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Live Reviews
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Timeout Chicago - Lollapalooza Day 3: The 1900s by Scott Smith 8/6/07
http://www.timeout.com/chicago/outandabout/?p=2733
"One of the maddening things about Lolla is watching some of Chicago’s best bands get some of the worst slots of the weekend. It’s especially galling in the case of The 1900s, who are far better than the slate of jam bands that dominated the mainstage on Friday or the “Where Are They Now” candidates that pop up in the mid to late afternoon slots. It’s a fact that doesn’t escape singer/guitarist Edward Anderson’s notice at the beginning of the band’s set: “Is everyone here from Chicago?” he asks as cheers erupt from the small crowd who have gathered for a noontime set on Sunday. “No one knows who we are,” he says with a smile.
While that might be a slight overstatement - the band’s SXSW set caught the notice of more than a couple national publications and they’ve already got a couple mini-tours of the northeast to boast of - it appears the word isn’t out everywhere about the 1900s mix of psychedelic garage rock, 60s pop idioms and sun-drenched harmonies.
The 1900s’ arrangements on their Plume Delivery EP and on the upcoming full-length Cold and Kind, might strike some as too precious, with songs that shine so bright and seem so precise, that they might be made of glass. Rather than duplicate that sound live, the band gives it some heft from drummer Tim Minnick and bassist Charlie Ransford, before digging into swinging grooves highlighted by Mike Kasinski’s shagadelic keyboards; the angelic, layered vocals of Jeannine O’Toole and Caroline Donovan; and the swirling strings of Audra Kulans. It’s a dense, but playful sound that builds throughout their set, coming to an end all too soon with “Oh No” from the new album.
The 1900s might lack for notoriety outside of their hometown, but it’s certainly not for lack of trying."
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Daily Southtown - by Robert Loezel 8/6/07
"...Two of Chicago’s up-and-coming stars shined in early-afternoon performances. The 1900s, a band with roots in Palos Park and Chicago’s Beverly community, wowed a crowd with lovely ’60s-style pop, climaxing with some crunchy guitar chords and soaring harmonies on the new tune “Two Ways,” which will be on the “Cold & Kind” album coming out in October."
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Green Bay Press Gazette - Download of the Week: The time might be right for the 1900s By Thomas Rozwadowski 2/16/07
"Being the opening band is usually a thankless proposition. Music-loving patrons, no matter how astute, typically fiddle with their cell phones, catch up with friends or shuffle back and forth to their seats while unknown commodities rip through half-hour sets. That's why the 1900s' performance Feb. 8 at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee shouldn't be undersold. If the band were opening for anyone but the awe-inspiring Sam Beam of Iron & Wine, they would have completely stolen the show. Based in Chicago, and resident band at Schubas this month, the 1900s rely on rich instrumentation and bubbly boy-girl vocals for their intricately arranged songs. Live, the sextet is an absolute revelation, gliding between bouncier numbers reminiscent of another large collective, the New Pornographers and the sweetly organic pop of Belle and Sebastian or Rilo Kiley. All of it harkens back to '60s-era inspiration, and even by name, the 1900s evoke orchestral trends of the past. "Whole of the Law" is the standout track on the six-song debut, "Plume Delivery," one of those tip-of-the-iceberg EPs that promises much bigger things down the road. (In fact, here's a guess that the 1900s will blow people away at South By Southwest in March.) Thanks to violins, organs, tambourines and a gorgeous, graceful melody, this first taste is guaranteed to put your head in the clouds."
