Mr. Gnome
- label:
- El Marko Records
- exclusive agent:
- Kris Kerry
- phone: 520.481.9813
- kris@lostbarrioartists.com
- availability:
- Generally Available
SELECTED PRESS for Madness In Miniature:
“Mr Gnome… is at once Rust Belt scrappy and dreamily explosive… sounds like a spaced-out take on primal Midwestern post-punk…. BAND TO WATCH” – Rolling Stone
“Floating between ephemeral and ghostly vocals, heavy hitting percussion and sharp psychedelic guitars, Mr. Gnome plays experimental music that’s infectious. With Nicole Barille and Sam Meister splitting instrumental duties, it’s quite impressive to hear how full of a sound the pair can create.” – Magnet
“Although Barille is blessed with a vocal quality that recalls the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Karen O at her most seductive, the group’s sound veers from Björk-like vocal experiments to raging White Stripes-styled bashers, to modern alternative experiments infused with a love of classic ‘70s rock that are hard to pin down, pulling off the rare feat of sounding both familiar and alien at the exact same time.” – Pop Matters
“The album flexes its muscles frequently. Oscillating between raucously distorted guitars, atmospheric soundscapes, persistent drumming, and Barille’s full-on belt-outs and soft-spoken vocal layers, the body of work immediately calls to mind the best stuff by Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Kills, with hints of Queens of the Stone Age peppered throughout. And just a few tracks in, it becomes apparent: this is fright rock at its finest… If Mr. Gnome keeps churning out artistic Halloween rock like this, there’s no reason the band can’t become an indie staple.” – Alarm Press
“I’ve long been convinced that Cleveland’s Mr. Gnome is destined for the big time.” – My Old Kentucky Blog
“Madness in Miniature (El Marko) their new album released last week, is worthy of deep and multiple listens, and one of the best releases I’ve heard this year.” – Bitch Magazine
“What makes Mr. Gnome remarkable is how they’ve sorted through their tangle of sounds and melodies to make a concise record that never sprawls. It feels huge, but once it’s over you’ll need to start it again—and it’s an album that handsomely rewards repeat listens.” – Portland Mercury
“With this new album, Mr. Gnome is certainly a band to watch.” – Death and Taxes
SELECTED PRESS for previous releases:
“Mr. Gnome… sounds like ethereal icelandic fairies being pummeled by concrete guitars in a dirty Cleveland parking lot. AKA: awesome.” – Paste
“Mr. Gnome boasts a sound that’s an impressive balancing act between soft and hard, masculine and feminine, ethereal and earthbound.” – Bust
“Mr. Gnome (are the) absolute antidote to all those shrinking violets we’ve been big upping lately.” – Rolling Stone
“Mr. Gnome… balances a soulful, feminine power that recalls Scout Niblett and a drummer who coldly demands dynamic shifts with almost electronic precision. Its an earnest tug-of-war.” – Spin
“The new album by Cleveland duo Mr. Gnome, Heave Yer Skeleton, is a surreal rock listen. Largely recorded at the Los Angeles studio of Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme, the band’s sophomore full-length contains layers of echoey, keening vocals and effects-slathered guitar courtesy of Nicole Barille. She’s anchored by the propulsive drum work and instrumental fills of Sam Meister. Together, they’ve created a surprisingly big, lush record.” – San Francisco Weekly
“Mr. Gnome… pulls a heckuva lot of noise out of a small hat, pretty much just Sam Meister’s tribal drums and the reverberating vocals and sludgily atmospheric guitar fills of Nicole Barille… Barille raises her voice from a breathy whisper to a double-tracked, sustained holler, and her guitar playing ranges from high-pitched, psyched-out tremolo to bone-crunching distorted thrums.” – Pitchfork
“Mr. Gnome glides through catchy and crunchy hard rock arrangements… post-modern prog rock arrangements that arrive in burning starts and smoldering stops. Promising work.” – Amplifier
“Something weird and wonderful is going on in Cleveland… Barille’s vocals range from wraithlike keening to softer, more fragile melodies, much like the way Mr. Gnome’s songs shift inventively from placid idylls into febrile storminess, often within the same verse. You can hear traces of PJ Harvey and Portishead in their music, but they reassemble their inspirations into fascinating new collages.” – LA Weekly