"Instant Everything, Constant Nothing"
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Press
US Press for Instant Everything, Constant Nothing
From Tiny Mix Tapes:
"Again, you’re living nihilism when you listen to the album, and no one can say what form the enemy will take except that it will reek of regularity and certainty… Recommended just as highly to those that believe in anything as to those that believe in nothing — they’ll have the most to gain." [read the full deal here]
From Crawdaddy:
"And then, as if my rant reached into the collective hivemind in one last attempt to regain myself from the sunken lows of disenchantment, I ran into Instant Everything, Constant Nothing this morning, and was instantly overcome with joy. It’s entirely possible that I can find yet another record to satiate my taste in music. Haha? Haha!"
From Aiding and Abetting:
"I've loved this band since the first time I heard it, and this album does not disappoint. The usual discord and rhyme, with a bit more melody and rhythmic coherence thrown in with the dissonance."
From No-Rip Cord:
"the surprises are what kept me going back to Instant Everything, Constant Nothing: its selections of catchy rock songs so readily walking that line, jumping on either side and ably making use of both derivation and innovation. Wisely, they draw from both wells."
From the Agit Reader:
http://agitreader.com/reviews/album_reviews-02.16.10.html"Atlanta-based quintet Untied States are very ambitious, and their fourth album, Instant Everything, Constant Nothing, is filled with creative impulses—to the point of seeing how much can be thrown into a song before it totally falls apart. Thankfully that never happens. " [Read the entire review here]
From Plumbiferous Media:
http://plumbiferous.com/1601/instant-everything-constant-nothing-untied-states
"Instant Everything, Constant Nothing is very good, if often somewhat strange. Clearly experimental, but done by a band that could easily have played straight rock had they so desired, Everything is a truly interesting album."
[Read the rest Here]
From Visitation Rites
"The list of indie rock bands that actually rock nowadays is pathetically short, so it was with welcome ears that I put on the latest record from Atlanta’s Untied States."
From MonsterFresh:
"During one listen, I got the impression that, if they were “trying” to do anything at all it was to make a pop album, but that the result of those efforts was that they had failed miserably and came up with something a hell of a lot more interesting. As if they didn’t know any better and were doomed to inevitably create something more amazing by default. At their best, Untied States sound like a group of special ed students are peaking on LSD, while they’re driving around in suped-up Power Wheels, and smashing shit up in a factory warehouse with cricket bats." -Christopher Ryan
From BSC Review by Matt Cibula:
"The music of this Atlanta trio (augmented heavily by friends) is a lot like its name: a lot of threads that come together in tight knots, then untie themselves again. Hard to pin down a time period, though; a little new wave here, a bit of psychedelia there, punk and grunge aesthetics but with a woozy romanticism, too, somehow."
[Read the entire review]
From Performer Magazine Feature by Julia Cooper:
You could say the guys in Atlanta band Untied States had an inkling of the kind of music they'd one day compose before they even entered kindergarten.
When Colin Arnstein met Skip Engelbrecht in a Florida neighborhood around age 4, he found not only a lifelong friend but also an artistic partner-in-crime. "My first meeting with Skip was him taking me into his house, and he had all of his toys laid out and they were all completely disassembled," says Arnstein, who sings and plays guitar. "I think it's a great metaphor for how our group works, the dynamic there."
[Read The Entire Feature Here]
From Popwreckoning by Marc G. Gray
http://popwreckoning.com/?s=Untied+States&x=0&y=0&=Go
"Remember when the term “indie rock” meant something? From Dischord Records bands like Rites of Spring and Fugazi to 1990s lo-fi staples like Pavement and Elliott Smith, indie rock used to mean that a band maintained a certain aesthetic of raw, do-it-yourself production, and it meant that they released their records on independent record labels. Remember that? Yeah, neither do I. I’m 27 years old. I was raised on Nirvana and Pearl Jam, bands who eschewed independent labels for gigantic mainstream success. Nowadays, indie rock is a blanket term that can be applied to any number of types of bands and genres of music. That being said, Untied States is an indie rock band to the core. They are signed to relatively unknown indie label Distile Records, and their sound harkens back to a laundry list of well-respected Dischord bands (among many other bands too numerous to list) yet they still cover enough new territory to sound fresh and exciting….
[Read the entire Review Here]
From Delusions of Adequacy by David Smith December 18, 2009: http://www.adequacy.net/2009/12/untied-states-instant-everything-constant-nothing/
"Instant Everything, Constant Nothing It’s been a while since Untied States put out its last full — and excellent — album Retail Detail, but Instant Everything, Constant Nothing proves that the band hasn’t been twiddling its thumbs. The album picks up where the last left off: equal parts experimental expression and solid post-punk, it delivers on the band’s past promise… That’s part of what Untied States does so well: give you something that you can easily digest and then punch you in the face. There aren’t many bands who can switch from pretty to intense or swing from expected to unexpected with the same kind of command over the material… It’s always a roller coaster. You never know what’s coming next with these guys, and that’s what makes for compelling listening. What a great way to end 2009, and let’s hope Untied States doesn’t wait another few years to follow up on this one."
[Read the entire review here]
From In Your Speakers by Joe Huneau
"Untied States’ third full-length studio release, Instant Everything, Constant Nothing is a complex masterpiece that warrants multiple listens. Indeed, to be fully appreciated, it needs multiple listens." [read the whole shootin' match]
From The Big Takeover by Jack Rabid
This hits like a welcome return to the energy and noise of rock and roll.
Like Death Valley Sonic Youth, like Polvo, like Live Skull. The music is
surprisingly intricate, but the subtleties are held up against a brick wall
and covered in broken glass and distortion. A little No Wave crawling
through the alleys of Post Punk, but most of all it’s the noise of the 90’s
that keeps this band pulsing through my veins. The guitars are strangled,
the vocals growl and croon like some Lydia Lunch daydream, and the drums hit
solid and scattered across the punked out shards that spike these songs.
From No Tofu by Justin White:
"Deep on the Eastside of Atlanta, GA pulses an erratic heartbeat: palpitating in divergent time signatures, splashing wildly to a new rhythm; altering perceptions and destroying preconceived notions."
[Read the full feature here]
From the Omaha Reader by Derrick Schott
From Bearcast Radio:
I REALLY wanted to like this band. Once I noticed their name wasn’t United States I automatically liked them a lot more. Plus the album is call “Instant Everything, Constant Nothing” which for some reason I find really insightful and cool.
[Read the Entire Review]
From Atlanta's Creative Loafing by Chad Radford :
UNTIED AND TRUE: Untied States adds pop to their psychedelic mix.
Three years have passed since Untied States checked in with 2006's Retail Detail. Since then, a lot has changed for the unhinged art-rock ensemble centered around Colin Arnstein and Skip Engelbrecht. Their third full-length, Instant Everything, Constant Nothing drops this month on the Paris-based Distile Records, and it's a concerted stab at making a pop record — albeit one filtered through the schizoid, post-industrial psychedelia that's been their calling card all along.
"Blues, punk, rock and roll … all of these things freaked people out at one point in time, and we want to freak people out, too. But we want the music to be timeless," says Arnstein, who shares vocal and guitar duties with Engelbrecht. "A great example of what we're aiming for is Joy Division. Their records scare you. They were stepping out on so much of a limb that you don't know if you're comfortable listening to it."
Along with Carnivores' bassist Philip Frobos, Satchel Mallon (drums) and Darren Tablan (keyboards, samples), Untied States has always flourished via dense arrangements with heavy dissonance and manic rhythms driven by Arnstein's distressed screams. Within the opening moments of Instant Everything, the discomforting drones and machinelike drum bursts of "Gorilla the Bull" melt into discordant guitar melodies. But the song's simple rhythms are the real standout. As the album unfolds, metallic riffs flare and grind against moaning angst.
At times, the record comes across a bit like Radiohead on a bad acid trip, and the group's attempt at making conventional songs is just as manic as heard on Retail Detail. Yet they also make a deliberate attempt to create songs rather than mere atmosphere on "Not Fences, Mere Masks" and "Bye Bye Bi-Polar." The arrangements are smoother, but littered with strange lurches and the occasional, jarring time change that begs for the King Crimson comparison. But for these guys, prog is a dirty word.
"I don't like progressive music," Arnstein shrugs. "OK, I put on a Yes record once in while, but we're trying to write songs that people will remember. Pop songs."
From OhmPark blog: www.ohmpark.org
"From the very beginning, Untied States had been in the business of making spectacular pop music by searching out inventive and novel ways to do so, and Instant Everything, Constant Nothing is the triumphant culmination of that scholarly quest. Get your ears on the current high water mark of one of the greatest bands Atlanta has ever known"
[Read the full deal here]
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From The Post and Courier:
"Untied States never veers out of control, but the Atlanta-based band sure had fun getting the music up on two wheels and testing the definition of what modern music really is.
It is easy to hear the influence of bands such as Sonic Youth and Fugazi in songs such as "Not Fences, Mere Masks" and "Grey Tangerines." But dig deeper and you'll also find hints of the more punk rock side of Devo, the darkness of Nine Inch Nails, and even Philip Glass (check out the dysfunctionally brilliant sounds of "Take Time for Always")."
[Read the Entire Review]
From Split Magzine
"the band effortlessly manages to convey through its music the feeling of not knowing exactly just what’s around the bend, and this is what makes this album so engaging and exciting."
From Gas Lantern Media
"Nothing can be taken for granted as you listen to Untied States, and for those who would quickly flick through tracks hoping to gain some idea what the music is like, you just can't."
From Hearwax:
"It’s hard to describe Instant Everything… with a blanket statement because it offers so many different things in different places and, at times, many different things simultaneously. I don’t usually do this, but I feel compelled to summarize each song at its plainest level, just so I don’t contradict myself trying to make remarks that hold true throughout the whole record. There are very few." <read her>
From Quiet Color:
May 4, 2010 – 10:05 amby Mike Schoeck
Google the band Untied States, note the particular spelling, and the closest thing to a band you’ll come across are the deceased Seattle-cum-Cleveland rock of Presidents of the United States. Eddie Vedder once said of Ani Difranco during the Monkey Wrench radio sessions, “what a difference one letter can make.” The latter reference being to Yani. The same goes for the Untied States — one letter sets the band apart from any cookie-cutter mold of faux grunge. The Atlanta post-punk quartet are probably on heavy rotation on Vedder’s mix.
???
From Glorious Noise
“Why has it taken me four albums before I’ve heard of this band?” <Read along doggie>
From RockFreaks.net:
"if pushing the envelope and an outright refusal to be boxed or pigeonholed into one genre are high on your list of priorities when you're looking for new music, then this new Untied States album is something for you."
From A Future in Noise:
Untied States are perhaps best-described as what a shoegaze band forced to play garage rock might sound like, though even that is too-narrow pigeonholing for what this band are really up to, which is quite unique to themselves; as remarked by Ohmpark: "it is so mindbogglingly unlike anything else". My favorite track here is frantic, near-tribal "Take Time For Always". Instant Everything… bears repeated listening – look for it on the Best of '09 list here later this year!
UK press for "Instant Everything, Constant Nothing"
From God is in The TV- by Owain Paciuszko
"I'm afraid of hyperbole, but this is an LP that track-by-track keeps outdoing itself; even if you like an album there's a fear that with each new song the band will implode and go off the rails. That's not the case here. This record is a feast of sound for a hungry mind, and whilst some may find it too much to bear, it's 'descent into madness' is brilliantly realised and – for those who can stomach it – utterly compelling to listen to." [Read the Entire review Here]
From WHISPERIN AND HOLLERIN:
Our Rating: Imagine if Black Rebel Motorcycle Club had lived up to their potential. http://www.whisperinandhollerin.com/reviews/review.asp?id=6501
"Instant Everything, Constant Nothing" is an exercise in elaborate garage rock, and it's an interesting one at that. '“Not Fences, Mere Masks' sounds like The Cooper Temple Clause when they were good, but better. It pulsates through a multitude of aggressive, slightly awkward riffs, lurching into a new idea every few seconds, not too far off being a megamix……. It's complicated enough to please the art-rock crowd, as well as perhaps ensnaring the hearts of some of the NME crowd. Diversity, innovation and range. It sounds like the start to some smug wanker's CV, or how The Body Shop might choose to market themselves at some point in the future. But it's also three qualities that are on display on this sometimes remarkable album. Prog-garage is here, people. [Read the Entire Review Here]
From Subba-Cultcha:
"Unpredictable, chaotic and immense, Untied States are a welcome slap in the face (or kick in the b*llocks, depends what you prefer…) ‘Instant Everything, Constant Nothing’ is a whirlwind of alt-rock that sucks it’s surroundings in, rocks their world, and spits them out. These guys are definitely one to watch – keep your eyes on the prize!" [Full Review Here]
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From The List:
"High tensile indie rock aesthetics from this Atlanta quintet, who crank up the tension with some unexpected twists on this excellent long player."
From Burnt Toast:
"…They have created an album that successfully bridges the gap between my favourite scuzzy Australian punk band, The Scientists and my not-so favourite quasi-experimental indie-rock band, Radiohead…"
From Comfort Comes:
http://www.comfortcomes.com/2009/10/19/review-untied-states-instant-everything-constant-nothing/A little while back, I got a CD in the mail from a band I’ve never heard (and honestly, still can’t find much info on) from Atlanta called Untied States. This usually isn’t a very promising situation. I put the disc in and it actually turned out to be pretty cool. Untied States take a lot from the early nineties alternative era (probably most specifically, Sonic Youth), yet maintain a fairly unique sound, building songs up with a wide array of instruments and noises, but also throwing lots of quick change-ups into the mix.
From the UK's High Voltage
"There is something very exciting about this latest release from post punk Atlanta outfit Untied States. While many British bands seem to be harking back to dull 1980s throwbacks such as drum machines and synthesisers, this genre is embracing much more exciting aspects of the era, such as huge distorted guitars, massive live drums and dark melodies."
