The Inclined Plane

The same old kids with the rainbow packs

2011-11-05T11:27:00.000-07:00

So we've been without power for the last 9 days over here at Popular Wallpaper headquarters. While we're thankful that we did not sustain major damages from the Nor'Easter, this has inevitably derailed our plans to finish The Backwards Frontier for the 11.11.11 release date. Ob-la-di, ob-la-da. The cheeky numerology was a skosh gimmicky anyway.

We'll update the status of the LP as we regroup and move forward. Thanks for your patience.

Made of gold or made of cobras?

2011-10-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

Here's the tracklisting for the new LP, The Backwards Frontier:

A
1. Go Peach
2. Little Shifts
3. Please, Come Home
4. Peeelers
5. Better Off Wet
6. New Wave Prison Break

B
7. Wireland
8. California Amps
9. Marble Slab
10. Strange On
11. Take My Brain

You were rewinding cassettes, I was chewing on a memory bar

2011-09-25T17:53:00.000-07:00

Jason's video for his song "Please, Come Home," which will be appearing on our new LP, The Backwards Frontier. Images borrowed from Piotr Kamler's Coeur de secours (1973).

Checking references in the glossary of kink

2011-09-25T17:35:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who caught us at Elm City Popfest last weekend. Dan, Mark, Robert, et al. did a fine job curating the festival, which took place at several venues around the New Haven area this year. There's a nice little writeup on our set in the Yale Daily News over here.

The above video clip is a live performance of Killer Roentgens from said show. Shot by Mark Niciu.

Setlist:

Wireland
The Picture Olympics
Killer Roentgens
New Wave Prison Break
Go Peach
Little Shifts
Marble Slab
She Gives Me the Z's
Strange On

The Backwards Frontier (PWR009)

2011-08-19T03:47:00.000-07:00

We're happy to announce that our second full-length LP, The Backwards Frontier, will be out on 11.11.11. We'll be releasing it on our own Popular Wallpaper Recordings label, and that right there is the cover art. Expect an .mp3 or two available here in advance of its release.

In a previous life, I was a drumhead

2011-08-13T07:19:00.000-07:00

Slayed the Charter Oak Cultural Center last night. It's a neat little space down there. Both The Gentle Stunts and Wry played fantastic sets. Many thanks to the ol' Indie Night at the Oak community for coordinating the event.

Setlist:

Wireland
The Picture Olympics
Killer Roentgens
New Wave Prison Break
Go Peach*
Marble Slab*
She Gives Me the Z's
Little Shifts*
Strange On*

*first time played

Elm City Popfest

2011-07-29T18:45:00.001-07:00

Show added: Friday August 12thCharter Oak Cultural Center, Hartford, CT

2011-06-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

We're playing August 12th as a part of the Indie Night At the Oak series at the Charter Oak Cultural Center in Hartford. Wry and The Gentle Stunts are also on the bill. $6 or $5 wil a canned good for Hartford Food Not Bombs.

All ages.

Previously Unreleased Track Available On New February Records 1-Year Anniversary Compilation

2011-01-11T16:39:00.000-08:00

February Records is jubilantly celebrating it's first anniversary with a free 19-song digital compilation download (available here). We've contributed an exclusive new track ("The Wax Museum") to the party, which also features pop merriment from the likes of Boy Genius, Ghost of Chance, Bourgeois Heroes and The Cavemen Go.

Paw Meds/Mary, All the Time Shipping NOW!

2010-12-28T11:12:00.000-08:00

Joint Popular Wallpaper Recordings / February Records 7" release from The Inclined Plane shipping now.

PWR008/FEB012: Paw Meds/Mary, All the Time
Paw Meds.mp3
Mary, All The Time.mp3

Limited run of 200. 1-100 on clear orange vinyl, 101-200 on black.
$6 each/$8 for orders outside U.S. (includes shipping).

US:

International:

Popular Wallpaper Recordings and February Records announce the co-release of a limited-edition 7" single, "Paw Meds/Mary, All The Time" (PWR008/FEB012), from Hartford, CT, psych-pop outfit, The Inclined Plane.

The Inclined Plane continues to believe that an age-old diet of vacuum tubes and mondegreens is the secret to writing classic psych-pop. Their lo-fi carousel of catchy hooks and melodic fun is a dizzy joyride spinning on the circle of fifths. From noisy '60s psychedelia and harmony-rich folk, to kraut drones and detuned '90s guitar jangles, a carefully-selected rack of spices finds its way into The Inclined Plane's kitchen.

