10-18
Let's face it, we can't be young and punks for the rest of our lives -- there has to come a day when we grow up, start a family, get a corporate job, and start drinking coffee. It looks like the guys in Sanford Arms have already reached that place and decided that it's not that bad.
"Smolder" and "Let it Show" are my two favorites by the way.
Rock Music: