ROBOTANISTS

You may not know the Robotanists, but Thom Yorke does. This deep, dark, and decidedly noir Los Angeles based indie-pop ensemble recently forged a few ripples in hipster circles and the rock press when they quickly covered Radiohead's King of Limbs in its entirety within 24 hours of its digital release in February. Ironically, singer Sarah Ellquist DeBlanke does Yorke better than Thom on the seductive and ethereal Plans in Progress - a mini, seven track album (whatever that means nowadays) which melds the mechanical (synthesizers, midi-sequencing etc.) with the mortal (i.e. real instruments played by humans) akin to the legendary lads from Abingdon, Oxfordshire along with the sleek sexuality (and grooves) of latter day Blondie and Everything But The Girl.

Though the bleached blonde, buxom bombshell DeBlanke garners most of the attention, kudos must be afforded to her dexterous, multi-instrumental mates (Daniel DeBlanke, Keith Boyarsky, and Preston Scott Phillips) and producer Danny Kalb (Beck, Karen O, Feist) who have the uncanny ability to thrash like punks, swing like cocktail-jazzers, or assume the mantle of arty rockers whenever necessary. The title track traverses disco and techno by way of vintage octave bass-lines and cheesy keyboard sounds worthy of the Regan-Thatcher years. "Terminal A" and "Luggage vs. Baggage" excel by way of their bleary, druggy melodies and cinematic accompaniment. Vocalist DeBlanke reaches deep into her lower register for "Have We Met Before?" as the lads lazily waltz behind her. Highly recommended for fans of the above mentioned references. I dare Radiohead to cover Plans in Progress!
--Tom Semioli
- Amplifier Magazine

Foi o tanto de milésimos de segundos que a banda Robotanists levou para tirar de ouvido e gravar sua versão

para o 8º disco do Radiohead, lançado na semana passada. Ao mesmo tempo, Thom Yorke virava um meme

Começou há duas semanas. Quase quatro anos sem lançar nada, o grupo inglês Radiohead anunciou que tinha gravado o novo disco e que o lançaria em menos de uma semana. A estratégia foi parecida com a do lançamento do disco anterior, mas com algumas novidades. Em vez de perguntar ao público quanto valeria o disco, estabeleceu preço para o download. Chamou o disco de ?newspaper album? (álbum-jornal) sem explicar o que seria isso. E anunciou o título do disco: The King of Limbs. Era uma segunda-feira. O novo disco estaria disponível para download no sábado.

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Antes mesmo de seu lançamento o disco já causava burburinho entre os fãs da banda ? e junto da expectativa, especulações que cruzavam músicas tocadas ao vivo que não haviam entrado em discos com artistas que o Radiohead havia elogiado em entrevistas. Mas, nos Estados Unidos, um grupo de amigos aguardava o novo álbum e transformou a espera num desafio. Juntos, os cinco formam a banda Robotanists, que se propôs à tarefa de tirar todas as músicas do disco e regravá-las em menos de 24 horas após seu lançamento.

?Quando o Radiohead anunciou que lançaria um novo disco, queríamos voltar ao estúdio e ao mesmo tempo pensamos que isso poderia ser uma oportunidade única de nos propor um desafio musical?, me explica a vocalista da banda, Sarah Ellquist. ?Seria um exercício interessante tentar gravar um disco que nunca havíamos ouvido num curto período de tempo. Fizemos isso apenas para nos desafiarmos, somos grandes fãs do Radiohead, por isso tentamos manter a integridade original das canções, forma e harmonia, dentro das condições em que trabalhamos.?

A banda começou a trabalhar um dia antes, já que o Radiohead antecipou o lançamento, que aconteceria no sábado, para a sexta anterior. E começou por onde todos os fãs da banda começaram: ?Lotus Flower?. Faixa de trabalho do disco, ela chegou à internet antes mesmo do resto do álbum em um inusitado clipe que trazia o vocalista do Radiohead, Thom Yorke, dançando sozinho quase aleatoriamente, num meio-termo entre a cara de pau e a dança moderna.

A dancinha virou hit ? e na própria sexta gente do mundo inteiro começou a superpor as cenas do Yorke dançarino a todo tipo de música. No Brasil, duas em especial pegaram na veia ? em uma versão, o vocalista do Radiohead dançava Claudinho e Buchecha, em outra, sambava feito a Globeleza. Enquanto isso, os Robotanists fritavam para tirar o disco nota por nota.

?O mais difícil foi descobrir a métrica e a forma das músicas?, continua Sarah. ?São canções complexas que vão por caminhos incomuns, então tínhamos de pensar nelas como compositores. ?Little by Little? foi a mais difícil, de longe. Ela tem uma métrica padrão, mas passa uma sensação de ritmo atravessado, por isso penamos para escolher a batida e acertar os vocais?.

A banda. FOTO: DIVULGAÇÃO

Além do fato dos vocais das músicas serem interpretados por uma mulher, uma das melhores coisas de Robotanists Does Radiohead The King of Limbs in 24 Hours é perceber que, apesar das texturas e beats que lembram música eletrônica, o disco é todo tocado por músicos de verdade, como o próprio álbum original.

A diferença básica é que se no Radiohead é difícil perceber o que é humano e o que é eletrônico, isso não acontece com os americanos. Tachado de ?difícil?, The King of Limbs caiu nas graças dos Robotanists instantaneamente:

?Quando você passa tanto tempo fazendo uma coisa só, você acaba descobrindo suas falhas, mas ficamos surpresos e animados a cada nova música com a sutileza geral do disco.

O Radiohead segue expandindo o vocabulário musical de seus fãs. Se você não gostou do disco à primeira audição, passe mais tempo com ele, pois este tipo de complexidade é cada vez mais rara na música popular atual?, conclui Sarah. O disco pode ser baixado no site da banda, Robotanics.com. De graça. - O Estado de S. Paulo / MSN.com (Brazil)

Los Angeles east-siders might recognize the ROBOTANISTS from their February residency at The Silverlake Lounge, a local dive notorious for cheap drinks, open mics and in this case, housing some of Los Angeles’ best kept underground indie secrets. However, with the release of the quartet’s full-length, Plans in Progress, and subsequent shows at some of LA’s bigger venues, not to mention a slew of SXSW performances, it’s safe to say that this is a band who won’t stay secret for much longer.

The ROBOTANISTS are fronted by the uber sultry, Sarah Ellquist, whose hauntingly rich, delicate tone can easily be compared to Portishead’s Beth Gibbons with the ethereal heights of Denali’s Maura Davis. Her range is best realized in the album’s first track, “Have We Met Before?” which opens sparse and urgent, driven by little more than a heavy bassline and light rhythm before it builds into an ambient explosion loaded with twists and changes in dynamic, tempo, key and energy, showcasing their collective songwriting ability and, in this case, the amazing talent that is drummer, Preston Scott Phillips.

As a whole, the album is evocatively dreamlike without sacrificing command or precision. It moves consistently through a spectrum of hushed melodies, crashing choruses and driving rhythms. The Robotanist’s third full length album may be the shortest, but it’s the most relentless and auspicious in what lies ahead for the four piece. - Indie Rock Reviews

The Robotanists have just finished their album of covers inspired by Los Angeles, called Shapes and Variations (available on Itunes on April 6, and on CD on March 30). What these clever robot botanists have done is taken popular, in some cases much overplayed songs, and changed the lyrics up to make it about LA, and twisted the arrangement to make it feel like LA.

No! Wait! It’s not as Randy Newman-cheesy as you think, it’s not hippie surf songs, and no, they didn’t just cover Red Hot Chilli Peppers stuff. It’s good stuff, “Exiled State of Mind” (from NY State of Mind by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys), is soft a dreamy, and the vocals are as lightly refreshing and beautiful as Los Angeles rain. While it’s rife with LA references, it’s not anthemy, which makes it quite a nice, sentimental song for when you finally move out of LA and want to remember all the places you drove in your car. “Are You Really Going Out With Her” (from Joe Jackson) is a realistic soundscape to hipster heartbreak, and one you’re going to want to play over and over – The Robotanists do a great job of creating the soundtrack to your life in LA and all the grey sadness and epic-ness that comes along with that.

“Heaven” (from Bryan Adams – oh yes, you know this song…you danced to it stiff-armed with some kid who wasn’t your crush, but afterwards was your sweetie because of this song) is a sweet little tune that also appears on a compilation album called UNCOVERING THE CURE: VOLUME 1 (avail on itunes 3/30). They donated the track to benefit AIDS PROJECT LA, and will be performing on March 30th at the Roxy to raise money for AIDS awareness and prevention. The album includes a handful of other buzzworthy LA bands, like Vanaprasta, Oh Darling and others.

