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PRAISE FOR “CENTRAL CHAMBERS”, 2008:
“This Massachusetts band [makes] lush, off-kilter pop-rock in which nothing makes sense but everything sounds wondrous.” – USA TODAY
“This indie-folk quintet traffics in the best kind of lean-in-and-listen music.” – The Boston Globe
“Powerful, poignant and utterly infectious pop… a lush chamber pop masterpiece. I can’t recommend this enough.” – delusionsofadequacy.net
“Price and Reed are responsible for some of the most breathtaking harmonies to emerge from New England this decade. Winterpills’ music is at once sweet and sorrowful; sophisticated and subtle; hooky and haunting.” – Metromix
“Compelling, sometimes wrenching songs…” – The Hartford Courant
“Winterpills again blend serenity with sorrow to gorgeous effect on their new “Central Chambers.” 3.5 stars - Knoxville Daily Sentinel
“ A seemingly effortless ability and talent for hitting on startlingly haunting melodies song in and song out…. dreamy folk-pop basking in a chamber-pop glow…” – StrikerBill.com
“Winterpills make music for immersion… Central Chambers is elegant, provocative and frequently enthralling… it finds the time and space to open up into joyous, harmony-filled, fully evolved arrangements.” – The Republican (Springfield, MA)
“Sweet harmonies wrapped around rich, dark laments…tunes washed in deliberate, cinematic poetry and tastefully electric diplomacy.” – Maximum Ink
“The Winterpills have written one of the pop records of the year (if not the best)… Central Chambers is a pounding heart of breathless restlessness…” -AUDIOTIER.com
“Central Chambers [is] the sonic equivalent of coloring a picture equal parts joy and pain, icy chill and bright winter sun.” – onlinerock.com
“Central Chambers expands the group’s haunting chamber pop into new and even more challenging sonic territory… exquisite.” – The Brattleboro Reformer
“Winterpills are capable of creating the kind of music that swells up within a venue until it is no longer containable… an undeniably moving experience.”
-The Daily Collegian (Amherst, MA)
On Central Chambers, Winterpills continues to move its sounds forward, exploring new textures and harder edged sounds while also remaining true to the beautiful, airy music that originally defined the band… transcendent melodies and lyrics.” – The Recorder
“…a warm, engaging and beautiful album…The vocals of Philip Price and Flora Reed are mesmerizing. “ – Fish Records (UK)
PRAISE FOR ‘THE LIGHT DIVIDES’, 2007:
“Pain, sadness and fractious circumstances are an inescapable fact of life; Winterpills’ music doesn’t seek to amplify the hurt as place it in life affirming settings of richly articulated melodies and carefully rendered arrangements. Though some songs on the album (“Lay Your Heartbreak,” “Hide Me,” “Broken Arm,” “A Ransom” and “You Don’t Live Long Enough”) might indicate otherwise, songwriter Philip Price is no doomsayer. A sense of hope permeates the album’s gorgeous sonic textures and melancholic, muted palette. The cover itself perfectly captures the band’s sound: clouds hovering over a solitary tree. And even the darkest clouds can’t hold back the sunlight for long.”-David Greenberger, Paste Magazine – **** (four stars)
“The glistening melodies and subtle layering of vocals and guitar parts are deceptively soothing, hiding the implied catastrophe that seems to lurk in the heart. Ghostly, shimmering music, beatific harmonies.” -Harp
“As impressive as their self-titled debut, the fragile vocals of Philip Price and Flora Reed are the perfect vehicles for these sweetly sad songs.” -Performing Songwriter
“When you buy this album, hold the CD up to the light and appraise it for what it is: a specimen of near-perfect musical pacing. Slow, low-lit songs will gently paw at you between the more aggressive tunes… Simon and Garfunkel wrote ‘Bridge over Troubled Water’ so that songs like ‘June Eyes’ could exist… a well-written group of tunes which doesn’t just deserve your attention, it earns your attention.” - daytrotter.com
“This disc scores very high in our imaginary ‘this is what music is and was meant to be’ chart. Gorgeous understated production, lovely melodies sung by people who can really sing.”
