THE PLURAL OF THE CHOIR marks the beginning of an innovative stage for SETTLEFISH: one that finds the band flexing its musical muscle, composing songs that shift from sweeping, haunting mini-epics to terse, pulsating blasts of cacophony, wrenching and wringing the unmistakably American genre of indie rock into an inventive sound bursting with an unconventional European perspective. SETTLEFISH revels in the forays of sound that boil below the surface of ordinary experience...and it's this sort of exploration that propels this sophomore effort into unexpected, exhilarating directions.
Successful tours of the United States, UK and Europe provide SETTLEFISH with a unique medley of ideas and inspiration for songwriting, but vocalist Jonathan Clancy keeps the lyrics grounded in personal history as well. Travelling back to the naivety of childhood summers in British Columbia (Canada) and reflecting on the rediscovery of his current home city of Bologna (Italy) after a failed relationship, Clancy brings a world-wary perspective. In fact, much of THE PLURAL OF THE CHOIR delves into human interaction and how we grasp for common markers to define those relationships. “When communication and intimacy break down, it leaves us searching for something to cling to...but it can also resuscitate other aspects of our lives,” says Clancy.
THE PLURAL OF THE CHOIR was produced by Brian Deck, best known for his work on Modest Mouse's ‘The Moon And Antarctica’ as well as records from Iron & Wine, Tortoise and The Sea And Cake. He also lent an admirable hand with percussion and drums on this release; something he also did while a member of both Red Red Meat and Califone. Deck skillfully combines layers of atmospheric sound, dynamic interplay between guitars and rhythm section and the bombastic, vocal outbursts the band is known for into something more fluid and cohesive than we could have ever imagined.
It's only logical that SETTLEFISH top off this masterwork with the renowned artistry of Tae Won Yu, who has designed album covers and graphic identities for the likes of Built To Spill, Beck, Versus and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. According to Yu, the images are a reflection of the band's elaborate, intertwining lyrics of consequence and the give-and-take of the human condition. “To me, the lovers are entangled in the impossibility of communication, and when words become puzzles, they get away from their owners and become nature...birds and flowers become beautiful chaos” says Yu.
Needless to say, SETTLEFISH find themselves in good company, and deservedly so. THE PLURAL OF THE CHOIR is a sprawling, poignant body of work, tightly wound with imagination and joined with turbulent bouts of instrumental discord. Perhaps this is SETTLEFISH’s greatest accomplishment; dissecting our reliance on the norms of interaction - not only through music, but also words, mood, art and environment - and invoking something so compelling that asks as many questions as it answers.
SETTLEFISH is Jonathan Clancy (vocals, guitar), Emilio Torreggiani (guitar), Bruno Germano (guitar, vocals, synth, organ), Phil Soldati (drums, percussion) and Paul Pieretto (bass, vocals, electronics). The band resides in Bologna, Italy. THE PLURAL OF THE CHOIR was recorded and mixed in mid summer 2004 by Brian Deck (modest Mouse, Iron & Wine, Tortoise and The Sea And Cake) in Rubiera, Italy. SETTLEFISH’s critically acclaimed debut DANCE A WHILE, UPSET (DER-423) as well as a split CDEP with labelmates Sounds Like Violence and Desert City Soundtrack (DER-437) were also released on Deep Elm.
"Settlefish bring you to your knees with an explosive sound that's all their own." -Alternative Press "Settlefish is raw, real, and there's no facade and no boredom, just utter brilliance." - Rock Sound UK
- The Plural Of The Choir CD (DER-441)
- Dance A While, Upset CD (DER-423)
- Desert City Soundtrack/ Settlefish/ Sounds Like Violence CDEP (DER-437)
- Emo Diaires No. 9: Sad Songs Remind Me CD (DER-424)
- Too Young To Die: Preventing Youth Suicide CD (DER-427)
- Deep Elm Sampler No. 5: This Is How I Kill My Tears CD (DER-430)
- Deep Elm Sampler No. 4: Hearts Bleed Blue CD (DER-415)
- Emo Is Awesome / Emo Is Evil 2 CD (DER-667)
"Settlefish, Italy's best export, delivers on The Plural Of The Choir, their second full-length. This fifteen track album has a solid sauce of post-hardcore and a sprinkling of jazzy inflections...and no extra cheese, thankfully." - Alternative Press
"Settlefish create a sense of panicked urgency from the moment the listener hits play. Deep Elm comes up trumps once again, unsurprising indeed, but still never ceasing to impress. Settlefish's music is raw, it's real, there's no facade and no boredom, just utter brilliance." - Rock Sound
"Intelligent, vocal and with a sound that draws as much from the pool of European noise pop as it does from the glowing embers of American post hardcore, Settlefish's The Plural Of The Choir is a bold, audacious groundswell of the quintet's rich creative juices. Opening with the haunting mini-epic Kissing Is Chaos - a song that takes its cues from the shifting sonics and subtle repetition of a fledgling Mogwai - this record slowly unfurls its wings to unearth a band pushing the hardcore formula to breaking point. In places the genre's atypical rage and bile has been replaced by a matured and thoughtful intimacy that couples quite splendidly with some truly exceptional displays of songwriting. More a puzzle than an album, if ever hardcore was looking for pioneers to lead it from stale self-repetition they needn't look further than Settlefish." - Noyz
"Taking major strides forward from their debut, Settlefish teams with producer Brian Deck for an album in The Plural Of The Choir whose technical edge and conceptual lyrics don't stand in the way of its easy enjoyment. They simply add to it, which is more than most of indie's hipster crowd ever achieved. Settlefish unravels songs whose chiming guitars and loping dynamics hide songs with depths far more compelling than standard-issue indie-rock gimmicks. Although rumbling drums and shouted vocals give Oh Well a punch, it belies the intricacy of the songwriting. Blinded by Noise channels freaked-out angular guitars and bursts of percussive drum rolls, but underneath the din sits a quietly melodic rocker. Others like To The North and The Barnacle Beach show off angular guitars descended through a few twists and turns from the Cap'n Jazz wellspring. The Plural Of The Choir isn't the flashiest or most immediate album you'll run across, but that's its charm. Rather than trade pop accessibility for its convoluted arrangements, Settlefish opts for introverted, though often energetic, tunes that deliver what indie rock was created for: smart-alecky charms, good-natured hooks and the brains to match them together." - Aversion
"Settlefish have always been a favorite of mine since appearing on Emo Diaries Chapter 9. With it's latest release, The Plural Of The Choir, the band has truly outdone itself. Only three tracks deep and we gave the nod to move it to our possible best-of 2005 list. Settlefish enlisted the help of Brian Deck to capture their sound as it was meant to be heard; every layer, guitar echo, throaty pine of poetic distress is elegantly captured here. However, Deck is secondary to the actual music. The Plural Of The Choir portrays the strifes of an ended relationship and the hope that can arise. All this is masterfully captured with the most inventive guitar interplay, atmospheric drumming illusions and vocal pleas since Appleseed Cast's Low Level Owl. There's stomping, clicks, banging, shouting, beautiful choruses and at times they had me wanting to hurl my fist in the air. The artwork by Tae Won Yu is excellent, and reflects the dreamy urgency of the record. The Plural Of The Choir leaves you so fulfilled, yet you really want more. This is a must have." - Crooked Camera
"Italy's Settlefish access the right amount of honesty and poignancy, and they've managed to at once do something different and do something right. Creating music that's culled directly from the heart, the quintet's explosive sound could come from none other than their own." - Alternative Press
"Anyone who caught Settlefish on their last UK trek would attest to them being an entertaining live proposition, and this promise is fulfilled, and then some on The Plural Of The Choir. Sounding like a car crash between At The Drive-In and Pavement, before being pulled from the wreckage by the Ivory Coast, it's an eclectic blend of hardcore and post-rock that soothes as much as it screams. From the epic opener of Kissing Is Chaos to the off-kilter train of consciousness of The Barnacle Beach, Settlefish infuse each twist and turn with bags of personality and style." - Big Cheese