The stand-out track…that I already downloaded for my Itunes library, is “Never Tear Us Apart” (INXS). Aside for this being a great song to begin with, the Robotanists give it a sweet and soulful makeover, complete with Casio tones, driving drums, and a lonely and powerful guitar solo. The song comes crashing down at the end like the INXS version never did, but you always expected it to. Effects and all – they find the soul of this song and expose it for what it is, a heart-wrenching song about the pain of loving so much it hurts (excuse my emo moment).

The album ends with a magical version of “Glass In Your Headlights” (Phillip Glass), full of floaty effects, children playing, layered ethereal vocals, and soaring reverb – also a favorite. This is really a song you can get lost in and float away.

This is what they had to say about LA:

“L.A. possesses a certain auspicious melancholy that some people don’t tap into or even sense. Yes, it’s always sunny and warm, but the truth is thousands of people migrate here following their dreams, only to return to where they came from. Some of us landed here very much broken, but found solace amidst all of those things that people leave behind when they move back home, because it didn’t work out. All of those abandoned hopes and dreams and heartaches can still be felt here, and with those things in mind, we’ve taken what ever sunshine existed from songs by Bryan Adams, Joe Jackson, Lykke Li, Jay Z and a few others, and replaced it with our own warmth and pulse. Each song tells a new story born from the dreams of another.” ~ ROBOTANISTS

Be a fan today! - LA Buzz Blog

Now as much as I love Hall and Oates, I'm not going to follow a Hall and Oates cover band around. Cover bands aren't my cup of tea but I do love it when my favorite bands put out magnificent covers for a side project. See, side projects are supposed to be side projects and most of them are just for fun. However, if you're The Bird and The Bee or Robotanists, cover albums come off as genius.

Robotanists made my Top 50 Songs of 2009 with their song, "Wait A Minute Here," and they've recently released their Shapes and Variations album which includes covers of seven diverse tracks. You've got everyone from INXS to Lykke Li to Joe Jackson and the best part is that every track is completely breathtaking. As I've previously mentioned before, Robotanists have been featured on BeatCrave many times for a good reason. They are one of the few bands in LA who create down-tempo music that has the same integrity as a hardcore rock song.

Their cover of Jay-Z and Alicia Keys' "Empire State of Mind" has been completely rewritten except for the melody and it's a perfect listen on any LA day. Also, check out their smooth rendition of Joe Jackson's "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" here. (Robotanists translation: "Are You Really Going Out With Her?") - Wild Tonic

The Echo Curio may be the smallest venue to host a show in Los Angeles, but even so, the Robotanists were able to rock the house Wednesday night. As soon as the band started playing people started to dance, and you could feel the musical fusion being created. The stage was surrounded by mock-like Christmas lights and colorful lanterns, all of which went off and on to the beat of the music.

Perhaps it was the tiny size that the Echo Curio is that made the guitar, drums, bass, and electronic sounds overpower Sarah Ellquist’s hypnotizing vocals because it was hard to listen to the song’s words; though, if you’re a huge fan, then you probably already know the lyrics and would have been okay, but to the rest of us, it would have been a nice gesture to turn up the mic in order to listen to Ellquist’s great vocals. Other than that, the show was golden.

Lead guitarists Daniel de Blanke was quite a surprise. He managed to light up the stage with a few guitar solos that added a sexy feel to the Robotanists performance, not to mention that Ellquist’s good looks and sensual dance moves add that much more to the show. The Robotanists were also very friendly; at some point a guy from the audience yelled, “You’re awesome!” right when the band was finishing up a song, Ellquist took a sip from her clear bottle and replied, “You’re awesome,” and went on to what became known, to me, as the shortest conversation, but nonetheless a conversation between a band and the audience.

Shortly after the band finished their last song, a bunch of scruffy looking guys (most holding paper bags to cover up their beers and vodka bottles) surrounded Robotanists’ band members; I suppose that’s the good thing about small venues, you get to do that. The Robotanists were love at first sight; right when the first note was played I knew I would go home and download their CD, and I even took home a pink pin with the band’s name on it. It will be nice to see the Robotanists play in bigger venues so that more people can appreciate the band.
- Beatcrave.com

It’s that time again. It’s time for us to pick our favorite music video of the week! A lot of good material was released over the past few days but we had to narrow it down to one which was actually released back in September. It’s just that great! We based our decision on creativity, music, and most importantly why you won’t see it on MTV…but should!

And the pick of this week is…

Robotanists: Exiled State of Mind

This week’s pick was chosen because of the following…

* Creativity: 9/10
* Something you won’t see on MTV, but should: 7/10
* Song Quality: 10/10

They did it. Ever since the New York anthem spilled from the lips of Jay-Z, I’ve been waiting for a song to come out about the vivacious city of Los Angeles. Never did I think I’d like a cover of the theme song for Sex in the City 2, but I do.

The song is beautiful. Sarah Ellquist DeBlanke (Vocals & Keys) captures Los Angeles and surfaces the favorable difference between our East Coast rivial in her one voice. It moves through you like a hangover or a sedation pill. Slowly, she takes the lyrics through you and paces their delivery. Los Angeles moves fast, but it never feels like it. A day could make or break you, and a night, well a night could ruin you.

Her image is unfocused and dreamlike. It seems unreal, but very tangible. Bright, almost blinding lighting fades her out and blends her into the background. However, the woman behind that powerfully haunting voice is the only thing keeping her somewhat in focus. The video is paired perfectly with the song, and I love it.

Our streets define us. Their traffic is more famous than most of the people in it. How can you not feel lost and drowning in that environment? But people pull through and sometimes, every once in a while, this city comes through for you. That’s what makes it so exciting. You never know who might be buying you your next drink. Somehow, Robotanists, you put that all in a cover.

Bravo. - BeatCrave.com

Sarah Ellquist is a Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter and musician. Her band, Robotanists, has recently completed a vinyl-only release called Current, a selection of songs from the group’s first two records.
After a childhood spent studying jazz and the upright bass, Sarah Ellquist hunkered
down at USC to get serious about the music business. Thankfully, her story has
that classic good-girl-goes-bad ending that we all love so much. “The second I got
my degree, I joined a rock band,” she says, “and the rest is history.” Now, Ellquist
sings, writes and generally makes noise with Robotanists, who specialize in “beat
driven, relentlessly sincere, melancholy pop songs.” The band is currently working on its third release, a conceptual album based on the idea of first impressions: “The songs look at all sides of the interactions between people and places when they first meet. The first track is called ‘Have We Met Before?’ Another track, ‘Terminal A,’ is rooted in the first time I went back to New Orleans after moving to Los Angeles, and how I got a second chance and a first glance, if you will.”
As far as impressions go, Ellquist makes one that lasts. With her thick fringe of
white-blonde hair and a knack for dressing sexy-but-tough, Ellquist is one part Billy
Idol and another Bratz doll—a look she’s been subconsciously cultivating since childhood.

“I think style is really embedded in you as a child and growing up, David
Bowie, Miss Piggy, Marianne Faithfull and Barbie were the icons that resonated with
me the most—Bowie is edgy and mythic, Piggy is glamorous and tough, Marianne is soft and sexy, and Barbie can wear any hat fabulously. Whether I’m on stage or buying groceries, there’s a piece of one of them in my wardrobe.”

For more info, go to robotanists.com.
- Filter / Ragged

Q&A: Robotanists’ Sarah Ellquist
BY MARIA COLON · JANUARY 17, 2011 --

FLABmag: First let me say I LOVE your bands’ name. It’s a clever word that feels good in the mouth and rolls nicely off the tongue. It makes for quite good word-play as well. How did you come up with it?

Sarah Ellquist: Thanks! Daniel is big fan of Will Shortz and the “Sunday Puzzle” segment on NPR, and was inspired by the show to combine words that we felt described what we were doing musically. We played with a lot of word combinations, but the second we said “ROBOTANISTS” to a crowd it clicked.

FLABmag: Are you originally from Los Angeles? If so, what experiences living in the city influenced your rendition of Jay-Z’s Empire State of Mind? If you’re not from L.A.- same question but from a non-native’s perspective.

