On first listen, it is apparent that Elijah Miller is a passionate poet and born artist. His nearly always smoothly flowing words delicately weave a variety of thoughtful images and capture an appreciable range of feelings.

Also on first listen, this collection may not seem all that musically impressive. The basic songwriting and melodies are quite simple. In this day and age, that most often means derivative, and it is. (Who can escape that?)  However, largely due to highly refined production and expert instrumental accompaniment, the subtle voicing variations and numerous nuances grow on you with repeated listens. Lovingly set in an admirable orchestration of dynamics, the players float in and out and back and forth effortlessly, from open, sparse airiness, to crunchy, garbled grungy confusion. These are high marks of professionalism.

Yes, we’ll definitely be listening to this one more than a few more times in years to come.

Let’s take a brief word ride through each track:

1.  A favorite, the opener “furious armies” confidently escalates its unrelenting slow march across fields of facets. Its deceptively one-dimensional, gritty glittering, slow drone vocal melody plods like a soldier through the mud. And yet, through the tough trek, there is an incorrigible optimism shining ahead and above, leading the way to some kind of inevitably glorious victory—someday. Supporting players provide expert encouragement to this military man with always anchoring root-5 bass, perfectly matched innovative drumming, and wonderful Weezer/U2-like guitar work that supports, soars and triumphs. Love the guitar slow fade-in, evolving tone at 2:09! An exceptional creation.

2.  Enter the 1-2-3 waltz “stain”, albeit with heavy lyrical emphasis, as usual. A good mix that is a bit silly and fun, and mostly more than a bit serious. Fine build up and complementary, well-coordinated and flowing musicianship. A sweet, poignant violin singing in at just the right times, a solidly supportive and sensitive rhythm section, and a melodic guitar alternating appropriately between clean and dirty tone, all make up the perfect blend with Elijah’s prolific poetry of surprise and delight. A King Crimsony flavor to parts of this one, with that fuzzy hollow tube guitar sound and diminished chords, largely originated by Mr. Fripp. The welcome instrumental interlude at about 2/3 in takes us for a happily melodic, lilting and spirited ride. Next we find ourselves hitting back into the more serious minor-based, darker intensity. Lots and lots of fit-’em-into-the-music-as-needed words, Dylanesque style—gotta say it all! Suddenly, it’s over with a sweet little vocal finale, dedicated and committing that “I will give just to you…”.

3.  No, it’s not What the Man Said—it’s nothing so nearly characteristically McCartney lyrical light. Instead, this “boy on the moon” waxes much more poetic in lyric, and poignant in music. Like other tracks here, this one builds, adding layer by layer, rising up into a slamming intensity. At its climax finale, the passionate pleading for the boy to “come back” is underscored by a 4-count hammer crescendo of semi-chaos with which to take us up and out, rising in his spaceship, taking off smoothly into outer space. Quite a trip…

4.  “muscle breaks” mixes it up a bit, as the solitary live piece here, though it’s hard to tell the difference from the studio cuts—next to no room ambience is detectable, and there are no crowd sounds. Regardless, like the rest, it is a high quality song and a fine recording, likely done direct-from-board. The feel here is a slightly sprightly bittersweet happy sadness, featuring prominent violin and a wonderful surprise banjo twangin’! Such a beautiful scene do they all paint together, happily married to a lovingly sloshy percussion. Marvelous composition and performances all around.

Reviewed by Mike Ososki

Mike Ososki, Reviews Hawk and Dove, Rocking Chair

Rocking Chair is a four song EP, and a prelude to a full length CD by the band Hawk And Dove who record and perform in the New York City area.

Elijah Miller, a singer-songwriter who left his work as a Union Organizer to pursue his passion for music, fronts the group. The first to join him on this journey was guitarist John Kleber, who adds a bit of banjo as well.  Adding to the group is Stephanie Sanders, who although she has a degree in jazz and a background in piano, is playing bass here. Another interesting instrumental voice in the mix is the sweet and haunting violin work of Rachel Lyon, who also plays mandolin. Keeping time and rounding out the ensemble is veteran drummer Dave Butler. Although Elijah is the principle vocalist all the members of the group sing as well.

The music of Hawk And Dove has elements of alt-rock, folk, country, and a psychedelic flashback or two. Elijah’s deep, personal, and poetic lyrics are conveyed in a sometimes-laid back, sometimes-forceful style that shows him as a storyteller as much as a vocalist. There were moments where his music brought to mind that of another once young NYC songsmith – Bob Dylan. There is an enigmatic quality in the lyrics that invites repeated listening to get inside them and glean the meaning and depth of the stories they tell. The group perfectly supports these tales by providing texture and musical context with dynamics that range from rocking to melodic and melancholy.

