Send "Boat " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Pitchfork |
 Before moving to Seattle six years ago, BOAT's David Crane was a schoolteacher in Chicago. Apparently he didn't enjoy his former line of work, but it must have flipped some sort of switch. If the many narratives that have populated his pop songs are to be believed, he was very much in his element: Comics. Video games. Dinosaurs. Baseball cards. Homework. Trying to make sense of girls. Since morphing a basement solo project into a celebrated live band, Crane's songs have gone back in time in search of parallels. Setting the Paces, BOAT's third LP, ups the production values but dives even deeper down that wormhole.As Pitchfork's Marc Hogan nailed during a track review of single "Lately" a while back, the guitar dressings here fall "between Pavement slack and Tullycraft twee." (NERD BONUS: iTunes conveniently spits out "Post-Twee" when filing Setting the Paces' genre tag.) That means BOAT's music keeps pace with Crane's quirks, and the sounds and themes dovetail. But while the filament that lines and lights most of these songs is certainly "twee" by nature, this is a rock record. That comes through in the aforementioned hike in fidelity. Guitars are brighter than before, shout-a-long choruses meaty enough to bite. The handclaps sound great, too....full text |
| Sputnikmusic |
| In high school, there’s a few classes that are usually reserved for seniors. Sure, some people take them pretty seriously, but the vast majority of the class is comprised of students looking for a way to socialize and pass the time while the weather gets warmer and graduation approaches. In my experience, that class was Ceramics I. Though very knowledgeable, the teacher was also very lenient and forgiving, and a cool guy to talk to. Basically, it was a way for seniors to gather round and reminisce about the weekend for an hour, with some great music in the background, and maybe even spin a pot or two here and there. Needless to say, not a whole lot was learned, but we all had a great time. I apologize for the extensive metaphor, but BOAT’s Setting the Paces is a great example of fun without substance. Setting the Paces can be characterized by catchy hooks, some fantastic melodies, and a handful of short, charming songs that range from indie rock to power pop to raucous indie pop. Apt for carefree days in the sun, I can’t help but feel that BOAT should have released this a few months earlier, where it would flourish as background music to fun-filled happy-go-lucky June afternoons. With a sloppy production and a smug, sometimes humorous feeling, I can’t help but think of Pavement when my head is bobbing to the likes of “Lately,” “Tough Talking the Tulips,” or “We Want It! We Want It!” One thing I found uniquely likable aside from the catchiness is the pure sense of genuine fun from BOAT. Loose execution, sloppy guitars, and far-from-perfect vocals are detractions 99 times out of 100, but I can’t help but feel that this quality is a little charming on Setting the Paces. It’s the same “I don’t really care all that much, I mean, we’re all just here for a fun, laid-back time, right?” attitude that personified my senior year Ceramics class. I might not have been the most skilled artist or learned lifelong valuable knowledge or skills; but I sure had a great time, and that definitely counts for something....full text |
| Redefinemag |
| With Setting The Paces, BOAT has written an album that slots into my demographic with an almost startling precision. Did you spend your mid-to-late-twenties in the Pacific Northwest? How about a wannabe Northwest town like Madison, Wisconsin? If you answered "yes" to either of these questions, then Setting the Paces will surprise you with its detailed description of the life you are living -- literally living -- right now. Getting the brass tacks out of the way: if this album hits the big time, it will be on the legs of radio-friendly single "Lately." Opening and closing with a Modest Mouse-y guitar riff and post-disco beat, this track leans to the danceable side of head-nodding. The strength of the composition and memorable melody deserves some play; here's hoping they get it. That's all well and good. But -- if I may -- let's talk about me. You know what band I really liked when I was in middle school? Weezer. Also, They Might Be Giants and Green Day. I can tell that the guys in BOAT were in middle school around the same time I was because "Tough Talkin' the Tulips," "Name Tossers," and "Jeff Fell Dream #48" pay subtle homage to exactly those bands, respectively. BOAT succeeds in picking out everyone's favorite elements from the pop alternative of 90s yesteryear -- a keyboard riff here, a wide open acoustic arpeggio there -- and threading them through the daily detritus of young adulthood. A lot of the people I know move around between Portland, Seattle, and Alaska. So when, at the really catchy part of “Lately,” I hear "Move up to Seattle/ Not up to Alaska/ My teeth won't ever chatter/ It doesn't really matter," it strikes me that a song has finally been written about my immediate circle of friends. "Tough Talkin' the Tulips" concerns, among other things, not being able to help your friend move across the country because, "My car can't make the trip." Wasn't I just having that conversation?...full text |
| Redefinemag |
| With Setting The Paces, BOAT has written an album that slots into my demographic with an almost startling precision. Did you spend your mid-to-late-twenties in the Pacific Northwest? How about a wannabe Northwest town like Madison, Wisconsin? If you answered "yes" to either of these questions, then Setting the Paces will surprise you with its detailed description of the life you are living -- literally living -- right now. Getting the brass tacks out of the way: if this album hits the big time, it will be on the legs of radio-friendly single "Lately." Opening and closing with a Modest Mouse-y guitar riff and post-disco beat, this track leans to the danceable side of head-nodding. The strength of the composition and memorable melody deserves some play; here's hoping they get it. That's all well and good. But -- if I may -- let's talk about me. You know what band I really liked when I was in middle school? Weezer. Also, They Might Be Giants and Green Day. I can tell that the guys in BOAT were in middle school around the same time I was because "Tough Talkin' the Tulips," "Name Tossers," and "Jeff Fell Dream #48" pay subtle homage to exactly those bands, respectively. BOAT succeeds in picking out everyone's favorite elements from the pop alternative of 90s yesteryear -- a keyboard riff here, a wide open acoustic arpeggio there -- and threading them through the daily detritus of young adulthood. A lot of the people I know move around between Portland, Seattle, and Alaska. So when, at the really catchy part of “Lately,” I hear "Move up to Seattle/ Not up to Alaska/ My teeth won't ever chatter/ It doesn't really matter," it strikes me that a song has finally been written about my immediate circle of friends. "Tough Talkin' the Tulips" concerns, among other things, not being able to help your friend move across the country because, "My car can't make the trip." Wasn't I just having that conversation?...full text |
Boat lyrics
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