I had the good fortune to check out Quiet Company with Hanzelle and The Winter Sounds at The 5 Spot last week with a good friend who knows a lot more about QC than I do and so I share with you this special guest post by long-time Quiet Company fan and the all around awesome bow-tie sportin’, Abel Muñoz…
I have known Quiet Company’s front man, Taylor Muse, since I was in college in east Texas back in 2000. We met through a mutual friend. At that time, he had been in a number of bands with more or less the same characters. One of my favorite and most memorable was a little pseudo-hardcore band, Neckpunch. At this time I was really into hardcore and I was traveling hours to dance my ass off (aka flail my arms around and doing some moves that looked tae-bo on the dancefloor.) At the same time, if my memory serves me correctly which it might not since it has been ten years, I never felt like Taylor felt completely satisfied or self-actualized with the music he was producing with Neckpunch so on the side he started Quiet Company. At its birth, the band was Taylor Muse, tape recorder and his piano, very minimalist approach accompanied by thoughtful lyrics.
Little has changed over the span of a decade pertaining to Taylor’s ability to craft beautiful lyrics. His lyrics remind me very much of the beauty molded by the pen of David Bazan, Bryan Cates and Will Holland (both lyrical deities, at least in my book). Over the years, Quiet Company has transformed from a minimalist piano band to a full-blown 5-piece rock outfit. It has been impressive to see such a transformation without compromising the sincerity that is characteristic of Taylor’s lyrics. If you have never heard Quiet Company, their sound reminds me of David Bazan, The Hives and Death Cab For Cutie but not in a manner of pure imitation but instead the waves of their influence are undeniable. I always appreciate when good art is able to humble itself and pay homage to those who have come before.
While Thursday’s crowd at the 5 Spot was quite small, it included some of my favorite co-patriots (aka fellow Texans). I was quite surprised to learn that Quiet Company would not be headlining Thursday night’s show. In the last couple of years, the band have become the sweethearts of Austin and gained a national following. This night’s repertoire included 7 original songs, which spanned the length of the band’s career, and an amazing cover of Neutral Milk Hotel’s “Holland, 1945.” Quiet Company’s stage presence was also very memorable and very reminiscent of the antics and dance moves of some my favorites like At the Drive-In, Cursive and The Who. Their music is very danceable, like locals Wild Cub, another of my favorites.
When Quiet Company comes back to town (which should be soon as they admittedly play Nashville more than seems to make sense for a band from TX), I highly recommend that you make sure not to miss out for they are a force to be reckoned with.
You can check out more from Quiet Company at their official site and enjoy a little audio/visual stimulation below.
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