Otoliths - Lithos
Otoliths is a post-punk band from Oakland-based and Chicago-raised musician, Tom Smith. Smith has been a member of Smokin’ Ziggurats, Office, Mazes, Social Studies, Silverware, and a sideman in Abracadabra, among others. For fans of Sic Alps, Cairo Gang, and Cleaners from Venus, Otoliths “Lithos” attempts to meet the absurdity of the moment with indelible melody and hook-laden guitar. The record spans the gamut of guitar-driven songwriting, from jangle to fuzz to quiet introspection — spanning the high tide, frenetic energy of “Bi-Weekly Lady”, the upbeat jangle of “Maeve’s Melody” to the near-prog of “Crenellations”, and finally the mellow denouement of “Projectionist”.
“Lithos” was written in Smith’s laundry room late at night, and was recorded at Santo Recording in Oakland with producer Jason Kick, and a band consisting of Ben McClintock (Smokin’ Ziggurats, Shape of Space) on bass, Daniel Pearce (Reds, Pinks, and Purples, Chris Cohen band) on drums, Ainsley Wagoner (Silverware, Galore) on vocals, and Akhil Bhatt on vocals and keys. Timothy Stollenwerk of Stereophonic Mastering put the finishing touches on the record, and the album was released on March 20th, via home-spun Oto Press (OTO-001).
Otoliths are celebrating their record release at Thee Stork Club in Oakland on April 30th, with plans for touring to be announced later this year.
Some kind words on “Lithos”:
I hear plenty of Flying Nun, The Soft Boys, and even Elvis Costello in the casual power pop of opening track “Maeve’s Melody”, and Lithos really does come out swinging between the Kiwi Jr.-like stop-start college rock of “Sense in Asking”, the massive fuzz-pop hooks of “Bi-Weekly Lady”, and the jangly psychedelia of “Limb from Limb”. The cruise control vibes of “Bar Pilots” at the beginning of Side Two turn out to actually be last call of a sort–Otoliths spend the final four songs getting comfortable in the spacier realms of dream pop/post-punk. “Go to Sleep” and “Minna” have nice undergirding rhythms, while “Projectionist” ends Lithos with a slow-building that simply comes to a stop in lieu of releasing anything. Lithos loads plenty of melodic guitars and catchy choruses up front, but Otoliths show their mettle by weaving it into less obvious material, too–it all results in a very promising first LP. – Rosy Overdrive
The guitar lines are so jangling I almost felt my teeth tingle, golden chords in other words […] upbeat, jaunty and a precursor to the bright summer days ahead – MP3Hugger
Tom Smith wrote the song’s on the latest album in between parenting naps, and the first single we’re hearing is an absolute pleasure, leaning Otoliths more into the power-pop sound that permeates the Bay Area sound. Ringing guitars in the tune are cyclical, riding up and down like like a ferris wheel, then pulled back to let Smith blast a nice little melody from the vocals. Even when thing get restrained, you can still feel that certain swagger that makes you feel good to have rock n’ roll at your fingertips. Crunchy and fun, so be sure to keep an eye out for the new LP, Lithos, out on March 20th. – Austin Town Hall
In true jangle-pop fashion, the track opens with bright guitar work and a hook-driven melody that gives the track a general joyful atmosphere. Lyrically, “Maeve’s Melody” reflects on the absurdity of modern life, contrasting a lifestyle of aimless stagnation with one shaped by a vague sense of purpose. That tension plays out against the backdrop of a “rambling town”where the pull toward inertia is constant and the desire to outrun its gravitational pull becomes part of the song’s emotional engine. – Radiotrails