Although slow in tempo, the rock influence is felt on the first tune, “Furious Armies” where an insistent beat and electric guitars drive the song along to its feedback-laden conclusion. The second piece, entitled “Stain”, provides an interesting juxtaposition in that it starts off musically as a folk-inflected waltz while painting lyrical pictures of urban imagery. Picking up steam in the middle section it evolves into a very nice instrumental interlude featuring interplay between violin and guitar, adding other instruments as it goes.  On the next song, “Boy On The Moon”, a sparse guitar and vocal introduce the song and carry it along for the first couple minutes as it slowly moves into a mid-tempo groove with the rest of the band joining in. The rock influence is very present again towards the end of the song with high-energy lead guitars and Elijah delivering his vocals with passion and conviction. The final tune, “Muscle Breaks”, shows the more acoustic folk-influenced side of the group. With a bit of a back porch Americana feel, guitar and violin open the front door for us to come and sit a spell. I especially liked the unusual counterpoint of banjo and bells later in the song.

This four song EP certainly piques my interest to hear what will follow from this talented group. Audiences in NYC can hear what they are up to in various venues around the city. The rest of us will have to wait for their next release – I hope it’s not too long.

Reviewed by Michael Diamond

Michael Diamond, Reviews Hawk and Dove, Rocking Chair

This reviewer is a self-proclaimed music snob, who hangs out with other self-proclaimed music snobs. I’m talking about people who quiz each other on the names of Pavement’s successive drummers over lunch. Believe me when I express to you my surprise that this unassuming little EP caught my attention in a big way.

New York quintet Hawk and Dove blends vocals, drums, guitar, bass and violin. These four tracks tap into genres that have lured picky music connoisseurs for decades, from sleepy Americana to driving indie and even post-rock. The result is emotionally riveting, bringing indie firecrackers We Were Promised Jetpacks to mind. Instrumentation is captivating and varied, from minimal, ponderous bass to meandering interplay between violin, guitar and drums. Vocals are dynamic, delivering plaintive lyrics and jumping from genre to genre, occasionally taking on a jazzy warble.

The first track, “Furious Armies, is a plodding ballad tinged with post-rock. Dark, introspective guitar mirrors a subtly restrained passion in the vocals.

The second track, “Stain,” begins as a folksy sing-song reminiscent of Joanna Newsom, and soon builds to an emotional dirge.

The EP’s strongest offering, “Boy on the Moon,” at first seems minimal and plaintive. Even snobs have feelings, and I’ll be returning to this one on lonely city nights. Guitar and violin dance somberly with vocals that are appealingly relatable. The song builds into an epic ballad and collapses into feedback after a satisfying guitar tantrum.

The fourth track, “Muscle Breaks,” is quiet and slow, with pretty strings and sad vocals reminiscent of folk darlings The Decemberists.

Those who look down their noses at Top 40 charts will find something to embrace about Hawk and Dove’s first offering “Rocking Chair.” And whether or not we admit it, we’ll all be eagerly awaiting the full length.

Reviewed by Kendra Atleework

Kendra Atleework, Reviews Hawk and Dove, Rocking Chair

Call Hawk and Dove psychedelic country or alt-country, but neither really fit the bill for this band, which really defy labels.  The band is comprised of Elijah Miller (Lead vocals, guitar) John Kleberg (guitar, banjo vocals); Stephanie Sanders (bass, keys, vocals) Rachel Lyon (violin, mandolin, vocals) David Butler (drums).

They charge into our lives with the too short EP Rocking Chair, which is a great introduction, a kind of “Hi, here we are, gotta go,” kind of thing that makes you want to grab hold of someone’s collar so that they’ll stay awhile and play some more.

Of the four tracks that comprise Rocking Chair, three are studio and the last track Muscle Breaks is live.  The EP is a mere 18 minutes long, but these are 18 minutes that you won’t mind giving to the band. Frontman, Elijah Miller has a voice that’s somewhere between Jeff Tweedy and Bon Iver, and in my book that’s a very good thing.