"Every once in a while, a record comes along that is fresh and invigorating, breathing life into a world where music means nothing any more. The Plural Of The Choir is challenging, interesting and mature: a record that makes you think, almost drifting off with the jazzy interludes that Settlefish create. It suffers from none of the genre restrictions that so many bands seem to tie themselves down to. When a band like Settlefish comes along and forcibly rips up the rule book and does things their way, you have to marvel at it. Tracks such as Kissing Is Chaos sweep majestically from the haunting atmospherics of guitar feedback, through to Clancy's vocals which inspire and drift, taking you on a musical journey. I've listened to this album on repeat for hours and hours while thinking of how to pen this review, and I've never thought once to change it, skip a track or God forbid switch it off. The Plural Of The Choir has inspired me to go out and find exciting new music again...and if music has the ability to help pull you out of a rut, then that surely has to be a massive compliment to Settlefish." - Punktastic
"Settlefish is able to create layers of melodic texture on The Plural Of The Choir with its ability to vary between subtle and driving song dynamics, taking cues from such indie rock stalwarts as Red Stars Theory, 764-Hero and Modest Mouse. Shifting between moments of minimal guitar arpeggios, fluid jazz-like bass leanings, lush vocals, ringing guitar jabs as well as noisy whirlwinds of distortion and short bouts of shouted vocals, Settlefish create balance in their songs' composition. Their greatest strength may be the ability to not milk each song's hook to death. The end result is a long lasting appeal. The Plural Of The Choir is a joyful exercise in emotional, sonic melodic longing that will be revisited by anyone who wants to believe that indie rock still has a vibrant pulse." - Under The Volcano
"Don't rest on your laurels too long during the feedback-laden intro on Settlefish's latest, The Plural Of The Choir. Soon enough they burst through like a blooming flower in spring rearing its head for all to appreciate. Produced by Brian Deck, responsible for Modest Mouse's ground breaking The Moon And Antarctica, Settlefish just may reach the pinnacle that the aforementioned group reached last year. Settlefish's brand of poignant music stirs the melting pot of indie rock with the same spoon that so many vitally important indie rockers have used before. Their home in Italy will be proud to know that they have produced one of the purveyors of layered dissonance, unafraid of the consequences that The Plural Of The Choir may pose to the idea of pop." - Smother
"The Plural Of The Choir is a fifteen track masterpiece about love, loss and friendship. The most original part of Settlefish is the vocal ability of Jonathan Clancy, who is able to put real feelings and emotion into the words, making you feel what he's singing like it's your own personal experience. Without trying to hype it too much, I do believe this is one of the five best records that Deep Elm ever released." - Truepunk
"Settlefish impressed me with their last Deep Elm effort, but The Plural Of The Choir shows they've grown...and in a good direction too. The record is a more streamlined, while even letting in a few more influences. Kissing is Chaos goes from an almost-shoegazer lullaby to a catchy power pop number. Oh Well kicks in the familiar At the Drive-In-esque sound I found on their debut. The Marriage Funeral Man is the perfect blend of everything mentioned thus far. Blinded By Noise is a nod to either Sonic Youth or Drive Like Jehu...I can't decide. Two Cities, Two Growths is indescribable; it's just a great song. We Please The Night, Drama closes out the record with an epic, emo heart-tugger." - Feast Of Hate And Fear
"The Plural Of The Choir from Settlefish is a glorious reminder of times when emo wasn't a dirty word; happy times which may return if more bands concentrated on making complex, heartfelt music like this instead of brainless commercial cack. Things get off to an awesome start with the epic Kissing Is Chaos, building from hushed, sweeping drones to an anthemic climax which sounds like the Appleseed Cast playing a gig on Mars. Over the course of the next fourteen tracks, Settlefish map out a highly engaging musical journey which flits from short bursts of beauty, Modest Mouse / Les Savy Fav style ranting and further space emo odysseys like The Second Week Of Summer. There's not a dull moment on this record which is packed full of cool, intricate guitar interplay, passionate vocals and interesting song arrangements. The Plural Of The Choir is a top-drawer piece of work which breaths new life into a dying genre." - Static Domain
"Settlefish's latest, The Plural Of The Choir, offers maturity and diversity and is the kind of album any band wishing to describe themselves as indie rock would love to make. From the opener, the gently building Kissing Is Chaos, it's clear we are witness to something special. Songs are built and stripped, pushed and pulled so just when you think you've worked it out, it all changes. They can be angular and tense or gentle and haunting. In some ways The Plural Of The Choir is a concept album: Jonathan Clancy's way of exorcising and reflecting on elements of his life after the breakdown of a relationship. This allows us to hear an honest album peppered with regret, joy, longing and bitterness. In short, this is the sound of a band creating something unique and inventive." - Tasty
