The L Magazine’s
8 NYC Bands You Need to Hear: 2009
“Thanks to Arcade Fire and a smattering of other bands that have bought into this idea that it’s perfectly acceptable to have every single one of your friends join you on stage, it’s no longer terribly rare to come across a band like Emanuel & the Fear, a mostly Brooklyn-based band boasting eleven members. What sets them apart, though, is that each and every one of them is there for a reason. You won’t find anyone standing around lightly tapping on a tambourine – they’re a massively ambitious rock and roll orchestra incorporating everything from violin and cello to trumpet and trombone, not to mention the standard guitar, bass, drums and piano that are represented as well. The songs are based in the pop tradition, with melody proudly taking center stage, but the tidy and immaculately composed classical arrangements and the subtle electronic flourishes give the whole thing a much grander feel that immediately drives home the point that these folks can’t be contained by small stages for very long, neither literally nor figuratively.”
- The L Magazine (click here to view entire feature)
The Deli Magazine’s
Artist of the Month: March 2009
“After spending the long summer months mostly in the studio recording their new album, the 11-piece rock orchestra known as Emanuel and the Fear is bringing some Labor Day sunshine for New Yorkers on September 4th – playing a show at Joe’s Pub at 9:30pm after a set from Sharon Van Etten and Meg Baird. Recently named one of the L Magazine’s “8 NYC Bands You Need to Hear”, Emanuel and the Fear has proven time and again that it is a band to pay attention to. With a sound that derives itself from composers and songwriters across the board, Emanuel and the Fear focuses on intertwining the modern day pop song with extravagant and complex composition. Doors at 9pm. All Ages! $10. Check out their debut video for “The Rain Becomes the Clouds”!”
- The Deli Magazine (click here to view entire article)
Music Snobbery
Here Comes the Fear Again
“Before I headed over to Noah and his happy fun Whale, I caught a set from local up-and-comer Emanuel Ayvas and his band Emanuel and the Fear. The best way to describe the idea and sound is to think of your high school band days. Imagine the marching band horn section joining forces with the string section of the orchestra band. Then in the center is the school’s resident poet. Although the 11-member outfit doesn’t conform to a certain genre, if crazy exciting was a genre, they could be the leaders.”
- Music Snobbery (click here to view entire review)
The Village Voice
Emanuel and the Fear
“Remember when indie rock was about stripping down and freaking out? The kids in this genial, 11-piece Brooklyn outfit don’t: They found their voices in the age of Sufjan and Arcade Fire and (might as well own up to it) the Polyphonic Spree. In their minds, no emotion is too small to warrant the full orchestral-pop treatment. Fortunately, they’ve got tunes, which always helps the sugar go down.”
- The Village Voice (click here to view entire post)
Flavorpill
Emanuel and The Fear @ Mercury Lounge
“Head honcho Emanuel and the ten-plus nerdy-looking troubadours toting violins, horns, guitars, and percussion instruments as Fear create a full-blown orchestral rock show for the intimate audience at Mercury Lounge. Tonight, the dramatic chamber-poppers promise to be crowd pleasers, via their sheer power in numbers, volume, and a Shostakovitch-inspired performance that makes us wish they had more than an EP out right now. (Their debut full-length should be out in ‘10.)”
- Flavorpill (click here to view the entire post)
nyctaper
Emanuel and The Fear: September 4, 2009 Joe’s Pub
“Last Friday night at Joe’s Pub was a coming out party of sorts for Emanuel and The Fear. The show was sold out to capacity (some were turned away at the door), there were some rock luminaries in attendance (David Byrne and members of TV On The Radio), and the band absolutely charmed the crowd with an outstanding hour long set. Emanuel and The Fear released an acclaimed debut EP this year, but we fully expect that the full-length album to be released in the coming months will propel this band to greater heights. Several of those new songs are featured on this recording. The Fear is a ten-piece “rock orchestra” of tremendous talent and musical instincts and they compliment Emanuel’s voice, guitar, piano, and stage presence to perfection.”
- nyctaper (click here to download the set)
Absolutepunk.net
Emanuel and the Fear – Emanuel and the Fear: 9.0
“Emanuel and the Fear is an eleven piece collective from New York, New York. They were recently featured as one of L magazine’s “8 NYC Bands you Need to Know” and recently released their debut, self titled EP. This self titled EP is a five track venture throughout the many different facets of indie-pop, each of which the band manage to pull off perfectly.”
- Absolutepunk.net (click here to view entire review)
Blogcritics.org
Music Review: Emanuel and the Fear – Emanuel and the Fear
“… a group to take notice of. The quality of the tracks on this EP whets the appetite for hopefully more to come.”
- Blogcritics.org (click here to view entire review)
