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One of the most prolific, consistent, and unsung acts of the slowcore movement, California's Idaho centers itself around four-string guitarist and vocalist Jeff Martin, a talented songwriter who has gained comparisons to Mark Eitzel (American Music Club), Mark Kozelek (Red House Painters), and Neil Young from the few journalists that have paid... [+] Read More

One of the most prolific, consistent, and unsung acts of the slowcore movement, California's Idaho centers itself around four-string guitarist and vocalist Jeff Martin, a talented songwriter who has gained comparisons to Mark Eitzel (American Music Club), Mark Kozelek (Red House Painters), and Neil Young from the few journalists that have paid attention. Despite the lack of recognition from the press and a low profile, Idaho has gained a decent-sized underground following through a steady release schedule and sporadic touring.

Martin and high school friend John Berry began writing songs together in the '80s, meeting up occasionally throughout the years as something to do without a great deal of seriousness to it. They gave a tape of their work to an acquaintance who knew someone at Caroline, and soon enough, the duo found themselves with a recording contract. The duo actually debuted with the "Skyscrape" single on Ringer's Lactate in 1992 and released their first EP, Palms, on Caroline the following year. The full-length Year After Year was released by the end of 1993, with Mark Lewis and Unsane's Vincent Signorelli providing help on drums.

Berry exited for 1994's improved This Way Out, leaving Martin to himself. Receiving assistance from another batch of guest drummers (including frequent aide Joey Waronker), he played every instrument, including piano (Martin is classically trained). Since Martin wanted to keep Idaho a touring entity, he enlisted a semi-permanent supporting cast and, in turn, gave up some of the writing responsibility for 1996's Three Sheets to the Wind -- he had found it impossible to teach others the songs and have them play them the way he wanted. As a result, the bolstered lineup made for Idaho's most muscular record, featuring their loudest guitars but not sacrificing any sense of intimacy. The thicker sound pricked the ears of more journalists, who generally find the record to be Idaho's best overall.

Despite their recent underground success, Idaho found themselves ejected from Caroline. The group reverted back to a duo, with Martin retaining guitarist Dan Seta while the other two members, Lewis and Terry Borden, formed Flotilla. They also signed on with the smaller Buzz label, releasing The Forbidden EP and Alas in 1997 and 1998, respectively. After leaving the label, Martin set up Idaho Music (thanks to a car accident settlement) and issued the live People Like Us Should Be Stopped and Hearts of Palm in 2000. Seta left for 2001's Levitate, leaving Idaho as one-man act. We Were Young appeared in 2002. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide [-] Hide

As both a solo artist and the frontman for enduring cult favorites American Music Club, Mark Eitzel established himself among the truly powerful forces in contemporary music; a hauntingly evocative singer, he earned even greater notoriety for his brilliance as a composer, combining the energy of punk, the pastoral beauty of folk, and the... [+] Read More

As both a solo artist and the frontman for enduring cult favorites American Music Club, Mark Eitzel established himself among the truly powerful forces in contemporary music; a hauntingly evocative singer, he earned even greater notoriety for his brilliance as a composer, combining the energy of punk, the pastoral beauty of folk, and the melodrama of lounge music to build one of the most impressive and darkly poetic bodies of songs in the modern pop canon. Born January 30, 1959 in Walnut Creek, CA, Eitzel's military upbringing led him everywhere from Great Britain to Columbus, OH; as a teen, he became a born-again Christian, but at the age of 16, he rejected religion in favor of alcohol, his love/hate relationship with the bottle going on to fuel much of his subsquent work as a performer. Inspired by punk, he eventually formed his own group, the Naked Skinnies, and with them relocated to San Francisco in 1980; there the band quickly dissolved, and three years later he formed American Music Club.

