Bishop Allen :: Dead Oceans

Bishop Allen builds upon the extraordinary first years of their career with Grrr..., which Dead Oceans will release March 10, 2009. The band fronted by Justin Rice and Christian Rudder is best known for making and self-releasing an EP each month for an entire year, then reworking some of the best songs for a highly acclaimed label debut (The Broken String). The rigorous EP project, and the extensive touring that has followed it, have allowed Bishop Allen to hone their craft: writing, performing and recording music.

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The resulting album, Grrr..., reveals that after five years of comparisons to other artists--Jonathan Richman, The Kinks, Bright Eyes, Spoon, etc., in rave reviews from Rolling Stone, SPIN, Entertainment Weekly and many others--Bishop Allen has developed an artistry and sound that are unmistakably their own. One thing that distinguishes Bishop Allen's music is the quality of the writing. Rice's literate lyrics, which The Los Angeles Times has praised for their "poetic insight," have a universality that has made them resonant to listeners of all ages and earned them champions ranging from the young comic actor Michael Cera to the National Public Radio host Scott Simon.

Each of the 13 tracks comprising Grrr...is a succinct composition, and yet the album also coheres seamlessly as a cycle of song. The melody and/or rhythm of one track is often contiguous with the next. As always, Rice and Rudder are responsible not only for the writing, but the lion's share of the playing and the recording: the guitars, pianos, marimbas, ukeleles and vocals. And, as before, Darbie Nowatka shares in the singing. Otherwise, the album features contributions from a number of their friends: drums and percussion by Michael Tapper, horns by Jon Natchez and Kelly Pratt, and strings by Daniel Hart. Bryce Goggin (Pavement, The Apples in Stereo, Luna, Sebadoh) offered the band some invaluable production tips and, at his famed Trout Recording studio in Brooklyn, recorded the drums and mixed the album.

Grrr...is Bishop Allen's second album for Dead Oceans. The first, The Broken String, contains songs to which big crowds sing along in gigs across North America and Europe. The band's following has also been augmented by songs from The Broken String being featured in a Sony digital camera commercial that aired repeatedly on network television ("Click, Click, Click, Click") and, most recently, in the blockbuster film Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist; Bishop Allen performs the song "Middle Management" in a key scene.

Outside of Bishop Allen, Rice and Rudder are both accomplished actors. Rice starred in their friend Andrew Bujalski's immensely acclaimed recent film, Mutual Appreciation, while Rudder starred in Bujalski's prior work, Funny Ha Ha. Rice is featured in numerous upcoming films, including Let Them Chirp Awhile, which will be released theatrically in December 2008. [LESS]

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BISHOP ALLEN Share Dazzling New Video for “True or False”

November 4th, 2009

Dead Oceans is proud to present BISHOP ALLEN’S new video for “True or False.” Featuring lead vocals from Darbie Nowatka Rice, this standout track from Grrr… adapts perfectly to the static-y black and white television set, harkening back to the days of the Ed Sullivan show. Directed by Randy Bell and featuring choreography from Andrea Delmonico, Bishop Allen’s run of amazing videos continues with “True or False.”

Bishop Allen are currently on tour with Throw Me the Statue and Darwin Deez. Although we cannot promise dancing girls on stage, hopefully “True or False” does provide some inspiration for audience members to shake it at these shows. See the full list of tour dates HERE.

Filed under: Bishop Allen, Dancing Girls, new video, True or False

BISHOP ALLEN Announce Fall Tour of North America

September 17th, 2009

BISHOP ALLEN are returning to the road this fall in support of their latest album Grrr… The band plans to preview new songs on this upcoming tour, as well as unfurl some special surprises. Cover songs? Magic tricks? You’ll just have to wait and see. Check out the tour schedule HERE.

In other news, Harmony and Me, the new film featuring Bishop Allen’s Justin Rice and Keith Poulson has been met with critical acclaim. Variety calls the film “bristling with wry wit,” the Village Voice raves that Harmony and Me is “consistently very funny… deceptively lose but always on point,” while Time Out New York calls the film “a finely tuned comedy, complete with precisely scripted jokes and comic set pieces that swerve toward the playfully perverse.” Harmony and Me has a special screening this week at MOMA in New York City September 18-24. Find out more about the film and screening HERE, and watch the movie trailer HERE.

Filed under: Bishop Allen, Harmony and Me, tour

BISHOP ALLEN Plot European Tour, Star In Movie, Release New Music Video

June 29th, 2009

Following a wildly successful European tour last spring, Bishop Allen are returning for another round of club shows and festival dates, visiting Austria, Germany, The Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. We’re thrilled the band has been able to spend so much time with their European fans while supporting Grrr… but for those of you in North America, the band will be touring again before the year is up.

Bishop Allen’s Justin Rice also spends time as an actor, appearing in acclaimed indie films such as Mutual Appreciation and Alexander the Last. Currently, Harmony and Me (written and directed by Bob Byington) starring Justin, as Harmony, a depressed lyricist clinging to the memory of an ex-girlfriend, is gaining notoriety at film festivals worldwide, screening at the likes of the Los Angeles Film Festival, Edinburgh International Film Festival and Cine-Vegas Film Festival. Harmony and Me also includes an excellent supporting cast including Kevin Corrigan (Pineapple Express, Superbad, The Departed), and Pat Healy (Rescue Dawn, Ghost World, Great World of Sound) as well as bandmate, Keith Poulson, who is currently manning the bass in Bishop Allen.

Bob Byington, who directed Harmony and Me was kind enough to shoot a fun, off-the-cuff music video for Bishop Allen for the song “Shanghaied” from their March release, Grrr…. Check out the video below and view the trailer for Harmony and Me HERE.

And see a complete list of Bishop Allen’s tour dates HERE.

Filed under: Bishop Allen, Europe, Harmony and Me, Movie, Video

BISHOP ALLEN Lines Up European Festival Dates, Captured On Video For Live Performance of Cue The Elephants

June 4th, 2009

In July, Brooklyn indie-popsmiths Bishop Allen will trot across Europe on a handful of festival dates. So, young people on your soul-searching backpack journey across Europe, let Bishop Allen be your guiding star. Check out all the dates HERE.

Bishop Allen was recently captured on video at Philadelphia’s Unitarian Church in a performance Grrr… cut “Cue The Elephants.” Check out the video by going HERE.

Filed under: Bishop Allen, Cue the Elephants, Europe, Live Performance