The EP opens with Furious Armies a guitar heavy track with a distinctly emo vocal. The guitars detract from Elijah’s voice, which is really wasted on a song that really tries to rock. Elijah’s voice is much better suited to slower numbers.  When he sings the slow folksy Stain and Boy On The Moon, you hear what perfection sounds like. Boy On The Moon is particularly gorgeous, a lullaby that’s practically whispered, with the guitars and drums playing just as quietly for the first part of the song until it builds to a plaintive wail at the end.

Though of all the songs it’s Stain that really sticks out. It deals with people and relationships and the extremes that they sometimes go through to keep them. I really like the visual of a relationship leaving a lasting mark on someone, a stain.

What I find absolutely amazing is that Muscle Breaks, sounds so perfect and yet it was recorded at a gig in New Hampshire. There’s nothing there to denote a live audience; no screaming fans, no talking before or after the song.  Rachel Lyon’s violin really gives life to this song. I particularly love how it has an old fashioned, almost vaudeville sound to it.

Rocking Chair is a great introduction to this New York City band.  The songs are smart, often crossing the line to intellectual, but always listenable. This EP is the first taste of Hawk & Dove, it’s a good thing that they are working on a full length album as well as a rock opera, so they have no plans of going anywhere any time soon, and that’s a good thing, because after listening to Rocking Chair, I definitely long to hear more from this band.

Reviewed By Andrea Guy

Andrea Guy, Reviews Hawk and Dove, Rocking Chair

After opening the package containing this CD, I immediately flashed back to my youth. Besides being a music freak (and not just any sort of music freak – I was a blues snob. Didn’t listen to anything but blues music of the ’50’s and ’60’s for about five years) I also was a huge comic book fan. The various titles featuring the superhero Batman were my favorites. I think I was into Batman the most because he didn’t have any super-powers and seemed to accomplish everything by the use of his wits and the physical prowess he had honed himself. Later, I realized he was a lot like a musician in this way. Creating viable songs, intricate arrangements etc. takes an immense innate musical aptitude and becoming a master of your chosen instrument requires a physical prowess most people cannot achieve. Why I immediately thought of comic books upon checking out this CD is that Hawk and Dove was the title of a controversial comic book in the ’60’s featuring two characters that were the total opposite of each other. One a dominant, emotional hero who solved problems with physicality and one more passive, who sought to use his wits to solve problems. While I am not sure if the dynamic between Elijah Miller and John Kleber has any comparisons with their comic book namesakes, the two do have an interesting sound together and Miller’s emotional lyrics and often-whispered vocals run counterpoint to Kleber’s in-your-face guitar work.  

First song on this EP is called Furious Armies and has a very good sound with above-average production values here though the song is bereft of hooks and depends more on the somber mood and plodding beat to carry it forward. Miller and Kleber manage to conjure quite a racket here, and create quite an interesting mood along with drummer Dave Butler. The next song is called Stain and the vocals have a Jack White-type quality while the song itself is decidedly folk-based and has a waltz tempo. Rachel Lyon’s violin plays a big part on this song, lending it an authentic, almost “antique” quality which adds to the depth of the song. The third song is titled Boy On The Moon and is quite quiet with just some guitar strumming and almost whispered vocals until some guitar squall and some sweetly-played violin join in to give some bolster to the song. Drums soon come in with a decent funky beat to finish fleshing the song out. Nice build as the song culminates in guitar feedback-o-rama and singer yelling his guts out. Cool. The last song, Muscle Breaks, is recorded live but sounds not so much different sonically than the others. Starts with mournful violin sounds and guitar with some strained vocals. Ends with a great flurry of sound. Great stuff.

I am very impressed with Hawk and Dove and although over the past few years we have seen a ton of duo acts starting with the White Stripes and continuing on almost to infinity, this is an act which is offering something different to the instead of the usual primal blues song playlist foisted upon the public by most of these two-person combos. What you get with Hawk and Dove is a more rustic-sounding country/folk thing which, although still rootsy, does not fall into the clichéd area most of these acts tend to reside. While the band still needs to work on its sound a little and build upon what they have done here, I do hear a freshness missing in a lot of acts today – not just with the two person format, but with a lot of new music as a whole. Hawk and Dove bring something new and fresh to the table and I am hoping they continue to hone their sound as I am very interested to hear what they do next.

 Reviewed By Scott Homewood

CD Review Writers, Scott Homewood Hawk and Dove, Rocking Chair

This reviewer is a self-proclaimed music snob, who hangs out with other self-proclaimed music snobs. I’m talking about people who quiz each other on the names of Pavement’s successive drummers over lunch. Believe me when I express to you my surprise that this unassuming little EP caught my attention in a big way.

New York quintet Hawk and Dove blends vocals, drums, guitar, bass and violin. These four tracks tap into genres that have lured picky music connoisseurs for decades, from sleepy Americana to driving indie and even post-rock. The result is emotionally riveting, bringing indie firecrackers We Were Promised Jetpacks to mind. Instrumentation is captivating and varied, from minimal, ponderous bass to meandering interplay between violin, guitar and drums. Vocals are dynamic, delivering plaintive lyrics and jumping from genre to genre, occasionally taking on a jazzy warble.

The first track, “Furious Armies, is a plodding ballad tinged with post-rock. Dark, introspective guitar mirrors a subtly restrained passion in the vocals.

The second track, “Stain,” begins as a folksy sing-song reminiscent of Joanna Newsom, and soon builds to an emotional dirge.

The EP’s strongest offering, “Boy on the Moon,” at first seems minimal and plaintive. Even snobs have feelings, and I’ll be returning to this one on lonely city nights. Guitar and violin dance somberly with vocals that are appealingly relatable. The song builds into an epic ballad and collapses into feedback after a satisfying guitar tantrum.

The fourth track, “Muscle Breaks,” is quiet and slow, with pretty strings and sad vocals reminiscent of folk darlings The Decemberists.

Those who look down their noses at Top 40 charts will find something to embrace about Hawk and Dove’s first offering “Rocking Chair.” And whether or not we admit it, we’ll all be eagerly awaiting the full length.

Reviewed By Kendra Atleework

Reviews Hawk and Dove, Kendra Atleework

There is no telling what you will hear coming out of the worlds greatest city. There is just so much, it can be incredibly overwhelming.

I had been anxiously awaiting this EP, not because I had ever heard of the band, but it was rapidly approaching deadline time, yet I had received nothing to review. Then, alas, in the mail today was the uninspiring brown envelope with the music I had been sitting on pins and needles, earnestly awaiting.

I knew time was of an essence so I ran to my laptop, and inserted the CD. I was, immediately and utterly blown away by what was coming through my headphones and penetrating the right side of my brain.

I review a lot of music and currently I am completely buried in a mountain of CD’s and digital downloads, which I need to listen too and decide on the ones I will review. Hawk and Dove is as good as anything I have buried in that mountain of music. They are as good and in some cases, even better than just about anything in that pile, and believe me, there are some great artists there.

One thing I watch for or more appropriately in this case, listen for in a new band, is what is different about the performance. What makes them stand out? With Hawk and Dove, I can think of several things. Their compositions for one thing, there are only four tunes here, but they are a very potent four.

The melodies are sonically powerful and the individual performances are even stronger, but the one thing that truly defines Hawk and Dove would have to be Elijah Miller’s vocals. He possesses a raspy voice that reminded me of Tom Waits played at a slightly higher RPM than 33 1/3. He also wrote the strange and wonderful lyrics to these four tracks.

Rachel Lyons beautifully plays the violin and on the song “Stain”, she aids in creating a haunting atmosphere to the tune. I listened to it early this morning and the sound of it has been following me around, echoing in my head all day long. The lyrics are wonderful and are a bit on the strange side –

We’ve been boiling frogs,

Just to see if it’s true.

And we watched to make sure

That there like me and you

They just sit there and don’t

Seem to mind what we do.

Strange indeed, to say the least, but it adds to the uniqueness of this wonderful new band.

The guitar played by John Kleber is slightly distorted and lies in the background. His instrument is meant to inspire and compliment Miller’s vocals and he succeeds here. Ms. Lyon’s expertise on the violin, and Mr. Kleber’s guitar, besides being quite good, also understands where he is supposed to reside within each composition; everything collides to make this a wonderful listening experience.

The rhythm section is comprised of Stephanie Sanders on bass and session musician Dave Butler on drums. They expertly pave the way for the rest of the band, binding everything together in a tightly cohesive comportment.

I look forward to hearing and seeing more from Hawk and Dove in the future. Hearing music like this forces me into a dilemma; do I stay here, deep in the heart of Texas, or do I pack up all of my belongings and my family and get our posteriors up to NYC where it seems everything is happening.

 Reviewed By Rod Ames

Reviews, Rod Ames Hawk and Dove, Rocking Chair

Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, the self described rock and roots Hawk and Dove Band offers an eclectic, original four song EP, Rocking Chair that is not easily forgotten.  Although the first song, Furious Armies is in my opinion the weakest, the EP grows in strength and intensity with each song after it.

