Search - Bicycle Thieves :: Bicycle Thieves

Fanfare for the uncommon man

07/07/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This impressive debut from the Washington, D.C.-based quartet offers all the qualities sorely absent from so much of popular music in the 90's: tight, intergrated musicianship; careful, yet imaginative songwriting and arranging; and, believe it or not, a singer who can really . . . yes, SING.New listeners will immediately hear the diverse range of influences on the Thieves' music: inventive chord changes that recall early Steely Dan; melodic and rhythmic interplay reminiscent of the Allman Brothers; blues-influence guitar and keyboard work; clever use of rests and 16th note partials to give the music a funky, odd-time feel (the Dregs, Sea Level and, more recently, Agents of Good Roots).The confidence is their musicianship is evident throughout this too-brief EP: marvelous Rhodes and organ playing from keyboardist Mike Salamone; astounding bass playing from Scott Aronson, whose approach falls somewhere on the McCartney-Jaco axis; creative, musical drumming from drummer John Dinsmore that mixes it up with the astute, intelligent guitar leads of singer/songwriter Jon Kaplan.Highlights include "Running Down," "Slingshot," and "All That's Missing," the latter holding out the greatest potential as a single."

Synthesis rarely breeds originality, Thieves pulled it off

09/29/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I wish I had more time to comment. Suffice it to say, the CD is an accomplishment. There are few Cd's in my collection reserved for the permanent slot in my player, this is one of them. The quartet, which to my knowledge have only been together for a little over a year, sound like a seasoned family of musicians. Percussion provides a backbone for excellent base lines and steady vocals. The wild card and an excellent one at that, are the keyboards, blending 70's southern rock riffs with a deeper blues feel. The play list is extensive and diverse, and each genre is treated respectfully and performed as such. The only flaw I can find with the CD is that it is an Ep and short on tracks. I hope the album is received well enough to encourage the production of a follow-up ASAP!!!!! Highly recommended."