Baltimore’s Page France has officially called it quits after nearly a year of separation. While there were rumors of a breakup throughout 2008, a January 3, 2009 entry on Page France’s MySpace blog made the split official:“To speak officially [of the split] hadn’t seemed necessary. We’re all still much involved in making music. It will all just happen inside different names. Once an idea has run it’s course, one must move along.”
Page France was one of the best American indie folk-pop bands to have come along in the waves of popularity for this genre in recent years. Following the release of their debut album in 2005, Come, I’m A Lion, the band caught the attention of bloggers and music lovers. Songs like “Spine” and “Bridge” made the rounds and started showing up on people’s playlists.
Then in 2006, the band released their best album, Hello, Dear Wind, which further proved their talent and ability to sell records and fill seats.
The band got a lot of attention upon the release of Hello, Dear Wind. Rock critic MacKenzie Wilson, writing for the All Music Guide, wrote at the time: “All the reasons why you fell in love with Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over the Sea are the same reasons why you should check out Hello, Dear Wind.”
The band gained much notoriety at the time, including having their song “Chariot” featured in Episode 12, Season 3, titled “The Dark Time”, of the popular TV series Weeds.
“Chariot” from Hello, Dear Wind
“Junkyard” from Hello, Dear Wind
Page France featured Michael Nau (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Whitney McGraw (glockenspiel, keyboards, vocals), Clinton Jones (drums), and Jasen Reeder (bass). Other members and contributors included BJ Lewis, Bryan Martin, Chris Morris, Jasen Reeder, Matt Smith and David Tracy.
Yet it was the band’s follow-up to Hello, Dear Wind, 2007’s Page France And The Family Telephone, that signaled the band was perhaps losing its way. While still a good record, it is the least impressive of the band’s three releases.
Nau has often compared in the mid 2000’s to Conor Oberst and Jeff Tweedy. Both of those comparisons are valid. Just one more comparison is needed to complete the formula. Overall, Page France’s music has the same fun, feel good, childhood charm as Sufjan Stevens.
Furthermore, they embraced the quirky story-telling, piano-guitar-xylophone-horn sound Sufjan is known so well for. The only difference is that Page France’s song titles were much shorter than our friend Sufjan’s tend to be – hehe.
Anyways, in honor of the now defunct Page France, and for all of you who’ve never heard of them, here’s a playlist of some of their most well known songs.
“Spine” from Come, I’m A Lion
“Bridge” from Come, I’m A Lion
“Bush” from Hello, Dear Wind
“Elephant” from Hello, Dear Wind
“Finders” from Hello, Dear Wind
“Beggar’s Table Legs” from Page France The Family Telephone
“Hat and Rabbit” from Page France And The Family Telephone
“Be My Pianist” from Page France And The Family Telephone
Nua has gone on to give his full-time effort to the band Cotton Jones Basket Ride (review of their new album forthcoming). This reincarnation of parts of Page France is great stuff too, but the dynamic that was Page France cannot be replicated, of course, without the whole outfit of band members and contributors working under the name they made for themselves.
Michael Nau Interview – The Other Journal
Page France Interview – Tiny Mix Tapes
(above links compiled by Wikipedia)