PINBACK, BUT CLASSIER.
Chris Prescott, formerly of one of my all time favourite bands Pinback, is uh, back, with a lot more people and a lot more instruments. With the help of other former Pinbackians, as well as a few others including two who appear to be family (Carl Prescott on many horns, Marjorie Prescott on cello) Chris is putting his studies in jazz drumming to good use with this new jazzy indie rock project called The Montalban Quintet.
They aren’t exactly what you’d expect to hear until you read up on Chris Prescott and his degree in Jazz Studies at UCSD. There is a faint hint of Pinback style near the beginning of the album but it mostly comes with the singing, which is sparse throughout the rest of the album. But hey, who needs vocals when you have so many instruments.
Instead of composing the rhythm out of syncopation they use more expected and on-beat phrasings of minimalist jazz to blend in with the indie rock, and even some classic rock like attributes.
And then there are the horns. **Flugaboner alert!**
I love Pinback, I love horns .. jazz fan or not I am already more than a little captivated by this album.
I received an email from the bands mailing list and I have basically convinced myself that it was one of the Pinback members who added me to it so that I can die happy knowing that I fell on their radar… be it the truth or not. I have lived with an intense Pinback obsession for as long as I can remember, relying on them to help me fall asleep each night I spent in a new apartment… so hearing this ever-so-relaxing new Pinback related product has me assured that I will sleep soundly once again.
Wait, I don’t mean they’re boring by that, just comforting. And pretty.
And probably wet dream-inspiring with all those horns.