Foreign Reviews For Instant Everything, Constant Nothing
NetherlandsFranceInterlignage: http://interlignage.fr/2010/
05/untied-states-instant- everything-constant-nothing/ ItalianIndie For Bunnies: http://www.indieforbunnies.com/2010/02/24/untied-states- instant-everything-constant- nothing/
Ondarock.it: http://www.ondarock.it/recensioni/2010_untiedstates. htm
GermanIndiestreber.de: http://www.indiestreber.de/index.php/2010/04/30/untied- states-instant-everything- constant-nothing-die-tagliche- dosis-klaustrophobie/ CDStarts.de: http://www.cdstarts.de/kritiken/105703-Instant% 2520Everything%252C% 2520Constant%2520Nothing.html RoteRaupe.de: http://www.roteraupe.de/review/8602/untied-states- instant-everything-constant- nothing.html
Reviews of Bye Bye Bi-Polar b/w These Dead Birds 7"
From Eclaim! Magazine By Liz Worth
As Untied States prepare their full-length follow-up to 2006's impeccable Retail Detail, they're tiding fans over with the "Bye Bye Bi-Polar" / "These Dead Birds" seven-inch. With a distinctive knack for creating tactile dissonance and layers of dream-laden distortion, Untied States brazenly venture into uncharted territory again and again, and their new seven-inch delivers more of the same catastrophic disharmonies. "Bye Bye Bi-Polar" trickles down in spasming cascades, trickling fiery comets of bruised arrangements through shattered soundscapes. "These Dead Birds" begins like an amalgamation of delicate fits and starts but its sinister undertones gradually give way to a heavy tread that screams and swaggers before collapsing into something that bends and fluctuates into a sweating, caged creature. With Retail Detail, Untied States very much created a world all their own. Now it looks like they're continuing where they left off, only this time their songs aren't just staking new turf but are mapping the brave new paths this band are charting. Untied States Bye Bye Bi-Polar/These Dead Birds 7" (self-released) Review By Matthew Jacob Price for Delusions of Adequacy More ineffable work from these folks. The song titles (particularly the first) ought to clue you in even if you're unfamiliar with the bruising eclectic sound of Untied States. And, even more so than usual, "bruising" is the operative word. "Bye Bye," in particular, is just throttling. The speed is merely mid-tempo, but the ideas and guitar work simply pound away relentlessly. The song is something of a low-motion blender, to tell the truth. The flip is somewhat more reserved, although that's like saying Rudy Giuliani is somewhat less egotistical than Donald Trump. It's all relative. The intensity, quiet as it is through much of the song, ratchets even higher. By the climax of the piece, the tension is strong enough to hold up the Empire State Building. Why all the New York references? I dunno. But the stuff is good, as usual. No, that's not quite right. It's brilliant, as usual.
Press For "Retail Detail"
Tiny Mix Tapes Review By Paul Haney Rating: 3.5/5
The word "experimental" is perhaps fast on its way to becoming the most abused musical descriptor since "edgy" or "hardcore." Face it, any schmo can slab on the term "experimental" to whatever approximation of "pop" or "rock" they feel like pulling off, even if the so-called avant nature of their proposed work is frustratingly lukewarm at best. Add a dude with a laptop to your band, and apparently your laminated license for the dubious world of "experimental" music is ready to be handed out to you post-haste. With so many folks patting themselves on the back with such cred-padding labels, it's inevitable that certain bands who really are "experimental" within their idiom are going to get overlooked. And why? Because most musicians who really are worthy of this term are going to put more than a few onlookers, even those within the indie world, off. Untied States, for all their post-punk distinctions, are a group of lads (core duo Colin Arnstein and Skip Engelbrecht, plus bassist and drummer) who can wear "experimental" truthfully and proudly. Their derailed discordance verges on the maniacal, in a way possibly not seen since the criminally-underappreciated Fire Show (if you don't know them, seek them out now) turned the sagging post-punk movement's guts inside-out with glorious violence to inattentive spectators. That's not to say that Untied States have worked all the kinks out of their mission just yet. For all the bits of synthetic dissonance that are emitting out of some very disturbed pedals and processors, there's still a somewhat unpleasant undercurrent of post-hardcore growing pains. Like The Paper Chase, Untied States similarly sometimes let their minor key freak-outs play off less like compellingly realized neurosis and more like an ex-emo kid having a self-imposed schizophrenic attack. Still, of all the bands out there who are trying to make their name known for originality, Untied States are damn sure doing their hardest to push their sonic blundering to a peak of innovational eminence. "Can't Get Around It" is easily Retail Detail's peak of excitement, the drunk-jazz intro giving way to a bossa nova beat perhaps used at a wicked séance party. Likewise, Retail Detail's best moments are when the band ditch the guitar-splattered conniptions like "My Cause Is My Curse" and "Martyrs Have Nothing To Live For" for some outright feed-everything-to-the-id weirdness, such as the carnival-sludge nightmare of closer "It's Not Enough" or the stittery goth-funk of "It's Not Goodbye." So while Untied States' effort Retail Detail may warrant only a 3.5 in the end, it's the very enthusiastic 3.5 that so few bands could possibly hope to receive. Untied States harbor such a giddy creative energy that some concoctions of theirs are bound to come out a bit half-baked or overbundled, but with every by-the-book gang of indie rockers (*cough*Tapes 'N' Tapes*cough*) using their high Pitchfork scores as some kind of proof of relevance without ever actually trying something unfounded, it is rather disheartening that some young miscreants as adventurous as Untied States will be left squalling and squirming on deaf ears. Too bad, because if Untied States can be encouraged, illuminating sonics are sure to follow.
