Phoenix and the Turtle

The members of Pheonix and the Turtle have been around for quite some time, but the modern version of the band formed in the summer of 2003 and has been going strongly since. This lush and melodic band hails from Yucaipa, a small place in southern California. Their odd name likely comes from a poem by William Shakespeare. In this poem of the same name, the Bard writes:

"Let the priest in surplice white,
That defunctive music can,
Be the death-divining swan,
Lest the requiem lack his right."

Apologies to all of my (thus far nonexistant) readers for going for the pretentious quoting of the poem (and me only on my second main post! I'm on a roll!). But this stanza sort of encapusulates P&tT in a few lines. sort of. They have quite a unique sound. One way to describe it would be to imagine if Canasta hooked up with Azure Ray's Orenda Fink and started doing Mogwai covers. Or you could imagine the Polyphonic Spree getting totally depressed and then doing an album with a bunch of strings.

It's not that P&tT is a very depressing band at all. They do some remarkable things with their instruments and fans of the band frequently describe them to be like that first big hill of a roller coaster... a slow buildup until it all comes crashing down. Each composite part of a typical P&tT track features a slow, steady, powerful drumbeat, a strong base line, and a stunning melody from the equally stunning vocalist/violinist/multi-instrumentalist Valerie Curtis. Although the violin is not used in every track, it has become one of the most famous and integral parts of the band. However, each of these distinct parts combines to form a tune that is understated, yet potently so.

Each movement of a particular song leads its audience through a variety of feelings and emotions. The urgency of the strings, the buildups of the drums and bass, the driving guitar playing and sparse lyrics are all mechanisms, which provide the narration. Instrumental atmospheric elements combine to tell a story. When the vocals kick in, it jerks one out of the trance-like reverie that the rest of the song presents.


Many of the songs are really deceiving in that manner. definitely worth a listen. Keep an eye out for the band's new EP.


Pianos.mp3

The band's site, www.phoenixandtheturtle.com/ , is down at the moment. When it is back up, their music will be for sale at The Shoppe. Until then you can chech out their myspace at http://www.myspace.com/phoenixandtheturtle

I am glad I finally finished this post. I lost it twice in the process x_x
I am also now pumping this feed into facebook. um, isn't that interesting?