Sarah: I grew up in a military household, moving every few years. I moved to L.A. from New Orleans to go to college, but have now lived here longer than anywhere else in my life. While I’m not “from here” in a traditional sense I consider myself an Angeleno. All of us in the band moved to L.A. from different states, and for different reasons but found ourselves in the same place – the song is about that journey. Like N.Y.C., a lot of people move to LA with these amazing hopes and dreams, but end up going back home when they realize they couldn’t quite get to what they were looking for. The song is more of an ode to those who stay, stick it out and decide L.A. is their new home. People often associate this city with wealth and glamour, but beneath all of that there are plenty of actors, musicians, artists and immigrants, dreaming big with only pennies in their pockets. We tried to channel that, “lesser thought of world”, to bring out a soulfulness most people don’t associate with Los Angeles.

FLABmag: The group has been described as Indie Dance-Pop. Do you agree with that label? If so, why? If not then how would you describe the band’s sound?

Sarah: We definitely make pop music, and most of the songs on our newest album are dancey, but I think what we do is less categorical. We write progressively with the utmost sincerity. Sometimes, I sincerely want to dance, other times, not so much. Daniel often says we make “upbeat sad music for amoral intellectuals,” but dance-pop requires less explanation. Ha!

FLABmag: You’re voice has the emotional tenor of a considerably less boozy & belligerent Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders). Is she an influence? If not who are some of your influences or favorite singers?

Sarah: Growing up, I sang along with artists like Jeff Buckley, Judy Garland and Diana Ross. I do love Chrissie Hynde but I think the feminine edge I express is thanks more to the hard living of Edith Piaf than any contemporary musicians.

FLABmag: Were you and Daniel an item when you started the group or did that develop as a result of working together in the band? Is it annoying to have people ask about the relationship? I imagine it’s a question that comes up quite a lot.

Sarah: We actually met through music, both playing in bands around L.A. together and doing solo songwriting. We started ROBOTANISTS around the same time that we got married, so we’ve never known the band any other way. We are a team and each other’s best critics, so neither of us mind discussing the duality of our relationship.

FLABmag: You released Current, a selection of the band’s favorite tunes from the first two records, which I thought was a funny. It’s like the nice way of alerting fans to not listen to songs not on Current.(Haha) Which are your favorite off the new disc?

Sarah: I’m really in love with every song on PLANS IN PROGRESS. We wrote and recorded it in less than a year, while we toured, to promote our covers record (SHAPES AND VARIATIONS), so everything still feels really new and fresh. We pushed ourselves to make every song like nothing else we’d ever done, and we accomplished just that.

We’re already planning on a vinyl collection similar to CURRENT, writing a “second half” of PLANS IN PROGRESS, that we’ll probably release at the end of the year. We’re big vinyl collectors, so the album was born from the idea of wanting to have our first two EPs in one unified physical place because to us, they were created in the same musical mindset (the covers record really started when we recorded foreigner’s “I Want to Know What Love Is” for our first album, CLOSE DOWN THE WOODS).

Yes, the songs that made it on to the actual vinyl were our personal favorites, but the record also comes with a digital download of our entire catalog, as do most vinyl releases these days. Every album and song we make is an extension of the thoughts we’ve expressed before, so the idea of putting out seven or so songs a year digitally and on CD and then releasing a multi album “collection” on vinyl every now and then, seems to suit us well. It’s more of a way for us to remind people how proud we are of all we’ve done, rather than starting a new album and forgetting the last one existed.

FLABmag: Did you know before the season premiere of Jersey Shore aired that “Subtlety is Underrated” was going to be used? Did you think it was funny or plain stupid but grateful for the exposure (lots of exposure going on in that episode!)?

Sarah: We knew MTV had the song and wanted to use it for something, but we didn’t find out about the Jersey Shore placement until the night before it aired. I think most artists want to reach the most people they can, on their own terms. So, with that in mind, we didn’t write the song planning for it to accompany a drunken striptease (lol) but I think the phrase “Subtlety is Underrated” fit like a glove in that context and the show lent us the ears of 8 million viewers in an instant. So yes, we are grateful for every new fan that might not have found us otherwise. There are plenty of songwriters and composers that write with TV and film in mind – we just make music that moves us, and hope it does the same for others.

FLABmag: So you guys will be playing SXSW this year. Any bands you’re excited to see while in Austin?

Sarah: The best thing about a festival like SXSW is that there are so many opportunities to discover new bands. I’m excited to fall in love with something new. Ask me after the festival and I’m sure I’ll have a laundry list of new favorite bands.

FLABmag: Are there plans for a more extensive tour of the states? Europe?

Sarah: We do have lots of tour planning in the works for the summer and fall for the states and beyond. We definitely have our sights set on Europe!

FLABmag: On which show would you rather be the musical guest: Late Night with Jimmy Kimmel or Late Night with Jimmy Fallon? Conan or David?

Sarah: We are on team Coco ALL THE WAY!!!

(JANUARY 2011) - FLABmag.com

WATCH: Robotanists Perform ‘ON/OFF The Ledge’
Posted on March 11, 2011

Los Angeles dwelling collective, Robotanists, graced our Dickies Showroom with their indie-pop tunes.

The group stripped down their soul-pop song, "ON/OFF The Ledge," from their album, Plans In Progress, to an intimate acoustic rendition just for Dickies.

Check out http://www.facebook.com/dickies to see two more exclusive performances from Robotanists.

Keep checking in for more Dickies Showroom performances.

http://dickiessounds.com/index.php/news/entry/watch_robotonists_perform_on_off_the_ledge
- Overhead Records / DickiesSounds.com

Radiohead announced The King of Limbs four days before they released. In a world of albums getting months if not years of advanced promotion (looking at you, Gaga), you might think this is a pretty short time. You’d of course be right. Know what’s even shorter though? One day. That’s how long it took for California quartet Robotanists to cover the entire thing. Fans have criticized the album for a relatively skimpy eight-song track list. Well, eight songs seems like a lot more when you’ve got 24 hours to learn and record them all. Here’s how they describe it on their website:

It wasn’t an easy project to tackle in such a short amount of time, but we did it (for better or worse). With little sleep and amidst busy schedules, we dissected and reassembled each song as fast as we could then went into our studio and let each one materialize. We started with “Lotus Flower” and worked our way down and back up the record, ending with “Feral.” YIKES!

Giving ourselves a 24 hour time line, we scheduled about 3 hours per song over the course of the weekend… which was nearly impossible once we realized the rhythmic complexity and textural depth of the subtle collection. Songs like “Codex” and “Give up the Ghost” developed themselves easily, in contrast to “Little by Little” which tried every last nerve we had (it was the only one we had to walk away from and come back to several times). We pained ourselves over turning the hauntingly flirty and ambiguously rhythm based track into a synth heavy pop song with clave and shakers, but when you only have a day (and you’ve made up your mind to complete the project), you’d be surprised at what your brain deems acceptable.

Yes. We’re as blown away as you are. These aren’t some halfassed acoustic covers either (though in 24 hours even that would be impressive). These are full-bodied productions, Sarah Ellquist DeBlanke’s vocals echoing in your head long after the 37 minutes end. Stream or download the whole thing below.

http://radiohead.robotanists.com - CoverMeSongs.com

It hasn’t even been a week since Radiohead released its eighth LP, The King of Limbs, but since then, the record has gotten its fair share of criticism from a variety of publications—not least amongst them, the Twitterverse. There is even an entire Tumblr blog already dedicated to mash-up videos using the music video for the lead single “Lotus Flower.”

Due to our accelerating culture, music moves faster than ever before. In this case, Radiohead skipped the middle man promotion and publicity in favor of announcing its album five days before its release…then put it out a day early. Over the course of the weekend following the release, L.A.-based group Robotanists devoured the new record and released a full-album cover of The King of Limbs by the following Monday. You can download or stream the album for free here.

Paste called up Sarah Ellquist DeBlanke (vocals, keys) and Daniel DeBlanke (guitar, keys) of Robotanists to discuss Radiohead’s new album, their cover version and the rapid speed of music consumption in the modern age.

Paste: How did the King of Limbs cover album project come about?
Daniel DeBlanke: I’m a huge Radiohead fan obviously, and when I got the announcement on Monday, they were talking about a new record. I just thought, out loud, “Let’s just cover it, whatever it is.” When I get a new record, as a really geeky musician, I usually just learn it and dissect it. I’m a studio guy in L.A.

On Friday, “Lotus Flower” came out on YouTube. We didn’t even know that the record had come out earlier than Saturday. I actually just dove right into “Lotus Flower,” and was super excited ’cause I was used to the kind of acoustic version that they were doing live or Thom was doing by himself. It was just so awesome. Then I got the rest of the tracks, and we just kept going, and the response to the “Lotus Flower” track was overwhelmingly good. So, we just kept going and kept going, and all of a sudden, it was Monday at four or five in the morning and we were finishing up “Feral.” We sent it to our fans and people who like us.