They have self-released three EPs — "Gestalt Pump" (2006), "The Bit Intuit" (2007) and "Nonpareils" (2007) — each in limited runs in handmade packaging (featuring the artwork of John Tieman) on their own Popular Wallpaper Recordings label. In 2009 came the proper full-length, "I Am Pants," which found them expanding their songwriting palette and distilling their unique brand of ambitious home recording into 10 golden, mixtape-ready pop singles. Now comes the "Paw Meds/Mary, All the Time" 7-inch single. Co-released with Popular Wallpaper Recordings, this hand-numbered, limited-run of 200 records contains two more brand new reverb-soaked nuggets.

From the Hartford Courant's Eric Danton:
"Paw Meds" is a stately vintage-style rocker awash in lo-fi guitar and murky vocals, as if you’re hearing the whole thing blaring out of an apartment down the hall. "Mary, All the Time" puts that same murky vocal sound atop crisp acoustic guitar and chiming glockenspiel.

From A Layer of Chips:
The new single "Paw Meds/Mary All the Time" is the very essence of autumn; it's a warm, fuzzy slice of pop that instantly banishes any blues you might have about Things and Stuff in a huge pop explosion. And that's hyperbole! You might want to compare Inclined Plane to bands such as Specific Heats, who also make this kind of pop music seem so effortless. You might, because the two bands seem to share a sense of the ridiculousness of pop, and what makes it bright and sparkly when everything else around you is the most beige.

From Spacerockmountain:
The Inclined Plane makes some remarkably flexible sound that fluxes between their undoubtedly diverse influences. Certainly a healthy dose of Elephant 6 style psychedelic experimentation can be heard, as well as underpinning informed by the Beach Boys and the Velvet Underground.

From the New Haven Advocate:
Sometimes delicate, sometimes assertively pounding, the band grabs hold of so many classic indie-pop signposts (jangly guitars, buzzing organs, white noise, and, most importantly, catchy melodies that shine through it all), it's clear they understand the '80s progenitors of the subgenre and also the early '60s records those bands were referencing.

From IndiePages:
… even though their sound is tamer, their songwriting is definitely much better now; the most appropriate (albeit obscure) comparison is the Mezzanines, but other obvious reference points include the Gerbils, the Velvet Underground and Pavement's slower moments.

From Beat the Indie Drum:
Hartford, CT's The Inclined Plane aren't necessarily trying to reinvent the wheel nor are they pretending to write the future with their debut effort "I Am Pants." They are, however, very interested in staking their claim as New England's most promising psyche-pop outfit.

Get fixed, get cracked. We'll all get back.

2010-12-08T04:24:00.000-08:00

Mmmm...test pressings

2010-11-20T14:24:00.000-08:00

The test pressings for the new 7" have arrived and they sound great. Many thanks to Tom over at Palomino Records. The Paypal button for the pre-order can be found below, $6 includes shipping. We're also throwing in bonus goodies for all pre-order shipments, like stickers from the Nonpareils EP and 1" buttons from I Am Pants.

And as if you needed any more convincing, Antarktikos over at Spacerockmountain has a nice little review.

2010-11-05T03:39:00.001-07:00

The new 7" is beginning to make its way around the interwebs. Eric Danton (at his Sound Check blog) and A Layer Of Chips have new posts up about it.

Details and pre-order link below. If you haven't done so already, go to February Records to download the free .mp3s.

We also now have a Facebook page.

It's got the label worn off and the speakers blown out

2010-09-27T17:57:00.000-07:00

We're in the middle of mixing two previously unreleased songs for a 7" due out on February Records. "Paw Meds" b/w "Mary, All the Time" will be done in a limited hand #'d run of 200 (1-100 will be on orange vinyl, 101-200 on black vinyl). The .mp3s will also be available gratis over at the February Records (nee Tweefort Records, whose Home and Abroad Songs, Vol. II featured our cover of HONEY's "We Did It On the Orange Line") site. Both new songs are sure to hit all of your reverb-soaked pop pleasure centers.

And, we're happy to announce that we're also halfway through recording another full-length called The Backwards Frontier. More details on that to follow.

All good amperes blow out black

2010-04-07T03:44:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we snuck down to Wesleyan University to play the students-only punk show PNK@DKE. The raucous, sweaty evening made for a nice opportunity to roll out some new material and fresh blood (Tynan's first show with us). Many thanks to Rayna and Scott for organizing the event, and to Ben for recording the set (a portion of which he played on his WESU radio show Wild Wild Live last night).

