STREAM: “Ebb Tide” –
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“Though it was the last thing we recorded, from the jump I wrote the song with those slide guitar swells, courtesy of Lewis Gallardo (Sweet Lew, Reds, Pinks & Purples, etc.) in mind. I often find myself writing about oceanic themes and love how slide can bring out the fluidity of a guitar. Just felt right to have the tidal motif reflected in the instrumentation.” -Thomas Rubenstein / The Telephone Numbers
The Telephone Numbers have established themselves (without the help of algorithms or social media) as a crucial part of San Francisco’s fertile indie music scene, sharing members with The Reds, Pinks & Purples and The Umbrellas and sporting a musical palette that takes in everything from the rootsier end of Byrds jangle to Lemonheads-tinged power-pop to the pop sophistication of bands like The Go-Betweens and The Church.
Scarecrow II is their second album and a massive step forward for the band. Recorded by Alicia Vanden Heuvel at SF’s Speakeasy Studios, this set of songs is deeper and richer, foregrounding their crafty tunes and lovely melodies, adding just-right bits of trumpet, violin and organ to the mix. With Scarecrow II, The Telephone Numbers have created a record overflowing with warmth, an earnest exploration of traditionalist pop that feels fresh, vital, and essential.
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San Francisco’s Telephone Numbers are making music inspired by mid 80-90s American college rock, a sonically sunny detour from seemingly endless 90s shoegaze and alt-rock revivals. Thomas Rubenstein’s signature bright jangle is tempered by heady literary lyrics and surrounded by harmonica, violin, and mandolin arrangements. Songs on their forthcoming record, Scarecrow II, harken deep
Minneapolis and Athens vibes from a time when you found your favorite bands by taping late night college rock stations, sent a S.A.S.E. for a catalog, and listened to one song over and over again until the mail came.
After an LP and a few singles on the Meritorio, Fruits and Flowers, and Paisley Shirt labels, their sophomore effort is out October 10 on Slumberland Records. Scarecrow II shines with tape-off-the-radio gems that echo back to a time before gentrification took our favorite spots and when making indie music didn’t demand constant self- promotion and branding. “Battle of Blythe Road” is a slow jangler that maps the claustrophobic competition of a music scene onto the infamous-among-Literature-
On this record, core band members include Morgan Stanley (The Umbrellas), Phil Lantz (Neutrals, Chime School), and Charlie Ertola. Mixed by Chris Cohen and recorded with Alicia Vanden Heuvel (The Aislers Set) at her Speakeasy Studios space, the band is supported with a best of the SF bay roster, including Anna Hillburg (trumpet), Andy Pastalaniec (organ), K. Dylan Erdich (violin and mellotron), Tony Molina (guitar), Vanden Heuvel (bells) and Lewis Gallardo (slide guitar).
The magic of the full bay crew is cemented on “Pulling Punchlines,” a rocking jammer that swirls with anxious nostalgia and is lightened by Hillburg’s trumpet bursts and Stanley’s and Rubenstein’s singsong back-and-forth vocals. A listen to the album’s ten tracks might conjure a similar effect to the world weary– an important pop music intervention that doesn’t seek to escape what worries us–but wraps us in the honest admission that we’re all feeling it and maybe we can get through it together.
Press photos by Arvel Hernandez
TOUR DATES
10/24 San Francisco, CA – Make Out Room (Record Release Show)
The Telephone Numbers
Scarecrow II
(Slumberland)
Street Date: Oct. 10
Formats: digital / lp / cd
Pre-order HERE
Track List:
01 Goodbye Rock n Roll
02 Be Right Down
03 Ebb Tide
04 Falling Dream
05 Pulling Punchlines
06 This Job Is Killing Me
07 Battle of Blythe Road
08 Hemlock
09 Telephone Numbers Theme
10 Scarecrow
THE TELEPHONE NUMBERS LINKS:
