Furniture Girls

Formed in 2007, this Seattle five-piece's third EP follows a lone LP, 2010's How I Learned to Crawl. Unlike 2014's moodier, meandering Dreams EP, Chaos is more streamlined and focused. The grinding, grueling "The Deep End" and funk-flecked, Eastern-tinged "Fake" gain from growling and guttural, yet gorgeously lilted, Pat Benatar/Debbie Harry-evoking singer stayC Meyer, and a pulverizing dual-guitar attack. Further, Thane Mitchell's fluid and forceful drumming gives the three fastest songs--the galloping, sharp-riffed "The Well Was Poisoned," the breathless, Bonnie Tyler "Holding Out For a Hero"-like "Not Long for This World," and especially the stupendous, swirly-synthed (courtesy of Prince and the Revolution's "Dr." Matt Fink!) pop-punk standout "Lily"--so much forward thrust they jump from the speakers. The chiming, clipped closer "Let Go" clinches it: Chaos is charasmatic and convincing rock. (furnituregirls.com) - The Big Takeover (#76)

Rasping, commanding vocals. Garage rock with hints of varied influences. Kicking tunes. Think about a meld between The Runaways, Regina Spektor and Dum Dum Girls. That somewhat describes the energy and power you’ve got in Furniture Girls. stayC Meyer possesses a vocal range from inquisitive to angry to bold that centers every song. The general consensus is don’t mess with Seattle’s Furniture Girls. “The Deep End” is a cautionary track with a cool heavy intro. Edgy spoken word on speed and churning guitar and funky keys fuels “The Well Was Poisoned.” Funky keys [Kate Bradley] and Gwen Stefani territory on “Fake.” A bit prettier and melodic on “Lily” with feverish keyboard [guest contributor Dr. Fink] and guitar [Jason Lightfoot] creating an energetic beat.

RECOMMENDATION: BUY IT

Furniture Girls
Chaos
release date: April 14, 2015 - Entertainment Realm

SODO Pop in Seattle’s SODO district was rockin’ last Friday night as The Furniture Girls released their CD, CHAOS, at a private event for family, friends, and fans (the actual release date for the masses is April 14). Thought to have been released as a double CD last year with their release of Dreams, the band decided that the songs that were not released last year had a separate feel and deserved to be on a different CD.

As for CHAOS, it’s anything but. Band members describe the CD as art – heavy, thick, raw, layered – and Fink (as in Dr. Fink, who played on the song, “Lily,” and is a personal friend of the band. He also posted on the band’s Facebook page that he wished them luck and wished he could be there for the celebration). All of the song lyrics were written by singer Stacey Meyer (who could make a song about a pencil sound cool), while bassist, Jim Watkins puts her words to music. CHAOS actually started taking shape in 2012; however, the song “Deep End” began in concept back in 2010. The band’s collective favorite off the album is “The Well Was Poisoned,” because they reason it’s “the least commercial, not a standard song, and it tends to be a bit weird and busy.”

Drummer Thane Mitchell summed up his experience on this album compared to earlier work: “It’s like walking into a room with your fists up ready, because you know you’re going to be all in.” He couldn’t name a favorite track because he enjoyed playing on each of them. He is however, very excited about the album artwork, which also includes a custom designed drum head, and t-shirts for this release that were all designed by his daughter.

Guitarist Jason Lightfoot, referred to the new music as, “soupy.” Perhaps because it’s got a blend of everything that’s comforting to those who like to rock. It provides a mix of rock with substance, a bit of angst and drama.

The band’s newest member, Kate Bradley, joined FG about two years ago. This is her first experience in a “rock” band, and she has found the music powerful. With her prior band experience, she felt that singing the same songs over and over was quite boring. Since joining FG, she’s “never bored,” and looks forward to singing songs from their collection every night because they are so “full of energy,” and “really fun to sing and perform.”

After the show, band members learned that while the party was going on at SODO Pop, over on KEXP they were playing, “The Well Was Poisoned,” and they were ecstatic. They were also flooded with fan comments about the show, giving praise to the new CD. One such comment on the band’s Facebook page: “I love you dorks so much, it’s ridiculous. You continue to inspire awe, pride, and warm fuzzies in my heart. I’m a lucky girl to have you all in my life, and the world is lucky to have Chaos in its ears. :)” – C. Cramer

Their performance on Friday was energetic, charismatic and exuded pure rock. As a special gift to those in attendance, each person walked away with not only a memorable performance, but also with a free download of the new album, and a FG branded shot glass. With such a well-received album release, the band hopes to tour later this year. - Seattle Music Insider

I decided to jump on the bandwagon last minute and give a list of what I encountered in 2014 that I deem absolutely worthy of your consideration. The bands listed here all put out great stuff in this past year. And don’t worry, I know there’s probably a ton of great stuff I missed, so please feel free to make suggestions in the comments, and I’ll try to see and write about as many of them as I can in the coming year.

So let’s get started.

First, the runners up:
The Young Evils False Starts and the Hoot Hoots Colorpunch. Both were good albums, and it’s no slight on them to not quite make the top ten. You should check them out.

And now, here’s my top 10 Seattle/Western Washingting CDs of 2014:

10. Bellamaine – Bellamaine
A little poppy, a little noisy, a little synth-laden at times. Good stuff. “20 to 5″ has a big Smashing Pumpkins vibe, a good Pumpkins vibe, back when Billy and the crew were making decent music. I haven’t seen Bellamaine live, but I need to. I love the upbeat nature of their music, but my favorite track is “Built This.” There’s an acoustic guitar, some reverb heavy percussion, a couple vocals. It’s a beautiful track. I’d love to hear it at a bar at 2:00 on a Saturday night. It’s one of those mellow tunes that could close a night, even a wild night, in just the right way.

9. Mutiny Mutiny – Don’t Quit Your Day Job
There’s a pop sensibility here, but it’s more about the noise. And it’s good noise. The vibe I get reminds me of early Goo Goo Dolls, when Goo Goo Dolls rocked. Hold Me Up was an awesome album, one I still listen to over twenty years after it’s release. Mutiny Mutiny is capable of the same. Don’t Quit Your Day Job is very good. My favorite tune in the more downbeat “Rapture: Fail!” which actually reminds me in bits of Drive Like Jehu.

8. The Fraidies – Try Again
I like this band. There are all sorts of English flavors here. The Beatles, Radiohead, Oasis. It’s great, fun, upbeat, happy stuff. That makes it an oddity here, but for me this is infectious. I’m not a dancer. Not. At. All. But “Never Love Again” has me bouncing in my chair and wanting to go upstairs and with this song blaring dance all about the living room. Again, this is another band I haven’t seen, but I will change that in 2015.

7. Ahamefule J. Oluo – Now I’m Fine
This is jazzy and rockish. It’s grooves. It makes me want to pull my Thelonius Monk records out, but alas, I no longer have a record player. So while I stare at my Monk records, I hope Oluo will take it as a compliment that this will do in the meantime. And yet it is not just jazzy rock. It’s pop. It’s rock with jazzy horns, and perhaps not far from a Radiohead flavor at times, think The National Anthem. I’m talking vibe, feel, emotion here, not that it sounds the same. I’m big on live music, and wow, this stuff would be phenomenal live. Must See. Must See. Big failure on my part for not having seen Oluo perform.

6. The Gods Themselves – The Gods Themselves
Heavy, fuzzy, low-end awesomeness. What’s not to like. Black Sabbathy at times, and yet a little grooving. “Pony” reminds me of a Quentin Tarantino movie, maybe a lost scene from Jackie Brown when Max Cherry takes Jackie back to a bar and there’s some dancing, some drinking, loads sexual tension, some flashing lights. And then is cuts to something else, and you never quite know what really happened when the night wound itself down. Great stuff, and if Tarantino ever uses it in a movie, I take credit for the idea now.

