PRESS

Tales From The Two Hill Heart / Sibylline Machine

Slightly Confusing to a Stranger
http://sctas.com/2.0/Channelx2.html
Kaleb

When Tales from the Two Tale Heart / Sibylline Machine arrived - I knew it was going to take some time to absorb > digest > reflect. To make matters even more complex, the double LP came the same day C-Side Records placed Golden Bear at my flip-flop'd feet. Goodness gracious, what is a young man with but 2 faulty ears to do with all of this extremely fantastic music? "Listen". So listen I did.

The follow-up to 2004's Personalized - and their third [and fourth] LP to date - Two Hill / Sibylline could have very well fit on one cd [TH totaling 37 minutes / SM running 22; add > subtract sum from 74 {+/- a few}]... Yet! - after complete listens to both albums you will/may/should realize that these 2 albums indeed do need their very own little space to grow. Sunlight optional, water once weekly [weakly].

Where some may find Tales from the Two Hill Heart leaning slightly towards the fractured heart side ("The Deserter", "Wages Of Death"), Sibylline Machine is the dawn of a new day - sprinkled with a pleasant dose of serotonin enhancing pharmaceuticals as glistening dew ("Disco for Daisies").

If you cried yourself to sleep silently repeating "[Like] I can't believe you're not sorry and I can't go back to town / and I can't go on like this much longer - can't get any lower down" ["The Deserter"], you will awaken on a crisp linen pillowcase as "Deep Silent Seas" pulls the Sun up from the blue hills: "if you slipped you'd be stuck under deep, silent seas for days or weeks".

Fittingly (lovingly), what we end up with are two albums that generously balance one another out - both waltzing that fine line between albums that instantly awe while presenting themselves to near perfection.
These albums represent those few things that are better/bigger in Texas.
"And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely".

Slightly Confusing to a Sranger (Interview)
http://sctas.com/21/CHANNEL2006.html

As you will be reminded - Austin, Texas' The Channel make pitch perfect tunes about all that creeps inside and throughout our gentle minds. 2004's Personalized LP on c-side records started my examination, and this years double LP Tales From the Two Hill Heart / Sibylline Machine makes damn good on promises of better things.
Founding member Colby Pennington - who has also released a Pollard-sized mound of releases under the personality Driftin' Luke - took the time to give us one perspective on the new albums, Texas as a normal place and things that can - and will - go wrong in your minds eye.

{the voice of confusion:} this damn fine tale of the grasshopper ("olden days") - was it inspired by actual events, a dream maybe? love it!

{Colby:} the grasshopper never ate my strings and was never in my dreams. however, your question is good because it gets down to the root of why the grasshopper and bird are there. it is based on an animal dream where a rabbit had the face of a man and did annoying things to me and to those I loved. his name was sushi. this dream has stayed with me, (has been representative of depersonalization) and has generally drawn a wedge between me and animals in general. in olden days, I try to make peace with my supposed enemies, animals (the grasshopper, the bird), and time. seeing things from their perspective helps. in fact, in this tale I have become the midnight bird's sushi. I have fought against time, I have wounded the midnight bird's tiny wing, yet all this time I thought it was they who were doing the hurting.

{the voice of confusion:} tracing back for a moment to the previous album - the liner notes detailing depersonalization (and an underlying theme of the album) hit home for my broken head [I suffer from the same]. on a personal note, has that crippling condition bettered itself?

{Colby:} I have not seen her in a while, my friend. at least I can see that it's much less frequent. again, maybe depersonalization is just a supposed enemy, and maybe she's not really out to hurt. maybe this perspective has helped out. how frequent are your episodes?

{the voice of confusion:}[ I think I now live in a full depersonalized state, and have minor episodes of normality every other month.]

{the voice of confusion:}a double album is no simple endeavor for any band [to that, a set that comes off as charming as these do] - do any of you folks have a favorite double album from the past that serves (or served) as inspiration for this one?