"Where Settlefish's debut was a roller coaster of abrasive, yet introspective edginess, The Plural Of The Choir kicks off in a more sedate, exploratory manner. The opener follows a ponderous, meandering path before exploding into the kind of action normally associated with the band. Oh Well is a rumbling nugget of fiery passion while The Barnacle Beach is possessed with an infectious, breezy sense of joie de vivre. A riff that might not have seemed out of place for At The Drive-In introduces the marvelous It Was Bliss, insistent and powerful. If Settlefish have learned anything in the two years between records, it's that it's possible to take a more measured approach to songwriting and still convey the message and emotion intended. The final track is a mini epic, building from a quiet piano-based melody, leaving you anticipating a promised explosion, winding itself around an instrumental section, teasing and tormenting until we reach the summit, at which point Settlefish have crafted an all-encompassing soundscape. Suddenly, breathlessly, it is over. The Plural Of The Choir fades to quiet, leaving behind some discordant, echoing notes and a sense of overwhelming exhilaration. This record represents a more developed sound for Settlefish, one of Deep Elm's finest bands. The Plural Of The Choir combines elegant artistry with a raw sense of urgency and lends a recently-missing sense of credibility to overtly emotional music." - Alternative Nation
"Complex, progressive rock...Settlefish tunes on The Plural Of The Choir are simultaneously harsh and calming. The band play an unfamiliar brand of rock music, and while there are enough familiar threads to latch onto, there are just as many strange and foreign ingredients in the mix. Propelled by the lyrics and vocals of front man Jonathan Clancy, the songs on The Plural of the Choir are anything but obvious and ordinary. The rhythms and bass lines are particularly tasty, providing a solid foundation for the musical gymnastics. Clever mental rockers include Kissing Is Chaos, Sparrow You Will Fly, Ice In The Origin and We Please The Night, Drama. Intriguing material." - Babysue
"With Settlefish's debut album, Dance A While, Upset, you are immediately struck with the anthematic qualities of the songs this band creates. The opening track Breeze cruises along like its name, building and fading, charging and retreating, using everything from drums, bass, guitar and vocals to a small horn section in an attempt at getting the point across. Then the chaotic aggression of Blindfold The Leaves takes your breath away in a completely different, but equally effective manner. The angular guitars are screaming as the drums beat them without a second thought, then the whole thing erupts into a rhythmically peculiar and overall mind-bending experience. Settlefish has shown a lot of promise here, as Dance A While, Upset oozes with energy and conviction in a way that sounds refreshingly new and exciting." - Alarm Magazine
"After witnessing Settlefish's impressive jaunt across America, the rock-listening public is at last able to enjoy Italy's latest post-punk desperadoes in the comfort of their own homes. Settlefish wowed many concert attendees and press folks (this one included) by being both distinctly different from their label mates and extremely energetic, and newly-minted fans will be pleased to know that the fellas don't disappoint on Dance A While, Upset. Jonathan Clancy's terse vocals and lyrics have a Cedric Bixler quality, but Settlefish is moodier and more technical than ATDI, and their guitar work is of a different species. What you'll really hear is the dissonant patchwork of pre-cello Cursive given a noisy kick in the pants by way of a third guitar. Yes, this is actually a three guitar band in which all three axe-slingers have a purpose other than increasing the volume, and with the complement of some blistering bass playing, you're left with a sensory bombardment of stabs, strums and feedback. The six strings really shine on Blindfold The Leaves when they culminate for a noisy finish of Sonic Youth-like proportions; the band also does a fine job exploring the warm and fuzzy end of the spectrum on Measures Can Divide; and then there's the spazz-core coda of Camouflage Iris, which has less to do with astute guitar playing and more with a remarkable rhythmic intensity. Such flashes of smart musicianship pulls Settlefish out of the rec ball field of emo and into the expansive arena of rock and roll. These rookies lay down slow-building rock like grizzled vets." - Splendid
"When it comes to uncompromising quality and singular attributes, Settlefish leaves its mark on indie rock with its debut, Dance A While, Upset. The atypical framework of these ten tracks seems to follow along the lines of glacial, subdued intros that twist and convolve into odd and disparate directions. Songs like Symmetry Pebbles build into cymbal-filled chaos and rickety guitar noodling; Camouflage Iris explodes into a maelstrom of blizzard-like percussion and alarm-bell guitar textures; the slow, quiet escalation of The Beauty That Corrodes evolves into a pendulum rhythm, and later a rippling, nebulous guitar effect. Still, there are plenty of examples of Settlefish getting right to the point, unleashing hellacious and stout rock capable of putting hair on your chest. The bass sizzles and pops, and at one point Settlefish launches into something resembling free-form jazz. Pilot has a serious hammering effect, but with lots of calms before the storm. The instrumentation on Artificial Synapse is controlled chaos coupled with the serpentine basslines. The closing number, Northern Town, is ten minutes of extremities and a whirring ambience is the only constant. Dance A While, Upset cements Settlefish as one of the most unique acts on the extensive Deep Elm roster." - The Journal Review
