http://myspace.com/whispertown2000
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whispertown2000
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0619382/
 |
| From Third Annual Stephen Fredette Benefit |
Morgan Nagler
http://www.thewhispertown2000.com/press/
http://www.thewhispertown2000.com/theband/
http://www.sorrylion.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3
Whispertown2000 forum
^
1) Whipsertown 200 Discography and Bio
https://store.thewhispertown2000.com/
http://www.sorrylion.com/liad/buy.htm
WHISPERTOWN DISCOGRAPHY
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whispertown2000
Discography
/ Livin' In A Dream / (2006)
/ Swim / (2008)
Members
Morgan Nagler - Lead Vocals, Guitar, Songwriter
Tod Adrian Wisenbaker - Guitar, Drums
Vanesa Corbala - Vocals, Drums, Percussion
Casey Holden Wisenbaker - Bass, Guitar, Drums
Former Members
Colt Maloney - Bass
History
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0784404/
A native of Oregon
who grew up in Los Angeles,
Nagler met and befriended fellow former child actor,
Blake Sennett,
in the mid-1990s.
Soon after he and Jenny Lewis formed the band Rilo Kiley in 1998, Nagler also began writing songs and singing.
In 2004, Nagler performed her songs before a live audience (with help from friend Tod Adrian Wisenbaker) as the opening act for The Elected
(Blake Sennett's side project from Rilo Kiley).
[1]
At that time, she referred to herself as Vagtown2000. Nagler credits Sennett and Lewis for giving her the support to record and perform her own songs.
[2]
In 2005, Nagler and Wisenbaker changed the name of their group to
Whispertown2000 and asked Corbala and Maloney to join. During the fall 2006 tour, Casey Wisenbaker (Tod's brother) also joined the band.
[3]
Maloney parted ways with the band in 2007.
Their debut album, Whispertown2000 - /Livin'
in a Dream/ was finished in 2006 and is available online and at their shows. Their album was produced by Blake Sennett and Jimmy Tamborello
(of Dntel
and The Postal Service).
Additional performers include Jenny Lewis,
Blake Sennett, and Johnathan Rice.
On October 21st, 2008, the band released their second full-length album,
"Swim" on AconyRecords.
Along with this new release, the official name of the band changed to The
Whispertown 2000.
^
http://www.sorrylion.com/liad/history.htm
Here's the history of Whispertown2000 according to Morgan:
well, I used to just play by myself.. then Jenny [Lewis, of Rilo Kiley] kept trying to encourage me to get a band and play! So she told Tod he should play with me and me I should play with Tod, and so he and I met up to play and it worked great!
So Jenny played key board with us until we were on our feet.. then I happened to meet Colt socially and he and Tod had played in a different band together, he loved iron will and said he wanted to play bass..and so tod, colt and i played.. then I started writing songs on my 4 track like wishing well and stuff with many back up vocal parts and thought it was sad because I could never do them live!
And Tod said Vanesa, his girlfriend, had a great voice! So, knowing her a little, I said.. Vanesa, you're in the band! Before ever hearing her.. and it worked out great!
and, so, that's the long and short of it!
love, morgan
The band used to be called Vagtown2000 when they started out, but that name was kinda silly and got embarrassing for Morgan after a while. I think it wasn't till around early/mid 2005 that she changed it to Whispertown2000 (no space!). The inspiration for the (new) name came from a device called the Whisper 2000
( http://www.sorrylion.com/liad/whisper2000.jpg)
which is a sound amplifier for the hard of hearing that also just so happens to have the number 2000 after the name. The band has put out one CD so far, / Livin'In A Dream / , which was self-released in early 2006. Tod's brother, Casey Wisenbaker joined the band later that year. Colt parted ways with the band in late 2007 as they began recording their second cd, due out in 2008.
Gillian Welch and David Rawlings Sign The Whispertown 2000
Gillian Welch and David Rawlings recently founded Acony Records. In addition to
releasing their efforts, the new label also will issue the work of select
artists as well.
Acony's first signing is The Whispertown 2000. The Los Angeles-based quartet
features the songwriting of Morgan Nagler, who Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley)
describes as "my favorite songwriter. Period."
The Whispertown 2000's Swim
/ was produced by Tom Monohan (Devendra Banhart,
Vetiver) and is set for an October 21 release.
2)
Videos/ Youtube by album (or off album) and therein, by date
from " Livin' in a Dream "
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq7tT4X3oaQ
Whispertown " Iron Will! " ( 05/05/06 )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeCkHUZilEc
Whispertown " Intentions" Fan Video ( August 21,
2006 )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWX-TMS4YTQ
Whispertown 2000: "Hello Wishin' Well" ( November 14, 2006)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN-ooAKZV2M
Whispertown 2000 - Restless (live) (march 31, 2007)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thYLxjXuxqU
b) Whispertown 2000 - Restless (live) (November 17, 2008)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCGfRkAOQxI
c) Whispertown 2000 - Restless (live) (02 Jun 2009)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flnGpU3NbGQ
" lean back " ( March 31, 2007 )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnqYuCDf7nw
" through a hole
"
(June 4, 2007)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NesFqUu2yOg
" which way's the wind?!" (cover of "through a hole" - May 29, 2007) from " Swim "
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-iWxhIhcgo
Whispertown 2000 - "Ebb and Flow" (November 17, 2006)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVliTGS3GsU
Whispertown 2000 - "Done With Love" (3/31/07)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOce9Iy3-SA
Whispertown 2000 - "Old Times" (November 2, 2008)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_Kb80kK7wE
Whispertown 2000 - "Old Times" Official Music Video (January 06, 2009 )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXRzGSP4xNM
the whispertown 2000 "103" ( November 03, 2008 )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHyWsi1slzY
whispertown 2000 - erase the lines ( November 17, 2008 )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1xRbfSGW0g
whispertown "Lock and Key" ( March 23, 2009 Live at SXSW )
unreleased
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZgZHf00AlI
whispertown 2000 - "Hometown " at Tangier 1/2/08
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3xSfG0M61w
whispertown 2000 - "Time Will Welcome Anything" (September 19, 2008)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6UcYU1s9nI
Whispertown 2000 - "Time Will Welcome Anything" ( November 22, 2008 )
#
4 ) Press
http://www.thewhispertown2000.com/press/
http://www.thewhispertown2000.com/images/press/Q0209article.jpg
Q Magazine (February 2009) by Andy
Fyfe
" [Nagler's] childlike vocals create a nursery-rhyme world half wide-eyed wonder and darkeness, rendered timeless by ragtime reels and skeletal acoustic accompaniment.
So, if things get too playful on '103''s quest for love, there's allways its crushing flipside 'No Dope': "No dope, no pill, no drink'n'thrill/ Can tow this ton of tears."
If it's Hollywood or bust, chances are it's Hollywood. "
http://www.thewhispertown2000.com/images/press/MOJO0209article.jpg
Mojo (February 2009) by Phil Sutcliffe
"Nagler sings of love, dope and life/death'[s positive/negative balance wit Appalachian front-porch lonesomeness while garagey drums crash along and assorted guitars veer from bluegrass breakdown to psychedelic echo and distortion.
But the track that really commands attention is 'Atlantis', wehrein the
longing for heaven on earth we all feel sometimes gathers into haunting harmonies- augmented by [Gillian] Welch and Jenny Lewis-calling, to whom it may concern,
" Atlantis, let me in/ I will live free of sin."
http://www.thewhispertown2000.com/images/press/RELIX1108article.jpg
Relix (November, 2008) by Randy Ray
"Stepping outside the indie folk-rock crowd by writing flashpoint lyrics with a a methodically obtuse bent, The Whispertown 2000 delivers an enjoyable splash with 'Swim'..." [The] quartet offers ambient dreamscapes ('Atlantis' featuring a chorus of Nagler, Corbala, Gilian Wlch and Jenny Lewis), surreal country blues ('No Dope' and 'Done with Love'), deep river ruminations ('Pushing Oars'), beautifully pensive travelogues ('Erase the Lines', 'Old Times' and 'Mountain') and a ragged lo-fi anthem ('Ebb and Flow').
The 11 tracks offer complex, subdued imagery of a confident band as the wit and weariness of Nagler's songstakes on on an unpredictable ride upstream against the currents of modern pop. "
http://community.livejournal.com/hellowishinwell/2445.html
It's like a laser beam, laser beam.
[Monday July 31st, 2006 at 8:13am]
xjustkidding
So, at first I hated Whispertown 2000.
Then I found myself visiting their myspace page so I could listen to "On The Move" every once in awhile. Then I sort of liked them, but mostly because Morgan made me feel like I can sing.
And now I'm wondering why the hell I haven't bought their CD earlier, because these four songs on Myspace aren't cutting it. Where is my debit card? And I'm also pretty upset that the whole Whispertown 2000 thing for 200 bucks isn't extended to Massachusetts.
6 http://community.livejournal.com/hellowishinwell/2445.html
http://sircharliepalmer.blogspot.com/2009/08/livin-in-dream-whispertown-2000-2006.html
Livin’ In A Dream - Whispertown 2000 (2006)
A perfect blend of acoustic guitar, loveable raspy vocals and smooth harmonizing. There are some instances where the music jumps into overdrive, almost a westernized version of the Breeders with a pair of female voices up front over a simple yet booming sound, but just as quickly things cool down.
Posted by Sir Charlie Palmer at 08:00
http://burritotree.blogspot.com/2009/04/and-morgan-says-interview-with.html
MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2009
And Morgan Says...: An Interview with The Whispertown 2000's Morgan Nagler
First as Vagtown2000, then as Whispertown2000, and now, finally, as The Whispertown 2000, LA singer-songwriter-guitarist, Morgan Nagler has been pleasing ears and melting hearts with her honest lyrics and folky blues tunes for over five years.
Encouraged in the beginning by musician friends on the LA scene, like Jenny Lewis, Morgan has brought her introspective songs from the quiet bedroom to the stage with the current lineup: singer-drummer-harmonica-ist Vanessa Corbala, and brothers Tod and Casey Wisenbacker on drums/guitar/harmonica and drums/bass respectively.
http://thefirenotefiredrills.blogspot.com/2008/11/whispertown-2000-swim.html
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2008
The Whispertown 2000: Swim
Acony Records [2008]
/ blazing hot ( 4 fires )
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51HtplvgCGL._SL500_AA240_.jpg
Fire Drills Review:
The Whispertown 2000 represent everything that is good about music. The band is signed to Gillian Welch’s label Acony records and Swim is a perfect batch of modern alt-folk that has all the pieces such as catchy sing along tracks and the surreal quietness of pure singing. The Whispertown 2000 offer the fresh dual vocals of Morgan Nagler and Vanesa Corbala, which ultimately gives the record a vibrant and quality mix which does the genre proud!
#
http://www.blurt-online.com/blogs/view/1999/
Whispertown 2000 Embark on Tour on Maria Taylor
03/18/2009
Morgan Nagler, lead vocalist/guitarist/co-founder of The Whispertown 2000 is another in a series of musicians that consider Lewis and her Rilo band mate Blake Sennett musical muses. The duo not only provided long-term encouragement, but performed on Whispertown's 2006 debut "Livin' in a Dream," which Sennett co-produced. Plus, Whispertown was given opening slots when the artists toured.
But don't think the folk-tinged hypnotic music of Whispertown 2000 is a musical stepchild. The four-piece band has rightly won critical kudos and a devoted fan base that includes Lewis who has publicly said,
"Morgan Nagler is my favorite songwriter. Period."
#
http://anikainlondon.wordpress.com/2009/05/12/interview-the-whispertown-2000/
Interview: The Whispertown 2000
http://anikainlondon.wordpress.com/2009/05/12/interview-the-whispertown-2000/
Posted by anikainlondon on May 12, 2009
The Whispertown 2000 are easily one of my favourite bands, and they have been for a long time. I think they’re absolutely brilliant and I am so excited to catch their first ever UK show tomorrow.
http://b7.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/00493/79/13/493803197_l.jpg
Do you ever read the reviews of your live shows/albums? Why or why not? Yes. for punishment. So not that often. Usually anything anyone says can be taken exactly both ways, (that’s what she said), for example, one review read that my voice initially sounds like a drunk 6 year old… insult? Or awesome… ?
You’re signed to Gillian Welch’s label, Acony Records, how did that come
about? I have an old MP3 of you covering / Miss
Ohio/ live…
Yes, we were big fans, and not knowing we had friends in common, covered “MissOhio” on our first tour. Then, due to our sweet friend Jason Boesel, Gillianand the amazing David Rawlings, caught our set opening for the beautifullymagical Jenny Lewis. We ended up making friends. I spent a good portion of lastyear writing with them, and learning so much. We’d just recorded our new album“Swim”, .. They ended up putting it out, and we couldn’t be more grateful andhonored.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_Kb80kK7wE
I love the video you put out for /Old Times/. What was it like filming that? Filming the /Old Times/ video was a blast. We filmed the day after Halloween,so we were all a little tired, to say the least =). But, yeah, we had a vagueconcept, which went out the window.
We had the best time “smelling the roses” of our surroundings in Ojai, Ca. It was exactly as it looks. We were blasting music in the high school parking lot, my Mom and my best friend were doing double dutch, roller skaters practicing routines, and that stuff wasn't even filmed! It was so great watching those kids playing football in the rain, and exploring, and having ideas. The makers did such a great job.
#
http://laist.com/2007/01/26/laist_interview_morgan_nagler_of_whispertown_2000.php
Who are your influences/inspirations?
Bobbie Gentry, Elliott Smith, The Beatles, Notorious BIG, and Bobby (Dylan)
What new things is Whispertown 2000 working on?
Our new Record!! It's going to have a strong Death metal influence... /Back to the Future/,
with a hint of / The Great Gatsby /.
#
http://blogs.nashvillescene.com/nashvillecream/2008/10/new_from_acony_records_the_whi.php
New From Acony Records: The Whispertown 2000's
Swim/
By D. Patrick Rodgers in Whatevs
http://blogs.nashvillescene.com/nashvillecream/whatevs/
Thursday, Oct. 23 2008 @ 9:40AM
But I must say, /Swim/ isn’t bad.
While it occasionally hovers dangerously close to the upbeat, lyrical whimsy of
twee, blatantly dark songs like “No Dope” ground /Swim/ nearer to the anti-folk set (Mirah, et cetera).
Imagine if She & Him’s debut/Volume One/ was a significantly more substantial, idiosyncratic listen with intermittent hints of Nashville flavor.
Plus, you’ll probably never hear Zooey Deschanel start off a song with a line like “I can’t goddamn believe this shit.”
#
http://anikainlondon.wordpress.com/2009/09/20/review-the-whispertown-2000-at-luminaire/
Review: The Whispertown 2000 at Luminaire
http://anikainlondon.wordpress.com/2009/09/20/review-the-whispertown-2000-at-luminaire/
Posted by anikainlondon on September 20, 2009
The best part of the set, for me, was the encore. I wondered what they would do
and I thought about requesting/Through A Hole/, but I thought that they could
do literally anything from their catalogue and I would love it… so I just
waited.
Morgan said ‘we’re going to try and do an old one… if I can remember it’. She
played the C chord and I was like YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! WOO. I
know that C chord! I love that C chord! I nudged my friend in my excitement and
did a little swoon.
Morgan was like ‘do you know it?’. Of course I know it! She and Casey beckoned me onto the Luminaire’s stage to sing with them. Normally, when I am rational, I would say NO. But, I was excitable and jumped up on stage and sang along to one of my most favourite Whispertown songs: THROUGH A HOLE. So special. There’s a part in the song that goes ‘ who’s that knockiiin? (/CLAP CLAP /) two in the mornnnnin/‘”.
The clap-clap part is one of my favourite things to do, in any given situation. Whenever I hear that song, I clap. I always clap. Even if it’s in the silent office at work, I’m going to clap. So, I sang and clapped with one of my most favourite bands ever and had a wonderful time. I hope to see Whispertown every time they play London, I love their music so much and their shows make me so happy.
#
http://www.daytrotter.com/dt/whispertown2000-sharing-borders-with-bottled-excitement-some-yell-and-some-gossip-since-2005-concert/20030061-3737489.html
Whispertown2000
Sharing Borders With Bottled Excitement, Some Yell And Some Gossip Since 2005
Feb 8, 2007
by Sean Moeller
What awes you?
MN: Open space, outer space, and really
old tall trees. And new
perspective.
Whispertown2000, we offer, as an exception to meaningless names everywhere, to monikers that are indefensible and woefully non-descriptive. So the name is still meaningless, the numerical suffix pointless, but in cahoots with songs that become miniature nests for lazy, lilting dream sequences that never get too far-flung, tabernacles for those hankering to toss a ring around the neck of the feeling of everlasting comfort -- which seems to rush by like a comet or a flash -- the name cuts a striking and fitting form.
The songs on the self-released (soon-to-be released in Europe) debut album Livin' In A Dream/ come lay at your feet with soft tongues and expressive smokiness that is only visible during the points of a night when the babies are put down for their nightly slumbers and the creaking of a floorboard being walked across can sound like a single explosion of cannon fire, singeing through the silence.
The songs aren't babied in the least and they're not really precious. They just tug on your sleeves, hoping to be held just cause they enjoy the closeness. Nagler's voice is all girl, but aged like a grape plucked from a vine. They say that a grape draws out the history of the earth it's grown in - the lives formerly lived in that area, the taste of maple from the neighboring trees - and it's this that makes wine such an expressive drink. It gives wine its unique vocabulary. Perhaps Nagler benefits from the same sort of process because within the songs she writes comes history and a naked feeling of life that's gone, life that's here and life that's soon to be, though she can't very be in three places at once and bringing them together is a logistical nightmare.
There are restless old souls, pleas for hints at what the future brings and yet there's no hurry to get there. She's inundated with the minutia that gives our palette something to do when it's bored and lazing. She would make a terrific wine. Her songs make a terrific wine. You'll run your tongue over your lips and around the insides of your cheeks, cheerfully grabbing all of the stowaway imprints that are meant to enrich the experience.
#
/
http://pontifikate.wordpress.com/2009/04/14/lean-back-wine/
LEAN BACK, WINE.
April 14, 2009, 5:49 pm
http://www.anotherformofrelief.com/images/whispertown2000.jpg
Roommate and myself, having been longtime fans of indie-rock-woman-thrush Rilo Kiley/, have followed the band in a near biblical way since they first graced our ears back in the early years of collegedom. Having frequented many a show, we soon became privy to their comrade band Whispertown 2000 http://www.thewhispertown2000.com/, a raspy, melodic grass-roots ditty fronted by Jenny Lewis’ longtime compadre Morgan Nagler. Having witnessed the near-birth of the band, we opined that the folksy quartet made for a kitschy guilty pleasure, but that the sparse and waivering vocals, tweedle-dee-picked guitar, and sloppy instrumentation colored the band green and a bit wet behind the ears.
However, there was something there – something underlyingly wonderful to it all, something that made you tap your toes in bed at night and mimick Morgan’s flustering blustery voice. We quickly shed all notions that Whispertown 2000 was not a band to be taken seriously, and we began to listen to them with the car windows down for all the world to hear....
Their songs spoke of woe and hope, death and depravity – both haunting and sweet. The intertwined voices of Morgan and songbird Vanesa Corbala creep out of clarity bell to the sandy soot of New Mexico and echo off the Rio Grande. It was a beautiful poison that sank into our ears for that short half an hour – and their appearance, an adorable candid Polaroid of Morgan flexing her musical marksmanship, and a delectable sliver of Maxwell’s fried brie made the trip more than worthwhile. Throw back a six pack in the afterlife!
#
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/whispertown2000
Livin' In A Dream
Love it.
author: Ashli
Great CD. Heard them live but didn't have the money to get the CD right then and there. Can't wait for the next one. For my boyfriend he is hesitant, but I'm convincing him that if he see's them live he will understand because the girls are adorable to watch. Love listening to it while I drive.
Scrumptrellescent.
author: Emily Winkler
I had heard a few of whispertown's songs and fell in love on the spot. When I bought the cd, I wasn't expecting to love every song as much as the first I had heard and lo and behold, I DID! Whispertown2000 kicks ass and takes names, for real.
Lovely
author: Andre'
Morgan really sings like she means it, and you can feel the genuine energy from each song...not to mention the chilling harmonies.
#
http://www.comfortcomes.com/2008/12/16/the-whispertown-2000-swim/
The uncoordinated harmonies and simplistic lyrics in “103? and “Pushing Oars” were reminiscent of Daniel Johnston’s “Ain’t No Woman Gonna Make a George Jones Outta Me,” although the piano was nice on the latter.
By the time the band reached “Erase the Lines” it had agreed on what notes to sing; this song and “Atlantis” would not be out of place beside Shivaree’s “Good Night, Moon.” “Lock and Key” has a “Smokin’ in the Boys’ Room” feel and it is my favorite song in this album.
“From the Start/Jamboree” begins with harmonica which transitions to dirty guitar before really picking up the pace with a blend of as clapping, banjo, guitar and cowbells(?) in addition to some fine hillbilly singing.
#
http://wearsthetrousers.com/2008/12/01/the-whispertown-2000-swim-2008/
THE WHISPERTOWN 2000: SWIM (2008)
December 1, 2008, 2:56 pm
The open-armed accessibility of / Swim / is similar to being ushered into an exclusive late night lock-in, wherein the urge to dance to these eleven ramshackle yet endearing songs might prove compelling.
At the very least, you’ll be on the edge of your seat as Morgan Nagler’s appealingly raw lead vocals add a touch of worldly rebelliousness to the mix. A little bluesy, a little alt-country, a lot like a drunken howl at the moon, /Swim / makes for a highly entertaining listening experience. Its introverted side is orchestrated best on the reckless but contemplative ‘No Dope’, and contrasted by the cheerfully wistful ‘Old Times’.
“Nothing’s gonna get me like the old times,” Nagler croons on the latter over irresistible handclaps with drummer Vanesa Corbala adding perfectly imperfect harmonies in a sing-song fashion.
The Whispertown formula is a generally simple but effective equation. Where songs are not stripped bare to sweetly mingling voices, guitar and the odd bit of percussion and keyboard, they occasionally dabble with noisy crescendos, such as on ‘Erase The Lines’ where a mantra of sinister calm is built up through whistling before the song erupts. Then there’s the brooding ‘Ebb & Flow’, which triumphantly staggers towards the edge, clinging on for dear life, as the room stops spinning for a while.
A definite highlight is ‘Atlantis’, a wonderful yin to the yang, as sweet as a pondering soul could hope to be through a drunken haze, unfurled over a spacious piano melody as Jenny Lewis and Gillian Welch chime in on harmonies. ( / Swim / is the first outsider release on Welch’s Acony Records.)
Elsewhere, The Whispertown 2000’s ‘one for the road’, ‘From The Start / Jamboree’ is potentially a rip-off of Starland Vocal Band’s ‘Afternoon Delight’, but most certainly rivalling it in the urge to sing it stupidly and gleefully again and again stakes, not to mention those high kicks returning for the brilliant finale of duelling guitars.
Overall, / Swim / is as completely fulfilling as a much-needed night out on the tiles, and if ever the time has come to let the proverbial hair down, it is now. Embrace your inner drunk.
#
http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/p825
The Whispertown 2000
http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/artists/ff5060a5-8d1f-4516-9592-0252a065fb00
/ Swim / Review
"Naylor's chameleonesque vocal persona soon begins to work its magic."