{Colby:} there are 2 kinds of double albums: 1) the wall/white album cohesive epic style 2) the "2-for-1" columbia records budget saver The new Channel release is one that falls in the latter category, due to monetary restrictions and song catalog plethora's. In that vein, double albums that have inspired at least some Channel parts would include the Harry Nilsson reissue of "Aerial Ballet/Pandemonium Shadow Show/Aerial Pandemonium Ballet", the Beach Boys reissue of "Today/Summer Days (and Summer Nights), Marty Robbins' "Gunfighter Ballads/More Gunfighter Ballads" and Lefty Frizell's "Country Favorites/Saginaw, Michigan"

{the voice of confusion:} "Five songwriters, siblings, and friends" states the listings that surround this albums entrance - and it is said that you have many more (hundreds) written [possibly recorded??]. I guess I'd like to ask how the process works out - words then music... music then words... ? Same for Jamie - crafter of the 2nd discs core "Sibylline Machine". [bless the contrast of the 2 records!]

{Colby:} I really can't speak for the wild child or for the rest of the young guns, but my songwriting process changes depending on my circumstances. at the time of two hill heart, I had a monotonous day job that left me plenty of space to write, so all of those songs were lyrics first, though some were accompanied with a vague tune in mind. two hill particularly was mostly about the meaning of the songs and less about just writing a good song.
{the voice of confusion:} How is Texas doing?

{Colby:} In Texas, they have tall poofy hair, they have pictures on business cards that could fry an egg on my ego, they have sweltering summer heat with party animals gone wild and the rest of us are fighting off the lackadaisical spirit of the sun, trying to keep it simple and work another day. The rivers are pretty low right now, and the fish aren't biting me. Kinky Friedman is running for governor and the state's library is hiding the governor's records in the archives. Refugees from the storm are setting up extended camps and going into business, hiring youthful female assistants, and splurging on anecdotes to run by inexperienced office mates. Truth and kindness are waiting on every doorstep to be picked up but the volumes are too high on the televisions and they aren't hearing the knock at the door. somewhere on an old stage tonight, the televisions are turning off and the channel is coming on.

{the voice of confusion:} where, oh where, is this 'mountain [of tears]' one can grasp a new heart? not America, yes...?

{Colby:} the mountain of the mind, where a heart is willing to break and bend. american mountains could be secret entrances into the mind. I wouldn't rule those out. (e.g. the mountains of tennessee). the morning light, the lily white, the fish that warble, the birds that sweetly sing are all saying the same thing. The mountain of tears is in the heart of God's creation.

Transform
http://www.transformonline.com/music/reviews/004905.php
Finding the special place in everyone’s heart.

Double albums. Concept albums. Dreams, nightmares, love, and hate: all of (or at least most of) the elements in the life of the indie musician idealist. It’s a scary thing going into an album of so much deep conscious thought, such as Texas revivalist super band *The Channel*’s latest platter. I was nervous: I didn’t want to depreciate a band that takes the time to make so much music. Chances are, this is a work intended to get lost in, and at what will possibly spill over into two hours, more like a musical film, if anything. Another obstacle to get over is the shadow cast by the best of indie lo-fi rock/pop idealists, such as Neutral Milk Hotel's _In the Aeroplane Over the Sea_. It will never be topped, and I hate it sometimes because it gets me into trouble listening to other vast-minded projects. I see the beauty of Mr. Magnum’s masterpiece leaking into other projects of similar size and stature. Truth be told, it’s hard to listen to anything lo-fi, when in my mind it seems nothing will ever be as important and pristine as Neutral Milk Hotel’s classic. So apologies to The Channel, even though the band probably didn’t go into their efforts with a “model” in mind, but it’s a preconceived idea in my head that I just wanted on the table before said review is to commence.

With that established. The Channel have made quite an amazing release here. Varying nicely in emotion and audio attack formations throughout, this is a very Will Oldham versus Grandaddy record. Right from the start, there are swirling vocal arrangements on "Up on the Hill" and "The Deserter." Immediately, there's a real sense of value in what the band are making. Almost as if they really took the time and talked about what the end product should be. It’s in this quality that you can tell how much the band really aren't just doing it for their fans: they’re doing it for themselves. I don't think you can make songs like "Halls of the Gifted" or "New Mexican Arcade" without a focus on the love of creating that the indie world is surrounded by. Which brings me to where I stood after listening to the first disc of this double album, _Tales From the Two Hill Heart_. It was good enough on its own to stand as the sole new release. The Channel didn’t need to go any further. So as I felt content with just one disc, I worried that another one might weigh it down… but thankfully, I had nothing to worry about.