5. The Jesus Rehab – The Zoo at Night
These guys are by far the absolute best guitar drum duo in Seattle, maybe the nation. When I removed one band from my book and was looking for a band to replace them, Jesus Rehab came to mind. They had this song about mind readers and a lizard king, and after seeing them live a few times, that song had stuck in my head. So I listened to the CDs of theirs I had, looked online, but could not find the song. It’s a testament to the band that they had sufficiently excellent material that the book did not suffer, but then early in 2014 I went to their CD release show and they played the song I’d been looking for, and there it was on the CD. And it’s a great CD. Listen to it.

4. Julia Massey – A.L.I.T.E.
A positive force in the universe. There’s a reason her music is in my book. It’s fills me with the idea that all is right in the world and brings meaning to Einstein’s equation. A.L.I.T.E. continues this, but sadly, the bass player is moving on to other things in his life so this is the last of what this will be. Julia has assured me she will continue, but the next lineup, the next sound will be new, will be a departure, but still, I have no doubt it will make me feel the same. If you can listen to “The Story of the Earth, So Far” and not feel like you’re floating away on those sounds above those oceans and forests and colors, then you have no soul.

3. Whitney Ballen – Falls
I discovered Whitney Ballen only because I received a Facebook invite to her CD release. I almost ignored it for not having heard about her before, but I noticed that local notable music critic, Chris Estey, would be attending the gig so I decided to check out her music. In short, I was floored. The song “Torn” is the perfect musical description of being emotionally torn in two, into pieces. If this CD had been released two years ago, “Torn” would definitely made it into The Music Book. The whole sound here is sparse and open , and this allows the listener to really crawl into the individual elements. Beautiful stuff.

2. Into the Cold – Into the Cold
I might be delving into December 2013 here, back to a show at the Feedback Lounge where these CDs were given away as part of a benefit for Babes Against Brain Cancer, but that doesn’t matter. If it comes out in December, that’s close enough to count into the following year’s release. That said, there’s nothing at all not to like about Into the Cold, the band and the CD. The group was started by longtime Seattle notable keyboardist Billy Stover. (Remember that Apple commercial that came out for the 2013 holiday season? That was him playing the piano with Cat Power on the vocals. Video embedded below.) Anyway, each song Into the Cold writes is inspired by a painting from local artist Rebecca Miller. They’re haunting paintings and thus haunting songs. The music is like a mixture of Pink Floyd and Black Sabbath mainly, though at times I hear bits of Jane’s Addiction and Radiohead too. The killer thing though is the vocals. Led by Katy Cornell, they have lush four part harmonies live and the sounds are beautiful and big and bold. This stuff soars. It’ll punch you in the gut and lovingly stroke your hair at the same time. Katy handled all the vocal harmonies on the recordings, and having recorded once with her a few years ago, I have to say, she has one of the best voices in the city.

1. Furniture Girls – Dreams
OK. This is probably no surprise. I’ve been saying for years that Furniture Girls is one of my favorite bands in the city. This CD has only reaffirmed that. There are rockers like “Symply Sid” and “Drool,” ballads like “I See Red,” and from first track to last this is one complete piece of music. Jim Watkins is one of the best bass players in the city, both when holding down the root note or when grooving on something far more complex (give “Drool” a listen). They also have one of my favorite guitar players in Jason Lightfoot. Again, not for flash, though he can tear it up. He’s such a tasteful player, never a wrong note, never too many, never too few. It reminds me of that line in Amadeus where Mozart says of his opera, “There are as many notes as I require, neither more nor less.” And then there’s Stacey Meyer on vocals. She’s such a force, a lion tamer at times, a tender mother at others. These guys should be playing the Showbox or larger. Maybe 2015 will finally be their year. I was going to include “Drool” here, but as I’m in a reflective mood, let’s do “I See Red” and end the year with something beautiful. - Northwest Music Scene

"... And Furniture Girls, electro rock, quite heavy at times, who are easily one of the better bands in Seattle now. I don’t care what any other press says or who gets played on KEXP or asked to play the “official” Seattle SXSW show case. FG rocks. Seattle, and thereby the country as a whole, needs to take notice. Within the Critical Sun circus, they are the big cats, the tigers and lions with singer Stacey Meyer whipping things into shape, SMACK, her head in mouth of lion, forcing tigers to jump through rings of fire. It’s quite the powerful thing as she belts, nearly screaming, over the largeness of lions and tigers playing those heavy chords, F# to C, F# to C, F# to C, “I’m coming, I’m coming, I’m coming for you baby!” It trails out and “baby” is said all by itself without losing any power, kind of like the roar of a lion. Nice. They’re recording now so hopefully the tune will be available soon." - Seattle Subsonic

Furniture Girls is one of my favorite Seattle rock bands because they don’t sound like a Seattle rock band. They’re weird and fresh and willing to get funky. It’s almost as if they don’t care about being cool. Very refreshing indeed.