"It's easy to be emo-phobic given the mainstream's current infatuation with and subsequent annihilation of heart-on-your-sleeve-core. But while bands like Jimmy Eat World and Good Charlotte use big egos and even bigger budgets to achieve watered-down results, emo remains a vital, underground sound for bands with more grounded attitudes and humble production sounds. Okay, if you had told me all of that before hearing Italy's Settlefish, I might have sounded the bullshit alert too. But, after six minutes of album opener Breeze, or, as I call it, heaven, I'm utterly convinced of emo's continuing relevance. Dance a While, Upset doesn't fade away either; the remaining nine songs are each quirky, angular, lovely and driving in their own right. As long as Deep Elm keeps bringing us bands like Settlefish and Benton Falls I'll keep one foot aboard the good ship emo." - Jersey Beat
"Whoever said Italy is only worth its weight in noodles and tailoring skills presumably has yet to hear the country's freshest musical export, Settlefish. Their latest album offers a consistently gratifying listen, tendering plenty of tactful transitions within each brilliantly inventive song. If their technique was crafted to guarantee all listeners remain steadily attuned, it most definitely worked, and with flying colors. Settlefish's songs render an uncommon musical grace; and their proficient, silvery guitars and steady, trance-inducing drumbeats stylishly shift from serenading to blaring while accounting for just about all that lies between. The band's sound is all their own, while, at select points, recalling the raw inspiration of the early emo days, and on rarer occasion resembling a slightly less ambiguous At the Drive-In ("Blindfold the Leaves"). Dance Awhile, Upset is sharp and magnificently scattered, and establishes the band's tremendous array of talents and overall musical competency, and all in the time it takes to bake a pie." - Real Detroit Weekly
"Settlefish has an edgy sound that fits comfortably in the indie rock canon yet remains all their own, and Dance A While, Upset is highly deserving of multiple listens. The true power of the songs comes through after you get by the fact that they're playing loud and intense. Perhaps it's Jonathan Clancy's voice, the use of so many guitar parts that work together so well, or the addition of double-bass and even horns at times. But I think it's the band's quieter moments where the brilliance comes through. Gruff and urgent, yes, but also deeply personal. The highly technical yet angular and intense sound brings to mind the best of At the Drive-In. Still, many of the songs draw little such comparison, and these are the band's best...even more powerful and intense than most hardcore songs I've heard. Settlefish confronts the typical emo cliche and turns it on its ass. They are developing their own highly unique sound in an edgy and intense way. Settlefish may be the biggest and most pleasant surprise of the year for me. These songs are deep and personal, highly effective and powerful. Dance A While, Upset is truly an amazing album that just gets better with multiple listens. Cheers to Deep Elm for discovering this Italian band and bringing them to our attention." - Delusions Of Adequacy
"Arriving with little warning, Italy's Settlefish make one thing very clear on Dance A While, Upset; they're here to knock your socks off. Incredibly detailed, technically flawless and so damn infectious, the songs are equal parts raw punk energy and carefully sculpted, intricate indie rock melodies. The end result is an unforgettable debut bursting at the seams with potent screaming guitars, elaborate drum beats and a voice like no other. It's as if the band was able to capture a thunderstorm in a bottle, unleashing it into cautiously structured and incredibly precise melodies. These unexpected, unpredictable explosions of rich sound are what really give Settlefish life and make these ten songs so ridiculously addictive. Day after day, week after week, Dance A While, Upset will stay fresh and keep the rest of your record collection on the shelf collecting dust." - Punk Rock Reviews
"I read the lyrics on Dance A While and became obsessed with Settlefish before I ever heard a note. The lyrical imagery was phenomenal, yet when I finally decided to listen, I was not disappointed either. With their brand of post-hardcore, they have definitely pushed the bar even higher for the Deep Elm crew, who have already released a bevy of excellent albums this year from Brandtson, Red Animal War and Benton Falls. The moving drum lines and the urgent crunching dissonance of the guitars make Settlefish a very interesting listen, but the vocals of Jonathan Clancy are what make this band stand out. I can honestly say that this is one of the best albums I have heard all year. Settlefish's energetic take on music has restored faith in music. This will be in my top 20 of 2003 list and I can guarantee that Dance A While, Upset will not disappoint." - Indieworkshop
"The great thing about Dance A While, Upset from Settlefish is that it will appeal to such a wide audience. Punk fans will love it because of its powerful energy and spirit, while the musical technicality and vocal depth will attract indie and emo enthusiasts alike. Imagine a more melodic At The Drive-In on ritalin. For their debut, Settlefish draws you into a contradicting musical dream world of both peace and chaos. Soft, sweet melodies are unpredictably interrupted by a whirlwind of screeching guitars and screaming vocals. Each song builds up until Jonathan Clancy finally explodes with screams of lyrical creativity. Settlefish rolls you up to the mountian's edge overlooking a beautiful horizon, then suddenly pushes you off. Undoubtedly, Dance A While, Upset will stir up a storm of emotions and when the dust finally settles, it leaves you wanting more." - Bettawreckonize
Source: www.deepelm.com/settlefish