I found _Sibylline Machine_ to be as good, if not better, in its musical vision than its counterpart. There's a stronger sense of reality than _Tales From the Two Hill Heart_’s day-dreamy meanderings and a bit more rock and roll in the mix. Songs like the title track, "Bedsides/ Ohio," and "Sneaks of Skates?" at points have a bouncy peppiness akin to The Shins. Not that The Channel didn't already bear that similarity from the get go, but in all honesty _Sibylline Machine_ has a very _Oh, Inverted World_ sound to it. Which is not a bad thing: it’s actually quite fantastic. Coming from that approach and going into its own original territory, _Sibylline Machine_ made the transition to a warm place in my heart, where music becomes not just tunes but something even more special. If that description comes off as too soft or cute, then you yourself are in denial. Music is supposed to make that transition: I don't care what anyone says. It’s your favorite Beatles album, it’s the most important Pink Floyd release in your mind, it’s the best Radiohead show you saw. Special albums and musical moments always make that transition: it’s why when you argue with your friends over your choices, everyone else is wrong.

After the disc was completely done, the music faded from my eardrums, and I sat there on my third cup of coffee on what would be my last official listen, I had deduced many a merits for use in this review. This massive double album from The Channel is an amazing piece of work. Given time and patience, it can grow into anyone's heart. Whether your favorite disc is _Tales From the Two Hill Heart_ or _Sibylline Machine_, one of them will eventually make you believe in this vast work. I was taken aback, really. It’s a full and realized set that gives you nothing more than great music from beginning to end. I am a fan of this record completely, and like a man in therapy, I can now declare "there is life after Neutral Milk Hotel..."

AAM
http://www.aampromo.com/channel.htm

The Channel's decision to follow up 2004's Personalized with a double disc seems a little curious at first glance. At a collective fifty-nine minutes, Tales from the Two Hill Heart and Sibylline Machine could have well fit on one disc. But upon closer listen it becomes clear that we have two distinct albums on our hands here.

Coming into the recording process, songwriters Colby Pennington (Tales from the Two Hill Heart) and Jamie Reaves (Sibylline Machine) had each already penned a suite of songs good enough to stand own its own. Faced with a lot of songs and little money, the decision was made to release the albums as a double disc. Nonetheless, it is still an ambitious move for what is still a relatively young band, and one that succeeds with flying colors. The double LP takes a little time to absorb and appreciate each disc’s full beauty and unique little quirks. Though the impressive instrumentation remains generally the same (numerous keyboards, organs, a little lap steel here and there, both electric and acoustic guitars), Pennington’s contribution is distinctly more melancholic and day-dreamy while the Reaves disc is sunnier, fanciful, and a little more straight-ahead rock and roll.

The Channel’s unique blend of psychedelic indie pop and alt-country with beautiful vocal harmonizing progressions is sure to please fans of early Of Montreal, The Shins, Dios (Malos), Wilco, and The Beach Boys - and with two discs to love, it’s even more of a treat! Which one is YOUR favorite?

Babysue.com
http://www.babysue.com/2006-August-LMNOP-Reviews.html#anchor270727

This band was one of our top picks in November 2004. The folks in The Channel return with a hefty effort...a whopping double CD package featuring 23 songs. The first CD presents tunes written by Colby Pennington while the second presents tunes written by Jamie Reaves. Considering the fact that each disc features a different songwriter, it seems surprising that these discs work together so well. Pennington and Reaves are obviously coming from the same direction in terms of style and presence. This is a lot of music to take in at one sitting, and quite a risk considering that the band is taking such a major step so early in their career. Fortunately the songs hold up from start to finish...making this yet another impressive release from this unique little band. (Rating: 5 out of 6)

Treble
http://www.treblezine.com/reviews/1474.html
Sometimes wearing your influences on your sleeve can be a dangerous venture. Especially when you're a band seeking exposure in a market full of knock-offs and imitators. But for Austin's The Channel, whose four and five part harmonies and western tones blend seamlessly with a delightful flavor of '60s psychedelic pop in a particularly original way, any reference to their influences should only seem like praise. On Tales From The Two Hill Heart/ Sibylline Machine, the band's third release in four years, The Channel invoke the harmonic complexity of Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys, the sunnier pop of Loaded-era Velvet Underground, and even the experimental playfulness of Sgt. Pepper's-era Beatles. With two albums worth of material spanning 23 songs, The Channel's prolific approach to making music, if not their unique combination of different pop sounds in itself, should garner them some much-deserved attention.

