aaamusic | On 01, Apr 2011

Thousands is the name of Seattle duo Kristian Garrard and Luke Bergman whose beguiling debut album, “The Sound Of Everything”, is one of the gentlest, most tender records you’ll ever hear; just two entwined voices, exquisite acoustic guitar and a very occasional harmonium. Oh, and sounds from nature; bird calls, falling leaves, blowing wind and natural reverb are all present, underlining the organic creation of Thousands songs and their surreal, nature-focused lyrics.
Thousands came to Bella Union’s attention via Fleet Foxes’ guitarist Skye Skjelset, who is a friend of the pair, and the duo are both are long-standing members of Seattle’s heralded underground scene. When the band’s initial home recordings didn’t feel right, Kristian and Luke decided “to travel around Oregon and Washington looking for interesting or inspiring places to record. To get away from the sterile sounds we were achieving at home, and to offer something with a real sense of place. We want people to listen to this with headphones on and feel like they’re immersed in these locations, and there’s us, sitting next to you, playing a song.”  The field recordings led them across the Pacific Northwest; to Luke’s family’s cabin on the Oregon coast, the banks of the Columbia River, abandoned barns and old farmhouses.
At times the music of Thousands echoes Fleet Foxes’ hymnal beauty. But the overriding feel shares some of the hushed simplicity of Elliott Smith and Simon and Garfunkel, fused to the finger-picking dexterity of John Fahey and Bert Jansch. But don’t let the simplest of acoustic formats hide the deep well of emotion inside. “The Sound Of Everything” is all about the human voice and heartbeat, the purity of sound, capturing a specific place at an exact moment; in other words, the sound of everything that matters.

Here is the mesmerising new video for the Thousands song ‘On And On’ taken from the Seattle’s duo debut album ‘The Sound of Everything’.  The video follows a young girl as she makes her way through empty city streets and vast countryside. With plumes of orange smoke, beach piers, abandoned fun fairs, grainy and often de-saturated film, the visuals play out like an indie movie as the soundtrack conjures up vivid nostalgic memories.
A few words from Alex Southam who made this video…

“My thought process was to emulate the stripped back sound and structure of the track, so I decided to “de-construct” the usual process I take to making a video/film. The video is essentially about abstractions of a traditional linear narrative, a notion I aimed to emphasize by the use of the tag lines that accompany each shot – some of which elude to a story between the two characters, whilst others are literal comments/notes on the shot.”
Thousands will be playing the following shows in March/April. We’ve put plenty of tickets aside for press so if you fancy an hour of gentle acoustic delights we’d very much like you to join us, so just drop me a line back if you’d like to be on the GUESTLIST. UK dates below…

Thursday 31 March – LONDON – Slaughtered Lamb (£8)

Friday 1 April – BRIGHTON – Green Door Store (£7)

Saturday 2 April – LONDON – Union Chapel (Daytime show 12pm start)

Sunday 3 April – OXFORD – The Jericho Tavern (£7)

Monday 4 April – NOTTINGHAM – Lee Rosy (£6)

Tuesday 5 April – MANCHESTER – Castle Hotel (£7)

Wednesday 6 April – DUBLIN – Grand Social (10 euros)

Friday 8 April – GLASGOW – Vic Bar [Glasgow School of Art] (£7.50)

Saturday 9 April – LIVERPOOL – Mello Mello (£6)

Sunday 10 April – LEEDS – A Nation of Shopkeepers (free)