The PHILISTINES Jr. are brothers Peter & Tarquin Katis and new drummer Aaron Kant. With a reputation as No-Fi home studio recording wizards, they have been recording and releasing their unique brand of experimental pop music since 1990...on their own TARQUIN RECORDS label (also on Dot Dot Dash and on LISSY’S and SHIVER in the U.K.). All their releases have charted on numerous college radio stations across North America(their last L.P. spending several months on CMJ’s Top 200) and enjoyed frequent air play by dj John Peel on his B.B.C. Radio 1 program. Their 7" single(The Sci-Fi Song/Moon River) on LISSY’S was Single of the Week on the Steve LeMacq show on B.B.C. 1 radio in June ‘95 and earned a spot on Britain’s Indie Charts. Upon hearing their first 12", John Peel telephoned the band "just to say how much he liked the record" and to invite them to record a Peel Session in London for the B.B.C. The PHILISTINES Jr. have since completed three Peel Sessions and U.K. tours. Touring the U.S., they have played with such bands as MERCURY REV, YO LA TENGO, STEREOLAB, LUNA, CAKE, FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE, KING MISSILE and JONATHAN RICHMAN. The band pursues numerous side projects that include THE ZAMBONIS, THE HAPPIEST GUYS IN THE WORLD, JAMES KOCHALKA SUPERSTAR, and THE PORK GUYS. Long time drummer, Adam Pierce, is busy with MICE PARADE, THE DYLAN GROUP and THE SWIRLIES. A cd re-issue of their early 12" and 7"s and an assortment of unreleased material is due out this Fall. The rest of 2002 will be spent promoting their new L.P. "Analog Vs. Digital" or "We Don’t Get The Respect We Deserve In Today’s Scientific Community." SPIN Magazine 12/01 "The Philistines Jr. ANALOG VS. DIGITAL 52 tracks of pure, unadorned beauty." Babysue.com The Philistines Jr. - Analog vs. Digital (CD, Tarquin, Pop) Wow. We feel ashamed to admit that we had never heard of The Philistines Jr. until now. This band is right up our alley. It is also (apparently) an obscure delight among reviewers of underground music. Bandleader Peter Katis is a true mastermind in the world of home recording. The music here is rather difficult to describe. Katis and friends dabble in oddball lo-fi pop, instrumental, experimental, and soundtrack-sounding material....and the amazing thing is...it all WORKS. There are some folks out there who may be put off by the low fidelity nature of these recordings (Katis apparently prefers recording on analog equipment), but those folks are going to be missing out...as there are plenty of great gems scattered throughout this mind-bending collection of fifty-two tracks. Yes, you read that right...this disc features 52 (!!!) compositions... The Philadelphia Weekly Editor's Pick 12/01 Given the quantity of songs on their latest release (52 total), their penchant for brevity and their poindexterish sense of humor, it's easy to be cynical about the Philistines Jr. The Katis brothers (Tarquin and Peter) are two more grinning graduates of the school of home recording, which grants them license to pound out two-minute compositions with titles like "We Don't Get the Respect We Deserve in Today's Scientific Community." And under ordinary circumstances, this cleverness would relegate Analog Vs. Digital to background music for discussions about experience points. But combine a measure of patience with a suspension of prejudice, and the myriad charms of the Katis' Casio-driven anti-fi rise like a time-lapse daybreak. "At Least You Had the War" floats and sways like a feather on a gust of wind and "The Unreliable Narrator" sounds like an organ grinder wheezing out a Tom Waits cover. And though their music is "smart," the Philistines never trip into the trappings of Mensa rock. Take as Exhibit A AvD's title track. It's a masterpiece of ebb and flow-- Tarquin and Peter's vocals drifting across a simple four-note melody line. It isn't until the third or fourth pass that it becomes clear that it's actually a meta-song, and that the Philistines are singing about writing the song that you're sitting there humming along to. It's the unobtrusiveness that's the Philistines' trump card. Their meek vocals and muted synths make Russian history sound like "Autumn Sweater." pitch.com Estranged Dead Kennedy Jello Biafra once sang I like short songs, and here are 68 nuggets that might make the old crank smile. The Philistines Jr. offers 52(!) on an album that's like an enormous assorted chocolates box with no scary fillings. After loading the first eighteen tracks with enchanting abstract instrumentals and pop ditties driven by cheery, quirky vocals, the group enters the "solos" section of the disc, which divides one epic jam into fifteen-second segments devoted to each instrument. The bass, guitar, trumpet, clarinet, sax, trombone, flute, drums and turntables all get close-ups in a song that remains so cohesive that anyone who wasn't watching the track numbers tick away wouldn't notice the gimmick. The Trouser Press Guide To 90’s Rock Fifth Edition ©1997 "Hey, what are you guys doing down there?" "Oh nothing, mom, just recording one of the sweetest, most adorable and sublimely accomplished dinkypop albums of 1995." Connecticut brothers Peter (vocals, guitar, organ, drums) and Tarquin (bass, vocals) Katis are, with drummer Adam Pierce, Philistines Jr. Their stock in trade is simple, gentle songs of surreal whimsy that spin tunefully like Brian Wilson’s mildest dreams while evincing the outlandish basement-brewed conceptual wizardry of pioneering British producer Joe Meek. All of this is accomplished in voices with the fresh-scrubbed wholesomeness of 4-H Clubbers. Rudimentary, perhaps, but hardly naive. Unlike most pop auters aiming to whip up confectionery masterpieces, the Philistines Jr. neatly balance guitar and rudimentary organ for an irresistable, joyful