Two Hill Heart/Sibylline Machine follows the progression of the band's first two releases, debut Tones Are Falling and second effort Personalized, refining the edges of their subtle pop assault while exploring different instrumentation and arrangements to arrive finally at what should be considered as two separate pieces of music. Tales From The Two Hill Heart, the outpouring of songwriter Colby Pennington, scatters tales of lost love and musings on mortality across a lonesome desert of dusty acoustic guitars, banjos, and keyboards. Sibylline Machine, penned by Pennington's band mate and multi-instrumentalist Jamie Reaves, is rife with abstractly melancholic images that invoke the journey and the search more than the destination or the object of desire.

Two Hill Heart opens with the gossamer harmonies of "Up On The Hill," a minimalist piece with a tinkling xylophone and acoustic guitar that hover beneath densely layered vocals. Akin to The Beatles' "Believe," it's a case of simplicity made transcendent, where the vocals themselves more closely resemble an instrument than individual voices. The aching slide guitar of "The Deserter" finds Pennington pining for his freedom through a poignant military analogy: "Girl you can take my place on that plane and you can wave that Spanish flag/ And I'll go back to the States dressed in my army rags/ I'm the deserter."

Reaves' lyrical abstractions, presented in an often more whimsical manner on Sibylline Machine, offer a pointedly melancholic counterpart to Pennington's Two Hill Heart. Reave's voice has an uncanny resemblance to Zach Rogue's, and musically, more than a similarity or two with Rogue Wave's debut Out Of The Shadow. Bubbly "The King Of Spain," beneath its bright exterior and fanciful imagery, is colored by the narrator's lonely plight: "The windmills and milk thistles swayed together/ As I climbed to the top of the pines/ and waited for you/ I waited forever."

Tales From The Two Hill Heart/ Sibylline Machine, taken as a complete musical endeavor, opens its rich sonic palate a little bit wider with each subsequent listen. The idea of a double album to some (including this humble reviewer) can be a daunting task to undertake, but The Channel will make the experience well worth your time. Whether it be Pennington's lovelorn musings on Two Tale Heart or the understated beauty of Reave's Sibylline Machine, The Channel will charm its way into your iPod (and maybe even your heart). If nothing more, The Channel will keep the kids distracted until the next Shins album comes out, and that's saying something.

Similar Albums:
The Velvet Underground - Loaded
Rogue Wave - Out Of The Shadow
The Boy Least Likely To - The Best Party Ever

Mars Simpson

You Ain’t No Picasso
http://www.youaintnopicasso.com/2006/08/08/the-channel-olden-days/
I had originally planned on making a joke about how it’s easy to overlook The Channel in the above photo relating how to how I overlooked their CD for far too long, but I think I’ll just save myself that potential embarrassment and cut straight to the music. (Download free mp3's by clicking link above)
It’s not uncommon for teenagers in the South to list their favorite music as “anything but country.” I don’t know if too many of us grew up listening to our parent’s music, or if we think it’s a given that everyone else enjoys it, but few “indie” kids are willing to step within an arm’s reach of a country record. That’s why I’m so pleased when bands like Ghosty, Wilco and now The Channel are able to trick us so easily. I was halfway their their double LP, (Tales From the Two Hill Heart /Sibylline Machine), before I thought to myself “I bet my mom would really like this.” But why shouldn’t we both be able to enjoy it? There’s nothing wrong with indie pop wearing cowboy boots on occasion.

Lazy-i.com
http://www.timmcmahan.com/2006/07/cd-review-channel-sword-poison-control.html
Brendan Greene-Walsh

With a seven-piece band there's plenty of room to create intricate sounds and songs. The Channel knows this very well. No part is out of place or invading the wavelengths of others on this well-orchestrated double-disc. The instrumentation is even more impressive. Anywhere from two to four keyboards, organs or Rhodes are heard at any given time. The guitars trade off from acoustic to electric while a lap steel fluidly traverses a handful of the songs.