Setlist:

Illinois Jacket
Crack Team
Wireland*
New Wave Prison Break*
Motor Away
Show Us Yr Monsters

*first time played

2010-02-11T18:43:00.000-08:00

A previously unreleased cover we did of HONEY's "We Did It On the Orange Line" appears on the Tweefort Records compilation Home & Abroad Songs, Volume 2, a 32-track free double album download.

Wake up, your hands have feeling

2009-12-26T17:16:00.000-08:00

Can't See the Sky Without a Candle.mp3

2009-07-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

Chris over at IndiePages posted a review of I Am Pants. Thanks Chris!

For the 3rd straight year, we have been nominated in the "Best Indie" category of the Hartford Advocate Grand Band Slam poll. Voting runs through Wednesday, July 29th. Something tells me we need not worry about getting tux measurements done for the red carpet gala event.

The writing/recording for LP #2 continues to move along quite nicely. We're also recording a cover of Werewolf Police's "Can't See the Sky Without A Candle" as part of a cross-pollenation duel of sorts (I've already heard their take on "I Don't Even Mind Anymore" and it is phenomenal). In another interesting exercise, we're recording a version of HONEY's "We Did It On the Orange Line," but without anyone playing the instruments that they did on the original recording. Rounding out the recent covers onslaught are versions of Honeybus' "Fresher Than the Sweetness In Water" (from 1970's Story) and a take on the Amps' "Pacer." No plans yet as to what we'll do with these, but they're not likely to end up on a proper release.

Fresher Than the Sweetness In Water.mp3

2009-05-24T09:37:00.000-07:00

We had a great time Friday night down in Bridgeport. Two Boots has excellent sound, an accommodating staff and tasty food. We also enjoyed both of the other bands (Welcome and The Tyler Trudeau Attempt). Many thanks to Dan Goodwin and Tweefort Productions for putting this one together!

Setlist:

Crack Team
Motor Away
Gestalt Pump->Heroin (tease)*->All the Lights
The Picture Olympics
The Laughers and the Breakers*
Show Us Yr Monsters

*first time played

Brushback over at onebaseonanoverthrow took the picture above and posted a review.

Caps lock: the elbow job is eating the fuzz

2009-05-19T18:46:00.000-07:00

More kind words about I Am Pants over at The New Haven Advocate.

Don't forget about Friday's Tweefort show down at Two Boots in Bridgeport. We go on around 11pm. All ages!

I'll be hiding in the back of your mouth

2009-05-09T11:06:00.000-07:00

It's Not Like I Don't Know (demo).mp3

The recording of the follow-up to I Am Pants is already underway, and this is the first song to emerge from those sessions. While this wouldn't sound out of place on I Am Pants, there is some new instrumentation (harpsichord, tonewheel organ) in the fold to help vary the sound a little. 60's-inspired psych-pop just feels appropriate this time of year.

Speaking of I Am Pants, Beat The Indie Drum was kind enough to post a nice review. A handful of other blogs have also caught air of its release and have helped in its distribution by posting the download link.

KB

We Like To Go Where No One Will Go

2009-05-09T05:43:00.000-07:00

HONEY-"The Gravity Research Foundation Presents: The Strongman (and Other Music For Most Occasions)"[EP]

Once upon a time, The Inclined Plane had a siamese twin know as HONEY. HONEY was comprised of the same personnel as The Inclined Plane, but with a focus on the writing of keyboardist/guitarist Ryan Casey. With a sound and recording aesthetic stylistically similar to ours, this 5-song EP makes for a nice introduction.

KB

2009-05-03T18:19:00.001-07:00

Just a reminder that we're playing down in Bridgeport on Friday, May 22nd. It's a Tweefort production. Welcome and The Tyler Trudeau Attempt round out the bill. This is an all ages show with alcohol being served. We are very much looking forward to this event!

KB

2009-04-27T18:22:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone who came out to Friday's Manic Productions show in Wallingford. All ages shows really are the best. Tweefort has a quick recap, and more of Aileen Goodwin's photos can be found on our MySpace page.

Setlist:

Illinois Jacket
All The Lights
The Picture Olympics
We Did It On the Orange Line
Crack Team
Heavy Crayon
Show Us Yr Monsters

We've decided to take advantage of the momentum and dive headfirst into recording another full-length LP. The shows will still be sprinkled in, but we have too many great new songs kicking around not to.