Paste: How long did it take from start to finish?
Sarah Ellquist DeBlanke: It took about 24 hours, in all honesty, in terms of our man hours, but we did it over the weekend. We had a show on Saturday. We went to a house party. We slept.
Daniel DeBlanke: I shot a video for another band.
Sarah Ellquist DeBlanke: [laughs] We had a really busy weekend. So, whenever we were home, we worked on it. It was kind of like the weekend project—from Friday night to Sunday night.

Paste: What was the process like for covering the songs?
Sarah Ellquist DeBlanke: Well, we knew that Radiohead, just based on their last few albums, have kind of done things in a more digital way, and the type of music that we do, we write in a digital kind of way, but we try to make things very organic and kind of emotive, even using synthetic beats and stuff like that. So, we kind of had the same starting point, the same idea going into this. When we heard it, we were like, “Okay, let’s make this something we could do live if we wanted to.” I mean, that’s the only reason we ever started covering anything anyways. Whenever we do a cover song, it’s like, “Can we do this live? Can we throw it into the set?” But then, obviously, when we got to it, Dan started working on it, and it was way more complex than we anticipated.
Daniel DeBlanke: I basically took a bunch of songs, and looked at the overall arc, the high point of each track and in terms of vocals we want—

The record is very dry in some ways. We wanted to make ours like lush, spacey, dreamier. There’s a lot more vocal harmony and swimming in reverb. For instrumentation, all the drum beats are playable live with…all that crazy nuance in that later half of the record. It’s all viable in a more organic way.

I especially loved “Codex,” and I wanted to be able to do it completely live. Right now, we could go to the show—we have a residency this month in L.A., so we have another show on Monday—and we could go there and potentially play “Codex.” It’s just so beautiful.

Paste: You guys recorded an album of covers before. What is it about covers that you guys are drawn to?
Daniel DeBlanke: Generally, in the past, for covers, we try to just completely change them. There’s this…song. It’s “Exile State of Mind.” It’s kind of our take of that Jay-Z track [“Empire State of Mind”] from the L.A. perspective, which people love that. It was on like the first round of balloting for the Grammys. So, that’s what we normally do. We just pick a song. What is inherently good about the song, or what people inherently love about it, is still there, but we’ve completely made it our own. With this, we just didn’t wanna do that actually. We wanted to have it be in our voice; obviously, in a short amount of time, you have to try to get the character of the record.
Sarah Ellquist DeBlanke: There’s a lot of impromptu stuff going on with the Radiohead covers that, if we had given ourselves a week, it would have been a completely different record. You know? Or a month or whatever. Doing something in such a short amount of time and deciding that that’s all your giving yourself kind of limits you and makes you kind of just work on the fly and make something come out of you. We’ve thought about doing the same kind of thing in our own music, maybe doing a 24-hour album—writing the songs, doing it all and seeing what comes out in the actual amount of time. It’s an interesting test of a musician to see what you’re capable of.
Daniel DeBlanke: I don’t know why I love covers. I come from a classical background, and I spent a lot youth trying to be an artist and interpreting other people’s music. That’s another thing about Radiohead is they’ve turned into: They’re like composers. This record especially. You’re not gonna see a lot of versions of this done by children or girls with an acoustic guitar on YouTube. It’s really heavy stuff.

Paste: Why Radiohead?
Sarah Ellquist DeBlanke: Like Dan was saying, they’ve kind of evolved from a pop band, essentially, into composers. Both of us coming from classical music backgrounds before we played in rock bands can appreciate that and appreciate the complexity and the lack of inherent songwriting-ness about the sounds they’re putting out now. We knew that, whatever they put out, we would be interested in, on just a musician level. We like where they’re going. We wanted to see what it was like to put those kind of things together.
Daniel DeBlanke: And for me, Kid A is just one of those records that made me essentially walk away from a future raised in classical music. I was just so inspired that a rock band could push those sounds and push the words, listeners. That’s what great artists do. They make people expand their ears and their minds and listen more intently and appreciate bigger and better things. There are tons of great bands in the world, but Radiohead is the best at doing that.

Paste:: What do you think about how fast music is moving nowadays?
Daniel DeBlanke: As musicians, that’s the world we live in. I appreciate everything [Radiohead] do in that fact because we’re our own company. We’re our own label. We do all our own designs. And we do that, and the way we do it, because of a band like Radiohead.

The world is moving so fast. I couldn’t have made this record on a laptop in my home studio five years ago. It’s just the beauty of technology with hard work and diligence. I think anyone can do anything. No one needs the big label. Look at Arcade Fire; they didn’t try to make it big with a big label. They love their music. They love their fans. You just do what you do and hope someone notices.

Paste: What do you think of The King of Limbs?
[both laugh]
Sarah Ellquist DeBlanke: That’s dangerous.
Daniel DeBlanke: You go first.
Sarah Ellquist DeBlanke: You know what? On the first listen, I was a little bit surprised at it, actually. I was expecting…I don’t know. I don’t know what I was expecting, but not what I heard. But after transcribing the lyrics and everything all weekend, sometimes you hate something after you’ve listened to it a thousand times, and with every track that we would start, we would love the record more. We were kind of both ready to hate Radiohead after this weekend. Like, “This is gonna be it. We’re done with the album.” There were a few “Fuck you, Radiohead”s when Dan was trying to figure out BPMs, but after that were pretty happy about the record. It’s super subtle, and there’s some really really crazy interesting vocal sampling and stuff that’s going on that, I think the more and more you listen to it, the more people will appreciate it. It’s definitely not a first listen for most ears.
Daniel DeBlanke: When I heard, I actually didn’t listen to it in one sitting. I just went track by track. Part of the project was just—
Sarah Ellquist DeBlanke: Virgin ears.
Daniel DeBlanke: Get your gut reaction to the song. Get the idea and track it. Bam! It’s kind of like a chance piece… But as a music fan, I love, I love, love, love composers like Philip Glass and Steve Reich. Those are composers who are just heavily inspired the record Plans in Progress we just put out on Tuesday, and to hear that stuff being used [on The King of Limbs…I’m not sure the 15-year-old listeners are going to appreciate those things, but if they love the record and they get into that kind of music, they’re expanding their ears. I love the record. I think it’s great. I wish people would stop saying it’s b-sides. - Paste Magazine

15. Robotanists – “Codex”
After Radiohead released their most recent record, The King of Limbs, back in February, L.A.‘s Robotanists assigned themselves with the arduous task of covering the whole album within 24 hours. Their interpretation of “Codex” is their best effort, swapping the filtered piano for an electric guitar and backed by Sarah Ellquist DeBlanke’s smooth vocals. Read our interview with Robotanists about their King of Limbs project here. - Paste Magazine

When we last checked in with L.A. quartet Robotanists, Sarah Ellquist, Daniel de Blanke, Keith Boyarsky and Preston Scott Phillips were dazzling us with a covers EP.

They have not been idle. Their second full-length, “Plans in Progress” — the foursome’s first new material since 2008's “Close Down the Woods” — comes out Feb. 15. Over ghostly guitars and pulsing keys, Ellquist’s vocals strike a nice balance between sultry/detached and warm/inviting, and on this sophomore effort, produced by Danny Kalb, the foursome strikes out for a broader sonic atmosphere.

“Let’s steal this moment / and go as fast as we can,” Ellquist sings in the title track, and if this too-short (28-plus minutes) album is any indication, Robotanists’ moment may very well be nigh.

by KEVIN BRONSON on JANUARY 21, 2011 - BuzzBands.LA

Project Ethos returned to LA Fashion Week at the Avalon last weekend, but before any model traffic could occupy the runway, local darlings ROBOTANISTS set the mood by debuting new material from their third full-length, Plans In Progress. Comprised of songwriters Sarah Ellquist (vocals & keys) and Daniel DeBlanke (guitar, keys) and rhythm section Keith Boyarsky (bass) and Preston Scott Phillips (drums), things have been busy for ROBOTANISTS. Maybe you haven’t heard about their remarkable feat of giving Radiohead’s stealth LP, The King of Limbs, a track by track reworking just 24 hours after the album was released? That concentrated dose of brilliance comes in addition to the new LP, produced by Danny Kalb, whose resume includes Beck, Karen O and Feist.

