underclaire
- Originally from: Little Rock
- Currently residing in: Little Rock, AR
- I've been on arkansasrockers since August 6, 2010
- Last updated on Aug 6, 2010 at 10:54AM
In General
UNDERCLAIRE is a definitive guitar, alt-rock band that surfaced in Little Rock, AR in the late nineties during the burgeoning music scene of the region. Since then, they have shared the stage with acts such as Built To Spill, Local H, Sparta, Living Sacrifice, Candlebox, Attack!Attack!, Saliva, Corey Glover (Living Colour), and The Kicks. Consistently putting out albums and playing regionally, they have made a name as a Little Rock mainstay.
After spending the better part of 2009 in the studio, Underclaire released Making Sky on January 1st 2010. As with Lights Out, Cairo and Smalltown X, this 3rd full-length album was recorded at Poynter’s Palace with Barry Poynter (The Juliana Theory, Living Sacrifice, Ho-Hum, South Park, HBO, etc).
During these sessions, Poynter took on the task of writing and playing the bass guitar parts in addition to his usual Engineer/Producer duties. Making Sky is a concept album that is lush, layered and polished (in comparison with the indie-rockish, stripped, and minimal-overdub arrangement of 2004’s Smalltown X). It is the tale of fraternal twins—a brother and sister whose lives and luck take a turn for the worst. The cover art was provided by Canadian artist, Socar Myles (www.gorblimey.com).
Lately
“…sweeping, bouncy, sometimes dramatic collection of layered and wellcrafted songs” -Sean Clancy, Arkansas Democrat Gazette
“Underclaire, on this third album, continues to put its two-guitar-pronged attack — of Mike Mullins and Edison DeLeon — out in front, with striking lines that weave and build and come crashing together in anthemic ways. Mullins, who also writes the band’s lyrics and sings, wraps everything around a song-cycle about fraternal twins. Relationship problems, a suicide and a killing spree factor in, but the darkness doesn’t overwhelm the band’s warm instrumental approach.” –Lindsey Millar, Arkansas Times
“…the album is dramatic and layerd without sounding sterile. It retains a jagged warmth in its largesse and reveals new corridors upon each new listen.” -Arkansas Democrat Gazette
"…the former howl of the band resurfaces in the 12 tracks and 43 minutes of MAKING SKY. A couple of songs on the album — "Bullet Train" with its Pink Floyd-like bass and the ballad "Dead Lights" — are mostly instrumental pieces with scant lyrics, but the album’s title track is a four-minute, tension filled outburst of squiggly guitar breaks and a rolling thunder of drums, and "Black Swan" is a cataclysmic loud/soft/loud/soft onslaught…It’s a dynamic album of lush melodies and aggressive riffs filled with slight surprises. It’s serious music for a serious time…" -Shea Stewart, Sync weekly