They play at The Brick Saloon in Roslyn with openers The Sightseers, a decent female-fronted barroom rock band in their own right. - Yakima Herald

On Sunday May 22, I braved the gray skies and early spring-like temps to visit the University District Street Fair to catch the Furniture Girls, a band named after the Furniture Girls in the Charlton Heston film Soylent Green, a film I haven’t seen but where women concubines come as part of the furnishings for apartments. Films depicting a dystopian future always have some odd sexual element, and the band liked the oddness and humor of this one enough to take on the name. F.G. had a 1:30 start time so arriving just after noon I had time to wander about the fair.

Walking up and down The Ave, I bumped into the masses of people walking in directions they weren’t looking, the people stopping and starting, the people eating mounds and mounds of french fries, great over-sized heaps of fried potatoes in little cardboard containers. I could feel my arteries clog just by witnessing such. There were all the usual crafts and other things to eat and those busking where they could find the space. And more people and more potatoes and more bumping. There was a guy doing a solo hacky sack to a crowd of none. At the Purrfect Pals booth, I saw a woman working who I’d once asked out for dinner and drinks. She gave a very emphatic “not interested” answer back then. I didn’t ask again. And still there were more people and more potatoes. If there wasn’t a band to see, I would have gone home as I’m not one for crowds. I should have camped out in a pub until 1:30, but I just wasn’t that smart.

When it came time, I went over to the stage and found a spot about fifty yards back where I could lean on a wall and take in F.G. and write. As soon as I settled in, a guy came over with the requisite serving of fries and chose a spot a couple feet away. He looked at me, “Hey, man, you want some?” I declined and was glad to see the Furniture Girls taking the stage. The singer, stayC Meyer, had on a green dress, boots, blond hair. She looked good. The rest of the band was appropriately casual for an afternoon of playing for the french fry crowd. It’s always that way when a female fronts a band. She becomes more the focal point than a guy singer would, tends to dress up more too, sharper, to the image, for the image, dressing for the part and the performance. Nothing wrong with looking good and sounding good, and I had it on good faith from a trusted source that she could indeed sing well. On stage, there were two guitarists. That was a bonus as in their pictures and on their CDs there was only one. I figured an extra guitar would beef up the sound. Nothing wrong with that either.

“Hey, man, I can’t eat all these, you sure you don’t want any?” I declined again. He left and left his fries on the ground where’d he’d been standing.

The band’s first song was “Chitoses Golden Gate” and caught me a little off guard. The second guitar did indeed beef it up a little more than the recording from their 2010 CD How I learned to Crawl, but it was spacier than I’d imagined, a little more atmospheric. The rhythm was slow, a simple descending bass, guitars that held notes, some with delay, some just sustained. There was a break down to just vocals and drums. It was open and drawn out. People swayed as they ate their fries. I did as I took notes. Two guitars suited them very well.

Later they played a tune called “Aurora Village Daddy”, and here came the funky-electro-rock I’d been expecting. A drum beat and a couple simple bass notes and a simple vocal. “I like it when you say, let’s have tea … I like it when you say, screw our economy … I like it when you say come fuck me…” Some people in the crowd sang the fuck me line, and the guitars came in and the bass did a little slapping and popping, and I couldn’t help but be reminded rhythmically of “Ghost Song” from An American Prayer by The Doors. There was a 70'sish funk vibe, almost porn music like. And why not? It had a groove. It’s music I’d certainly like to have sex to. “I like it when say, come fuck me.” Indeed.