KB

2009-04-21T18:48:00.000-07:00

I Am Pants.zip

I Am Pants day is finally here. We have the first numbered run of 50 all ready to go. PWR007 is dressed up in handmade packaging once again featuring the adorable work of John N. Tieman. The link above will get you the album in .mp3 format (for sampling purposes only, of course).

We're also playing a show with the Pains Of Being Pure At Heart and Stephen Brodsky (Cave In) on Friday at the Wallingford American Legion. $8, all ages. Doors open at 7:00pm and we're playing first, so get there early!

KB

Yeah, you were right about that

2009-04-08T17:36:00.001-07:00

Tempo Pin.mp3

Na na na na na na na na na na.
Happiness is hearing the Sea and Cake in television commercials.

KB

Click on her in Kiev

2009-04-05T17:57:00.000-07:00

Killer Roentgens.mp3

KB

2009-03-26T13:08:00.000-07:00

2009-03-11T18:12:00.000-07:00

Radio Brazil.mp3

Stream-of-consciousness recording exercise in home-recorded, reverb-soaked psychedelia (nee self-indulgent tangential dreamy jam musiks).

KB

2009-03-10T17:31:00.000-07:00

Blake over at Sugar Sours had some nice things to say about the I Am Pants musiks. Do stop over and say hello?

We've also added a show, playing with The Pains Of Being Pure at Heart and Stephen Brodsky at the Wallingford American Legion on Friday, April 24th. It's a Manic Productions event. It's also all ages!

KB

Ist Rad

2009-03-06T21:33:00.000-08:00

Here (live).mp3

Live recording of Pavement's "Here" from 7.19.08.

KB

Surprise show this Saturday@ The Elevens, Northampton, MA

2009-02-18T18:10:00.000-08:00

We're returning to Northampton this Saturday to play
The Elevens. The Trials & Tribulations, Abeja, Tiger Saw, and The Wailing Wall are also on the bill. Please come say hello, old friend!

KB

Volume Is Free

2009-02-17T18:38:00.001-08:00

Permission To Explode.mp3

Lo-fi ode to late night recording as an avenue of escapism. The guitar tone on the solo is proof positive that lyrics generally fall short when it comes to creative expression. The title comes from a phrase in an Oliver Sacks piece about jazz drummers with Tourette's syndrome. The genre's allowance for spastic outbursts lets them utilize the energy in their tics, giving them a medium where these involuntary urges can be harnessed and celebrated rather than resisted.

KB

There Will Be Thousands Of People There

2009-02-14T18:11:00.000-08:00

Crack Team.mp3

Some noisemusiks from the forthcoming I Am Pants LP. We just finished recording late last night, and the time I have since spent mixing this track has probably cost me 8-12% permanent hearing loss.

KB

Ditch the Symmetry Shakes

2009-02-09T18:08:00.000-08:00

Important In the Morning.mp3

With spring right around the corner, it's time to start scheduling shows again. We're happy to announce that we're secured a 22 May date at Two Boots in Bridgeport, CT, courtesy of our friends at Tweefort Productions. The Tyler Trudeau Attempt and Welcome round out the bill.

We're also finishing up the I Am Pants LP, due 21 April on our own Popular Wallpaper Recordings. The song above is the latest to emerge from those sessions. Do give a listen, it's quite enjoyable!

KB

Every Now and Then, A Little Bit Of Light Is Gonna Bleed Into the Lens

2009-01-30T18:21:00.000-08:00

The Laughers and the Breakers.mp3

Here's another track from the forthcoming I Am Pants LP. It's called The Laughers and the Breakers and it's yet another uptempo pop-type tune. We swear we keep trying to deviate from this sort of formula but it's impolite to ignore enjoyable hooks that bring homemade peanut butter cookies to dinner parties.

KB

last.fm

2009-01-29T17:13:00.000-08:00

For those who aren't aware, last.fm is a great site for discovering new music. It will track your plays and give you recommendations based on what you like to listen to. It's also becoming a great community where new artists are allowed to offer up their music for free. If you don't have an account, sign up! It's free and you get to stream awesome songs all day long.

Anyway, you can listen to and download some tracks from our upcoming LP I Am Pants here on last.fm. Brand spanking new songs unheard by human ears. You can also listen to and download all of our EPs for free as well, just by going to the albums page.