From Exclaim! Magazine By Liz Worth:
Untied States make way for more noise than you’d think four people could be capable of. Sonic and textured, Retail Detail expands into enormously raucous soundscapes that weave noise, rock and samples. Untied States also escape into improvisation, integrating intense measures of unpredictability. There is also a strong sense of realness here, as this quartet’s belief in articulating their own self-portraits and personal experiences into their music come through. “It’s Not Goodbye” and “Immaculate” seem to collapse and shudder, breaking away in the vocal department while a wall of noise builds up all around. There is an element of the experimental here but the entire album remains accessible, so much so that it brings to mind Sonic Youth’s disharmonies, but in approach only. Untied States have created something far beyond the familiar and have strayed into a new place that only they have a key to. The ultimate impression is one of precariousness, as there are glimpses of delicate splendour and frailties that are always threatened by the potential of destruction that only seems a beat away.
From Movement Magazine By Adam Naworal:
Huh! This album is basically a melding of no wave’s skronk and avant-garde’s structure-free aspects. Surprisingly, it’s also a completely solid listen! At times this reminds one of everything from early Sonic Youth (circa CONFUSION IS SEX) to Labradford’s sonic experimentation, all while maintaining a distinct and very intriguing sound. Not recommended for those who like structure, but experimental rock fans and even free-improv types definitely have a lot to love here.
From PopMatters Review by Jennifer Kelly:
Cubist renditions of existential angst… There are two kinds of chaos. One is that primordial ooze that contains everything in an undifferentiated mass—the beginning sort of chaos, best approximated in musical terms by drone. The other is the disorder that comes when things fall apart, the rules no longer apply, certainties fade and floating anxiety is the only palpable mood. It is this decadent sort of chaos that Untied States evokes in their second full-length album, a detuned, oddly timed, infinitely creative but undisciplined howl at modern life. Consider for instance, the existential problem of other people, necessary—especially if you’re young and horny—but unknowable. Untied States attacks the issue in a postmodern break-up song called “It’s Not Goodbye”, which begins in lonely, reverberating keyboard notes and erupts into assaults of frustrated rage. “You’re an enigma… seeming/ Dying to meet you at the end of it all,” singer Colin Arnstein despairs, his wail running headlong into abrasive spirals of juddering guitar, and despite the complexity, the dense web of sounds that surrounds him, he is essentially alone. Or, take the horrors of war, as Untied States does in “Martyrs Have Nothing to Live For”. Here a jittery web of guitar dissonance and irregular drum explosions coalesces into occasional structured song fragments, as a slurry, desperate voice moans things like “But I don’t want to die for/ What I can’t enjoy” or “I’ve got this casual casualty/ I’ve got this casual reality/ But, oh, martyrs have nothing to live for.” Quietly discordant intervals build tension while oddly tuned guitars plink out jerky no wave rhythms. Architecture within the song is an illusion, something that the next firebomb of feedback will rip right through. There’s a violence implied, a confusion embedded, an inarticulate response to nightmare scenarios that feels very in tune what we see every night on the 7 o’clock news. Despair comes from realizing that there is simply no authentic way to react to a bewildering set of stimuli. As Arnstein sings later, in “You Own Your Own”, “The more I try to feel/ The more I am faking/ The more I try to fix/ The more I keep breaking.” Retail Detail draws freely from the post-punk legacy, borrowing alternate tunings from Sonic Youth, rattletrap slyness from Les Savvy Fav and jerk-rhythmed, junk-percussioned funk from early Liars ("We Don’t Have to Climb” sounds very much like “Every Day Is a Child with Teeth"). Like The Fall, they play with short, semi-sensical phrases, which gain humor and resonance through repetition; lyrics like “My cause is my curse” and “Martyrs have nothing to live for” become inexplicably meaningful over the course of their songs. The band intercuts these more developed tracks with short, atmospheric intervals, the clocktower dissonance of “I Mile Aisle”, the silent film organ notes of “Retail Detail” and the piano and abrasive guitar duel of “Retell the Tale”. The absence of rules and continual violation of structure makes Retail Detail somewhat hard to follow at first, yet this same unexpectedness is what ultimately makes the band interesting… if not especially joyful. It’s the sound of clever despair, completely free of strictures and swaggering over its lawlessness, but maybe wishing that someone, somewhere would lay down some limits.