pop sound that is neither raw jangle nor synthesizer flash. Using toy piano as an accent and strikingly clear sound as an asset, The sinking of the S.S. Danehower...is a small masterpiece. Even the instrumentals are memorable. With equally sparkling music, the five-song Continuing Struggle is delightfully direct, offering engaging random-access autobiographical lyrics as a bonus...Mom and Dad Katis get in the act for "145 Old Mill Road" (the family’s address in Greenwich); the latter parental unit points out that it’s not too late for the brothers to apply to medical school. One hopes they haven’t taken his advice. Flipside 3/96 (regarding The Sinking Of The S.S. Danehower) "A programmatic, atmospheric masterpiece! I really got into this recording because the texture just kicks my ass... Where do they come up with this material? There is no doubt that this is one of the best new finds I’ve come across in a long time." (regarding Kas Tos Dumus Kupinaj? 7")"No comparisons come to mind, they are different, clever and fresh...Another impressive release from a band who’s sound is so hard to peg. What more can I say? These guys have got IT." Puncture 3/96 "...On top of all this, producer/singer/guitarist Peter Katis has masterminded a deeply DIY sound in his basement studio without being even remotely lo-fi. Tons of bands have misread the lessons of Knox, Callaci, Barlow, and so on, trying to use sub-competence as a kind of badge of something to say. The Philistines Jr., on the contrary, are interested in doing it exactly their own way, and "their way" is a meticulous layering of syncopated percussion, living room organ for that underwater feel, and harmonic shifts carried by brother Tarquin’s bass beneath an undertow of guitar obbligatos...this is an inspiring document of how far you can get by being miles from anything." THICKER 9/96 "Wow! This is music of such complexity and beauty it’s astounding. The Philistines Jr. are the only young pop band I can think of that can really hold their own against the old masters of classical music...exuberant and dangerous...I swear, people in the future will look back at The Philistines Jr. and say ‘man, that’s cool’ the same way people today look back at Esquival. This album is a freakin’ masterpiece. On a scale of one to ten I give it an A+." The Music Paper 12/95 "There are no attempts at any recognizable format on this disc, just sincere, eclectic independence." AJAX Records Catalog #23 3/97 "...oddball Connecticut basement-pop geniuses...the music here is what’s great...layered, evocative guitar pop embellished heavily with keyboards of all stripe, reminiscent of Pavement circa Watery Domestic and James McNew’s Dump stuff, albeit with a nerdy/in-jokey twist (which is not offputting at all). They obviously took the time to craft this record (no lo-fi copout here), and the results are totally worth it. A true sleeper, and one of 1995’s best albums. Steve Albini Thinks We Suck Fanzine #8 10/96 "I really don’t know how to describe these guys, except to say that they’re as fun and as wacky as The Flaming Lips, but with a more gently skewed pop sense. How can I describe a band that manages to write sincere, even affecting songs about their favorite T.V. shows and the sinking of their friends’ boat? All I can say is that this is a fantastic album, and I can’t recommend it enough." Gallery of Sound GAZETTE 12/95 "Melodic and textural, The Sinking of The S.S. Danehower is a thoroughly satisfying musical experience. Multidimensional, The Philistines Jr. offer humor and beauty in one very interesting package." David Garland WNYC (Spinning On Air) 12/95 "Really original...I really liked this album. Great sounds, nice recording, good feel...I want to listen to it more." Irwin Chusid WFMU 12/95 "I was very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very impressed. A most unique album." Sound Views 12/95 "Alternately dirgy and lilting...mellifluous...dramatic...passionate..clear production...delivered in a confident, distinctly un-angsty manner. The Sinking of The S.S. Danehower conveys a supra-literal, compelling theme...Let’s hope they keep it up." Melody Maker 8/15/92 "Sugar sweet satire! They laugh at themselves because they know they’re bloody funny. ...these boys have musical substance to bolster their wit. They parody their peers and yet better them. And what’s ironic is that this is just the sort of band Nirvana would love to be right now. They’re spanking new, fresh as sea air, and sublimely indifferent to the evils of the bastard business." Melody Maker 6/4/94 "The Continuing Struggle of The Philistines Jr., the superb new mini-album from Connecticut’s satirical princes of understated angst." John Peel, B.B.C. 1 (regarding Greenwich, CT) "...so interesting, such a good LP...a band I think you’ll want to hear more from, frankly." OPTION 1/92 "...an interesting and intelligent band." 1/96 "charming...eccentric." B-SIDE ‘94 "They are a real thing..." Lime Lizard U.K. 6/92 "Are The Philistines Jr. the future of rock n’ roll? I most certainly hope they are." Cargo Record Distributors (regarding Greenwich, CT) "The underground pop record of the year." SWILL 1/94 "What?? You haven’t heard of these guys??? A true shame. Go buy this and play it for your friends. They’ll all want to tape it." Splatter Effect (regarding The Continuing Struggle...) "This is some honest music...If a band like R.E.M. could really just lighten up, they might make a record this cool. This one is a definite diamond in the rough." Fairfield County Weekly 12/23/93 "...this Greenwich trio is so far out in front they’re about to lap the pack. (The Continuing Struggle...) takes you into their world- their house even-for an intimate, touching, rocking, silly, smart, crafty, catchy look at their part of the universe...best album of the year!"