ARTIST: The Privates
TITLE: Barricades
LABEL: Mean Buzz Records
GENRE: Rock
TIME: 28:34 min
SIZE:  42,3 MB
RIP DATE: Jul-02-2007
RELEASE DATE: 000-00-2006
WEBSITE: n/a

Track List:

01. Atrium                                     02:17
02. Despite The Snake                          02:57
03. One Piece                                  02:57
04. Heart's Got A Hole                         01:43
05. Barricades                                 02:35
06. Surprise                                   02:18
07. Mr Christmas                               01:15
08. I'm Telling                                03:33
09. On Your Mark                               02:45
10. Sea To Sea                                 03:54
11. My Shoes                                   02:20

Release Notes:

Drawn from a host of Nashvilleüfs finest local,
national and international indie exports, The
Privates quickly shot to the top of the local rock
hierarchy with their frenetic pinball rock after
forming in 2003. 23-year-old singer and guitarist
Dave Paulson loaned second guitar duties to pop-punk
provocateurs The Pink Spiders on the road until
recently. Bassist Keith Lowen also holds down the
low end in De Novo Dahl, drummer Rollum Haas is a
member of circus-popsters The Features, while
keyboardist Ryan Norris performs with Lambchop.

With the group dividing their time between such a
myriad of high- and low-profile acts, itüfs a wonder
they managed to release three stunning works since
their inception. The nine-song, eponymous debut was
a frantic jolt of elastic dance-punk, while the
follow-up EP, Louder Than Lightning, crashed through
a manic blast of giddy fuzz-rock on the verge of a
nervous breakdown. Both recalled influences ranging
from the complexity and experimentation of Deerhoof
to the shimmering dissonance of The Walkmen, run
through The Privates blender of fury, humor and
quirky sensitivity.

The bandüfs first full-length, Barricades, was
written while Paulson was on the road. ügMost of the
songs on this album were written on tour with the
Spiders, and have a lot to do with being away,üh
says Paulson. ügFor the band, the writing and
recording was shaped by us being in and out of town
at different times. Some songs we never played as a
band?weüfd do things separately and email each other
MP3s of what weüfd done.üh

Despite such scattershot working conditions,
Barricades is a more focused and linear record than
anything the band have produced thus far. Though
many tracks clock in at under three minutes, the
record tames the combative chaos of previous
releases in half the time, exhibiting a wide-
reaching range while still exploring stop-start
dynamics, the cacophonous layers of experimental
noise acts and the hooky immediacy of pop. Drums
gallop alongside chugging guitar riffs in a seamless
blend on the frantic trajectory of ügAtrium.üh On
the recordüfs trotting title track, ügBarricades,üh
the keys warble beneath Paulsonüfs disaffected croon
as the song expertly mimics achy resignation with
its exhalation of an ending. The poppy stab of
ügHeartüfs Got a Holeüh uses a cascade of guitar
swipes that duck in and out, then climax alongside
drunken la-la-las and an exasperated resolution.

If The Privates were likely victims of eternal side
-project status, Barricades proves the band are
fully realized, more mature and deftly playing to
their strengths. Though the band were always praised
for their visceral thrill, the latest record is
evidence theyüfve mastered that tension and release
and now control it on all fronts.

Press:

ügThe Privates show at the Basement last Thursday
reminded us why we keep showing up for one of the
local rock sceneüfs most talented underachievers. It
was an exhilarating set of what we love most about
these boys: supercharged rants that punch you in the
gut, pause for the sting and then punch you in the
gut again. The occasion was the release of the
bandüfs new EP, Louder Than Lightning, a fitting
title for an act whose live show is an exercise in
expertly controlled chaos?singer-guitarist Dave
Paulson has the coiled energy of whizzing electrons
onstage, and drummer Rollum Haas damn near jumps out
of his seat when playing.üh ?Nashville Scene

"The Privates' debut disc marks the arrival of one
of the top three bands to arise out of Nashville in
the last few years. No small feat for a "side
project." ?All The Rage