From Aiding and Abetting A&A #272 Review March 2006:
Quirkiness does not equal genius, but Untied States' excessive use of eccentricity just might. The songs themselves are relatively straightforward, but the instrumentation and arrangements get about as far out as is imaginable. Sometimes the kitchen sink is thrown into the kitchen sink, an Escherian conundrum that simply elevates the songs into the stratosphere. I really like what these folks do, but then, I'm a big dirty pop fan. Anything you can do to a pop song that doesn't destroy its innate purity is a plus in my book. And while these folks do have their deconstructive moments, at the heart of each song is a solid hook. Often demented, of course, but a hook nonetheless. And while things keep flying at the ears with dazzling fury, the sound itself is somewhat restrained. To wit, you can distinctly hear each of these aural missiles as they threaten not only your ears but your sanity. That level of detail is something to behold. Thus a gawd-awful mess really isn't. I was anticipating greatness from the moment I opened the package containing this disc, but this album surpassed that. I remain blown away.
From Delusions of Adequacy by Jacob Price:
Music can be rather boring at times. For every album that comes along and manages to completely devour our free time, there are innumerably more that beg the question: why was this recorded at all? In light of this, rock is a very fickle genre. It seems anymore that everything being churned out is just another impossibly unimaginative retread of already bland sounds. Luckily, rock is also very malleable and can be changed into something interesting with even the least bit of effort and imagination. Untied States is a band containing these two features in no small amount. The group sounds like a strange meld of the experimental sounds of U.S. Maple and Jim O'Rourke, the fierce post-hardcore of later Blood Brothers recordings, and the conventional rock of, well, too many bands to name. The result is a deep, frenzied-yet-stable piece of what can be described as nothing else but avant-rock, as pretentious as that may sound. Untied States dodge characterization well enough to evoke odd terminology. Strewn about Retail Detail, the band's second full-length, are equal parts abstract, whaa? noise and basic guitar rock features. The two offset each other in a delightfully chaotic way, while a generally simple chord progression and drum beat may be offset by oscillating electronic skronk and other random noises. Wailing guitar feedback accentuates vocals that call to mind a much more vicious and acidic version of Matt Bellamy from Muse. What seems like a grandiose piano-oriented track (“Retail Detail”) is transformed by a quick drumbeat and haunting vocals into a foreboding anthem in just over a minute. “Martyrs Have Nothing to Live For” sounds like the direction the Blood Brothers have been migrating towards over the years (that is, one away from simple, generic hardcore), and it exemplifies the band's willingness to let convention overtake the experimental every now and again. This is followed by the Liars-esque “You Own Your Own,” a scattered affair, to say the least. The band doesn't seem content to dawdle in any one style for any amount of time. Because of this ADD-infused musicianship, the album comes off as messy hodgepodge of raucous sounds, and I could see this turning off a variety of listeners. However, there's much enjoyment to be had in Retail Detail, and I would recommend it confidently to anyone who has grown tired of the ordinary.
From All Music Guide by William Ruhlmann:
Atlanta's Untied States, led by the duo of Colin Arnstein and Skip Engelbrecht, joined by the rhythm section of Andy Jones (bass) and Wade Page (drums/percussion), turn in their second full-length release, Retail Detail, which furthers the band's explorations into the juxtaposition of straight rock playing and extreme experimentation. Untied States are the kind of group that can play somewhat conventional rock in a style that recalls Gang of Four, full of jagged guitar lines, driving rhythms, and harshly sung, minimally melodic vocals. But the bandmembers are only partially interested in such structures, and at any given moment one of their songs may break down or change gears suddenly, with tempos dropping or disappearing entirely and various keyboard sounds and noises replacing the established patterns. Like the Velvet Underground and the Mothers of Invention, Untied States want to explode the usual notions of what constitutes rock and, indeed, music itself. At times, the listener feels that the sonic ideas of John Cage have overtaken the band and that one is hearing not so much music in the accepted sense as loosely organized sound created in a partially unplanned fashion. The result is an album that is often jarring, but never dull.
From The Real Detroit Weekly by Brian Keene:
Take that post-punk, NYC indie stuff, mix in random squirts of synth and 8-bit sound-farts, shuffling drums, frequent noise-squall guitar-work and some strained vocals and you have Untied States. Bewildering yet cohesive, there are a million things going on but you can still bob your head. As weird as it is unique.