The sporadic use of darker, electronic trimmings allow ROBOTANISTS to sustain a dreary tinge that seems to shroud their music. This effectively stifles something that would otherwise be high-spirited, like LA smog quietly and gently concealing the sun’s euphoric radiations. “On/Off The Ledge” is one of the album’s more effervescent moments. The confusion and frustration conveyed in the song’s title is made audible by weaving a hypnotic piano, a thudding bass line, choppy drums, besetting guitars, and Sarah Ellquist’s impassioned vocals. Ms. Ellquist appeared more than comfortable up on that runway, but seemingly any stage will do for ROBOTANISTS, who’ve spent a great deal of the last two years touring, and will continue to do so for the time being, as they hit SXSW. The promotion process for Plans In Progress is far from over, and with an LP full of fetching tracks, whose gigantic choruses will penetrate your subconscious and stay there, ROBOTANISTS look primed to mimic their local admiration on a profoundly larger scale…

Plans In Progress - FULL ALBUM STREAM!

CHECK OUT THE ROBOTANISTS COVER OF RADIOHEAD’S The King of Limbs

Tags: Feist, Karren O, Radiohead, ROBOTANISTS - AerialNoise.com

The soaring melodic sounds of indie-pop quartet Robatanists are both fun and meaningful, danceable but headphone material as well. Riding the wave of the electro trend, they manage not to overdo it like a lot of these types do. Their third album, Plans In Progress, has an overall light and pretty feel, with cascading beats, airy guitars, and heart-heavy vocals. The dreamy and nostalgic track "The Ghost You're Haunting" has a similar feel to Yeah Yeah Yeah's "Cheated Hearts", with fading chants in the background, fluttering guitar reverbs, and an impressive showcase of Ellquist's vocals during the bridge. Their single "On/Off The Ledge" is a bit darker and progressive, and the music video is a visual mind blow. Set atop a Los Angeles rooftop, the elements of the video are Warhol-esque, as some bright pops of color and art are thrown in with the party scene captured. Robotanists set themselves apart from most bands, keeping an upbeat and interesting style at the same time as being deep and sensual.

Upcoming shows: April 13th @ The Satellite, April 27th @ The Troubador, and April 27th @ The Cabana Club.

***For those who like: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Feist, Florence and The Machine, The XX. - The Deli magazine (National)

I'd love to see L.A.'s ROBOTANISTS at a live show. They're one of those acts, I bet, where all the sheen, polish, glam & glitter (well, maybe not ALL the glam & glitter) that you hear on the record falls away to reveal a really ballsy rock n roll band. Blondie vibes -- she started as a punk, right? Beautiful, breathy vocals; style for miles; and epic compositional turns that pull you in without pretense. "The Lack Thereof" comes off their latest album Plans In Progress. Check it out, along with their cover album of King Of Limbs, which they released 24 hours after Radiohead dropped the album. A bit of a stunt, but hey, America was built on stunts. Hunt through the ROBOTANISTS' Bandcamp here and you're guaranteed to find some gems! - QRO Magazine (UK / USA)

Here are a few nice things that have been said about us…

“Female-fronted indie at its finest, a soulful voice cast over booming guitar and the downright pretty production quality typical of the genre. The Robotanists are here to fill that void [of bands like Denali] in every respect, and “On/Off The Ledge” is as sincere as it is dancy, adjectives that normally take effort to pair together.”
~ RCRDLBL.com (USA)

“Beautiful, breathy vocals; style for miles; and epic compositional turns that pull you in without pretense.”
~ QRO Magazine (USA / UK)

“Seductive and ethereal, Plans in Progress melds the mechanical (synthesizers, midi-sequencing etc.) with the mortal (i.e. real instruments played by humans) akin to the legendary lads from Abingdon, Oxfordshire along with the sleek sexuality (and grooves) of latter day Blondie and Everything But The Girl.”
~ Amplifier Magazine (USA)

“Evocatively dreamlike without sacrificing command or precision. [Plans in Progress] moves consistently through a spectrum of hushed melodies, crashing choruses and driving rhythms. The Robotanists’ third full length album may be the shortest, but it’s the most relentless and auspicious in what lies ahead for the four piece.”
~ Indie Rock Reviews (USA)

“Robotanists set themselves apart from most bands, keeping an upbeat and interesting style at the same time as being deep and sensual.”
~ The Deli Magazine (USA)

“[Ellquist's] achingly candied vocals give such dream-pop chansons as “Terminal A” and “The Ghost You’re Haunting” a romantically yearning quality, as her musical co-conspirator Daniel DeBlanke surrounds her with shimmering layers of guitar and electronics… [her] sugary melodies and charismatic allure contribute to Robotanists’ considerable commercial potential, but one hopes that DeBlanke will continue to contrast such pure-pop ambition with the artful embellishments and occasional experimentation that distinguish the new album.”
~ Falling James, LA Weekly (USA)

“concentrated dose of brilliance… and with an LP full of fetching tracks [Plans in Progress], whose gigantic choruses will penetrate your subconscious and stay there.”
~ AerialNoise (USA)

“Robotanists are dreamscape designers who know how to make a great, great record… “The Lack Thereof” begins with a country twang, transitions into melodic-ballad heaven, and crescendos into spacey bliss that is something you would hear from Philip Glass. The melody snowballs into echoey euphoric vocals that sent chills down my spine.”
~ 402 Productions (USA)

“Plans in Progress is an album filled with longing and discovery… Robotanists have an electric future ahead of them. Comparable to The Sounds, but ten folds better”
~ My Favorite M.A.O.I. (USA)

“The next-big-thing… Robotanists, [are] a progressive shoegaze quartet with a great EP”
~ Shana Nys Dambrot, Falvorpill.com (USA)


“Let’s just face it, The Robotanists have talent. Their drummer (Preston Scott Phillips) is amazing. I always say, a band is only as good as their drummer. And, Sarah Elquist DeBlanke is a real “singer”. It’s so stupid, but there once was a time when the prerequisite for being a singer, was being able to sing (did I mention I just saw Glass Candy?). Sarah CAN sing. Daniel DeBlanke is one of my guitar heroes. I like to think he plays like I do, but he actually plays like I would eventually want to be able to play if I practiced for 10 years.”
~ Radio Free Silver Lake (USA)

“Robotanists’ versatile music effortlessly blends elements of rock and pop, reflecting a spectrum of moods rather than a particular genre. Their songs evoke different atmospheres that are intriguing and captivating, with a seemingly metaphorical depth and alternately sedated sound.”
~ Flavorpill (USA)

“Over ghostly guitars and pulsing keys, Ellquist’s vocals strike a nice balance between sultry/detached and warm/inviting, and on this sophomore effort, produced by Danny Kalb, the foursome strikes out for a broader sonic atmosphere. “Let’s steal this moment / and go as fast as we can,” Ellquist sings in the title track, and if this too-short album is any indication, Robotanists’ moment may very well be nigh.”
~ Kevin Bronson, BuzzBands.la (USA)

“In the world of covers The Robotanists are fucking Picassos.”
~ SYFFAL.com (USA)

“Their EPs Close Down the Woods and Shapes and Variations are incredibly addicting… [Shapes and Variations] is one of the best cover albums of the past decade. Any band that can take something like Jay-Z’s calculated hit “Empire State of Mind” and turn it into a beautifully melancholic ode to Los Angeles is a band that demands your attention.”
~ Gorillacoustic.com (USA)

“Robotanists are a band everyone has to see live. I’ll even go as far as to predict they’ll be on the Coachella lineup next year.”
~TrendyMusicGuide.com (USA)

”If you’re The Bird and The Bee or Robotanists, cover albums come off as genius… every track [on ROBOTANISTS' Shapes and Variations] is completely breathtaking!”
~ WildTonic.com (USA)

“Robotanists do a great job of creating the soundtrack to your life in LA… “Never Tear Us Apart” is “the stand-out track… Robotanists give it a sweet and soulful makeover, complete with Casio tones, driving drums, and a lonely and powerful guitar solo. The song comes crashing down at the end like the INXS version never did, but you always expected it to. Effects and all – they find the soul of this song and expose it for what it is, a heart-wrenching song about the pain of loving so much it hurts.”
~ LABuzzBlog.com (USA)

“Joe Jackson’s classic ["Is She really Going Out with Him"] gets a gender bend and couldn’t sound sexier. “Dance, Dance, Dance” is reworked to the point if you didn’t know any better you’d assume Lykke Li was covering them. Seriously go compare the two… the band was challenged to make the most overplayed songs listen-able again. They rose to the challenge and then some.”
~ inTraffik.com (USA)

“…Ellquist has never sounded more confident with that beguiling voice of hers, a voice not too distant from Hooverphonic’s Geike Arnaert or Olive’s Ruth-Ann Boyle.”
~LA-Underground.net (USA)

