Miriam Lamey did a spotlight on The Gulf in the March 2007 issue of Northeast Performer:

“The Gulf boasts a mysterious history that involves a lot of “random” events,” “a whole bunch of different drummers,” and “a lot of [different] people in every position in the band.” However, the current band members are responsible for the most natural, productive lineup yet, as well as the brilliance behind Chinatown…a dazzling collection of songs that channels elements of Leonard Cohen, early Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan, Built to Spill, Bright Eyes and rootsy jazz. Each sonic element feels clean and tight, but not overly polished. Rather, all different instruments, including trumpets, piano, harmonica, and strings, come together seamlessly…The Gulf beautifully balances each instrument in their compositions. Equipped with a larger-than-life outlook and a keen ability to produce insightful, intelligent music, The Gulf may soon be everywhere all at once.”

The Gulf performed and recorded live for bandinbostonpodcast.com, recently voted “Best Podcast” in The Phoenix Readers’ Poll. Andy and Jen, the famous podcasters, are truly gracious people and they are doing more for the Boston music scene than just about anyone.

The session was almost completely acoustic, with Steve playing a toy drum kit, Sven on upright, Dave on pedal steel and slide, Adam G on acoustic guitar, Adam B on a real organ and Lips McGrath on his horn. Just the six of us…

In regards to the session, Andy and Jen told their audience,
“You will love it. Kinda trippy, kinda country-fried, kinda one of my favorite bands right now.”

Listen at bandinbostonpodcast.com”

Thursday, February 8, 2007

“The Gulf is a Boston band that sent me their CD, “Chinatown” (Ultracold), at least a month ago and I finally got a grip and listened to it. I started with Track 9, “Note to Garland,” because I liked the name. Turns out it was a fine choice. I was lulled into acoustic lala land, against the backdrop of mellow percussion. Dreamy male vocals, courtesy of Adam Brock [sic] who is cousin of Modest Mouser Isaac Brock, are the centerpiece of the song, but then I started to hear horns and piano. “You’ll ease into conversation, without an eighth of hesitation … just because,” sings Brock. Then I went back to the opening song, “Waking,” which was equally enchanting, as was the next one, “The Princess from Rome.” “Don’t be waiting for me, in those pink leather boots. You know it’s been real but you haven’t got a clue,” spills Brock just before a punch of drums gets the point across. I’m having a total “I think this is my new favorite band” moment. The cover of “Chinatown” is a picture of a shop window with chickens hanging in it, and if you look closely a guitar can also be seen. It’s a goofy shot that doesn’t reflect what their music is all about, but all album covers have a certain level of arbitrary artiness to them, so I’ll cut them some slack. Plus, you GOTTA love that their record label is called Ultracold. The local meteorologists may want to adopt this and simply say in the forecast, “Well people, it’s gonna be ultracold. Good luck.”

note: dreamy male vocals in “Note to Garland” are by Adam Garland, not Adam Brock as written in the article. To avoid this confusion in the future, Adam Brock will have his name legally changed to an exclamation mark !

Band caught trespassing: The Gulf to Release Clandestine “Chinatown” Recordings

November 19, 2006

Praised by music insiders and New Englanders in the know, The Gulf is now poised to change the national music scene with the release of their highly-anticipated debut album, “Chinatown.” Recorded over nine months in a Chinatown school building, the album’s release has been a long time coming, with the band’s pre-release mini-tour only adding to the buzz. Finally caught trespassing by the building’s owner, the Boston band has been forced to complete production of the clandestinely-recorded album. Now fans can celebrate the arrival of this landmark effort at the beloved Lizard Lounge on Thursday, December 21, 2006. The party will include an intimate performance by the band–featuring a mix of fan favorites and cuts from the new album–along with the official unveiling of “Chinatown,” and will kick off a US and UK marketing and distribution effort aimed at nothing less than a musical revolution.