The instrumentation remains consistent across both discs, but the sounds come together to give each its own distinct sense. They are, however, very much two of the same, set at different targets. While both are rooted deeply in the alternative-country vein Sibylline Machine is the more upbeat and Tales from Two Hill Heart is more reserved, with nice harmonies that provide a melancholy overtone. Rating: Yes

Sentimentalist

Sweet, uplifting and melancholic, these two discs represent an extraordinary collection of work. Recorded over a year and a half, this third release from The Channel contains epic songs of mystery, longing and compassion. The band maintains their previous alt country stylings throughout both discs but mingling subtle electronics with kazoos, brings out cautious Radiohead friendliness. The real seller are the attenuated vocal harmonies, whispering elegantly instead of
proclaiming, think John Lennon, "Imagine" period. Stand-out tracks include "Rapture, My Captain," "The King of Spain" and "The Deserter." Who needs cable when you've got a good Channel. –SMJ

Mundane Sounds (Interview)
http://www.mundanesounds.com/2006/07/interview-channel.html
Mister Joseph

Austin's The Channel has released an epic "double album" but you should think Speakerboxx/The Love Below and not The White Album, because this record is merely two albums combined into one package. Like Outkast's concept, this collection compiles two full-length records by each of the two principle members of The Channel. The first album, Tales from the Two-Hill Heart is a bit of a traditional, country-rock affair, written by Colby Pennington. It's mellow, pretty, and rather easy on the ears; if you like Will Oldham, Damien Jurado, or My Morning Jacket, you'll find something to enjoy here. The second album, Sibylline Machine, is the creation of Jamie Reaves. Though there's a country element to his songs, it's a tad more oblique, a bit more complex, and a bit more fanciful in nature. It's still good, mind you. The record will be released on August 8th via label C-Side Records, and if you want to hear more, check out their Myspace.

We had a chance to ask Colby Pennington some questions about this concept.

What prompted the decision to split up your material? Obviously, it was to showcase each fellow's songwriting talents, but how did you come to that decision?

The decision, really, was to put the material together. Each record was made as a separate entity, and would stand on their own if we had a whole lot of money and very little material to work with. But we have a lot of songs and not much money. The reason these were separate is because, at the time of the recordings, the channel was really a wandering spirit, not encased in a solid body of flesh and blood. (Jamie recorded Sibylline for a school project and Colby recorded Two Hill to have something else to listen to). Even now, it is hard to recognize exactly what The Channel is, but its body and members are becoming real as we speak. As further organization occurs, we hope to congeal our direction and discover our unified goals.

When you compiled these two records, were you surprised at the results, as in, did you previously consider that one of you was more experimental-minded and the other was a bit more traditional in their songwriting skills?

The records were separate projects and had their own personalities to begin with. For instance, Two Hill Heart was meant to be a down-home dose of straightforward songs about a similar theme. We have many times considered that Jamie was a wild-child and his songs will usually be hard to predict. He has definitely spread his experimental wealth among the hardcore members of The Channel. What we look forward to is actually collaborating in our songwriting efforts, which we have done very little of so far.

After splitting the band's songwriting in two like this, do you think it's made your collaborative songwriting stronger?

We hope that each song written separately will produce a kind jealousy between each member that will result in a competitive atmosphere, and hopefully bring about songs that only get more powerful as days go by.

Theme Park Experience
http://themeparkexperience.blogspot.com/2006/06/ten-thousand-orchestras.html
Eric Grubbs

Despite the traffic on I-35 through downtown, the packed-in feeling living in and around downtown and the excessive heat, Austin is still a great town. When it comes to music, there's plenty, but for some odd reason, I don't hear about many newer bands from there, even though I live three hours away.

How I was introduced to the awesome twang-less country rock of Moonlight Towers was by pure fluke: they were opening for the mighty Red Animal War at the Double Wide a few months ago. I heard about Voxtrot first from Jason and have proceeded to really enjoy both of their EPs. Now, thanks to the good people at AAM, I have a couple of other Austin bands to enjoy: Golden Bear and the Channel.

I can't help but think of Mass Romantic-era New Pornographers and Jesus Hits Like the Atom Bomb-era Tripping Daisy when I hear Golden Bear. I can't stress this enough though: they don't sound exactly like those bands, but characteristics of Golden Bear's sound remind me of what I've heard before. What I think is really in favor of their self-titled album is this is fuzzy pop with the right amount of sugar. The songs have tons of great hooks on top of multiple layers of sound, but they don't come across as whimsical children songs. Also, Golden Bear doesn't sound like a knock-off Dave Fridmann/Flaming Lips record (as in, super-boomy drums, screeching guitars) and that's a major plus in my book.

What helps Golden Bear's case is that despite the layers of sound, this doesn't sound messy, to my ears at least. Horns show up in spots while keyboards, pianos and vocal oohs and aahs are all over the place. The core of the songs are simple but really special; the extras on top just make this better.

