User:Daniel.Gockman/sandbox

'''Remember When'''<br/>(2012)

Cover of their most recent album, Terrible Human Beings.

Album Art

The album cover for Terrible Human Beings was a project worked on by the band and an advertising agency called O’Keefe Reinhard & Paul. When discussing their artistic vision for the album, The Orwells described it as a progression of their sound and a thematic step beyond the concerns of underage suburban partying and horror movies that had informed their first two albums (although continuing with those themes to an extent).They wanted a look that was, "somewhat dark and bizarre without being over the top." The winner was Kelly Puleio, a versatile San Francisco-based photographer who had taken compelling photos of people in old motel rooms — just what The Orwells were looking for. It was decided she would build a set to evoke some photos she had already done and would modify to fit their artistic vision, which would include small objects to reference the songs on the album, like a Massachusetts license plate in homage to the Pixies and album track “Black Francis,” plus a small train, a pill bottle, cash, a condom and more. “Mutilated pop songs” is how they described their new tracks. Brought in a variety of concepts, from classic campy horror to haunted Americana and urban decay. They developed various mood boards of imagery based on the initial round of ideas discussed. From the industry classic “sex, drugs and rock n roll” to “uncomfortable,” a board that featured shiver-inducing images of eyeballs and split fingernails.With these ideas put into action, the album art was a finished masterpiece. https://medium.com/whiskey-bananas/creating-the-album-cover-for-the-orwells-terrible-human-beings-a73ef3064e04

Musical Influence

The Orwells sound like several great US garage rock bands spliced together. The metronomic four-chord attack of Who Needs You is pure early Strokes, while new single Dirty Sheets has the bluesy lilt of The Black Keys. Elsewhere on the group's songs, punk clatter, dry Midwest humour and Cuomo’s sandpaper yowl combine to raise the spirit of unsung Minneapolis alternative-rock pioneers The Replacements. But The Orwells claim influences that are far more diverse than waifish punk upstarts: several band members have expressed a love for The Supremes in interviews.

The lead singer, Mario Cuomo, is heavily influenced by six distinctly different performers; Iggy Pop, Jay Reatard, Julian Casablancas, Cole Alexander & Jared Swilley of The Black Lips, Pelle Almqvist of The Hives, and Tyler, the Creator. Inspired by Tyler, the Creators talk about skipping class, disobeying parents, and going to record. Mario is quoted saying that, "It like spoke to me even more than any other music I was listening to. I think if it wasn’t for him, I probably wouldn’t have had the balls to drop out or even be in a band." http://radio.com/2014/06/23/6-frontman-that-inspired-the-orwells-mario-cuomo/

Stage Performance

The Orwells always had a reputation as being troublemakers, especially in concert. The Orwells consider themselves the male version of The Runaways, noting that if you put wigs on him and his band mates, no one would even know the difference. “I’m like the f—ing blonde, Cherie Currie, I’m trying to like shake my a– for the people.” That being said, Cuomo has stopped his habit of taking his pants off onstage, something he used to do, but now says it makes him feel dirty. “Even as a dude, I don’t know I felt like I was kind of being used after a while. It was taking away from what I was doing, people weren’t taking me seriously anymore. So I tried not to do it, but occasionally people will start grabbing at my junk,” he said. “Which is flattering and everything, but you know, after the show would be better.” Cuomo is looking to create the kind of concert-going experience, he says, “where at the end, you’re like, I might s–t my pants, but now I just want more.” This is different than hardcore or punk shows where people are just beating each other up. “There’s a certain amount of danger you have to find,” Cuomo explained. “I think the Black Lips do it right. Odd Future does it right.”

The Orwells set at Spillover Fest in Dallas,Texas turned into a chaotic scene after frontman Mario Cuomo got into an onstage scrap with the venue’s sound technician. According to the Dallas Observer, Cuomo had been “spiking his microphone after each song as if he were a football player making a touchdown”. The antics annoyed Trees’ sound guy, leading him to cut off the band, put on music, and draw the curtains. This didn’t fly with the notoriously rambunctious rockers, escalating into an onstage fist fight between the technician and Cuomo. Cuomo was tackled to the ground, while his band mates came to his aid. Eventually venue security intervened, but not before several punches were thrown, and one member of the band ripped down the curtain.

Album Ratings

Terrible Human Beings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	(3.5/5)
Exclaim!	(5.0/10)
Pitchfork	(5.8/10)
PopMatters	(7.0/10)
Slant	(4.0/5)

Disgraceland

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	(3.5/5)
Alternative Press	(0.5/5)
Consequence of Sound	B
NME	(4.0/5)
Pitchfork	(6.2/10)
Q	(3.0/5)
Uncut	(3.0/5)

Remember When

Review scores
Source	Rating
PopMatters	(6/10)

http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/ct-the-orwells-review-ent-0318-20170317-story.html

http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/the-orwells-terrible-human-beings

http://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/72964/The-Orwells-Terrible-Human-Beings/

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22867-terrible-human-beings/

https://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/orwells-terrible-human-beings

http://www.allmusic.com/album/terrible-human-beings-mw0002997534

1) album descriptions from apple music/other websites wiki articles

THOUGHTS ON DISGRACELAND? “It’ll have a little less dirtiness [than their early EPs], but still have the same energy, the same rawness,” frontman Cuomo told Spin, “It’s not polished, by any means. It’s still got balls.”