After their thunderous first gig at the legendary Horseshoe Tavern in July, 2007, Toronto had no choice but to sit up and take notice of THE STORMALONGS.
Their debut album, FELL LIKE BRICKS (2009), was the culmination of the band’s two years and 100-plus shows, and channelled the driving, hook-laden fuzz of their live set into a powerful 13-song suite that takes off like a rocket and never comes down. From the everyman fury of “Domicile”, “Kierkegaard” and the infectious “Weakness” through the burning understatement of “Days Alight” and “Elucidate”, FELL LIKE BRICKS proves THE STORMALONGS have come to play.
As expected for a band unafraid to count Sonic Youth and Queens of the Stone Age among their influences, rave reviews described the band and their debut as powerful, blistering, and high- energy. But they also said this:
Catchy. – CBC Radio 3
Uplifting. – AWMusic.ca
One of the best melodic albums of the year thus far. – Fazer Magazine
…the whole thing is a dichotomy of the driving new-wave punk of Joy Division and the slow heavy rock of the early ’90s complete with the full nasal voice that rides the waves like Jon Auer. And then you concl …
After their thunderous first gig at the legendary Horseshoe Tavern in July, 2007, Toronto had no choice but to sit up and take notice of THE STORMALONGS.
Their debut album, FELL LIKE BRICKS (2009), was the culmination of the band’s two years and 100-plus shows, and channelled the driving, hook-laden fuzz of their live set into a powerful 13-song suite that takes off like a rocket and never comes down. From the everyman fury of “Domicile”, “Kierkegaard” and the infectious “Weakness” through the burning understatement of “Days Alight” and “Elucidate”, FELL LIKE BRICKS proves THE STORMALONGS have come to play.
As expected for a band unafraid to count Sonic Youth and Queens of the Stone Age among their influences, rave reviews described the band and their debut as powerful, blistering, and high- energy. But they also said this:
Catchy. – CBC Radio 3
Uplifting. – AWMusic.ca
One of the best melodic albums of the year thus far. – Fazer Magazine
…the whole thing is a dichotomy of the driving new-wave punk of Joy Division and the slow heavy rock of the early ’90s complete with the full nasal voice that rides the waves like Jon Auer. And then you conclude that it is something entirely its own.4 Stars!
-VUE Weekly
The songs on THE STORMALONGS’ second album, RAISE UP YOUR HEAD (2010) embrace a different swath of the band’s rock-and-roll pedigree, including solo Lennon, Neil Young and Smashing Pumpkins. It bridges the natural energy of the band members’ roots with the frenetic rush of their city, adding acoustic guitars, glockenspiel, harmonica and more. The buzz-saw guitars in “Beggars” give way to vocal harmonies and virtuoso soloing on “Dark Blues” and “Cadence”, taking the band into uncharted, heavy mellow territory. Spacey, driving “Lay Your Fire Down” would not be out of place on The Wall or Who’s Next, and live favourites “Equinox” and “Iron Trees” keep this album in. the. red.
THE STORMALONGS are Colin James Gibson (guitar/vocals), Matthew Thompson (bass/backing vocals) and Nick Gaiser (drums).
FELL LIKE BRICKS and RAISE UP YOUR HEAD were recorded at Gas Station Studio on Toronto Island; produced and mixed by Dale Morningstar at the Gas Station Studio; mastered by Noah Mintz at Lacquer Channel Mastering, Toronto; and are AVAILABLE AT ITUNES AND CDBABY.COM.
–Biography by Daniel Perry
Neil Young, Sonic Youth, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, The Velvet Underground, Black Mountain, The Pixies, The Black Keys, Kyuss, Queens Of The Stone Age, The Stooges, Robert Belfour, Skip James, Hartman's Heartbreakers, Robert Johnson, Wes Dakus & The Rebels, Simply Saucer, Elliott Smith, The Rolling Stones, Mudhoney, Yawning Man, Black Sabbath, Billy Strange, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, Sigur Ros, The Smashing Pumpkins, Captain Beyond, Bubblepuppy, 13th Floor Elevators, The Challengers
