Promise Ring Wood/Water CD

By the late 1990's The Promise Ring had propelled themselves to nearly the top rung of the ferociously melodic brand of music loosely labeled emocore. However, by 2002's WOOD/WATER, the Milwaukee-based quartet completed a transformation of sound begun on 1999's VERY EMERGENCY, an unabashedly poppy and breezy album, yet still unmistakably in the realm of irony-laden indie rock. The opening bars of WOOD/WATER's Wilcoesque, pensive "Get On The Floor" sees the more sedate band asserting "no more guitar songs, it's just nervous energy you're selling to me."

Gone are most of the fire and the sardonic energy of earlier releases, replaced by what practically amounts to an album of modern cowboy ballads, introspective and reflective, with hummable melodies. Far from being dilettantes or bandwagon-jumpers, the foursome led by the high, dulcet tones of Davey von Bohlen proves that it has the innate talent to capably reinvent its sound while retaining sincerity. And on tracks like the adorably self-deprecating "Stop Playing Guitar" and the dreamlike "Become One Anything One Time" with its mournful refrain "I'm just happy you stuck around," the sincerity gives way to sheer beauty.

4th full length from the popular band, produced by Stephen Street, who is known fro his work with The Smiths, Blur & The Cranberries. For fans of Jayhawk & Wilco. 2002.

Additional personnel includes: Roger Joseph Manning Jr. (keyboards); Scott Schoenbeck (bass); Shalott Hazzard (background vocals).

Recorded at Jacobs Studios, Farnham, England; Sonora, MCJ, Los Angeles, California; Polish Moon, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Producers: Stephen Street, Mario Caldato Jr.

Engineers: Stephen Street, Cenzo Caldato, Jr., Robert Carranza.

Personnel: Davey vonBohlen (vocals, guitar); Jason Gnewikow (guitar, keyboards, percussion); Dan Didier (keyboards, drums, percussion).

Audio Mixers: Mario Caldato, Jr.; Stephen Street.

Recording information: Jacobs Studios, Farnham, England; MCJ Sound, Los Angeles, CA; Polish Moon, Milwaulkee, WI; Sonora Studios, Los Angeles, CA.

Photographer: Chris Strong.

The Promise Ring: Davey Von Bohlen (vocals, guitar); Jason Gnewikow (guitar, keyboards, percussion); Ryan Weber (guitar, bass); Dan Didier (keyboards, drums, percussion).

Rolling Stone (5/9/02, p.76) - 3 out of 5 stars - "...Less blatantly melodic, peppy and cloying than [past releases]..."
Q (6/02, p.121) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...WOOD/WATER finds the Milwaukee-based quartet in increasingly introspective mode...this is arichly rewarding collection of lovingly realised songs augmented by subtle, spacious production."
Alternative Press (p.128) - "'Suffer Never,' 'My Life Is At Home' and 'Become One Anything One Time,' are fantastic."
Alternative Press (June 2002, p.80) - 7 out of 10 - "...The emo-turned-power-pop quartet have changed lanes yet again on the even-mannered WOOD/WATER..."
CMJ (4/22/02, p.5) - "[Promise Ring trade] in their emo fare for a laid-back, alt-country pop vibe....the quartet developed a newly stripped-down and mellowed-out fell....[it] includes spacious arrangements, acoustic instrumentation and a focus on serious melodic interplay..."
NME (Magazine) (5/25/02, p.32) - 8 out of 10 - "...An inspiring burst of twinkling melancholy...Few records this year will get as close to you as WOOD/WATER..."