“This gal [Ellquist] has such a voice, and the song, “Wait a Minute Here” is gorgeous! The whole EP [Close Down the Woods] is really cool.”
~ Larry Little, Future Sounds

“In case you didn’t know, “Wait a Minute Here” by Robotanists is amazing!”
~Will Benham, New and Used Records (USA)

“…Mesmerizing, hypnotic, engaging… ROBOTANISTS are just REALLY good!”
~ Beat Crave.com (USA)

“The dualism implied in the name of the Los Angeles band Robotanists is no misnomer. The quartet, led by husband and wife Daniel de Blanke and Sarah Ellquist, thrives on toeing the line between nature’s fragility and the imperviousness of cold steel.”
~ Kyle lemmon, Ragged /Filter Magazine (USA)

“On their debut EP “Close Down the Woods,” Robotanists root around in the electro-noir explored by Mazzy Star and Portishead, with Ellquist’s sultry voice narrating the way through forays into the dark both metaphorical and literal. Their penchant for the atmospheric never becomes an overbearing aesthetic, though — you can take the title of one of their songs, “Subtlety Is Underrated,” seriously.”
~ Kevin Bronson, Buzz Bands.la (USA)

“BEST OF THE YEAR: [Ellquist's] timeless voice is the venom that takes you under after you’ve let your guard down from the music underneath it. She sings from a place that isn’t just lost in most singers of today, it’s become completely uncharted and only the brave dare to venture there.”
~ OpinionHated (USA)

”If Debbie Harry fronted Pink Floyd, you might have something like the Robotanists: moody, textured soundscapes with bright blonde melodies laced throughout.”
~ Rob Getzschman, BlueComet.tv (USA)

“BEST OF THE YEAR: In such a bleak musical environment, [Robotanists’ EP] Close Down The Woods is a float for rescue. In just 36 minutes Sarah Ellquist’s angelic voice leads us to different acoustic spaces, whether it be orchestrated pop, jazz or straight up Rock and Roll… with such impeccable performances, it is clear that this the surprise album of the season.”
~ Idealno & Pragmaticno (Serbia – Translated)

“Un sonido maduro, un rock que viaja por distintos estilos sin perder la línea”
~ Fragments Soniques (Mexico)

“Their songs are Immediate and warm, closer to the gentler moments of Mogwai, the torch songs of Jeff Buckley and the ether-clouded melodies of Broadcast.”
~ OC Weekly (USA)

“A voice that ranges from Beth Gibbons to PJ Harvey, Ellquist’s vocals are both alluring and invigorating”
~ Music Connection Magazine (USA)

“@Robotanists sure make some sexy damn music. Ms. Ellquist is one wikked lil’ grrrl!”
~LA-Underground.net (USA)

“Ellquist sings sad but full, holding her own with the sonic melodies and supernova crescendos that are in the realm of Godspeed you Black Emperor, Sigur Rós and Glenn Branca.”
~ Res Magazine (USA)

“[Robotanists have] a mature sound, that travels through different styles without missing a beat, at times with dense atmospheres, retro moments, and many interesting arrangements, a little guitarrazo shoegaze, jazz, and an intense, sensual voice… [Close down the Woods is] the complete picture of a good band, premiering itself”
~ Fragments Soniques (Mexico – Translated)
- RCRD LBL / QRO / Amplifier / Filter / Res / Performer / Music Connection / LA Weekly / Various Music

There was once a very great and shamefully little known band from Richmond called Denali. It was female-fronted indie at its finest, a soulful voice cast over booming guitar and the downright pretty production quality typical of the genre. The Robotanists are here to fill that void in every respect, and "On/Off The Ledge" is as sincere as it is dancy, adjectives that normally take effort to pair together (see also: Phantogram). Catch the LA quartet's full length, Plans in Progress, out February 15 on Overhead.
- RCRD LBL

Filter Magazine has chosen ROBOTANISTS as one of five "Emerging Artists" featured online by their new publication, RAGGED.

In addition to being named one of five “Emerging Artists”, readers voted over 1.5 MILLION TIMES over a month and overwhelmingly chose ROBOTANISTS to be featured in the spring issue of RAGGED presented by FILTER. The issue will include a feature interview and photographs of the band in their home town, Los Angeles and will hit the streets in March, just in time for SxSW.

Brought to you by Filter Magazine and the American Rag clothing line, RAGGED, is a magazine, devoted to bringing the worlds of music and fashion together through print and photography. Getting its start in September of 2007, RAGGED has always included articles on bands from the up-and-coming underground, as well as, familiar favorites covering the best emerging talent out there - Kate Nash, Uh Huh Her, Aqualung, Delta Spirit, Phantom Planet, Eisley, Silversun Pickups, Jem, The Cinematics, The Pipettes and many more.


http://RAGGEDmag.com
http://www.pluginmusic.com/news/archive.php?id=4357 - Filter / Ragged

If you were paying attention, you’ve probably heard L.A. quartet Robotanists’ rendition of Bryan Adams’ “Heaven,” which appears on the cool charity covers collection “Uncovering a Cure.” (Oh, you missed that? Get it here.) That song, along with six other interpretations, appears on Robotanists’ new EP “Shapes and Variations.” Sarah Ellquist, Daniel de Blanke and crew use songs like Lykke Li’s “Dance, Dance Dance,” the Black Keys’ “All You Ever Wanted” and INXS’ “Never Tear Us Apart” like putty. Most fun, though, is the reshaping (and gender-flipping) of Joe Jackson’s “Is She Really Going Out With Him?” — which, when Ellquist sings it, becomes a long cool drink of water called “Are You Really Going Out With Her?”

||| Download: “Are You Really Going Out With Her?”

||| Live: Robotanists celebrate their EP release by playing the 9 p.m. set Saturday at the Garden Party at Edgar Varela Fine Arts, 209 S. Garey St., downtown. - Buzz Bands / Kevin Bronson

The darlings of our Summer Soundtrack, Silverlake based Robotanists enjoyed a whirlwind season full of sunshine, radio airplay (KCRW), and lots of new friends. Two of the band members Sarah Ellquist and Daniel de Blanke have taken a few moments to bring you firsthand some of the highlights of their summer, as well as how they feel they’ve grown as a band. They even let you us in on what songs they wish they had written.

Robotanists are:
Daniel de Blanke – guitars, keys, songwriting
Sarah Ellquist – vocals, keys, songwriting
Preston Scott Phillips – percussion, drums, iphone
Keith Boyarsky – bass

TRAffIK: Where can we learn more about your band?
DANIEL: Google “robotanists” or go to http://robotanists.com

TRAffIK: How did you come together?
DANIEL: We were all in other bands, and then left those bands and formed this one. The social lubricant was alcohol and a fondness for screaming at the television. That, and Dostoevsky.

TRAffIK: How would you describe your sound?
DANIEL: Up-tempo sad music for amoral intellectuals
SARAH: Make-up sex

TRAffIK: How does the songwriting process work for you? Where does the inspiration come from?
SARAH: Dan and I are a song writing team, but every song is born in a different way, from a different place. I write all of the lyrics, but sometimes, I write the melody and Dan builds harmony from there, or vice versa. If either of us ever thinks that we’ve written a complete song, the other is there to edit and refine. We take everything to the rhythm section for the final seal of approval… and the rest is history. Lyrics come from a very personal place, but I try to craft them in a way that the listener can interpret as they choose. Music is a personal thing, I want listeners to make our music theirs.
DANIEL: I have three thousand song ideas that are half crafted at any given time. I generally force Sarah to listen to them until she starts singing melodic material.

TRAffIK: Lately you’ve been performing acoustically a lot more than we’d seen previously. Do you have a preference for either performing unplugged or plugged in?
SARAH: I think we all prefer the energy of playing as a full band, but performing with just an acoustic guitar is a great way to really showcase our songwriting. It’s liberating to strip things down and just let the melody and harmony dance with each other.

TRAffIK: What started this trend for you?
SARAH: I suppose you could say that most of our music starts out “acoustic” during the demo phase, but we started performing them that way after some friends of ours (the band Vanaprasta) asked us to come to the Bond St. Lounge at the Thompson Hotel in Beverly Hills over the summer and play a few songs. The next thing we knew we were getting weekly invites to perform all over LA.