An old guy in a stained yellow tee shirt came over and started eating the fries the other guy had left. He finished those and then looked at me, up at the stage, at me again before walking off in search of more.

The band played on with Meyer saying, “We’re going to get a little more aggressive now.” And she was right. The two guitars were there more and more. They gave the band a kind of Faith No More flavor. They didn’t play big solos. They played chords. They played riffs under the melody rather than all over it. They played rhythm. They built up well and a little heavy in “Aurora Village Daddy”, especially in the Kingston Wall-like ending. The closer though was the best. “Candy Kids” rocked in a groove held by some super tight bass from Jim Watkins. The guy could play. It was structurally simple, a progression of B to A for pretty much the whole song, but embellished of course, and with two guitars there was that Faith No More kind of heaviness, though of course it sounded like the Furniture Girls. There was even, finally, a solo, and an excellent one at that. Good tune. Good closer. People set their fries down and cheered.

After talking briefly with the band, I left feeling a fair bit higher than I had been. Good music of any genre will do that to me. I wandered around a bit more and didn’t mind bumping into people. I looked at all the crafts I didn’t need. I made my way over to the Purrfect Pals booth and once again asked the woman out for a drink and did not mind that she once again was not interested. I even got some fries and settled finally at a pub with some beer. Nothing wrong at all with being part of the french fry crowd after some music on a Sunday afternoon. The sun was beginning to show. The women walking about looked fine. And I had the lyric in my head, “I like it when you say…” - Seattle Subsonic

I know I’ve said it before, but how about one more time? Furniture Girls is one of my favorite bands in Seattle, and their brand of high-energy, punk-infused, electronic rock is unique in the Seattle scene and should be more well known than it is. And lucky for you, they will be playing at the High Dive in Fremont this Friday, February 21 to celebrate the release of their EP Dreams, which is the first part of a double EP set. The second EP, Chaos, will be released sometime later this year.

As for Dreams, my favorite track is “Symply Sid,” the song from which both EPs get their names. Singer Stacey Meyer sings over Jim Watkins’ driving, slightly distored bass anchored on the root:

Barrett was a brilliant lunatic
And gifted basket case
A ticking bomb set to implode
Leaving dreams and chaos in his wake

It’s about Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd, but also about his music. Art is all chaos and dreams. It shakes things up, creates disruption, but also order, beauty, horror, tragedy, joy. It is a ticking time bomb. There’s no way to say when it will go off, but go off it will, and what will happen then, no one can say, but those are the best moments, those explosions. Those are the moments that make life worth living. - Northwest Music Scene

What makes this band unique and makes them stand out from the crowd is their use of interesting sounds, textures, musical instruments and technology, coupled with intelligent lyrics and superb musical chops. Furniture Girls to creates a tasty blend of funk, electronic, industrial and alternative rock that is guaranteed to delight the eardrums and electrify the soul. - Seattle Music Insider

The fantastically tattooed stayC and friends’ mix of electronic, indie, and industrial rock will blow the roof off Scott Pilgrim style. Furniture Girls only has one female in the band. The dudes in the band have crazy musical chops (and have done session work for many a band) and they bring the best out in their fabulously quirky female vocalist, a beloved veteran of Seattle’s alternative music scene. - Seattle Show Gal

Step out from the shadows, you deserve the limelight Furniture Girls…

Furniture Girls. Not the most representative name for the electro rock band from Seattle who certainly don’t sit still like sofas. ‘In The Shadows’ is a bold, progressive album from a high energy band who have been active since 2007. They’ve supported the likes of Sir Mix-A-Lot, Presidents of the Unites States of America and Linda Perry with their ambitious, alternative rock.

The album starts comfortably with funky basslines from Jim Watkins and the sassiest vocals from stayC Meyer. ‘My Time’ is the first important track, with a simple melody and strong percussion from Thane Mitchell. With a likeness to Massive Attack, the intoxicating guitar riffs from Jason Lightfoot help to ground their poignant introduction.