The second song, Stain, is a real gem, brilliantly showcasing the potential of Hawk and Dove. With lyrics like, “leave a mark on the city’s face, like love and life leave permanent stains…” the band’s talent is quite apparent.  It is often difficult to find new ways to illustrate topics such as love and life, but the song’s writing is strong and missing the typical clichés of most songs that attempt to express the human conditions of life and love.  The words cause one to think, it is a song that lingers with you.

Boy in the Moon is a melancholy self reflective piece with strong images that leaves the listener free to their own open interpretation of it’s meaning in their own lives.  The song implores us to consider, “How long can you hold your breath?” This is good music, because good music should make you either think or feel good.  This song makes you think.

Overall the instrumentation and musicianship of this band is good and stands to only get better in time as they continue to strengthen their musical skills through live performances and spend more time in the studio honing their craft.  There are some instances where I found the guitar riffs a bit overdone, seemingly sounding like feedback.  This may be an acceptable stylistic element for Hawk and Dove’s genre of music.  For me however, I found it a bit distracting and I found this to be the case on the song, Furious Armies.

On songs such as Stain and Muscle Breaks, the violin played by group member Rachel Lyon truly shines adding layers that make the music richer and vibrant.  Supported by the rest of the band, vocalist Elijah Miller is a distinct singer songwriter with a style so unique it is hard to compare to any artist out there.  This is in fact a good thing, positioning Hawk and Dove to provide a new and interesting voice to a sea of bands and artists that lack their greatest strength.  The strength of true originality.

Reviewed By Naima Johnston

Naima Johnston, Reviews Hawk and Dove, Rocking Chair

Hawk And Dove is a New York City ensemble propagating a low key brand of Shoe-gaze/Country Psychedelia that’s gotten them onstage at such NYC venues as Union Hall and the Bell House (Brooklyn) as well as Piano’s and The Cake Shop (Manhattan).  Led by vocalist/lyricist Elijah Miller and guitarist John Kleber, Hawk And Dove weave an almost hypnotic series of arrangements around Miller’s angst-filled lyrics.  Joining Miller and Kleber are Stephanie Sanders (bass), Dave Butler (drums) and Rachel Lyon (violin).  The Rocking Chair EP will be followed by a full-length release in the Fall of 2009, but that’s not enough for Hawk And Dove.  They recently filmed a pilot written by Side Car, a comedy troupe from New York City’s Upright Citizen Brigade Theater that will debut at the 2009 New York City Television festival, and are in the process of writing a rock opera.

The Rocking Chair EP is only three songs strong, giving just a taste of what this quintet is capable of.  The EP opens with Furious Armies, a hypnotic piece of shoe gazing Alt-Country mired in neurotic self-doubt.  The melody line is monotonous, true to the overall sense of the song, which is full of deeply repressed anger.  It’s actually an intriguing listen, but you really have to pay attention.  The song is smart in a neurotic, overly descriptive fashion, but casual listeners might not get it.  It almost has an R.E.M. meets Radiohead quality to it.  Stain is an incredible song about the extremes people go to fill a sense of emptiness in a world full of things, events and happenings and too short on real human contact.  Even in the contact of a relationship, Stain implies that people often fake those connections to have someone rather than be alone.  The violin and bass seem to play out this parable in the breakdown section, playing a duet that’s more like playing simultaneously than playing together.  The plaintive country feel to the song implies a passivity that fits with the theme.  The Rocking Chair EP closes out with Boy On The Moon, and goes back into the droning aspect heard on Furious Armies.  I honestly couldn’t say I drew a specific meaning from this song.  It’s a curious composition that’s not without merit; I just wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it.

Hawk And Dove has an interesting sound they’re working on their debut EP.  From the three songs presented here, I’d say they’re a band that is likely to develop a fiercely loyal core following.  Casual listeners will be at a loss, because Hawk And Dove is a band you really need to dig into to get.  The dramatic and powerful lyrical flow and narrow dynamic range here fares best when punctuated by the violin work of Rachel Lyons and the musical heartbeat of Stephanie Sanders’ bass work.  The songwriting is intelligent and occasionally quite obscure.  The Rocking Chair is an intellectual EP with a surreal, psychedelic bent that will reward careful listeners.

Reviewed By Wildy Haskell

Reviews, Wildy Haskell Hawk and Dove, Rocking Chair