TRAffIK: Do you feel that the acoustic performances have exposed your music to a different crowd than what you would typically appeal to?
SARAH: Absolutely. That first show we did was in Beverly Hills… we’re a bunch of indie rockers from Silverlake. The last place we expected to charm an audience was at the Thompson. There’s a really great musician from the UK named Jont. He hosts parties in every city he goes and fills them with musicians and music lovers from every walk of life. He was in LA over the summer and hosted two of his “Unlit” parties that we were lucky to play at alongside everyone from Poe to the Like. Everyone just took turns picking up an acoustic guitar and performing in the moonlight, without amps or microphones while gazing down from the Hollywood Hills – we made new fans but more importantly new friends. Those shows were like nothing else.

TRAffIK: More and more shows keep springing up at make-shift venues everywhere, but especially here in LA. Do you have a preference between playing either established music venues or spaces like say galleries? Why or why not?
SARAH: We’re having a love affair with galleries right now. Party spaces are where cutting edge music is really being showcased these days. We love the pro sound and big stages of conventional venues, but you just can’t match the energy of being eye to eye with downtown audiences and the speakeasy vibe. Edgar Valera and IsGoodMusic.com host a monthly party at Junglerush Gallery during the Downtown Art Walk called “The Garden Party.” If you haven’t been before, it’s a must do event! Music + Art + Booze = Magic

TRAffIK: In your opinion, what makes a good show?
SARAH: Every show is good. Some are amazing, but all are exhilarating. We’re at home on stage, so whenever we’re performing we’re giving it our all. Weather there’s one person in the audience or a thousand; every performance is a new challenge and a new success.

TRAffIK: Is there anything that you currently feel the music scene (either limited to LA/Hollywood or in general) is really lacking these days?
DANIEL: No, actually. There are a ton of great LA bands right now. Everyone is friendly, getting good crowds, press, and even radio airplay. And, I think we have the best blog scene in the country, which helps nurture the incredible local talent. From la-underground to rockinsider, laist, buzzbands.la, radiofreesilverlake, there are hundreds of blogs I read every day.
SARAH: I agree, the east side / downtown music scene is at an amazing place right now. And bloggers keep us in the loop, making it possible to check out shows we couldn’t make it to etc.

TRAffIK: This summer you were able to sneak off and play shows in neighboring cities. What was your experience with playing shows outside of LA?
SARAH: We love getting out of town and meeting new people, and the audiences we meet do such a good job at making us feel like superstars… then we come home go back to being locals. Both have their perks.

TRAffIK: Are there any lessons you feel the LA music scene could learn from some of these other places?
DANIEL: In other cities strangers buy us meals and give us wine and bacon. I’d like more of that in LA, although Jon Hershfeld always gives us bacon.

TRAffIK: Do you make it out to see other live music? If so what is a band (other than yourselves of course) or musical artist that we should check out?
DANIEL: I like Wait. Think. Fast. and Deep Sea Diver, and everyone in the Origami Vinyl Family.
SARAH: We’ve seen a few great bands at Bardot in Hollywood this year: Band of Skulls, Warpaint, and Lykke Li. In the same way that we like performing in unconventional spaces, I love to see bands the same way. Stages are old news, I’d rather be eye level with artists and likewise with fans.

TRAffIK: Is there a song (by either an independent or major artist) that makes you think “Man, I wish I’d written that song!” and Why?
SARAH: Lauryn Hill’s “Ex-Factor.” – “You said you’d die for me… Why won’t you live for me” I don’t know who really wrote that song, but every time I hear that last line it breaks my heart.
DANIEL: Mellowdrone, has a song called “Fashionably Uninvited,” and it’s so fucking catchy that I can’t stop listening to it. Another is “Debaser” by the Pixies, “GOD IS SEVEN THEN GOD IS SEVEN THEN GOD IS SEVEN…” that is brilliant. It’s catchy in a terribly psychotic way, and mentions New Jersey.

TRAffIK: Now that summer is drawing to a close and we at TRAffIK are reflecting back to this summer and those of years past, do you have one definitive song or artist (for you specifically) that instantly makes you think of Summer?
SARAH: Our own song “Wait a Minute Here” was really my song of the summer. It was our first radio single and I almost drove off the road the first time I heard it played on “Morning Becomes Eclectic.” You only have that experience for the first time once in your life
DANIEL: “Dance, Dance, Dance” by Lykke Li. We’re covering it on our next record that we’re finishing now. I keep listening to her version and different versions of ours over and over again. I love it.

TRAffIK: What is your favorite part about the summer season?
SARAH & DANIEL (in unison): sweat, swimming pools, mopeds, margaritas and mist.

TRAffIK: Where can we see you next?
SARAH: Speaking of unconventional performance spaces… On 9/26 we’ll be at the Boogie Den. It’s a monthly concert, party and vintage clothing sale all wrapped into one. There’s an open bar, live music and vintage clothes are $4 a pound! You won’t wanna miss it. (Go to http://tour.robotanists.com for all the details!) - InTraffik.com

OVERHEAD RECORDS artist, ROBOTANISTS has been selected by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to be on the nomination ballots for the 2nd year in a row for prestigious Grammy Awards!!!

Their latest single (and new VIDEO), “Exiled State of Mind,” is on the ballot for the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards in the category of Record of the Year, alongside the original version, Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind.”

In addition to "Exiled state of Mind," their Phillip Glass arrangement, "Glass in Your headlights" and their covers album Shapes and Variations are nominated in a total of 5 categories, including: Best Alternative Album, Best Instrumental Arrangement with Vocals, Album of the Year, and more!

Last year Robotanists stacked up in 7 categories for their debut EP, CLOSE DOWN THE WOODS, getting short listed in Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, Best Alternative Album, and more.

Other 2011 nominees include, Christian Aguillera, Bat for Lashes, B.O.B., Beyonce, Built to Spill, Florence and the Machine, Cee-Lo, Lady Gaga… and more!

Watch the Grammy Nominations Concert on CBS, December 1st to find out who will make it to the televised nominations. - Overhead Press Release

It’s a well known fact that I’m a cover song whore. I might be the only person in LA that has all of the Johnny Cash American Recordings, all of the Me First and The Gimme CDs, and this week insisted on purchasing Scratch My Back, the new Peter Gabriel CD. Yes it is true that I haven’t listened to a Peter Gabriel CD since Lloyd Dobler lifted a moderately sized boombox with cartoonish supersonic range to win back the love of Diane Court, but if he’s putting out an album’s worth of covers then I’m putty in his hands. Digging into the tracks I have to say it is a bit lacking. That’s not to say that the choices are uninspired because that couldn’t be further from the case. Gabriel chose some amazing songs from such favorites as Bon Iver (“Flume”), The Arcade Fire (“My Body is a Cage”), and The Magnetic Fields (“The Book of Love”). It’s the approach that was taken that bothers me. In stripping away the drums and the guitars, Gabriel turned these songs into self serving flat whisperfests with nothing behind them. There’s no heart. No soul. What Gabriel must not have understood is that the science of a good cover is to take the opportunity to honor the source material while completely re-inventing it, making it your own in a way that people will recognize its source but, if done properly, they’ll appreciate it more than the original. It is a tough feat, but a goal that one should aspire to. This approach has worked in the past as a launching pad for people like Gary Jules (“Mad World”), Jeff Buckley (“Hallelujah”), and Cat Power (“I Found a Reason”). By leaving the heart of these tracks in place and giving them a makeover these artists forever took ownership of the songs. Trent Reznor himself will tell you that “Hurt” now belongs to Johnny Cash forever. I doubt Thom Yorke will be saying that about Peter Gabriel’s spin on “Street Spirit”.

Clearly I’m bitter for wasting the money.

Worry not my loyal readers. My sad feelings quickly subsided when I was sent an advance copy of LA’s own Robotanists’ forthcoming EP Shapes and Variations. Where Peter Gabriel failed, the Robotanists succeed. Like I said earlier it is very rare when a cover song surpasses the original. Amazingly enough on their upcoming EP the Robotanists manage to pull off this trick seven times. Seven times they reinvent a popular song. Seven times they take ownership of the covered material. I hate to give someone overflowing credit, but not only do they take ownership but they do it with songs that are part of the popular zeitgeist. It’s as if they shouted out “Hey Gabriel, it’s one thing to cover Bon Iver’s “Flume” but try covering Jay Z’s “Empire State of Mind.” It takes balls to do that..and balls are what the Roboantists have. Balls and beautiful lead vocals. Judging from the songs selected (“Empire State,” “Are You Really Going Out With Him,” “Dance Dance Dance,” “Heaven”) one would think that the band was challenged to make the most overplayed songs listen-able again. They rose to the challenge and then some.