From The Orlando Sentinel Pop Music Critic Review by Jim Abbott:
Untied States: Retail Detail (4 stars out of 5) The art of noise, random and chaotic The music of Atlanta's Untied States could be called avant-noise, but the group never makes it that easy. Anchored by the duo of Colin Arnstein and Skip Engelbrecht, Untied States specializes in industrial-sounding riffs that power the opening "It's Not Goodbye.'' Yet the abusive drum pounding and jarring guitar explosions occasionally dissolve into something softer and dreamier. Maybe it's not that unusual for a band to employ expressive dynamics, but what do you call it when a cello surfaces as it does in the strange interlude "(1) Mile Aisle.'' The grave arpeggios in that song are punctuated by bells, harsh electronic noises and something that sounds like waves washing ashore. You can't hum it, but it's intense. Listen closer and there are melodic threads concealed deep in these 12 songs. (The self-released Retail Detail is available at untiedstates.us.) Whether it's the grand keyboard beneath the title track, the clamorous "My Cause is My Curse'' or the acoustic guitars that introduce the spacious "Immaculate,'' Retail Detail has a solid foundation. It's there beneath the strange, psychotic-marching-band tempo of "We Don't Have to Climb,'' which starts out weird and then careens into insanity with its distorted shouting. Over the next four minutes, the song's energy fades, as if by exhaustion, then catches its breath for a final run to the finale of alien sounding blips and bleeps. With its timpani rolls and disembodied voices, "Can't Get Around It'' sounds like an orchestra on acid. Then again, everything on Retail Detail resembles something in an altered state. Reviewing key: ***** excellent, **** good, *** average, ** poor, * awful
From Atlanta’s Creative Loafing Review By Chad Radford:
Schizophrenia has always been good to the arts no matter how brutal or subtle its onset. Untied States' Retail Detail is not equal to Vincent VanGogh hacking off his ear and offering it to his favorite pro, but its twisted sentiments and ear-bleeding intensity are carved by the same knife. Everyone from Arnold Schoenberg to the Jesus Lizard scars the mindset of "Retell the Tale" and "Martyrs Have Nothing to Live For." Each song maintains a twitchy, art-damaged cognition through icy classical music trim, winding through a frantic industrial art-rock dirge. Melodies form, sputter and collapse, and the mangled makeup of "Currencies" is totally compelling in the search for tangible emotion. Retail Detail is awash in fragmented rhythms that jitter like synapses making all the wrong connections — this is not criticism. Stoner kids pay good money for this quality of hallucinogenic product and Retail Detail supplies the goods.
From North Carolina’s “Go-Triad” Review by Daniel McMillan
Retail Detail" Self-released **** Sometimes Untied States doesn't feel very united. So perhaps it's fitting that this Atlanta band has released one the best records you've never heard of. Untied, unhinged, unglued. That's the general feeling of listening to "Retail Detail," the group's third record, self-released, on which it continues a journey of fractured art rock bliss. It labels itself experimental, but don't be frightened; it's just performing a little cosmetic surgery on conventionality. Musically, the group comes in well under the radar, flying low with a potent combination of pop rock tunefulness filtered through dissonant fuzz, industrial clatter bang and a certain amount of unpredictability. Vocals can be painfully strained croon, hurried mumble or static-filled ramble, and it works, thanks to the brooding affinity and frantic energy all these tracks share. "You Own Your Own," for instance, begins with a throbbing ambient pulse and scattered snare in hot pursuit. Bass and guitar soon follow, along with paranoid observations and nervous chants of "He knows, he knows." The next track is a one-minute interlude of glitchy chamber music adorned with cello, ambient pulse and stuttering static. "My Cause Is My Curse" ratchets the tempo back up with a more or less straight-ahead rocker before "We Don't Have to Climb" veers off again. The album maintains this anxious back and forth, leaving you uneasy and off-balance but ultimately rewarded.
From Smother Magazine Review by J-Sin March 2006:
While many fellow pop artists are stuck on the “Retail Detail” side of making music if you will, Untied States delve into the dank world of experimental. Electronic pop glistens the vocals at times while the guitars angle towards the post-hardcore fuzz of early Sonic Youth and Fugazi. Big drum sounds dominate many of the tracks with psychedelic guitar overloads and outright bizarre sonic fillers. “Retail Detail” is pop’s antithesis and shines with cathartic clarity amid manic rock-n-roll deconstruction. You might think all of this would be far too chaotic but it remains artsy and not just mere noise for noise’s sake. Excellent.
From babysue Pork Chopper Cheeseheaded Pointy Reviews by LMNOP March 2006:
Wildly unpredictable. The fellows in Untied States have a lot more in common with experimental British bands of the 1970s and 1980s than they do with bands in their hometown (Atlanta, Georgia). Retail Detail is a strange and peculiar collection of tunes that can only be described as sounding something like a more abrasive and loud variation of the up-and-coming art pop band Pattern Is Movement (mainly due to some of the peculiar rhythms and time signatures). While the guys in Untied States have a sound, defining that sound is ultimately rather difficult. Because of the vast array of styles and influences, the band ends up sounding like almost no one but themselves. Despite the fact that these musicians are pulling some rather odd punches, as a whole this album is extraordinarily cohesive and spins smoothly. Complex intellectual rockers include "It's Not Goodbye," "Martyrs Have Nothing To Live For," "My Cause Is My Curse," and "Currencies."