In the tradition of the Pixies and Morphine, the Gulf is a Boston band breaking out. The story starts with the band “squatting” in a run-down Chinatown school building where keyboardist Adam Brock held a day job. Taking advantage of the building’s lax management, The Gulf furtively changed the locks on a rat-infested storage room and converted it into a makeshift studio, with secret recording sessions held between midnight and 4 a.m. Although the band now faces eviction from their “studio,” the story is just beginning, and fans are excited about the forthcoming national tour. In a music world restless for change, “Chinatown” is the harbinger of a new sound.

“Filled with ambient emotion and brilliant subtlety, The Gulf’s piano-fueled jazz/pop on their opening track “Waking” is a refreshing change from your average rock and roll din. This song is strictly thinking man’s music filled with rich nuance and stark imagery. If this tune doesn’t hit the Top 40, the powers that be aren’t doing their jobs!

Slide guitar dominates the texture on “The Missionary” as its easy groove lulls you into a euphoric sense of well-being. The bizarre lullaby of “God’s Machine Gun” turns into a frenetic wake-up call on God’s little mortals…time. “Time is God’s machine gun.” Elegantly put.

Piano riffs pop back into the melody on “Get the Feeling” while the vocals get crowded and hurried. This is a wacky and wild little number. Then, the ethereal, organ-fueled “Sensation Z”, reminiscent of Ray Manzurek and The Doors in their heyday, ignites the aural sky in all its glorious pageantry. While the laid-back, harmonica-dotted “Nothing but Neon” illustrates a magical walk down any street through the night, you realize just how originally gifted The Gulf are. The acoustic finger picking of “Tell Me it’s Alright” not only validates their songwriting savvy, but their musical talents as well.

Boasting an album of extraordinary measure, The Gulf have secured their spot in the Boston music scene with Mind in a Helmet.”

Douglas Sloan
Metronome Magazine

Insite Magazine did a spotlight on The Gulf in their 6/2006 issue. They wrote:

“This is a strong, fully-realized effort from a polished, ambitious group…Their eclecticism and ambitious approach to exploring the surreal outer-limits of the rock format recalls Pink Floyd, but where Floyd championed “space-rock,” The Gulf is very much of this earth.”

Read the rest of this entry »

The music of “Mind in a Helmet” is the soundtrack of a passing landscape. They are myopic memories lacking a context paired with rich, dreamy compositions that let you form your own. The Gulf is great at transforming the mundane, the twisted, and the detritus of failed cities and enterprise and transforming the mess into great songs. Like many of my favorite songwriters and bands, they aspire to make gold out of shit. They accomplish the task a few times on their debut EP.

I’ll focus on a couple of my favorites on the EP. In “Nothing but Neon”, Brock takes us on a trip through down-and-out-nowherville. It’s easy to sympathize with the song’s wistfulness for the imagined better circumstances further down the road. The tale is set to a gorgeous Americana waltz, complete with lap steel and harmonica. The Gulf knows how we feel. We want to be heading down Route 66 with the wind in our hair, roadside attractions and atrocities whizzing by, topped off with a seedy motel and a six pack of beer at the end of the day. This song beautifully conveys the slow death of a soul settled into a place that has nothing left to reveal. The crush of the city squeezes us all out on the road from time to time. This song is going to be on the mix tape for my next trip.

The oblique odyssey of “God’s Machine Gun” takes you through a city full of this type of imagery. I can’t help but recall the movie Trainspotting as the song careens through an absurd, dream-like tale of a frantic attempt to leave the boredom behind. I love this song because it goes nowhere and it’s an incredibly fun ride. The Gulf does a great job of isolating you, one-on-one with their music. This song constantly commands your attention. Opening with a glee club chorus devoted to the words “Staring at the ceiling/Watch the fanblades turning”, the song quickly cuts to clever keyboard hooks and thread-tearing bass lines guiding you through the twists and turns of what amounts to an absurd, richly detailed extended jog around the neighborhood.

Having experienced the band live and seen a much broader range of their material, it seems to me that their debut album is going to build on the best of Mind in a Helmet. So, if like your rock with groove, popping bass lines, lilting piano, rich Americana rhythms and backdrops, and a world-weary crooner all washed in dreamy psychedelic guitars, you have heard no band better in New England.

–Ben Crouch