Ear to the Ground: Company of Thieves

I, Miss Nondescript Indie Rock Fan #846,  will be the first to admit that many (if not most) of today’s budding indie artists sound unsettlingly similar.  This particular find deserves a shot, though.  I swear… this one’s different.

Company of Thieves hails from Chicago and has just recently gained widespread recognition.  In early January, the band’s single “Oscar Wilde” was featured as an iTunes Discovery Download.  Later last month, the threesome appeared on Carson Daly’s late-night TV show Last Call.

Lead singer (though the band discourages such labels, that’s what she is) Genevieve Schatz cites an interesting range of performers as her influences, including Nina Simone, Bjork, and Daryl Hall.  But her atypically controlled and startlingly strong voice isn’t fooling anyone.  Schatz embodies the 21st century, indie pop version definition of a songstress.

Guitar-player Marc Wallach provides nondescript (but efficient) back-up vocals.  Clearly his forté is instrumentation.  Solos range from Santana to Lennon-esque, but are uniform and consistently adept.  Wallach has all the flair and skill of the accomplished musician he is.

Mike Ortiz serves as the group’s drummer.  Because I know virtually nothing percussion, I’ll stick to what I do know and praise Ortiz for his volume control.  Nothing ruins an otherwise downright dandy band like an over-zealous drummer.  Kudos to the man for keeping it toned down during the slow songs and pounding his heart out when the mood calls for a little head-banging.

The band’s lyrics appropriately feature a little Fiona Apple angst here and a bit of Radiohead discontent there.  Freshly drawing influence from the ideas of progressive Victorian literature  (they said it, not I), the band makes a point of being thought-provoking without being cliché. “We are all our-own devil, we make this world our hell,” belts Schatz during “Oscar Wilde”.

Ordinary Riches, the band’s debut album, was released in tangible form on February 24.  It’s also available for download on iTunes.

Listen to the band’s debut single, Oscar Wilde.