Jon Lusk 2009-01-27
On first listen, this LA-based indiefolk band's second album sounds like a half-arsed, ramshackle mess fronted by a woman who can't hold a tune. Persevere, because Naylor's chameleonesque vocal persona soon begins to work its magic, and her inventive way with melodies starts making sense. It's hardly surprising the first band to sign to Gillian Welch and David Rawlings Acony label should have an ear for semi-acoustic alt. country, and even backwoods hoedowns, but Whispertown 2000 also revel in light touches of psychedelia.
Get past the throwaway playground chant of 103, and that becomes apparent in the backwards guitars and dreamy backing vocals of Done With Love. Naylor has a distinctive and appealing way of toying with words, first evident on the phrase, ''tell everyone I'm done with love'. Erase The Lines takes the wiggyness further, with surreal lyrics (''spotted tiger spotted me''), unhinged whistling and a percussive crescendo. Both this and the carefree country strum of Lock And Key suggest an affinity with (fellow Californian) Ryan McPhun's band The Ruby Suns.
On the electric soul/blues gumbo of Ebb And Flow, Naylor's shrill tones seem to echo blue-eyed soul firebrand Laura Nyro, while on Mountain she's closer to an extra-sulky Cat Power offering a twisted take on The Rolling Stones' Love In Vain. So yeah, the 1960s live on in the 2000s.
#
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/feb/01/review-whispertown-2000-swim
Neil Spencer
The Observer,
Sunday 1 February 2009
1. The Whispertown 2000
2. Swim (Acony)
There's a buzz about this LA quartet, whose mainstay, aspiring actress Morgan Nagler, numbers celebrity admirers like Conor Oberst. Their lo-fi indie rock comes laced with antique country flavours and front-porch harmonies, a mix that gels to quirky appeal on, say, "Pushing Oars".. Nagler can certainly write a song - opener "103" is a droll comment on ageing and "Atlantis" yearns for a state of grace to a simple, stately piano - but a touch more rigour wouldn't undermine her authenticity. Country stars Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, whose label signed the band, should know that.
#
http://www.uncut.co.uk/music/whispertown_2000/reviews/12659
ALBUM REVIEW: WHISPERTOWN 2000 - SWIMWhispertown 2000(Acony)Second LP from much-fancied LA quartet
Fast forward to early 2008 and Whispertown 2000, now a four-piece, had opened for Rilo Kiley and Bright Eyes across the US, self-released a decent-selling debut LP and impressed Gillian Welch so much they became the first signings to her Acony label. Lewis calls Nagler her favourite songwriter and Conor Oberst, another uber-fan, has likened her angular, country-leaning songs to “old Chinese proverbs”.
A cursory listen to this second album is enough to realise it’s not just mere hype. / Swim / is the kind of record you wish people made more often: rural music played by suburban kids with an intuitive feel for the unruly punk heart of old-time country. Nagler’s expressive voice has a baleful twang that shunts these songs - some with the most minimal of arrangements, some like ragged revivalist hoedowns – into the same lugubrious territory as Bonnie Billy or Oberst himself.
It’s a ploy that cleverly subverts itself on “Lock And Key” and “From The Start Jamboree”, where their own communal folk shanty is appended by a foggy mountain breakdown that’s part Bill Monroe, part Silver Jews. They’re experimental too, prone to sudden squalls of guitar, weird electronic bits and even weirder whistling noises that sound like some spectral tribe hooting an advance across the Virginia hills. In the case of “Erase The Lines”, all within the same song.
Nagler’s more famous chums are here too, albeit in subtle form: Lewis and Welch adding hushed harmonies to the icy, piano-led ballad, “Atlantis”. But this is a disquieting, spiny record that ultimately stands on its own. 2009 may well be a big year. #
http://laist.com/2008/10/26/laist_cd_review_the_whispertown_200.php
LAist CD Review: The Whispertown 2000
Whispertown 2000 is the first band to be signed to Gillian Welch http://www.gillianwelch.com/news/index.htm and her musical partner David Rawling's Acony Records. Their debut album, Swim/ moves effortlessly through the Alabama back country with slow drawl country ease and back toward big city drums. It is an achievement of sizable proportions from a quartet that has already garnered big name fans, from Welch to Conor Oberst to Jenny Lewis...
It would be easy to chalk up Whispertown as the next Rilo Kiley.
There are, of course, strong similarities (sterling voiced female leads, back up male vocals and too many songs about love), but where Rilo Kiley has failed of late, Whispertown takes up the slack.
"Swim" boils over with attitude and eclectic feats of subdued imagery. Its 11 tracks, for the most part, show a timeless, care-free longing for good times and friendship that are as much an anthem for our every day lives as any generations.
