 Sometimes you have to throw yourself into the rapids to find out how quickly you can learn to swim. Following up their much-loved Plume Delivery EP—which was recorded before the band ever played their first live show, the same show that got them signed with Parasol—Chicago's beloved psychedelic pop group, the 1900s, immersed themselves in the depths of the studio and triumphantly overcame challenge after challenge in order to birth their stunning debut full-length, Cold and Kind. All of the trials and tribulations inherent in braving new territory were undoubtedly worth it: Cold and Kind is a pitch-perfect tapestry of warm pop hooks, thrilling melodic swells, punchy horns, and dramatic strings played by the Quartet Paraplue (The 1900s' violin player, Andrea's, quartet, who have weirdly and amazingly played with Kanye West, Sufjan Stevens, and Clay Aiken.) With this album, the band has proven that they can champion unforeseen pressures and complexities with their pure love for doing what they do best: making the most incredible music they possibly can.
In the beginning, the 1900s formed out of a combination of some very old friendships (formed while riding the school bus together) and some very new ones. This proved to be a potent experiment during the first chapter of the band's life and resulted in steamy relationships and Fleetwood Mac-style breakups. Soon after forming, the 1900s found themselves in a whirlwind, instantly becoming one of the most talked about bands in Chicago, garnering enough printed praise to make them blush and playing sold-out show after sold-out show in their hometown. Their rapidly growing presence soon spread beyond the Windy City and led to shows with Iron and Wine, The Spinto Band and Devin Davis, among others, as well as a highly touted performance at SXSW (a blown away Spin reporter named them 'Artist of the Day' the morning after their official performance) and an invitation to perform at Lollapalooza for the first time. Having successfully navigated an impressive initial ascent, the band entered the songwriting and recording process for Cold and Kind wide-eyed, but determined. The 1900s are a brave bunch who attack new opportunities with a voracious appetite. For the first time as a band, over the course of seven nasty winter months, they recorded at an actual studio (Brian Deck of Califone's home-base, Clava Studio, which sits across from the White Sox's stadium) with an actual producer (Graeme Gibson, who mixed the band's first EP) and an actual horn and string arranger (Benjamin Balcom, who composed and mixed portions of the album at John McIntire's Soma EMS Studio in Chicago). Gibson, who has worked extensively with both experimental and pop groups like Joan of Arc and Califone, proved invaluable in helping the 1900s flesh out the eccentricities and pure, unbridled monster hooks that exist throughout Cold and Kind. One of the album's premiere accomplishments is that it is an extremely complex, precisely orchestrated gem that sounds and feels completely effortless. 1900s vocalist Edward Anderson states it best: It just took some balls to scrap everything we worked for and venture into the unknown, which is very appropriate considering the overall theme of the record. Risk. Adventure. Rebirth. Triumph. Pizza. That's the 1900s. |
