The American Professionals, The Girls (Seattle), Andalou September 24, 2008

THE AMERICAN PROFESSIONALS
http://www.myspace.com/theamericanprofessionals



Chuck Lindo (guitar and vocals) Mike Corcoran (guitar and backing vocals) Steve Moriarty (drums and backing vocals) Klaus Flouride (bass and backing vocals)

THE GIRLS (SEATTLE)
http://www.myspace.com/thegirlsseattle



"1 of the 5 Top Up-and-Coming Seattle Bands" (ranked number 2)
SPIN

"The Girls charm with skuzzy riffs, fluxing synths, and anthem-filling sing-alongs. If you like the Dirtnap sound, brash and catchy (Exploding Hearts, the Epoxies), the Girls are the latest torch bearers."
William Goodman, Spin.com

"For The Girls, the bond between music and identity is equally as important. The Seattle band expand punk signifiers and end up sounding as slick as they look."
Joseph Coombe, Lost At Sea

"This album is so psychotically twitchy and so simplistically catchy that it just over runs you with punky pop perfection one song right after another. It's genius in it's approach and The Girls uncomplicated nature frees them up to write songs that are simply irresistible."
Paul Zimmerman, FirstCoastNews

"If you're in the mood for minimalist, yelpy, alienated-sounding punk, instead of trying out the new Wire record, maybe give the Girls a spin."
Miles Raymer, The Chicago Reader

"The Girls are a few steps ahead of their peers in that they manage to conjure an approximation of the intelligence and sense of style of the late-'70s/early-'80s bands they clearly love along with their sound."
Mark Deming, AllMusic

"Wrapping up the sort of sing-along melodies that trace their roots back to Buzzcocks with a love of synthy new wave acts like Devo and early Depeche Mode, The Girls know a thing or two about writing a good pop tune. With a habit of wrapping those melodies up in wild guitars, ragged production and unhinged performances, The Girls know a thing or two about upholding punk's confrontational sound."
Matt Schild, Aversion

"Transfer Station may share its name with the buildings where garbage collectors deposit their garbage, but compared to many of the bands rummaging through similar dumpsters, it's reasonably hot garbage"
Marc Hogan, Pitchfork Media

"Their best songs have all the catchiness of classic Cars tracks mixed with the blown-out punk pomp of the New York Dolls and the Voidoids."
Jennifer Maerz, The Stranger

"While other bands stop at lifting riffs, the Girls crack open that decadent late-'70s rock ethos and chow down on its guts.... They make a great soundtrack to drinking champagne and taking painkillers in a rented limo, then barfing them all over the backseat."
Chris Ziegler, Seattle Weekly

"...High energy and tight pants. Short, catchy vocals. Abrupt finishes and smooth transitions, so much so there was hardly time to breathe between songs."
Jena Vuylsteke, Performer Magazine

"Early-Cars meets Richard Hell and The Voidoids synthed-up garage punk that any fan of The Briefs, The Spits, or The Lost Sounds (R.I.P.) would gravitate to."
Reid Sheldon, OC Weekly

"Take the awkward new wave of the Cars, add in the confident punk of the Buzzcocks, and then cross them with modern art rock of the Liars. It's like a mighty, sonic slap on the face, saying "Wake up! Let's go make some noise!""
Lee, Three Imaginary Girls

"The Girls are one of our most entertaining exports, owners of absurdly fun, energetic hooks that owe plenty to the Cars and a ton of late-'70s glam-pop outfits."
Michael Alan Goldberg, The Stranger

"Super retro sounding new wavy pop-punk with irresistable melodies & a riff that drills a big big hole in your head!"
Soundflat, Germany

"This is no fishnet-hawking electroclash fashionista rock; besides having more sexxx appeal than both Coreys combined, The Girls've got chops like Ralph Macchio."
Brian Howe, Pitchfork Media

----------------------------------------------------

Seattle quintet, THE GIRLS, deliver a punk-rock sound armed with both the intuition of the better half and the brawn of the other. We’re talking impressively tight, clean punk-rock that clearly recognizes why bands like Devo and the Cars inspired a good chunk of the bands that inspired a good chunk of the bands that people are always loosing-their-shit for these days.

Right from the start, THE GIRLS displayed a surplus of indisputably catchy hooks, a tightrope-dancing rhythm section, confident blurts and yelps from frontman Shannon Brown, razor-sharp synths, and the charisma to match. Critics were quick to take notice of the band’s 2004 self-titled Dirtnap debut. Pitchfork proclaimed "this is no fishnet-hawking electroclash fashionista rock; besides having more sexxx appeal than both Coreys combined, The Girls've got chops like Ralph Macchio" while OC Weekly described the band as "Early-Cars meets Richard Hell and The Voidoids synthed-up garage punk that any fan of The Briefs, The Spits, or The Lost Sounds would gravitate to."

Shannon Brown and guitar-slasher, Zache Davis, survived member changes to lead Colin Griffiths (bass), Derek Mason (keyboard), and Elie Goral (drums) into brief and concise displays of new-wave/punk excellence. THE GIRLS, who have at one time or another had members of the Briefs, Spits, Catheters, Steve E Nix And The Cute Lepers, delve even deeper into their well studied set of influences and have emerged with Yes No Yes No Yes No. These 10 twitchy new wave power pop gems continue THE GIRLS’ worship at the feet of Richard Hell and The Voidoids, the Cars, Stiv Bators and Devo while venturing into the jagged pep pill-sped abstractions of Wire. The band again enlisted Martin Feveyear (Briefs, Epoxies) to press the buttons at Seattle’s Jupiter studios.

From the quirky whirling synthes of “Where Wolves Drink” and “Who Are the Forgetters” to the rowdy punk-pop of “Not I,” Yes No Yes No Yes No captures the energetic hooks and unique anxiousness of the band’s much-heralded live performance which has seen them share stages worldwide with the likes of Graham Coxon, the Black Lips, the Detroit Cobras and the Briefs. Expect much more touring around the globe in support of Yes No Yes No Yes No.

Chris H.

ANDALOU
http://www.myspace.com/andaloumusic



Andalou's five-song debut offers much to recommend it. The San Francisco band's four members certainly know how to play their instruments - namely electric cello, guitar, bass, synth, and drums - and feel their way along tense alt-rock contours with remarkable chemistry and professional polish, especially for a group barely a year old. — Nate Seltenrich, East Bay Express

Official Website: http://www.myspace.com/klausflouride1