Loyal Divide

Loyal Divide is a drug you want to take. The Chicago quartet formed in 2008, releasing an EP independently. That brings us to Bodice Ripper, the energetic and youthful full-length currently making waves in their hometown.

"Young Blades" is a loop-heavy introduction to the upcoming slew of accessible new-wave electronica. My favorite track on the album is "Vision Vision". With its warbling synth and carefully crafted layers, it produces an automatically catchy groove. It includes a beautiful change of pace brought on by a well-executed bridge. The song is also the creepiest on the album. If you aren't scared off by the effect-laid scream, continue listening, but keep in mind that the band loves simulating this furious noise on other tracks as well.

Instrumental "Vein Harvester" shoots straight into another beautiful track, titled "DDF." Primarily a drums/bass focused track, the song harkens to 90's-era Massive Attack. We get a Radiohead-esque conglomeration of a beat in "Baladron", which entrances and supports the massive layers of the song. We also hear this instrumentation on "New Years", which supplies Amnesiac qualities.

Three of the final four tracks showcase acoustic guitar, revealing the band's versatility and openness in their sound. Naturally as an electronic band, the lyrics take a back seat. They are able to utilize the vocals as soft melodies (in the case of the silky BGV's) and stoic and erie warnings.

Still somewhat underexposed, I look forward to watching these guys continue to make great music. For the genre, Loyal Divide is a moving and inspiring band. It's hard not to have an immediate reaction to Bodice Ripper, and those reactions should be overwhelmingly positive. In a genre stuffed with overflowing regurgitation, Loyal Divide sets up camp on the respectable side of technology.

Recommended If You Like
Modern Indie-Electronic Bands; Massive Attack - AbsolutePunk.net

If you have or haven't listened to Chicago's Loyal Divide prior to now, then "Otto" probably will throw you for a loop. You see, it's not really like anything else in the psych-electronic band's catalogue, except for the surprising breakdown that I won't describe with any terms other than "purely hypnotizing." Perhaps fittingly, the previously unreleased track features guest vocals from fellow Chi-city resident Rachel Sarah Thomas, of Automata. "Otto" is the only song she's ever done with Loyal Divide, though you'll likely agree that they should start spending more time together in the studio. You can stream the haunting track below. - Prefix Magazine

Chicago's Loyal Divide dropped its Bodice Ripper album last week on Kilo Records and promptly wasted little time sharing a new song. While the free song via Twitter might be haphazard, the track is right in line with Loyal Divide's dense production. Tenderness to recording is one of the band's finest attributes from the march of the drums, the clever ghostly vocal looping and the found sounds of hollow reverb and fingers squeeling down the strings.

Loyal Divide beg to be heard simply because it's clear they care dearly about giving a song a fair shot at achieving it's utmost potential, otherwise they'd never try out a skronking saxophone solo. Did someone in the band learn to play the saxophone or always knew how? Or did their curiosity to test out a saxophone halfway through the song eat at them to seek out a saxophonist?

Bodice Ripper was a record roughly four years in the making, which translates to Kilo Records possibly prying it from the band's hands. Loyal Divide is a band that loves its gadgets, but also earns the privilege to lug them in the van. DJ Quik recently selected the band's single "Vision Vision" for a freestyle session. Do you even need a bigger vote of confidence than DJ Quik and of course, us?

Bodice Ripper is out now on Kilo Records. - IMPOSE Magazine

There isn’t much available about Loyal Divide besides the fact that they are from Ohio and came to Chicago, then played and played some jingly jangle music. Their first sound was more ‘indie’ and now this year it’s like a light switch! They’ve been really pumping out their new sound, this new debut album and who knows what’s next next.

Bodice Ripper is like a gradient of midnight blue and azure, it starts of with some gothic rough beats and ends literally with whales. Mixing together all sorts of world and animal sounds, this is the kind of music that breathing evokes. It’s all about air, the heavens and floating while at the same time flying through some sludgy clouds. While you could allude Loyal Divide to Thievery Corporation or Radiohead, that would be overtly simplifying the spectacle of most of these tracks, let alone the complexity of this up and coming band. This impressive debut album is something emotive and quiet, like stained glass bubbling on the side of a factory on the Moroccan coast. I would have never guessed they even lived in Chicago had I not known it before. It’s crazy how fantasy filled Bodice Ripper is and how abstract it becomes considering what Loyal Divide used to sound like. If this is the new sound of Loyal Divide and they continue to strengthen their sound like this the world can be theirs. Who knows maybe in the next album I can get some wolves. - URB Magazine

Chicago’s Loyal Divide are clearly a band who studied at the school Radiohead, creating skilled and dramatic electro-rock-n-bass loops that Thom Yorke and Co. have excelled at over the years. Look no further than ”DDF,” a tune full of infectious electronic stutters.

“The idea for DDF came from sharing bills with DJs here in Chicago,” Loyal Divide guitarist/vocalist Adam Johnson tells Hive. “I love watching a good DJ make a crowd go bonkers. I wanted to work that feel into our live set. [The song is] made entirely of processed samples that I pieced together. The only thing we recorded (apart from the vocals), is a saxophone, which was unrecognizably processed into sounding like a spaceship.”

Loyal Divide’s debut album, Bodice Ripper, is due out in Fall 2011. - MTV Hive

Chicago’s Loyal Divide are clearly a band who studied at the school Radiohead, creating skilled and dramatic electro-rock-n-bass loops that Thom Yorke and Co. have excelled at over the years. Look no further than ”DDF,” a tune full of infectious electronic stutters.

“The idea for DDF came from sharing bills with DJs here in Chicago,” Loyal Divide guitarist/vocalist Adam Johnson tells Hive. “I love watching a good DJ make a crowd go bonkers. I wanted to work that feel into our live set. [The song is] made entirely of processed samples that I pieced together. The only thing we recorded (apart from the vocals), is a saxophone, which was unrecognizably processed into sounding like a spaceship.”

Loyal Divide’s debut album, Bodice Ripper, is due out in Fall 2011. - MTV Hive

The number of quality Chicago bands sent my way the past few months has been increasing, with Loyal Divide continuing that trend. I was just sent a few tracks by the band this morning and am particularly enjoying my snowy jam session with “Vision Vision”.

Trade in your analog time piece for a new, high-tech digital watch because these guys don’t mess around with too many “old school” or “boring” things. Loyal Divide specialize in tracks that are choppy, electronic, fuzzy, and downright haunting at times. Sometimes it sounds like they want you to groove along smoothly to their beats and melodies, but then they throw in some jarring electronic turbulence to give your eardrums white knuckle syndrome. When it happens, be prepared: place the mask over your face and know that while the bag doesn’t inflate, good music is flowing. - i guess i'm floating

Adam Johnson is the songwriter and producer behind Chicago’s Loyal Divide, a young band that’s taking the blend of rock and electronic music in striking new directions. His band has generated a powerful street-level buzz in the past few years, but Johnson says he never intended to be a full-time musician, even though he grew up playing guitar.
“My dad’s a musician,” Johnson says. “He plays guitar and sings whenever he has a leisure moment. He has a nice Martin guitar from the ‘60s, so I picked it up and started playing. In high school, I had a cover band with Sid (Chittajallu, Loyal Divide’s bass player) called Three Cowboys and an Indian. Sid was the Indian. We started another band at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, with Jon Notowidigdo on guitar and drummer Andrew McCarthy. We played covers of indie rock songs and never had much of an audience.”

The quartet shared a camaraderie and love of music that bound them together. After school, they moved to Columbus to make it in the music business. “We made a horrible EP, with no real idea of what we were doing. Then we moved to Chicago.” Johnson recalls. “We moved into a house that was freezing cold. We had no money, so we recorded our second EP, Labrador, in our basement using Pro Tools, samplers and synthesizers. That winter, Sid and I listened to Purple Rain, the Blade Runner soundtrack and Hell Hath No Fury by Clipse and we moved away from indie rock to a more expansive sound that combined rock, hip hop and ambient sounds.”

Johnson put together Labrador using drum machines, samples he nabbed off of YouTube and live instruments played by the band. The four songs on the record took a year to produce, but its release created a street-level buzz. Johnson knew he was onto something and started working on Bodice Ripper.

“We were broke, so I moved back to my parents’ home to record. I’d ride public transportation to shows, then sleep on the floor and go home and work on the album.” The live shows were infrequent, but the band’s mysterious sound was starting to gain a strong cult following. “It took a year to make Bodice Ripper and a year to get it ready to release, but we’re finally ready to put it out into the world.”

The dense, volatile music on Bodice Ripper rides a relentless electronic pulse with unexpected twists and turns hidden in its dense sonic structure. “These are rock songs, but they start with a rhythm sample that becomes the backbone of the sound,” Johnson explains. “From there, we build a structure with guitars, sax and keyboards.” The album opens with “Young Blades,” an avalanche of sound anchored in a bhangra meets hip hop rhythm, spiced by Bollywood strings, the tolling of gamelan gongs, a throbbing rock bass line and subtle vocals buried deep in the mix. “I like to give people something to dig for,” Johnson says, “so I embed the vocals in the music. I think it adds to the longevity of a song if it doesn’t immediately give itself away.”

“DDF” has a club friendly dance beat, sci-fisynthesizer accents and vocals drifting through the mix like the ghostly serenades. The tune builds up to an unbearable tension before resolving in a shimmering wash of synthesizers. “I wanted to do a tune with a steady four on the floor disco beat and not worry about being innovative.” Other tracks like “Labrador,” “Vision Vision” and “Near Native” are more cinematic, with a dark, almost ambient, feel.

“The songs did not come easily,” Johnson says. “A lot of hours went into them. We didn’t write songs using a guitar or piano, and then develop the sound. We started with pure sound, pure rhythms and then tried to make a song out of it. A lot of the time, I felt like I was lost in the wilderness. I had the tracks from Labrador to point the way, but it took a year to make the rest of the album. The problem with composing on computers is that you have an infinite number of options. I got to the point that I was struggling with the endless possibilities. I finally had someone else mix the songs, and that gave me the focus to finish the record. I got the album title from the books my mom used to read, Victorian romance novels they call bodice rippers. The phrase implies sex and violence, a perfect mix for rock and roll.” - SOMA Magazine

Listening to the debut long-player from Loyal Divide, you would never guess it was recorded anywhere but a professional studio. Singer/producer Adam Johnson crafted it someplace that has been a longtime favorite for indie musicians on a budget: a closet in mom and dad's house.

Johnson, a Columbus, Ohio, native, returned home to make the band's first proper album, "Bodice Ripper," which is a slinky, exacting electro-rock offering. While it is very modern and sits well among its contemporary influences, its brutish, synthetic sound, the dark, mechanical chug that drives the dance beats, is a throwback to the classic "industrial" sound that Chicago's famed Wax Trax label was issuing in the late '80s and very early '90s.

Johnson's time in the closet produced something remarkably expansive, given the space and also the technology at his disposal — using nothing but a small mixer, a Mac mini and a sampler. Said Loyal Divide bassist Sid Chittajallu: "It was a very inexpensive and convenient way to record."

Before recording, the band had been living together since moving to Chicago in fall 2007, after attending Miami University. The band has a serious symbiosis because of living, practicing and playing music together 24/7 early on, and that's evident on "Bodice Ripper," even if the album was completed by sending tracks back and forth via the Internet.

"Basically, as Adam was producing and completing each track, he would delegate musical tasks to the remaining three members, which we would complete … and send back to him," Chittajallu said.

The inspiration for much of the album came from the foursome being young, struggling musicians new to the city.

"The inspiration for the music on the album was generated from the mind-numbingly cold winter of 2007. CTA travel was much more enjoyable when listening to electronic music," Chittajallu said. "It was our first time in a big city — poor and ambitious, and it just so happened that it was the worst winter Chicago had seen in 25 years or so. The cold, mixed with the fact that … four people were crammed into a small, two-bedroom apartment in Lincoln Square, where our drummer slept in the kitchen; the environment it created really added to the mood of the tracks."

While the album isn't bleak, frosty or redolent of kitchen-sleeping, per se, it does have a particular intimacy. Johnson often sounds as if he could be right next to you, whispering. The music swings from sinewy to supercharged, distorted rock — effete to forceful over the course of a chorus. For a young band, Loyal Divide has a well-defined, danceable sound that suits its plans. "We're working on doing some remixes and collaborations with some hip-hop emcees in Chicago — Ill Legit, Rocky Fresh, possibly Million Dollar Mano and Hollywood Holt," Chittajallu said.

While "Bodice Ripper" won't be released until early March, the band members are getting ready to tour as much as they can. Johnson is splitting time between Columbus and Chicago, where the other three members of Loyal Divide — Chittajallu, guitarist Jonathon Notowidigdo and drummer Andrew "Thundarr" McCarthy — now live separately. None sleeps on the kitchen floor. - Chicago Tribune

Few mind-blowing albums come out of the pop, rock, electronica, and dance genres each year. It's crazy to think that one group has done it in all four genres at once. Loyal Divide will be raising a lot of eyebrows when their debut album "Bodice Ripper" is released. Just when that is becomes the question--because they're not even signed.

Chicago's Loyal Divide has been around for 5 years and has released a couple of EPs. They'll be performing Labor Day Weekend at the North Coast Music Festival at Chicago's Union Park. Other acts include Benny Benassi, Paul van Dyk, Pretty Lights, Future Rock, Benga, The Chemical Brothers, and countless other electronic acts. Loyal Divide also has a video for their "Vision Vision" track that's making the rounds. Assembled by the BBGUN crew, the video depicts nightmarish scenes with only a few dozen (or maybe hundred) rolls of gaffer tape. - The Untz

If all things have a time and space, then Loyal Divide‘s is in the air, probably above Turkey, when you’re taking the long way to Japan from Chicago, say around 1973. You’re probably going to the Asian premiere of Soylent Green, but it’s been dubbed by funky stoners from Tokyo. Loyal Divide are in fact from Chicago right now, but the have a huge hum of percussion reminiscent of Herbie Hancock “Watermelon Man” era and some heavy psychedelic overtones, some Do Make Say Think dramatic buzz. Theoretically the phrase “deep groove” means something else but they should adopt it. FYI, “baladron” is Spanish for cocky douche.


- Fader

The 5-piece experimental pop/psychedelic group, Loyal Divide, are gearing up to release their new full-length in February. To give you a little taste of what is to come, here is a new jam called "Baladron."

"Baladron" makes it pretty clear that this group draws their sound from a wide variety of influences ranging from experimental-electro to pure indie-rock. Listen as the tribal styled drums, hypnotizing bass line and occasional ripping guitar suck you in to the world of Loyal Divide.

The Chicago based group will be releasing their debut, full-length titled Bodice Ripper in February but until then, this will have to hold you over.
- Filter Magazine

Chicago's Loyal Divide was far and above the most captivating and creative band that I saw at South by Southwest, and unfortunately I only caught one of their many performances. I had high hopes for the band after seeing their video for "Vision Vision" (posted below); it reminded me of a mashup of Radiohead's Amnesiac and Hot Chip's Coming On Strong. When I spoke to three of the four members of the band the day before their show at Momo's (see interview directly below) we instantly bonded over a mutual dislike for drum loops and any other synthetic instrumentation that seemed half-heartedly "phoned in". So I knew I was in for an organically created sound, but I certainly wasn't prepared for such a heady blend of unique textures. In addition to live drums and electronica, the lead singer's electric guitar and vocals created a spooky, astral ambience that contrasted nicely with the funky slap bass. If anything, they sounded even better live than their recorded music on their Bandcamp page, which is no small feat. I got hooked on "Vision Vision" and didn't think they could top themselves with that track, but then I heard "DDF" (posted below) and was blown away again. And shortly after, I heard "Lights" and decided no wait, that one was my favorite. It's hard to choose, because Loyal Divide has this amazing way of taking any style or idea and making it completely their own. Decide for yourself by watching the video above! Loyal Divide is offering several free tracks on their Bandcamp page, including the two posted below. For more information on their upcoming tour dates and full length debut Bodice Ripper, please visit their Facebook page. This incredible video for "Vision Vision" was shot completely on gaff tape without using stop motion animation (was completely live action):

- bestnewbands.com

Probably one of the hardest working bands in the local scene, Loyal Divide has been making quite the rounds lately — and this month they’ll be playing their biggest show yet at the Congress Theater. Forged together by the passion and intensity of lead singers Adam Johnson and Chris Sadek ever since the quintet's formation at Miami University in Ohio, The Loyal Divide can be counted on for a frenetic live experience. In the past couple of years they’ve also recorded an affable demo and have just released a new EP entitled Labrador, while already in the process of recording another full-length. Their songs waver between jazzy riffs, soul, psyche-pop, and straight up indie rock comparable to the moodiness of the Constantines. Influenced by a myriad of respectable bands, Loyal’s set at times also offers shades of a Talking Heads-style brilliance that increases the odds of them breaking through Chicago’s saturated indie scene soon — very soon. (Appearing with Deadmau5, The Crookers and The Whip at the Congress Theater on April 11) - Chicago Innerview

One needn't look any further than the blogosphere to find rave reviews of The Loyal Divide, a Columbus, OH turned Chicago band that has been compared to Animal Collective, Brian Eno, and Modest Mouse. Living up to a reputation as big as these indie/psychadelic predecessors is no small task, but as a spectator at Wednesday night's show at Subterranean, there can be no doubt-The Loyal Divide not only lived up to their criticism but exceeded expectations by putting on a show that was as aesthetically pleasing as it was an aural delight.

Using mixers, synthesizers, keyboards, and a trumpet, as well as the more traditional rock n' roll instruments, The Loyal Divide is cultivating a uniquely 21st century sound. The title track of their first E.P. "Labrador," sounds as if it could slide right between "15 steps" and "Bodysnatchers" on Radiohead's 2007 release, "In Rainbows." Beyond obvious nods to Radiohead, listeners can hear The Talking Heads, Kraftwerk, and Prince among other influences.

Nevermind comparisons, The Loyal Divide has their own brand of cool. All 5 members rocked hard on Wednesday night, despite sub-zero temperatures, with sometimes spastic and always rhythmic undulations. The boys of TLD had Subterranean moving to the music, and aside from a few local, rock-god style mishaps (i.e. broken guitar strings, and speaker feed back) the show was a success. Though their songs are intense, the electro beats and spot-on percussion inspired the crowd to more action than your standard, hipster head-bob.

Whether The Loyal Divide likes it or not, they are soon to be a band on the map. With the release of their first EP, "Labrador," and more shows on the schedule Chicagoans and Ohio natives alike are sure to be saying "we saw them when." Check them out later this month at Schuba's on January 30th at 8pm.

- Erin Keane
Published on Fri, 16 Jan 2009 - The Deli Magazine

So it's really not fair to post a song and ask our intrepid Seedy Seers to listen to it a few of times before passing judgment. Because even though The CDC acts as a bit of a filter, there's still an investment by each of us to listen to at least couple dozen tracks each month.

That said - I'm asking just that. Headphones are good.

"Labrador" starts out a bubbling tape experiment worthy of of Kid A, and slowly adds a number of subtle but compelling percussive layers before a soft chord structure and softer vocals come in to guide us through the rest of the stuttering gated synths. It's a rich track that I feel really rewards repeated listens.

The group, (The) Loyal Divide is a fivesome out of Chicago - and this track is from a just-released EP also titled "Labrador". They also have an equally compelling offering in the form of their early 2007 eponymous debut.

Money-back-guarantee: If you don't like this track, you get the next one for free.
(I'm not sure what that means, either) - Compact Disc Club

Preceding the Seedy Seeds was Loyal Divide, a Chicago five-piece band that follows in the tradition of Windy City post-rock. The band created looping soundscapes with enough rock muscle to make them more than background music, while singer Adam Johnson exhibited the low-rent sartorial splendor and menacing energy reminiscent of another great singer from the Chicago underground, Al Johnson of US Maple.

http://cincinnati.metromix.com/music/article/midpoint-in-review-thursday/632946/content - Cincinnati Inquirer

It’s so pleasing when an email comes through with some seriously impressive music on the other side of it. Chicago’s The Loyal Divide recently ended up in my inbox with a free download of their new EP, Labrador. The way the cut up electronics flowed out of the first track (and the following ones) I could have easily been listening to Prefuse 73, but then soft pop vocals come in at just the right time to really set this thing off. I don’t know much about the band except that they play music to ride the rails to. Beat driven, grungy, dance pop, that reflects the cold days of Chicago as the trains fly by. It definitely fits our Baltimore landscape as well. Expect more from these guys in the future (another EP is in the works). - Pasta Primavera Blog