On “Done with Love," Nagler sings with a fatalistically somber tone that guides the more bluesy track. If “103” showed a blissful hope for eternal love, “Done with Love” seeks to prove Matt Groening correct: Love is hell http://www.randomhouse.com/pantheon/graphicnovels/lovehell_5.html.
But sad can be gorgeous (just ask anyone who's listened to Elliott Smith) and Nagler—accompanied by an array of instruments and voices – seems to understand this perfectly. For example, third track “Pushing Oars” sings about an existential sea journey with walls “falling away” and boats swaying on the rocky sea. It is backed up by Tilly & the Wall keyboardist Nick White on piano, a guest musician theme that Whispertown rides throughout the album.
Through sadness and isolation there are signs of hope, mostly through 2:52 of the album's unequivocal zenith: “Erase the Lines,” a group hug of a ditty with a majestic build and crescendo in the vein of Radiohead's You and Whose Army. It starts off softly, with both Nagler and Corbala sharing lead vocals. Tod Wisenbaker enters the refrain with a broken voice of deep symbolism who once again gives way to the women, synthesized whistling and two minutes of beautiful raucousness calling on the incredible capacity of each band mate.
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http://www.culturebully.com/interview-with-morgan-nagler-of-whispertown-2000
Interview with Morgan Nagler of Whispertown 2000
Submitted by Chris DeLine on October 30, 2008
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Eqm-3_-Y_XGfK6Xjbr0b2A
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| From Fredette Benefit 3 |
photo by Autumn de Wilde
CD:
How did you approach Swim/ compared to Livin’ in a Dream/? When you started recording thenew album did Swim / seem like a distant memory?
MN: Swim/ was approached very differently. On Livin’ in a Dream/ I played the songs and then everyone else made up parts on the spot, for the most part, and also we recorded in various locations at various times. For Swim / the songs were all totally worked out and rehearsed (for the most part), and recorded in a consecutive block of time. We were much more developed as a band, and continue to morph into ourselves. Yes, Livin’ in a Dream/ seems like a distant memory, or dream, if you will. I’m fond of beginnings... CD: Livin’ in a Dream / featured guest appearances by Rilo Kiley’s Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennett as well as Jonathan Rice. Did anyone outside of the band join you in the studio this time around?
MN:
Yes, Jenny Lewis, Gillian Welch, and David Rawlings joined us in harmony on “Atlantis;” Nick White, from Tilly and the Wall, played lovely piano on “Pushing Oars;” Jason Boesel and Rawlings joined us on “Jamboree,” Rami Jaffee played organ and piano and Jake Bellows, from Neva Dinova made vibed out contributions. Our friends are so nice, talented, funny, cool, and good looking. And smart.
CD:
Two of those names were fairly influential in your musical career. How tightly knit are you with a lot of bands in the Los Angeles area?
MN:
We’re very tightly knit with our friends in Los Angeles, and all over the country, really. We admire and appreciate their art and kindness and support.
#
http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2008/12/the-whispertown-2000-goes-with-the-flow.html
The Whispertown 2000 Goes with the Flow
Album: Swim/
Hometown:
Los Angeles
Band Members:
Morgan Nagler (vocals, guitar), Tod Adrian
Wisenbaker (guitar, drums), Vanesa Corbala (vocals, percussion), Casey Holden Wisenbaker (bass, drums)
For Fans Of;
Cat Power, CocoRosie, Rilo Kiley
Whispertown 2000 frontwoman Morgan Nagler travels with an inflatable mattress. She used to live in a two-bedroom tent in her mother's back yard. She slept under a dining room table when the band shared a Los Angeles apartment, and she currently calls a converted laundry room home.
Even her drawl is versatile and free-flowing, shifting a line like “tell everyone I’m done with love” from nonchalance to concern with a fluid change of timbre.
Nagler formed the band—which inflects her lo-fi folksongs with grubby country-soul—at the encouragement of Rilo Kiley’s Blake Sennett and Jenny Lewis. Jimmy Tamborello of Dntel produced an early track. And after hearing their harmony-laden cover of “Look at Miss Ohio” at a Nashville show, Gillian Welch signed the band to her label Acony Records.
Fans partake in the lovefest, too.
The band’s cozy living-room shows once earned a thank-you package of tequila, John Fante books and a 1977 Martin acoustic guitar from a grateful host—a gesture Nagler recognized as fitting encouragement. “When things like that are happening,” she says, “you really know you're on the right path.”
#
http://blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-the-whispertown-2000-swim/
Music Review: The Whispertown 2000 - / Swim /
Author: Sarah C. Culver — Published: Oct 20, 2008 at 4:18 pm,
http://blogcritics.org/archive/2008/10/20/
Headed up by founder and lead singer Morgan Nagler, The Whispertown 2000 boasts pedigreed associations attracted soon after the band’s inception in 2005. Tours with Bright Eyes and Jenny Lewis testify to the potential of this new band. Their first album, Livin’ in a Dream /, borrowed producers Jimmy Tamborello from the Postal Service and Blake Sennett of Rilo Kiley, but remains only available online and at live shows.
