review of i want! i want! in CITYBEAT

a great review of the new record from November. thanks CityBeat!


Walk the Moon Shines on First LP
by Mike Breen, CityBeat Cincinnati Novemeber 2010

Walk the Moon was one of my personal highlights from the recent MidPoint Music Festival, where the band played a high-energy set wonderfully showcasing its dance-friendly beats, New Wave jubilance and Art Pop creativity. As solid as the foursome is live, I was still a bit stunned by how advanced, imaginative and proficient Walk the Moon comes across on its enchanting debut album, i want! i want!, which is to be released Saturday in conjunction with a multimedia event at The Mockbee.

While the band’s Talking Heads influence is most evident during its live show (they did an exhilarating, wall-shaking version of “Burning Down the House” at MidPoint), myriad other inspirations combine on i want! i want! to create Walk the Moon’s distinct sound. While ’80s New Wave plays a part (mostly via the assorted synth sounds and riffs), you’ll also detect more contemporary sounds in the mix, from more recent Dance/Rock to modern Indie Pop. But it’s the more timeless songwriting, striking (and never pandering) hooks and craftily constructed arrangements that will keep you coming back to the album.

The band’s use of space is remarkable; unlike a lot of young artists, WtM resists the urge to fill up the tracks and instead lets them breathe, making the songs more alluring and adding a sense of drama and mystery. The chugging, disco-ball spin of “Anna Sun” rises and falls, allowing the members to weave in counter melodies and use the elbow-room to paint in subtle, crafty quirks. The exquisite “Lisa Baby” is another highlight — the thick, ropy synth lines drive the dance-machine straight into a sunny, atmospheric chorus that’s as irresistible as anything you’ll hear on the radio today.

Along with the creative, unpredictable rhythms and colorful soundscapes (guided often by the keyboards, which take on an array of tonal forms, from twinkling electric piano to those squiggly, sometimes Moog-y synthesizers to straight-up piano and beyond), the expressive vocals are a huge part of the album’s magnetism. Crafted and delivered with the same arty mindset as the instrumentation, frontman/keyboardist Nicholas Petricca’s melodies are blissfully unexpected yet perfectly addictive. Petricca’s expressive, diverse voice (often stacked and layered) is one of the strongest on the local Indie scene (and it ranks up there with some of the finer nationally-known vocalists, as well).

On i want! i want!, Walk the Moon sounds like they’ve taken elements from modern Indie heroes like Franz Ferdinand, TV on the Radio, LCD Soundsystem, Of Montreal, The Killers, Vampire Weekend, Phoenix, Spoon and Modest Mouse, shredded them through their own vivid imaginations and reassembled the patchwork pieces into something focused and original. With a debut as powerful, polished and compelling as i want! i want!, not only would I not be shocked to hear Walk the Moon was being courted by a large indie or major label — I’d be more stunned if the album didn’t draw big attention to the band.

UGLY = MERRY

This past Saturday December 18 we threw our UGLY (or Just Misunderstood) SWEATER PARTY at the Mad Hatter in Covington, KY.

Between the amazing line-up, the Rudolphed noses, the XMAS TREE CANVAS, and the sweaters...

it got ugly.








Friends and volunteers helped decorate and man the Rudolph station, and audience members added their personal touch to the XMAS TREE.











Meanwhile amazing indie bands performed -



among them Lions Rampant...

Eat Sugar...

and our friends Louisville's THE PASS.

and finally WALK THE MOON.



the holiday joy in the room was RADIANT.





Thanks so much to everyone who came and was a part of the show, and thanks especially to Dottie, Keith, Joe, Ben, Anna, Claire, Katie, Maggie, and Lauren for all your time and effort! Cheers to the Mad Hatter for letting all of us transform you.



See you in 2011. In January we'll be back in Cincinnati as well as Columbus, Dayton, Philly, Cleveland, New York City, Indianapolis, and hopefully a few other places in between. Have a Happy, Ugly, Merry New Year.

love,
Nicholas, Sean, and Kevin
(photos in this post courtesy of Jeff Burkle and Allison Ventura)

giving thanks!

thank you everyone who has made themselves a part of WALK THE MOON this year... that is, by dancing at shows, dancing in your rooms, donning facepaint, frolicking in french park and mockbee, sharing with friends and moms and neighbors, every song is for you.

enjoy "Gobbledigook" by Sigur Rose. some parents may not approve... whoops! it's a beautiful expression of being human.

give thanks for being alive!!



happy thanksgiving

i want! i want! (photos by D. Walker, J. Burkle and B. Bartel)

can't describe to you the unbelievable energy and love inside the Mockbee on Saturday night.



nearly sold-out crowd - we counted over 450 painted faces.




it began quietly...


and soon raged.




zombies onstage during Thriller...




so many painted faces...





the photographer Jeff Burkle.





Everyone who made it out - THANK YOU so much for truly being part of the event and making it an incredible night. It was amazing to see so many throwing paint at our wall canvasses, taking pictures by the Lost Boys fort, and dancing their facepaint off in the main room during the show.

find the Anna Sun Official Music Video on YouTube. i want! i want! available NOW in Cincinnati at Shake It! Records and Everybody's Records, and online at walkthemoon.bandcamp.com and iTunes.

yeeeooowww JOIN us tonight at the MOCKBEE (2260 Central Pkwy) for so many reasons!

-painting the walls is stupid amounts of fun.
-painting faces is even better.
-"Anna Sun" Music Video and WALK THE MOON's debut album!
-Harlequins, Gold Shoes, WALK THE MOON, and Pones Inc performances!
-all this while dressing up as a Lost Boy or Girl... !

DETAILS

doors are at 9pm,
music begins at 10pm with the Harlequins - followed by Gold Shoes, then WALK THE MOON and Pones, Inc.
DJs DUSTIN CHOW & DEVON CHERRY keep the beats big and phat after the MOON is done.

PARKING @ THE MOCKBEE
park your car along the Mockbee-side of Central Pkwy; more parking is available on Central AVE parallel to the Pkwy.

DIRECTIONS TO THE MOCKBEE (2260 Central Pkwy)

from downtown:
take Central Pkwy north away from the city. The MOCKBEE will be the giant brick building ON THE RIGHT just before the Western Hills Viaduct, has MOCKBEE CO. painted in white on the facade.

from I-75 S:
take the Hopple St. exit 3 and turn RIGHT on Hopple. Turn RIGHT at Central Pkwy. The MOCKBEE will be the giant brick building ON THE LEFT just after the Western Hills Viaduct, has MOCKBEE CO. painted in white on the facade.

from I-75 N:
take the Ezzard Charles/Liberty exit and follow Winchell Ave. Turn RIGHT on Liberty, LEFT on Linn, LEFT on Central Pkwy. The MOCKBEE will be the giant brick building ON THE RIGHT just before the Western Hills Viaduct, has MOCKBEE CO. painted in white on the facade.

see you there!

i want! i want! is coming NOV 13th @ the MOCKBEE. 2260 Central Pkwy, Cincinnati, OH.

THIS SATURDAY at 9pm the doors will open at the Mockbee. Come to see the Harlequins, Gold Shoes, and yours truly, come to get your face painted, to express yourself on the graffiti canvasses, to get down with your kid self.

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW from Urban Outfitters in Clifton, Shake It Records in Northside, or by e-mailing walkthemoonband(at)gmail(dot)com and save $5 on your purchase of the album!

facebook event



see you there.
<3,
WALK THE MOON

EVERYONE MUST SEE THIS

also, OUR RECORD RELEASE PARTY @ THE MOCKBEE IN ONE WEEK
Saturday NOV 13
9pm doors, 18+, $5

BUY TICKETS EARLY AND YOU WILL GET $5 off YOUR PURCHASE OF "i want! i want!"