‘Heirlooms’ is an obvious favourite – with a slower, more soulful beginning with indulgently unique vocals from StayC. It’s important to note that this track was written after the passing of her grandmother. “Take what you want, just remember me when I’m gone” is both emotional and bold – encapsulating images of cherished heirlooms through StayC and Kate Bradley’s harmonies and polished voices. “The vintage, nostalgic, jazzy sound was certainly intentional, especially in Heirlooms” stayC confirms.

It’s fair to say that there are an awful lot of genres going on. Whether this is a desperate search for a specific style, or in fact just different slices of a deliciously varied album, is to be debated. It’s certainly accessible and though there’s ambitious vision, it’s definitely electric. ‘Ghosts of Hollywood’ is dark and gritty in its lyrics “All the glamour, all the murder” juxtaposed by a light and airy sound. This is what makes Furniture Girls so unique – their sound is convincing and yet substantially angsty.

For an album that was only started in summer 2015 it commands some complex arrangements and a number of different substances. Furniture Girls have chosen to step away from the electronics and synths that they’re used to, and have involved themselves in each song individually – and it shows. ‘The Want’ is a dynamic song with fetchingly fierce drumming from Mitchell, and strong shredding from Lightfoot. Kate Bradley adds a little trumpet, giving us a more retro taste. They take us on a textured and unpredictable journey with this album, and it’s well worth the ride.

“Daywalker” is a hypnotically heavy final anthem – known as the ‘fan favourite’ at the end of their live shows, it seems only right to close the album with the same strength. They’re boasting a wide range of skills and shredding some primal electric guitar – vocals are redolent of Gwen Stefani, only punchier. StayC is one to be praised for her fiesty vocals above all – this diversified album ought to be played on repeat. - GIG Soup (UK)

Step out from the shadows, you deserve the limelight Furniture Girls…

Furniture Girls. Not the most representative name for the electro rock band from Seattle who certainly don’t sit still like sofas. ‘In The Shadows’ is a bold, progressive album from a high energy band who have been active since 2007. They’ve supported the likes of Sir Mix-A-Lot, Presidents of the Unites States of America and Linda Perry with their ambitious, alternative rock.

The album starts comfortably with funky basslines from Jim Watkins and the sassiest vocals from stayC Meyer. ‘My Time’ is the first important track, with a simple melody and strong percussion from Thane Mitchell. With a likeness to Massive Attack, the intoxicating guitar riffs from Jason Lightfoot help to ground their poignant introduction.

‘Heirlooms’ is an obvious favourite – with a slower, more soulful beginning with indulgently unique vocals from StayC. It’s important to note that this track was written after the passing of her grandmother. “Take what you want, just remember me when I’m gone” is both emotional and bold – encapsulating images of cherished heirlooms through StayC and Kate Bradley’s harmonies and polished voices. “The vintage, nostalgic, jazzy sound was certainly intentional, especially in Heirlooms” stayC confirms.

It’s fair to say that there are an awful lot of genres going on. Whether this is a desperate search for a specific style, or in fact just different slices of a deliciously varied album, is to be debated. It’s certainly accessible and though there’s ambitious vision, it’s definitely electric. ‘Ghosts of Hollywood’ is dark and gritty in its lyrics “All the glamour, all the murder” juxtaposed by a light and airy sound. This is what makes Furniture Girls so unique – their sound is convincing and yet substantially angsty.

For an album that was only started in summer 2015 it commands some complex arrangements and a number of different substances. Furniture Girls have chosen to step away from the electronics and synths that they’re used to, and have involved themselves in each song individually – and it shows. ‘The Want’ is a dynamic song with fetchingly fierce drumming from Mitchell, and strong shredding from Lightfoot. Kate Bradley adds a little trumpet, giving us a more retro taste. They take us on a textured and unpredictable journey with this album, and it’s well worth the ride.

“Daywalker” is a hypnotically heavy final anthem – known as the ‘fan favourite’ at the end of their live shows, it seems only right to close the album with the same strength. They’re boasting a wide range of skills and shredding some primal electric guitar – vocals are redolent of Gwen Stefani, only punchier. StayC is one to be praised for her fiesty vocals above all – this diversified album ought to be played on repeat. - GIG Soup (UK)