AMC's 12-year existence was tumultuous, to say the least; Eitzel, prone to facing his demons while onstage, earned a notorious reputation as a loose cannon, and despite the lavish critical praise heaped on albums like 1991's Everclear and 1993's Mercury, the group never rose beyond a fierce cult following. Eitzel quit the band on numerous occasions, once joining another Bay Area group, the Toiling Midgets; in 1991, while still fronting American Music Club, he issued his solo debut, Songs of Love, a live acoustic set recorded in London (British audiences being much more receptive to his music than their American counterparts). A subsequent solo single on Matador, the lovely "Take Courage," increased rumors of the band's impending breakup, but they did not truly implode until after the release of 1994's San Francisco. At that point, Eitzel began pursuing his solo career in earnest, debuting in 1996 with the jazzy 60 Watt Silver Lining. Eitzel's subsequent solo career soon found him following a wildly eclectic path. In 1997, Eitzel teamed up with R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck, and in a matter of days they wrote and recorded West, which matched Eitzel's verse with Buck's intelligent and engaging pop melodies. His next album, 1998's Caught In A Trap And I Can't Back Out 'Cause I Love You Too Much, Baby, was an unusually stark and downbeat affair, recorded in part with the assistance of Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth and James McNew from Yo La Tengo. Eitzel next embraced both pop and electronics with 2001's The Invisible Man, and in 2002 he recorded two albums of covers - a tribute to the work of other songwriters on Music for Courage and Confidence, and a look back at his own songs for American Music Club as performed with a group of Greek folk musicians on The Ugly American. A new album of solo material called Candy Ass was released on the Cooking Vinyl label in 2005. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Julie Doiron began her musical career in 1990, singing and playing bass for the Canadian indie rock band Eric's Trip. As the group released numerous EPs and three albums for Sub Pop, Doiron also began writing her own largely acoustic material. When Eric's Trip broke up in 1996, she released an album under the name Broken Girl on Sappy Records,... [+] Read More

Julie Doiron began her musical career in 1990, singing and playing bass for the Canadian indie rock band Eric's Trip. As the group released numerous EPs and three albums for Sub Pop, Doiron also began writing her own largely acoustic material. When Eric's Trip broke up in 1996, she released an album under the name Broken Girl on Sappy Records, her own label. Later that year, Doiron worked on her second album, Loneliest in the Morning, which came out on Sub Pop and was recorded with prominent indie rock producers and musicians like Doug Easley, Davis McCain, Giant Sand's Howie Gelb, and the Grifters' Dave Shouse. Doiron moved to Tree Records for her next release, 1999's EP Will You Still Love Me; a collaboration with Canadian indie rockers the Wooden Stars followed in early 2000. Julie Doiron and the Wooden Stars won that year's Juno -- Canada's equivalent of a Grammy Award -- for Best Independently-Released Album. Doiron moved to Jagjaguwar for 2001's Desormais and the following year's Heart and Crime; the label also reissued Will You Still Love Me? and Julie Doiron and the Wooden Stars in 2002 with some multimedia extras. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Formed in Duluth, Minnesota in 1994, Low was perhaps the slowest of the so-called "slowcore" bands -- delicate, austere, and hypnotic, the trio's music rarely rose above a whisper, divining its dramatic tension in the unsettling open spaces created by the absence of sound. Initially comprising the husband and wife team of guitarist/vocalist Alan... [+] Read More

Formed in Duluth, Minnesota in 1994, Low was perhaps the slowest of the so-called "slowcore" bands -- delicate, austere, and hypnotic, the trio's music rarely rose above a whisper, divining its dramatic tension in the unsettling open spaces created by the absence of sound. Initially comprising the husband and wife team of guitarist/vocalist Alan Sparhawk and drummer/vocalist Mimi Parker along with bassist John Nichols, Low began as an experimental reaction to the predominance of grunge; Shimmy Disc producer Kramer soon invited the group to record at his Noise N.J. studios, and the resulting demos earned them a deal with the Vernon Yard label.

After re-entering the studio with Kramer, Low emerged with their 1994 debut I Could Live in Hope, a beautiful set spotlighting the trio's hauntingly minimal aesthetic -- even Parker's drum set consisted only of a snare and a hi-hat. Nichols exited the group prior to 1995's lovely Long Division, recorded with new bassist Zak Sally; a subsequent appearance on the Joy Division tribute A Means to an End was later expanded into the following year's Transmission EP, a five-track set also featuring a rendition of Supreme Dicks' "Jack Smith." With new producer Steve Fisk, Low returned later in 1996 with The Curtain Hits the Cast. The Songs for a Dead Pilot EP followed in 1997 and marked their debut for Kranky, where they released such critically-acclaimed albums as 1999's Secret Name and 2001's Things We Lost in the Fire. The late '90s also saw them issue Owl (Low Remixes) and the Christmas mini-album, which featured a cover of "Little Drummer Boy" that became a minor hit when it was featured in the Gap's holiday season commercials in 2000 . The band's brilliant Things We Lost in the Fire arrived in 2001, with the darker, more subdued Trust coming the following year. Two years later, the B-sides/rare tracks collection A Lifetime of Temporary Relief appeared on Low's own Chairkickers Music imprint. For their seventh full-length album, 2005's The Great Destroyer, the group moved to Sub Pop. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide [-] Hide