“Empire” is given a unique softer, less bragadocious heart with an LA spin, making it a completely different song (one renamed “Exiled State of Mind”). Joe Jackson’s classic gets a gender bend and couldn’t sound sexier. “Dance, Dance, Dance” is reworked to the point if you didn’t know any better you’d assume Lykke Li was covering them. Seriously go compare the two. Did I mention they also cover Bryan Adams’ “Heaven?” They exude a sexiness on “Heaven” that made me sure If I had it in my arsenal instead of Bryan Adams’ version I definitely would have gotten to 2nd base at that middle school dance back in the day. If i had to pick one stand out it would have to be the amazing version of “Never Tear Us Apart.” After one spin my mind was made up – they owned this song. Sorry Michael Hutchinson and co…The Robotanists made it theirs through and through. Don’t fret, you still have “Suicide Blonde”…for now.

I was so enamored with these covers I searched out the band’s myspace and found out that beyond these covers their original material is top notch as well. You can stream their EP of original material here. Check out “Wait a Minute Here”. It rocks. Like I said I’m a sucker for covers. Bands know that. That’s why they use them. Rope the people in with familiarity and then throw your new original stuff at them before they know whats hit them. In the end that’s the job of the cover song right? Well done cover songs.

Good job Robotanists.
Piss poor job Peter Gabriel. - DELTRON 3030

LNA and Invisible DJ joined forces recently to combine music and fashion for an exclusive line of shirts available on Shopbop.com! One of the new “Music Tees” features ROBOTANISTS’ “Close Down The Woods” on its accompanying playlist!

Founded in 2007 by California natives Lauren Alexander and April Leight, LNA clothing began with the idea of creating the perfect men’s tee for women. Focusing on fit, color, and fine cotton, the first collection of tees garnered press in Vogue and Nylon, and found fans in Nicole Richie and Mischa Barton. The collection expanded to include everything from lace tops to zipper leggings, putting an edgy twist on favorite staples.

LNA Music Tees are made of 100% Cotton Jersey, are manufactured in the U.S.A. and each Tee includes FREE downloads of all of the songs listed on the shirt!

CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW: LNA Wartime Cropped Flashdance Music Tee (Featuring ROBOTANISTS)

Merging digital music and fashion, this crew-neck, semi-sheer cropped jersey tee features an airplane and map graphic at the front and playlist at the back. It features rolled, unfinished hem and cuffs and long raglan sleeves!

Other LNA Music Tee artists include: Phoenix, Yeasayer, Fol Chen , Florence and the Machine, Devandra Banhart, Bat for Lashes, Animal Collective, Ladyhawke, Cold War Kids, Santigold and many more! - Overhead Press Release

"[Robotanists have] a mature sound, that travels through different styles without missing a beat, at times with dense atmospheres, retro moments, and many interesting arrangements, a little guitarrazo shoegaze, jazz, and an intense, sensual voice… [Close down the Woods is] the complete picture of a good band, premiering itself"

READ ON IN SPANISH>>>>>

Cuando escuche a Robotanists pensé que eran algo así como un grupo con un rato de trayectoria y más de algún hit en su haber, pero hey! "Wait A Minute Here" (así se llama la primera rola del disco) este es su primer Ep, publicado este año.

Son una banda indie de Los Angeles con un sonido maduro, un rock que viaja por distintos estilos sin perder la línea, a veces con densas atmósferas, instantes retro, y de muchos arreglos interesantes, un poco de guitarrazo shoegaze, jazz, una voz sensual, intensa que me recordó a Nancy Sinatra, en fin, el cuadro completo de una buena banda, que se estrena con este Ep relativamente largo de 7 tracks y casi 30 minutos de duración, que cierra con un buen cover de aquel ochenterisimo "I Don't Want To Know What Love Is" de "Foreigner".

highlights: wait a minute here, slow motion, close down the woods, subtlety is underrated


- Fragments Soniques (Spanish Music Blog)

Robotanists recently finished their album Close Down the Woods, and before any press releases could go out... there was a blogger review already published (highlights and links below).

On Wait a Minute Here: "If you’re not captivated by this song, then I don’t know how you can ever claim to have been in love and possess a heart." and... "it brings such a strong longing sense that it’s hard to properly compare it to something else. The simplicity of it adds such an epic feeling to the song. You might ask how is such possible. It’s simple, really, the fact that it feels so bare bones is how it fuels the “just out of reach” sensation of the song that the lyrics bring."

On Subtlety is Underrated: "[Ellquist's] timeless voice is the venom that takes you under after you’ve let your guard down from the music underneath it. She sings from a place that isn’t just lost in most singers of today, it’s become completely uncharted and only the brave dare to venture there."

On Close Down The Woods: "... it’s beyond breathtaking... It all goes together like finely tuned instruments in the San Francisco Symphony. But, all the glory isn’t Sarah’s alone, the music the band provides makes her voice that much more intoxicating . . . that much more alluring . . . and that much more enticing."

On Slow Motion: "[Ellquist] leaps to heights that you don’t hear female vocalists aim in either Indie Rock or even R&B much in today’s music." ..."[Phillips']timing is perfect[on percussion]. His tempo is excellent. His execution is one for the books."

On Tasteless: "...the music of this track is big. Broadway big, baby. With such a high standard set by the band, you know that Ms. Sarah Ellquist has to match their magic. Matches it she does. To be fair and honest, I haven’t heard a female belt out such powerful blasts on a studio song since the mid-90’s. Yes, I know that some of the current artists can sing with such passion and intensity, but you rarely see them performing such on their studio records. This band doesn’t play for the radio, they play for the love of the music." - Opinion Hated (Music Blog) / Overhead Press

Earlier this year while Robotanists were hard at work in the studio recording their EP "Close Down the Woods" the group was contacted by author Noel Hudson, who was writing �The Band Name Book.� Hudson asked the group if he could include their story as a feature in his �big, open-it-anywhere book created for music fans and pop-culture followers of all ages that explains how (or where) the best-named bands in history got their names.�

�The Band Name Book� (the Boston Mills Press) is now in stores worldwide and features Robotanists discussing their "gutwrenching serenaades" in the company of indie darlings Vampire Weekend, Arctic Monkeys, Arcade Fire, as well as legends Sonic Youth, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles and many more!

Buy now at Amazon.com or at a book store near you!
http://www.amazon.com/Band-Name-Book-Noel-Hudson/dp/1550464876/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220977984&sr=8-1
- The Boston Mills Press / Overhead Press

The “PLAY THE BLACK KEYS” Contest sponsored by Paste Magazine, Imeem and Gibson Guitars announced that ROBOTANISTS is the winner on July 28, 2008.

Robotanists covered the Black Keys song “All You Ever Wanted” and created an original music video for it.

Read more details on the contest's official website:
http://www.imeem.com/theblackkeys/blogs/2008/07/28/5RcDFAbg/we_have_a_winner

Watch the Video now:
http://www.youtube.com/v/3kdl08RstOA&hl=en&fs=1
- Paste Magazine

ROBOTANISTS just shipped their EP "CLOSE DOWN THE WOODS" to college stations and specialty radio shows across the country, and in the first week, both their album and single "Wait a Minute Here" have debuted in the TOP 10!!!!

FMQB JUST REPORTED THE FOLLOWING CHART POSITIONS (6.17.09):


SUBMODERN SINGLES CHART:
ROBOTANISTS' single "Wait a Minute Here" debuted at #10!

Tying with... Wilco's "You Never Know," Silversun Pickups' "Panic Switch," The Mars Volta's "Since We've Been Wrong" & Dinosaur Jr's "Over It."

Coming in ahead of... Phoenix's "1901", Stellastarr* "Graffiti Eyes," Howling Bells' "Cities Burning Down," and singles from Handsome Furs, St. Vincent, The Dead Weather, Hockey, Anderson, Maximo Park and others!


SUBMODERN ALBUMS CHART:
ROBOTANISTS' album "Close Down the Woods" debuted at #8!

Tying with... The Lemonheads' Varshons, Phoenix's Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, The Eels' Hombre Lobo: 12 Songs of Desire, and new albums from Wilco, and Dirty Projectors.

Coming in ahead of... Kings of Leon's Only by the Night, Silversun Pickups "Swoon", Manchester Orchestra's Mean Everything to Nothing, Anderson's It Runs in the Family, St. Vincent's Actor, as well as new albums from White Rabbits, Howling Bells and others.

Check out the AIRPLAY page on robotanists.com to find out when Robotanists get added to your local station, then call and request "WAIT A MINUTE HERE!"

- Art of Broadcast / Overhead