TW-D

THE CURTAINS

"Fast Talks"

Tracks:
Side A - Dim Weeks / 22nds / Stringmasters / Brain Photography / Athletes in the Stars
Golden Gentlemen / Slippers / The Divers

Side B - Go to the Window / Freeway Spots / Perfect Steps / Old March
Heart Projects / Call to the Pilots / Middle World / Warming Up

Personnel:
Chris Cohen - Guitar / Jamie Peterson - Drumkit / Trevor Shimizu - Guitar

Full Color Heavy Cover, 180 Gram
Released April 2002

Why make up your minds? You have ears! musical miniaturist the CURTAINS present their own kind of west coast cool -
a muted music that never reaches the proper conclusion. aloof and alert, these CURTAINS keep their music sitting right on the edge of hot and cold.
composed using their unique DYNATHOUGHT method, the pieces are like a stream of musical memos
or thought bubble goofs shook out from an IBM punchcard computer. the result? something in between a weather bureau report and a private confidence:
it'd seem nonchalant if it weren't so personal; it'd seem almost warm if it weren't so scientific!

Reviews:

"San Francisco based trio The Curtains craft skeletal pop songs that stagger in on 'wrong' rhythms, bolstered by wispy guitar lines that can get as spare as Japanese minimalist Taku Sugimoto or as idiosyncratically skewed as Tori Kudo's playing in Maher Shalal Hash Baz. And like Kudo's compositions, The Curtains' instrumentals walk the line between childlike invention and rigorously pared down song structures. Guitarists Chris Cohen and Trevor Shimizu circle eachother with clean simple shapes and wobbly chords, while drummer Jamie Peterson slow marches between them with her combination of martial rhythms and chugging encouragement. At times they endearingly come over like a surf instrumental combo that just couldn't cut it in any Battle of the Bands. One way or another, they're inexplicably affecting."
David Keenan, The Wire December 2002

"Fast Talks is the Curtains' debut full-length, but also a farewell to their early lineup of guitarists Chris Cohen and Trevor Shimizu and drummer Jamie Peterson. (Leader Cohen was the only one to stay on with the group through their next album.) The trio inescapably brings to mind Captain Beefheart's Magic Band on much of this LP, specifically the delicate, guitar-based interludes on later Beefheart albums such as Doc at the Radar Station. The Curtains may be tired of that comparison, but in describing their combination of intricate, clean-toned electric guitar interplay and off-the-beat drumming — as well as the overall blend of angular dissonance and charming, even pretty, melodies — it's at least helpful as a reference point. The Television of Marquee Moon (the album and the song) could be another point of comparison. In any case, the Curtains do what they do really, really well, and they do take the sound in their own direction, occasionally hitting an honest-to-goodness rock backbeat (see "Perfect Steps"), but more often keeping the textures spacious and the rhythms implied instead of directly stated. Beautifully recorded by John Dieterich of Curtains friends and associates Deerhoof, this album was originally an LP-only release (on 180-gram vinyl) and limited to 500 copies. However, judging strictly by the quality of this music, it warrants a much bigger audience than that. 4.5 / 5 Stars"
William York, All Music Guide

"...with connections to the most beloved Deerhoof. Instrumental, and gently overlaid with Magic Band rhythm jewelry,
these guys produce smoke most delightful for sniffing."
Byron Coley / Thurston Moore, Arthur, May 2003