This makes me sick! (Well, the sick feeling probably comes from the dizzying bout of Neuritis I've been battling for the past week. Makes typing a bit tedious.) Peeved may be a better word. Either way, I can't believe I let 2008 lapse without mentioning my favorite EP to come our way at the end of the year. Chicago's Loyal Divide is at once cold and earthy, shoe-gazey and trip hop, Nine Inch Nails and Autolux, Laurie Anderson and Portishead. Your not so typical post-industrial-shoe-goth if you don't mind me taking such liberties. "Labrador" is tethered to time as the track unwinds into a chugging locomotive pace, driven by Can's tribal basslines, until ethereal vocals hauntingly give way to a languid narrative about a dog with "blackest eyes and softest mouth / she buried her bones behind the house / she grabbed a bird trying to steal my food / she squeezed its head until it cooed." The vocals float along through punchy bass-lines and electronic tickings and tweets as everything but the bassline drop out, then rush back in. The Loyal Divide creates the most compellingly textured music I've heard from a new artist in some time. - 3hive

Sprouting from increasingly revered metropolis, Chicago, come Loyal Divide. Their second EP Labrador sounds like a telepathic chess match between Radiohead and Apparat, or a sandwich of trip hop, paranoid electronic beats, and a haunted dream like atmosphere. Young Blades sounds like Timbaland stuck in a nightmare and put through a blender. Labrador sounds like Ellen Allien drowning in a layer of feedback and then rescued. Lover I Can Tell You feels like Banjo Or Freakout and Animal Collective’s daydream set to a fluttering heartbeat. Vision Vision’s wobbly synth and alien slap bass get masked by screams and then salvaged and the EP is finished.

Loyal Divide’s music is exciting, passionate, and awesome and you’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t check them out. Their EP is out soon so be sure to grab it.
- thetapeisnotsticky.com

Keeping it real for Chicago is a group of five men, known collectively as The Loyal Divide. The band released Labrador, a four track EP named after the featured single, this past Friday and I'm digging it. It's filled with layers of quirky electronic bits, which are paired nicely with soft and admissible vocals, and then crunched together by industrial drum programming. There's plenty of gated-synth action, reminiscent of Animal Collective's trance-inducing polyrhythmic backbone. You can hear this in "Vision Vision," as they bump to a two-steppin' hip-hop beat that has roots in early 2000's club jams.

http://rcrdlbl.com/2008/12/09/exclusive_new_download_the_loyal_divide_labrador_ep_stream
- RCRD_LBL

On the band's MySpace page, the Loyal Divide casually lists off its influences as consisting of Brian Eno, My Bloody Valentine, Talk Talk, and DJ Shadow. In other words, a man who invented a genre, two progressive rock bands that created arguably two of the most influential albums of their decade, and one of the premiere American hip-hop producers of all time.

You've got my attention.

The band's debut, Labrador EP, is a most impressive one. Four tracks totaling seventeen minutes seems about standard standard for an EP, but these songs are pretty dense and wrought with passion. A lovely twist.

"Vision Vision" handles that emptiness perfectly, filling about every inch of its soundscape and doing so delicately before a distorted scream explodes after the first verse. The track is as close as the band gets to pop (think Return to Cookie Mountain without the thin layer of grime and noise). Here, in the track's final moments (and on its sleeve), are the DJ Shadow influences, combing by way of a lively, infectious instrumental outro. Just tremendous work here.

"Lover I Can Tell You" is a digital ballad of something cold and tired, beginning with Green-World Eno Monster Sounds -- halting abruptly (and questionably) about a minute in -- and ending with a drifting, echoing harmony of vocals and samples. The song is quite stunning, despite the bizarre transition in the beginning.

The Loyal Divide's debut EP, despite teetering on goofy now and then, is a skillfully crafted collection of sample-heavy psychedelic rock songs. Though not perfectly conceived, it still demands to be listened to, specifically for its arrangement and texture. It's an edgy blend of familiar styles with a wide-appeal...something I can get behind. - AntlerDarts.com

On their second ep, in as many years, Loyal Divide take electronic pop places it hasn’t seen in years. The EP is called Labrador and its layered sounds and depth of harmonies are fascinating and complex. In just four songs they manage to blend several different styles while carving out their path. Receiving the ep and not researching the band before I played it I was greeted with the crunchy loops of “Young Blades” as it slowly builds to the distant and compelling vocals of Adam Johnson (and Chris Sadek). I was honestly shocked by the sound and I believe you will be too. - The Deli Magazine