Yeah I Heard, She's A Switch

2009-01-25T16:21:00.000-08:00

Live footage of Swap Meet->All the Lights shot by Cher of Local Media from a March 13, 2008 show at Sierra Grille in Northampton, MA. Swap Meet is an unreleased song, while All the Lights is the last track on 2006's Gestalt Pump! [EP]. The show was recorded in its entirety and distributed in a limited-run release as "Live In Northampton, MA" (PWR006).

Hands and Knees and Party Wolf were also on the bill that night.

KB

All Those Circuit-Bent Metal Detectors Couldn't Catch It

2009-01-25T16:03:00.000-08:00

The Picture Olympics (from the forthcoming I Am Pants LP) is being featured in the trailer for Crushing Pennies, a new independent short film directed by Ryan Casey (Favorite Media).

KB

Give Them Access To Parking Spaces

2009-01-10T17:29:00.000-08:00

14 Cheerleader Coldfront.mp3

A humble cover of the Pollard/Sprout (clearly more the latter than the former, no?) offering from GBV's Propeller. Just acoustic guitar + doubletracked vocals and harmonies. Not a new recording, just one of those spontaneous cover songs that wasn't immediately deleted the morning after.

KB

2009-01-01T18:19:00.000-08:00

Show Us Yr Monsters (from 2007's Nonpareils [EP]) is featured in Crushing Pennies, a new independent short film directed by Ryan Casey (Favorite Media).

From the Crushing Pennies Facebook profile:

"A married couple, Irene (Leah Dashe) and Gabe (Jesse Murphy) find their relationship to be claustrophobic. As a way to vent, they begin to imagine that other people are interested in them and start to lead a delusional life. Their delusions then become shared and there are characters who both main characters interact with as though they were real. These delusions begin to get the best of their psyches as they even begin to pick up the vices of these imagined characters. They finally decide to visit a marriage counselor, who figures out how to solve the problem in a very original and interesting way."

Other bands on the soundtrack include Caribou, of Montreal, and Mojave 3.

KB

Stock Up On Yr Vices

2008-12-31T15:55:00.000-08:00

Here is a glitched-out remix of She Gives Me the Z's, largely unrecognizable from the original, to help usher in what hopes to be an adventurous new year. The foundation tracks are from an old recording of John and Jason screwing around on a circuit-bent toy keyboard, Wurlitzer, and MicroKorg. I chopped those up, programmed the beats, did a few analog synth overdubs, and ran the vocals through a Moogerfooger Lowpass Filter.

She Gives Me the Z's (Sniffing Magic Markers In the Bathroom At Dawn Remix).mp3

KB

Mappy, Don't You Know You're Achieving It?

2008-12-28T16:29:00.001-08:00

She Gives Me the Z's.mp3

The Picture Olympics.mp3

Elbow Job.mp3

We're all quite pleased with how well the recording process is coming along thus far. With five songs (Elbow Job, The Picture Olympics, She Gives Me the Z's, Tempo Pin, Permission To Explode) already finished and another handful (Crack Team, Killer Roentgens, Heavy Crayon, Paw Meds, The Laughers and the Breakers) already off the ground, I Am Pants is coming together nicely.

KB

Chewable Phrases In Your Mind

2008-12-26T16:00:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the new home of The Inclined Plane, a lo-fi indiepop band from the Hartford, CT area. This blog will hereby serve as our official website, complimenting our MySpace and last.fm pages. To celebrate this auspicious occasion, let's start off by making our first three EPs available as free downloads:

Nonpareils [EP](2007)

The Bit Intuit [EP](2007)

Gestalt Pump! [EP](2006)

All thee EPs were home recorded and released on our own Popular Wallpaper Recordings in low-run, handmade packaging featuring the artwork of John N. Tieman.

We're currently recording our first full-length, the I Am Pants LP, which will be finished in early 2009.

KB

Get Knocked-Up On Krautpop

2008-12-25T18:53:00.000-08:00

The Eleven States of Matter.mp3

This old back-burner occupant was always interesting enough to keep trying on for size but never quite fitting right for any occasion. It would have probably worked best as some sort of Afternoon Brains B-side, with its questionable electronica maneuverings and total lack of compression. With that being said, I've always had a soft spot for it.

The foundation tracks were recorded in 2004 (in the same session that produced Eggplant), and have seen numerous reworkings, deconstructions, and self-indulgent overdubs over the years, all for nought. If anything, perhaps it can be known for being the song that I jacked the phrase "I'm pentatonic and eating burnt toast" from.