– LD Beghtol, The Village Voice
“Wildly infectious tunes. Price writes poignantly melancholic songs backed by a talented and innately dynamic band.”– No Depression
“…sophisticated, melodic pop-Americana. fine songs and nice lead guitar, but what’s special are their haunting almost West Coast ’70′s harmonies.” – MOJO
“Witness Winterpills’ ‘Handkerchiefs,’ which stuffs grim ingredients into a winsomely pretty package that feels strangely sparkly, even downright lilting.” – National Public Radio
“The sheer strength of its ambiance pulls at your heartstrings continuously with scarcely an inaccessible moment on the record. With its rigorous scale of classic influences fusing with modern melodies, The Light Divides transcends comparison. Hear it flourish with your own ears.” - Performer Magazine
“[The Light Divides] promises to top critic’s lists. Price’s lyrics are densely packed but hugely evocative, tiny bombs of feeling and meaning… fiendishly melodic songs.” – The Washington Post Express
“Winterpills’ new album, The Light Divides, features lush, aching, indie pop. The band got its start one snowy winter in an old house in Western Mass. when a group of musicians got together to trade songs. When you hear the Winterpills’ light, sad harmonies, you’ll realize it’s a good thing the artists found each other.”– The Boston Globe
“Proving their habit-forming 2005 debut was no fluke, Winterpills return with a more sonically accomplished set. Price’s new tunes continue mining emotionally heavy territory, but the tender folk-pop arrangements and shimmering harmonies keep the dark from eclipsing the light that divides.” (FIVE OUT OF FIVE STARS) – The Boston Herald
“The Light Divides is a treasure; a gentle, moving and creative compilation of literate tales brought vividly to life. [Winterpills] have crafted an acoustic and electric, dream-weaving album of grace, depth and simple beauty.” – The Newhouse Wire
“Oustanding. Surrounded by delicate instruments, Price’s lyrics convey the desperate gravity of his surroundings and, more importantly, his ability to keep moving.. It can hurt to listen to Winterpills; for despondent souls, it can also help. By the close of their first Philadelphia appearance, they’ll have lived up to their name.” – Philadelphia City Paper
“With careful male-female harmonies and righteously subdued acoustic-electric guitar interplay, Winterpills could strike a major chord with devotees of the dearly missed Go-Betweens, or Shins fans looking to handle a little more heart.” – The Independent Weekly
“The melodies flow beautifully with a melancholy sadness and redemptive hope. there are too many high points to list track by track-this will obviously be one of my top 10 releases of 2007.”– KOOP Radio. Austin, TX
“[a] sublime band.The operative words are bittersweet and melancholy, revealed through the wistful, harmonizing vocals of Philip Price and Flora Reed.shimmering guitar and keyboards, and the most methodically laid down of rhythm sections enhance[es] the atmospherics.”– The Philadelphia Daily News
PRAISE FOR ‘WINTERPILLS’, 2005 DEBUT:
“Deeply moving…heartrending… a mesmerizing flash of warmth among the turned-down lamps and cold hardwood floors of a wintry night. Singers Philip Price and Flora Reed harmonize like kin.” (No Depression)
” …that sound — that ice-filigreeing-the-bare-trees sound, cold and achingly beautiful — is what sets this group apart….Downright glorious.” (Washington Post)
“Winterpills is as textured as the best indie rock around. ‘Want the Want’ is almost overpowering in its low level orchestration, while the achingly reserved ‘Cranky’ is one of the year’s more poignant music pleadings…will demand many a repeat listen.” -The Daily Times, Phildelphia (Best of 2005 List)
“While Winterpills tip their hats to predecessors like [Elliott] Smith, and a current crop of musicians –Iron and Wine, the Shins –the quartet is pushing past these examples, into their own sound… graceful melodies, sweeping harmonies…and the sort of wry lyricism that puts a strong face on a painful subject. ” - Clamor Magazine
“Winterpills add another chapter to the ever-expanding world of ethereal indie-pop… A quick spin will catch you, but repeated listens will really get you picking up on the intricacies of both the music, and the songwriting… truly astonishing.” – The Portsmouth Herald
“The haunting intimacy of singer Flora Reed on tracks like ‘Found Weekend’ causes swoons. ” - Utne
“Winterpills’ self-titled debut provides the season’s best nutritional value. Offer[s] vitalizing content and spiritual sustenance…” - Maximum Ink
“‘Threshing Machine’ and the muted glimmer of “Want The Want” personify the band’s depth, leaving this eponymous offering a prescription for indie fans looking to fill a void…” (AllMusic Guide)
“Winterpills make seamlessness look easy… they get the balance just right, creating a landscape of muted colors and slow-building hooks…. Sadness never sounded more sublime.” (Junkmedia.org)
“Winterpills has offered up a debut of faultless, sparkling indie pop, reminiscent of the gems once tossed out by the late Elliott Smith… a perfect album.” (Performer Magazine)
“…a gorgeous piece of work…To hear singers Philip Price and Flora Reed intoning ‘there’s honey in the chemicals’ at the end of “Portrait” is to know bliss. Every song on the album is a winner…” ( WUSM Public Radio, Harrisville, MS.)
“Winterpills is an organic and charmed effort… heavy with moments of sheer beauty. [A] record that creeps through you like fog yet leaves a lasting dreamlike impression in its wake.” (Miles of Music)
” Winterpills walk the fragile dynamic of intimate warmth and emotional chill…full of classic American snapshots.” (HARP Magazine)
“Winterpills may be one of the most exciting acts to emerge from (Northampton, MA) in a number of years …(They).display a rare talent for producing richly textured songs from slight instrumentation, mainly by way of their stunning vocal prowess. The simple beauty of these compositions is striking, as is the intimate warmth of the vocals. There are no tricks here, just honest expression and beautifully constructed songs. This is an exceptionally strong first effort..” (30Music.com)
“Dangerously potent, mood altering and highly addictive…” (Valley Advocate)
“The Winterpills have a stunning debut CD…” (Hampshire Gazette)
“Price still sings with fragile beauty, which is embellished by Reed’s silky harmonies….” (Springfield Republican)
“A powerhouse of restrained beauty…” (Performer Magazine)
“[A] silky, hushed and richly melodic debut…Powered by the songs of Philip Price and the frequently gorgeous combination of his voice with that of Flora Reed, the majority of the selections are haunting, melancholy and delicate…Vivid imagery….lyrically fascinating…..” (Springfield Union/Newhouse News )
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