Grand Archives

西雅图的华盛顿以很多东西闻名于世，其中不包含阳光。这张来自翡翠城的五人乐队Grand Archives的首张同名专辑却充满着明亮光泽和温暖——阴沉的时候不需要配上同样阴沉的音乐。
乐队的歌手兼吉他手Mat Brookes 先前组建过的 Band of Horses、Carissas Wierd 都以行事低调而著称，但是他现在的这支乐队却一改前风。当然，这支乐队可不是什么空穴来风。就如同产生永恒的经典作品 the Mamas & the Papas 或 the Turtles 的一样，这支乐队建立在美好的希望、高扬的斗志和相互间的友情之上。
2006年9月，Mat Brooke 加上他的朋友的三人组合，成立了Grand Archives ，队员包括鼓手 Curtis Hall (the Jeunes),贝司手 Jeff Montano (the New Mexicans)和键盘兼吉他手 Ron Lewis (Ghost Stories)他们有着共同的远大理想，想让他们的作品真正流行起来，而不是去咒骂华盛顿的暗无天日；吉他手Thomas Wright 随后也加入进来。他们的第一场演出，是作为一周之中的慰劳演出的最后一支乐队，他们表演了五首作品。第二次，他们是作为 Modest Mouse 在西雅图历史悠久的“派拉蒙剧院”演出的暖场嘉宾。一点点的摸索与尝试让 Brooke 获得了认可。但是他们对将来没有太大期望。 Grand Archives 要的只是在全球小范围的巡演，偶尔在那些舒适的旅馆小歇片刻，最重要的是找到他们的作品的真正知音。这不是一个很过分的要求，而且已经实现了，在Vitamin D 公司的赞助下，他们想要的一切都得到了满足。The Grand Archives 将会成为这一年中备受关注的重要角色
Though they never broke beyond a small cult audience, Seattle indie folk band Carissa's Wierd (yes, that's how they spelled it) in retrospect seem like an early indicator for the wave of largely acoustic bands partially inspired by British and American folk-rock of the '60s and '70s, from Joanna Newsom to the Decemberists. Splitting suddenly in 2003 after an eight-year tenure, the group splintered into several factions. Singer Jenn Ghetto started the lo-fi D.I.Y. project S, drummer Sera Cahoone opted for an alt-country solo career, and guitarists Mat Brooke and Ben Bridwell formed the indie rock outfit Band of Horses. Following the release of their Sub Pop debut Everything All the Time, Brooke left Band of Horses (which was primarily Bridwell's project) to form his own band. At first called simply "Archives," but quickly renamed Grand Archives, Brooke's new band featured himself on guitar and vocals, backed with bassist Jeff Montano (the New Mexicans), guitarist Curtis Hall (the Jeunes), multi-instrumentalist Ron Lewis (who maintains a solo career under the name Ghost Stories) and drummer Thomas Wright. With a sound inspired in part by '70s acts like Crosby, Stills Nash & Young and the Eagles (all five members sing), Grand Archives made their live debut in Seattle in the spring of 2007, opening for Brooke's former bandmate Cahoone. They subsequently toured with Modest Mouse while preparing their self-titled debut album for Sub Pop, which the label released in February 2008.