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Crystal City SOTF 015 May 25, 2010 |
Digital $6.00 |
CD $10.00 |
Stream
Baby
Says She Loves Me
Track List
1. Falling Behind
2. Baby Says She Loves Me
3. Bricks
4. Sleep It Off, Suzie
5. I'll Be Real Nice
6. Secret for the Two of Us
7. The Cleaner Me
Album Description
Crystal City features country-tinged boy/girl harmonies and pop sensibilities on top of folk tunes. Songwriters Dave Helmer and Sam Drella appear to be on to something unique and noteworthy here as they have created a hopeful, dreamy release and beautiful debut.
Notes
Crystal City was recorded by Christian Brown at The Barn in November 2009, mixed by Thomas Helmer at SKS and mastered by Austin Taft at The Reactor. All songs were performed by Dave Helmer and Sam Drella with Christian Brown (piano) and Thomas Helmer (guitar). The artwork was created by Cassie Semerad and the layout was done by Austin Semerad. All songs were written by Dave Helmer except the lyrics to "The Cleaner Me" which were written by Sam Drella.
Press
In the easy going world of singer/songwriters who rest easy with deep contemplative thoughts echoing through their heads, Crystal City stands out. They have a simple clean sound that sounds like something you should be listening to; as if somehow you have fallen over the bleeding edge of new music into an entirely new area known to only that small group of trendsetters that were hip to the White Stripes before MTV was. Crystal City feels fresh and raw. It’s a sound that can only happen when you don’t tinker around with the sound. It has a certain innocence about it as if all 7 songs were recorded on the first take. It’s not like a mother giving birth to Einstein but there is something here that is very interesting. There is a certain sense of independent purity that comes with struggling to not be independent.
The songs on Crystal City’s album of the same name are all done with just a simple acoustic guitar, piano, and the occasional harmonica to add a bit of Bruce Springsteen’s Atlantic City to it. “Falling Behind” is a great opener that peaks your curiosity as to what you’re actually listening to. Singers Dave Helmer and Sam Drella have voices that blend nicely but still have a sense of rawness to them that keeps them just a little bit apart. “Sleep it Off, Suzie” is like perfect imperfection. It’s wonderfully raw and perfect as it stands. The structure of the song with its bridges and chorus is wonderfully done. It has a bit of a Bob Dylan feel to it which in this case is a good thing. “Secret for the Two of Us” feels like a flight pattern in the sky with its light and breezy guitars. “Baby Says She Loves Me” feels like an old folk song that has been beautifully updated even though it is brand new. Pulling off the simple sound of that song and all the others is not an easy feat and Crystal City gets my applause for managing to create a very addictive 7 song album that will have you knocking on their door looking for more.
5 Stars
Key Tracks: Falling Behind, Sleep It Off Suzie, Baby Says She Loves Me
Doug Morrissey- MuzikReviews.com Staff
November 19, 2010
Perfect Porridge
Interview with Crystal City
Marshalltown, Iowa folk throwback duo Crystal City recently sent me their debut album, and I can’t stop reaching for it.
With retro harmonies and only an acoustic guitar for instrumentation, Crystal City’s debut album tempers ambitious nu-folk songwriting with their midwestern roots. Love it.
RIYL: The Swell Season, The Civil War, Damien Rice.
Here are a couple tracks off the album:
MP3: Crystal City – “Baby Says She Loves Me”
MP3: Crystal City – “I’ll Be Real Nice”
We had the opportunity to chat with Crystal City’s Sam Drella about the group, the album, and the Marshalltown speedway…
Who is Crystal City? How did the band come
about?
crystal city is dave helmer and sam drella. i saw dave play a show
in the spring of 2009, and got in touch with him after that to do
some singing on his songs, and here we are now. we started playing
shows together in the fall of 2009, singing some of dave’s older
songs and some new ones that he had written in recent months. so in
november of 2009, we recorded our ep over a weekend and released it
in may on sleep on the floor.
What’s it like being a band based in
Marshalltown, Iowa?
there’s a lot of driving involved, as most of the shows we play are
out of town. but we have a good crowd that supports us in
Marshalltown. our house bar, JD’s Pub, treats us really well and the
crowd appreciates the music that we bring in to the bar.
Have you been to the speedway there? I
used to work in the concession stand in high school. ha!
i went once in high school, but i don’t really remember it. maybe i
bought some nachos from you.
You have a very distinctive style. What’s
your songwriting process like?
(dave) i write and record at the same time. i’ll get the guitar
progression together and demo lyrics with it until it fits right. i
have a demo-ing studio in my basement so it’s easy to capture the
song right away. As cliche as it sounds, the ideas just hit you when
they hit you, and sometimes you’re up until 6 a.m. demo-ing a song,
and sometimes that’s when it starts. it’s really rewarding to have a
finished song by the end of the night when i started with nothing.
Is it liberating or prohibitive not to
have a drums or a rhythm section?
both. it is nice to be in control of the tempo, volume, and overall
vibe with just one guitar. plus, we can really lock in our vocals
together, and it’s easier to hear ourselves. Not to mention the easy
load-in at shows. but on the flip side, it’s always nice to have a
drummer to accentuate the music, and a lot of people are used to
processing music with a full-band.
The lyrics in your songs are often a tad
deep. What’s the track “The Cleaner Me” about?
‘the cleaner me’ is a poem that sam wrote. i wrote it after being in
a few failed relationships myself and watching all my friends fumble
their way through dating, and at the time i had a really sour view
of how to be in a relationship. it all seemed to become this very
calculated formula where you knew exactly what was going to happen
next, and eventually, three years down the road, you don’t even know
who you are anymore. i gave the words to dave one night and the next
morning, he already had the song down and recorded. the music that
he wrote captures the idea of the poem perfectly, to me, and really
accentuates how creepy dating can be.
Are you guys a couple? I have to ask,
because I listen to your album and keep thinking if you’re anything
like The Swell Season, you may need to break up to break out.
Thoughts?
yes, we’re a couple. we’ve really gotten to know each other while
playing shows and during recording of the ep, so it’s a pretty
unique experience. it’s nice to perform together and share the
stage. we have day jobs, so if only one of us was performing it
might become an added stress to the relationship. since we’re doing
it together, it’s a way for us to bond. but if we’re anything like
The Swell Season, we’ll have to make a movie together before we
break up. we’ll make the sequel, called ‘Twice’.
Black Ambient Manifesto,
Crystal City and The Lonesome Heroes
Vaudeville Mews, June 15
A small, but appreciative crowd enjoyed a drummer-less night of music as a solo act and two duos took the stage, engulfing ears in sweet acoustic sounds. Black Ambient Manifesto was first and offered decent songs but struggled to get through them without stopping due to forgotten lyrics. His nerves may have got the best of him, but after taking a few swigs from his glass and some deep breaths, he ended his set error free. I have been digging Crystal City’s recent self-titled EP (out now on Sleep on the Floor Records) and was eager to see them live. Dave Helmer (vocals, guitar, harmonica) and Sam Drella (vocals and one hell of a whistler) melt together with terrific harmonies and musical precision. Helmer’s guitar skills lead the way, clearing a path for Drella and her rich vocals. The great set included “Baby Says She Loves Me,” “Sleep It Off, Suzie” and the slow burn of “Falling Behind.” They ended with “Bricks,” a folkie/bluesy tune that should convert any listener into a fan. The Lonesome Heroes, of Austin, Texas, closed the show with a set of alt country ditties. The duo, Rich (vocals, guitar) and the sexy Landry (vocals, dobro, guitar), weaved in and out of songs with entertaining banter. As fans cheered for “Don’t Play to Lose,” I found myself mesmerized with Landry’s husky vocals (or maybe her pigtails and cowboy boots?) on “Canary.” Either way, their twangy tunes stuck with me long after the last note. CV
- Jared Curtis
Straight outta Marshalltown, IA
is Crystal City - a country/folk rock band ready for your
listening pleasures. I'm usually impressed more with bands
debut albums, rather than what they eventually become. I
think that a debut album really shows what a band is going
for. It's what they're pouring their blood, sweat and tears
into. It's like a first impression. You can make yourself or
break yourself with a debut album. Well, congrats go out to
Crystal City, because I like this album.
Crystal City is a nice, relaxing folky, Country duet between
Dave Helmer and Sam Drella. It's got everything you need to
sit out on a sunny, summer day and enjoy yourself (take that
however you want). Some songs that really stick out here are
BABY SAYS SHE LOVES ME, SLEEP IT OFF SUZIE, BRICKS,
and FALLING BEHIND.
Once again, SLEEP ON THE FLOOR records has discovered
a rare gem that is sure to be around for a while. If you get
a chance to catch them on tour, please feel free to do it.
Crystal City gets my seal of approval.
- Andy
Formed last summer in Marshalltown, Crystal City is the folk-pop lovechild of Dave Helmer and Sam Drella who cite ’70s singer-songwriters Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris and Paul Westerberg as influences on their debut, self-titled album recently released by Des Moines-based Sleep On the Floor Records. To an extent, Helmer and Drella have adopted the musically spacious, singer-songwriter format of the ’70s in building the framework of their music. However, lyrically and in chord structures, they seem to be more akin to modern day indie-rock bands. Bouncing tunes like “Baby Says She Loves Me” and “Sleep It Off, Suzie” find the duo’s harmonies at their best, as Helmer and Drella demonstrate musical compatibility. But Drella’s soaring vocal part on the bluesy ballad “Bricks” excels. CV
(Crystal City opens for The Lonesome Heroes on Tuesday, June 15 at 10 p.m. at the Vaudeville Mews. Admission is $5.)
- Michael Swanger
The music of Sam Drella and Dave Helmer is gaining notice throughout the state.
A new CD coming out combined with positive response from live shows is helping spread the news.
The Marshalltown residents started the band Crystal City together last year after Drella saw Helmer playing in a show and asked to sing with him sometime. Both of them liked what they sounded like together and decided to form a band.
Helmer sings and plays acoustic guitar with Drella providing vocals. They call their collaboration folk pop music.
"It seems like we are a very unique entity compared to the average rock band or bar band," the 24-year-old Helmer said. "Her singing adds emotion that would not be there otherwise."
Drella, 25, is a graduate of West Marshall High School and Iowa State University and has several years of choir experience. She is blending her harmony with original song written by Helmer.
"People like the duets and hearing both of us sing together," Drella said. "It's something different."
Helmer, a Marshalltown High School graduate, has been in various bands through the years and has been writing and playing his own music for 10 years. The connection has gone beyond just the music for both Drella and Helmer as they also have been dating since last year.
Now their first album is coming out through the independent Des Moines record label Sleep on the Floor. The couple recorded the seven-song EP last November in Cedar Falls.
Austin Semerad, co-owner of the label Sleep on the Floor, said Drella's vocals add more depth and a country folk sound to the music.
"I thought they had a lot of potential as a group and they could possibly have a very big appeal," Semerad said. "Hopefully, they'll keep playing shows and develop a fan base."
Crystal City will perform an album release party show Saturday at JD's Pub in Marshalltown with CDs for sale at $10 each. Two opening acts will play prior to the group beginning at about 9 p.m. for the free over 21 show. Drella and Helmer are expected to hit the stage at about 11 p.m. at the bar.
For more information about the band or to get their new CD, visit www.crystalcitymusic.com.
- Andrew Potter