Gary Reynolds and the Brides of Obscurity

PRESS

BULLZ-EYE

This is exactly how Santiago’s Vest plays out – like a 36-minute long, multi-part, dark-but-not-too-dark pop song...And another good zinger – “I think I’m better in bed,” from “Sleep” -- that’s bad and good all at once. After all, the song is about just what the title says, but our minds are dirty, yes they are.

VYNAL FINATICS

Its a quirky mixture of sonically interesting experimentation and big big choruses. Its mainly guitar and percussion driven but brings in plenty of organ and some Cello to keep things off the beaten track.

Musically its a very interesting album. There are a wide variety of styles and/or influences. Its cinematic at times, straight ahead rock at others. Possibly the closest match is Supergrass with the same shared love of sixties influences and harmonies. And organ! There are musical twists and inflexions all over which keep the listener interested.

THE SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER (3/14/08)
The first thing to love about singer-songwriter Gary Reynolds is that he sounds just like John Lennon. Just like him. The songs themselves continue the Lennon aesthetic of smart pop structures, keen, peppery musicianship and an easy, speak-sing voice that can go up or down to emphasize any point. Lyrically, "Santiago" leans toward clear narratives, little story-songs with catchy choruses and hard, spiky edges. The peaks...build sturdy and succinct jams into the songs, which resemble gritty Americana with tendencies toward surprising, hard-rock moments.

BILLBOARD.COM
Over the last two years, Gary Reynolds and the Brides of Obscurity have been busy, releasing their debut in 2006, an EP at the beginning of 2007, and a second album near the end of 2007. Reynolds and the band, however, decided to try something different for Santiago's Vest, recording it as a studio album in the literal sense. "We got together and learned the songs in the studio, mainly aiming to keep only the drums and bass," Reynolds noted on the band's website. "Then we made up parts and added colors." The album is also a studio album in the sense that it leans toward classic pop from the '70s, the kind of music, when it all comes together, that makes the listener feel dreamy. Reynolds marries this sensibility to singer/songwriter lyrics, adding a bit of depth to songs like "Capital State" and "Everybody's Somewhere." The latter song in particular sounds like something NRBQ might have recorded back in the day, an easy floating pop song with quirky keyboards and a fun guitar part. Added harmony on the choruses, courtesy of the Brides of Obscurity, kicks everything into high gear. Santiago's Vest is at its strongest when these elements come together. "Wall Eyed Girl" is another nice cut, creating a nice blend of intelligent pop. —Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Music Guide

PERFORMER MAGAZINE (Jan. 08)
Gary Reynolds is one of Seattle's hardest working and - ironically, given the name of his band — most unsung fountains of song. Prolific by almost any standard, Reynolds and the Brides of Obscurity now return with another batch of heartfelt, well-read pop/rock gems. As on 2005's Instant Happiness and 2007's Extended Play EP, The Brides provide competent complement to Reynolds' confident frontman swagger, and once a revolving stable of kindred spirits, they have coalesced into a regular quintet for Santiago's Vest. Guitarist Don Durham, keyboardist Jeremy Manley, bassist Justin Friesen, and drummer Perry Morgan instrumentally evoke Reynolds' precious confections with the skill of dedicated craftsmen.

THE CHICKENFISH SPEAKS
I love this CD. The sound and vocals remind me of a cross between Adrian Belew and a nasal voiced John Lennon. The music is very catchy and deceptively clean, which works perfectly with the wonderful vocals and great lyrics. The songs remind me of the great music of late '80s college radio. While I enjoy just about all of the songs on this release with "Mrs. Lowe", "Everybody's Somewhere" and the Adrian Belew lyric-like "Wall Eyed Girl" being a few of my favorites "Where Do We Go from Here" is heads above the rest. This is a solid CD from start to finish. — Mite Mutant (2008)

NEWS4U
Why hello, I am standing on the corner of Abbey Road and Penny Lane. With a twingy Ringolike voice, Gary Reynolds is a bit different from what we are used to but a refreshing change. This band builds their sound around piano instead of guitar like many highlighted bands of today.

SKYLIGHT PRESS
Over the past few years, a handful of justifiable pop/indie bands have emerged from the scene with smoothed out melodies...although Gary Reynolds & The Brides Of Obscurity may fall under this class, they simply do it better.... I think it’s safe to say, however, that these lovable goofballs have a bright future ahead of themselves, and I’m buying in.

RACKET MAGAZINE
The album Santiago's Vest really shows you what "pop rock" is. These days we have bands that try to say they are "pop" and, well, those bands need to take tips from this band. Hints of the Beatles show up from time to time, not to compare these guys to the greatest band ever but thats what i mean by "pop rock". If you like old style pop you will enjoy this CD. If you don't, well, shit, don't get this CD. —Abe Gastelum

PERFORMER MAGAZINE
Sounding like an American version of Oasis — only without the snotty attitude and over-the-top production -- Seattle's The Brides of Obscurity are amongst the latest Northwest acts to continue the long crawl out of the shadow of grunge. The band's second release, the sardonically titled Extended Play, contains only five short selections. But what the disc lacks in length, it makes up for in strong pop songwriting; free of filler, any of these songs could easily be considered single-worthy. In fact, anyone who enjoyed The Brides' first release, Instant Happiness, will likely experience said feeling when discovering that Extended Play is, in effect, a continuation of the first album -- or an extension if you will: more Lennon-esque vocals and sweet pop harmonies, more of that inviting retro electric piano, and more carefully crafted pop songs in the spirit of the 1960s. The Brides concise verse-chorus-verse rock and roll is given the occasional zinger with lines like, "Once in a while is never gonna last forever / But you know that it's just as well" on the track "Don't Get Me Wrong." The cleverly disguised "Positively Me" is a pop song of the 'I love you' variety, where 'baby,' 'you,' and 'I' are actually all referring to the same person. Self-love perhaps, but if you could write pop songs as catchy as The Brides' Gary Reynolds, you'd probably be writing love songs to yourself, too. —Michael Fortes

DIG THIS REAL (Feature Article)
"Instant Happiness, as a firm nod to John Lennon's Instant Karma could playout as a tall order, or work to an industry advantage. But having already fallen for this release myself, this tall order has been delivered. Instant Happiness is full of exceptionally well crafted and well recorded songs that zig zag between just a couple genres of styles but make the musical marriage work." —Edie

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Look for Gary Reynolds and the Brides of Obscurity’s “Santiago’s Vest” in stores.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, INTERVIEW REQUESTS, ETC. PLEASE CONTACT alex@inmusicwetrust.com or 503-557-9661.