From Skratch Magazine Review by Sal Swayzo:
Traditional rock and experimental music (make that a lot of experimental music) make Untied States real. Retail Detail is both melodic and creepy. Explosive beats and strange rhythm make Untied States strangely enticing. THE GRADE: B+
From The Asheville Disclaimer:
Untied States – Retail Detail In modern music, nothing should be cherished so much as the unexpected. Surprises are rare things these days musically speaking. Most songs, and in some cases entire albums, can be predicted by the attentive listener after hearing just a couple bars. Fortunately Atlanta's Untied States have successfully incorperated enough imagination on their second full length, Retail Detail, to keep even the most jaded listeners guessing as to what is coming next. Born of the near life-long friendship of Colin Arnstein and Skip Engelbrecht, Untied States presents an intriguing pastiche of incongruous parts and pieces jammed together to somehow form a satifying disarray. The 12 tracks on Retail Detail are experimental without resorting to drone or feedback, dissonant without sounding atonal and oddly melodic without sounding formulaic. There IS structure and cohesion here but it's a different kind of structure, one that hinges on agressively shifting time signatures and jarring changes in tone. It's the kind of giddy inventiveness you'd find with Deerhoof, US Maple or early Sonic Youth. The songs themselves rarely sound like one thing through their short lives. Untied States keep things fresh by switching gears often although there are a couple songs such as "My Cause is My Curse" where the deconstruction slows down a bit to allow for a more traditional post-punk experience. Although theres quite alot of sonic juxtaposition on Retail Detail, things never degenerate into cacauphanic mess of noise without reason. When two conflicting sections are jammed against one another they simply create tension and thankfully not a mess. Even though there are heaping loads of art flying around on this album it's at least been tethered to a very strong leash. Energetic, engaging and hugely satisfying, Untied States haven't come to bury the A,A,B,A song structure, just to rebel against it a little.
From UpBeet Magazine Review by Julia Conny April 15, 2006:
Now this is the kind of band that you take with a grain of salt. The tormented noise rock that comes bellowing from Untied States in Retail Detail has got to be one of the most complex and challenging 12 tracks I have heard in a hot minute. I mean, there are bands that are off-beat and accidental, but these guys are so the prior they are at times anti-melodic, a collapsing art form. The first couple of minutes of “It’s Not Goodbye” were almost too much for me; Colin Arnstein’s punk vocals are feasting wails, but his voice teeters on juvenile and whiny. Then I get to the rest of the CD. I don’t know if it was just adjustment or the experimental seduction, but I found myself drawn to its chaotic masochism like a fly to a strobe light. The entire minute and a half of "Retell The Tale," a twittering piano melody and spastic electro-spritzes provoked my Freudian subconscious. There are brief moments where things seems to come together into a holy vision, hints of standardized song structure, but for the most part, I am tangled in an almost intangible web of clashing and crashing art rock. If it’s possible to stay repeatedly absorbed in Retail Detail without great amounts of hallucinogenic medication, I am not quite sure. Maybe there’s a greater awakening, but this disturbed alternate reality worked best as a one night stand, and a good one at that. RIYL: Sonic Youth, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Q and Not U, and Freudian neurotics. Tracks: “We Don’t Have To Climb” and “You Own Your Own”
From The Daily Copper by Jedd Beaudoin April 2006:
If Dropsonic's Dan Dixon swallowed two heaping handfuls of LSD, washed it down with a tab or two lithium and some swill from the bottom of a cloudy jar handed to him by a Virginia bootlegger, ol' Dan might be in for one hell of a wild ride. Well, that and the little right powerful alt-rock trio he fronts might sound a whole hell of a lot more like this (also) Atlanta-based outfit, which shifts mood, styles and time signatures faster than the planet's plates shift 'neath California—nay, faster than an unpopular administration shifts attitudes to make its desired approval ratings right before re-election; nay, faster than a high school freshman shifts best friends–and fuses old skool art rock such as Jesus Lizard and Sonic Yewt with young 'uns such as Deerhoof, Braniac and the almighty Pattern Is Movement (to say nothing of a mind-altering version of Cheap Trick—no, really). The results, predictably, take some getting used to—there's sure as hell nothing here that'll get your booty shaking like a Queens of the Stone Age tune—and one imagines that one or two critics will be unleashing some vitriol about the emperor's new clothes and your grandma will probably cluck and say, under her breath, natch, "Damn crazy songs." But Untied States is on to something, albeit something that is perhaps at times too restless for even the band itself to comprehend as it demonstrates from time to time via material such as the acid-damaged "Can't Get Around This" and the equally out "It's Not Enough." A little less art and a little more rock and Untied States might very well have its future all sewn up.