The mutual statement made by Gillian Welch’s choice of The Whispertown 2000 as the first band other than her own to represent Acony records and the band’s identification with folk icon Welch set both band and label squarely into the still nebulous genre of indie folk. Clearly drawing inspiration from traditional folk and paying full homage with rowdy songs such as "Old Times," The Whispertown 2000 sparingly adds updated synthesized elements to their rootsy guitar strums. The resulting album, Swim /, has all the catchiness and sing-along draw of folk music reimagined for a new generation.
Nagler’s chameleon voice, backed by band mate Vanesa Corbala, sets a slightly different mood for each song so that at one moment you might mistake the vocals for an airy Radiohead ballad, another song recalls the half speak of Tori Amos, one could be the crooning of Cat Power, another evokes a modern remake of a Grease style number. Even the melancholy songs such as Atlantis, with Gillian Welch contributing haunting background vocals, are pervaded by an enthusiasm and optimism that brings one of the best traits of folk music to its marriage with indie rock.
^
http://www.nme.com/images/09126_173411_whispertown.jpg
http://www.nme.com/blog/index.php?blog=15&p=5610&more=1&c=1
Whispertown 2000 - Jenny Lewis' Favourite Alt-Country Balladeers
26/01/09
If you're one of the cult of NME readers that bow down at Jenny Lewis' silky hot-panted altar of nouveau-roots shmindie, you may already know this alarmingly peachy-cheeked four-piece.
I for one thought that all alt-country bands consisted exclusively of men that dress in gnat-ravaged plaid, have cowboy boots with spurs encrusted with sand grains from the original Wild West, and sport the kind of facial hair that conceals ravaging vultures feasting on the dried remnants of last Tuesday's breakfast grits. Apparently not so.
These guys are Whispertown 2000 . They play country-influenced bluesy ballads that make you wanna tie an apple, a lump of cheese and a crusty cob roll up in a gingham napkin, stick it on the end of a twig and march off into the blood-red sunset, whistling something about railroad maintenance.
^
http://ohinvertedworldclub.wordpress.com/2009/09/14/whispertown2000/
Whispertown2000
September 14, 2009
Whispertown 2000 were apparently brought together by
http://www.thewhispertown2000.com/download/
As a taster, here’s a track that’s only available on the limited edition 6-track EP (instead of your regular kind of 4 tracker) called “When The Day Is Done”. You can get it for free from the official Whispertown website too, just click HERE.
http://thelockandkey.wordpress.com/2008/10/22/the-whispertown-2000-part-deux/
THE WHISPERTOWN 2000, PART DEUX
http://thelockandkey.wordpress.com/2008/10/22/the-whispertown-2000-part-deux/>
October 22, 2008, 5:47 pm
So again, this is off topic, but I just received my “pre-order” of The
Whispertown 2000’s new album, Swim, and it has some gorgeous packaging. Seriously, this isn’t some jewel-case major-label crap.
Plus, it comes with the lyrics, which is a major bonus for someone like me who
can’t tell “lawn” from “loft” (in “Old Times”).
Anyway, the real reason I wanted to talk about Whispertown was because I’m in love with their song “Erase the Lines” right now, and I had to share the lyrics, because they’re so fitting for this particular political climate we’re stuck with right now (I mean, seriously, can we please stop the middle-school trash-talk?). Morgan’s description of the song is: “This is a song about prejudices in our history and of today I wish for One Love.
And believe it’s true.”
/
/
/Once a pine, in olden times, not far away from now,
He let down a single bow, and gave himself a crown./
/
He said I’m tall and you are small, to clover on the ground,
So clover spread himself around
And covered pine tree up and down./
/
This is my side of the mountain
Only youth would share his fountain
Only you can see the green leaf turn from red to brown./
/
The spotted tiger spotted me, an all white bird with a yellow beak.
He stared me down, he wouldn’t speak,
He let me go ’cause I was weak./
/
Hide I did, did never seek, I perched upon the tallest peak,
And all the birds would flock to me, to live in bird like harmony.../
^
#
http://www.frontandcenterrock.com/interviews/whispertown2000.html
Well, that's all I have for you unless there's anything else you'd like to share? Vanessa?
Vanessa: Something to share?
Morgan: Vanessa said she did 8 pull-ups today! So that's impressive.
Casey: And check out our Tumblr, cause it's pretty cool. That's it? We have nothing genuis to say?
Morgan: Why don't you tell your joke you made up?
Csasey: Oh, I did make up a joke today! Why did the bagel stop being friends with the croissant?
I have no idea...
Casey: Cause he was kind of flaky.
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