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The remarkable I Know About You benefits greatly from the addition of drummer Michael Littleton, whose spartan, pensive rhythms add a powerful new dynamic to Ida's quietly intense sound; at the same time, the harmonies and songs of Dan Littleton and Elizabeth Mitchell resonate with greater intellectual clarity and emotional depth than on Tales... [+] Read More

The remarkable I Know About You benefits greatly from the addition of drummer Michael Littleton, whose spartan, pensive rhythms add a powerful new dynamic to Ida's quietly intense sound; at the same time, the harmonies and songs of Dan Littleton and Elizabeth Mitchell resonate with greater intellectual clarity and emotional depth than on Tales of Brave Ida -- tracks like "Back Burner" and the centerpiece "Treasure Chest" are simply stunning. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide [-] Hide

The debut album by then-duo Dan Littleton and Elizabeth Mitchell is a beautiful and fragile piece of dreamy folk-pop. The spare yet clean production introduces a band whose vocal stylings and soft instrumentation help create a mood of uplifting contemplation. For a drumless effort, Tales of Brave Ida manages to fill the space with a rich,... [+] Read More

The debut album by then-duo Dan Littleton and Elizabeth Mitchell is a beautiful and fragile piece of dreamy folk-pop. The spare yet clean production introduces a band whose vocal stylings and soft instrumentation help create a mood of uplifting contemplation. For a drumless effort, Tales of Brave Ida manages to fill the space with a rich, dynamic sound which appropriately revolves around the beautiful harmonizing of Mitchell and Littleton, whose quiet lyricism so perfectly mirrors the gentle strumming of acoustic and electric guitars. On songs like "Tempting" and "Slow Dance," Ida practice their own special brand of emotional reflection. The songs on this album focus mainly on the substance and importance of relationships.

Ida share a knack for illuminating the beauty of quietness with singers like Nick Drake and bands like Galaxie 500. Tales of Brave Ida is a bold and creative debut filled with folk-pop classics that will hopefully be rediscovered by a larger audience over the years. ~ Marc Ruxin, All Music Guide [-] Hide

For his sophomore solo effort West, Mark Eitzel teamed with R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck; given that several of the songs recorded during the sessions were originally intended as material for Buck's day job, it's no great surprise that the album sounds much like R.E.M. circa Out of Time or Automatic for the People, favoring gorgeously spare... [+] Read More

For his sophomore solo effort West, Mark Eitzel teamed with R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck; given that several of the songs recorded during the sessions were originally intended as material for Buck's day job, it's no great surprise that the album sounds much like R.E.M. circa Out of Time or Automatic for the People, favoring gorgeously spare acoustic arrangements. Eitzel has never sounded looser or more carefree than he does here -- tracks like "Free From Harm" and the exhilarating "In Your Life" are positively sunny by his usual standards, upbeat declarations of love and commitment lifted by Buck's trademark guitar jangle; even the drinking songs, like "Fresh Screwdriver," offer an uncharacteristic ray of hope.

Still, while West is an improvement over Eitzel's solo debut 40 Watt Silver Lining, it nevertheless suffers in comparison to his work with American Music Club; without the galvanizing eclecticism of his old band, his songs occasionally lack distinction, but at his best -- the opening "If You Have to Ask," "Then It Really Happens" -- Eitzel remains one of the most transcendent figures on the musical landscape. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Put simply, Everclear is American Music Club's masterpiece. Benefiting immensely from improved production values, the album crystallizes the band's often erratic vision into a unified, endlessly complex whole. While the arrangements are typically diffuse -- "Crabwalk" is shambling rockabilly, "Royal Cafe" is sweet country-pop, and "Rise" is... [+] Read More

Put simply, Everclear is American Music Club's masterpiece. Benefiting immensely from improved production values, the album crystallizes the band's often erratic vision into a unified, endlessly complex whole. While the arrangements are typically diffuse -- "Crabwalk" is shambling rockabilly, "Royal Cafe" is sweet country-pop, and "Rise" is anthemic alt-rock -- there is a consistency of tone and a sense of place that runs through these songs that is absent from the band's other records. Similarly, Mark Eitzel's compositions achieve an uncommon emotional balance, never once slipping into pathos or melodrama; the atmospheric "Miracle on 8th Street" and "The Confidential Agent" offer cinéma vérité evocations of relationships at the breaking point, while the brute force of alcoholic laments like "Sick of Food" or the funereal "Why Won't You Stay" is staggering -- never before or since has this loser been quite so beautiful. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide [-] Hide