Reading through the liner notes of Golden Bear, the members of Golden Bear also pop up in the Channel. In other words, the two bands go hand-in-hand, but they don't sound that much alike. Golden Bear is more or less singer/guitarist Chris Gregory's project while the Channel is Colby Pennington's project. They share so many members that it's like one big band.

The Channel (not to be confused with the awesome, J. Robbins-led trio, Channels) has a new album - a double-album no less - called Tales from the Two Hill Heart/Sibyllinne Machine. 23 songs may be a little too much for me to handle, but at least the songs are worthwhile. Decidedly stripped-down and more low-key than Golden Bear, the Channel brings some tuneful stuff with a nice use of pedal steel. Thankfully, this isn't sad-eyed, hokey country twang.

I don't know what the deal is, despite the fact that a number of Austin bands play in Dallas, but since I don't get out that much, I tend to miss bands right after they play here. Voxtrot has played Dallas plenty of times before, but the only show I've seen so far was the now-legendary (in my mind) Voxtrot Karaoke show (my review here and Chris's here). Golden Bear and the Channel are coming to Dallas the same night we're having another one of our wine-tasting parties, so it looks like I'll have to skip out on that one. I'm thankful that the drive isn't too bad for bands to drive back and forth, but hey, at least this isn't as spread out as a place like Iowa.

Theme Park Experience (Live Review)
http://themeparkexperience.blogspot.com/2006/06/ten-thousand-orchestras.html
Eric Grubbs

In my short time of seeing shows at the Cavern, I have seen two-piece bands (ie, the Lord Henry) all the way up to six-piece bands (ie, SOUND team and Pegasus Now). After last night, I can now say that I have seen eight- and nine-piece bands play on the Cavern's tiny stage.

Austin's Golden Bear and the Channel came into town to spread some good tunes for us Dallas folks. I didn't get to see all of Last Picture Show and Belafonte, so I can't really describe what I saw. I was there to see Golden Bear and the Channel as they play a friendly mix of layered chamber pop without feeling like kids' music.

With eight members onstage, there wasn't much room for moving around during Golden Bear's set. Three guitars, one bass, one rather large vibraphone, one regular-sized drumset, a saxophone and two keyboards stacked on top of each other is really pushing how much you put into the Cavern's space. Josh was doing sound and gave every instrument enough volume to hear them all without over-powering (though the sax sounded a little too loud from where I was standing, but that's no reason to say that was a major drawback).

The sound on Golden Bear's self-titled album is rather hazy and psychedelic, so I wasn't expecting to hear that live. Well, I didn't, but what I like about their songs are the hooks, especially on songs like "Ten Thousand Orchestras." The band was understandably cramped onstage, but by the middle of the set, they were moving around. All the while I'm watching them, I kept thinking of seeing them in a larger venue, like the Backyard or Stubb's outside. Their sound is big, so I hope they do get to play bigger places that accommodate this.

With the Channel, they had nine people playing (seven of them were playing in Golden Bear), but the set felt a little more fun. Golden Bear kept getting better with every song they played, but the Channel was fun the whole time. More bouncy and country-fied than Golden Bear, this felt like two distinctly different bands, but that was fine by me. Despite the line-up similarities, they put on some different vibes that were great and engaging

The good thing about this show was that a decent amount of people came out despite the lack of "known" names on the bill. I've seen the Cavern be filled to the brim and completely empty on prime weekend nights regardless of who was playing. Yes, I know more people go out to bars to hang out and drink than see bands, but I always wonder why the massive fluxuation. Sure, a band like SOUND team may attract more than the bar's usual crowd, but what about the bands that don't get that kind of publicity? I'd like to think that every major bar in town has a regular crowd, but you never know. Regardless, I had fun and that's why I go out to shows so often. I can only handle so much reading, writing and dog walking at home before I go nuts.

Dallas Observer (Live Preview)
http://www.dallasobserver.com/Issues/2006-07-27/music/preview3.html
Fans of Beulah still stinging from their break-up two years ago would be wise to check out the pairing of Golden Bear and the Channel, two Austin groups that share that band's killer songcraft and So-Cal pop sensibilities. Five members pull double duty between the two, with Golden Bear recalling the fuzzed-out psych-pop of mid-'90s Flaming Lips or Grandaddy (aided on their self-titled debut by fellow Austinite Pink Nasty, who nearly steals the show with the buoyant country-pop of "The Saddest Songs"), while the Channel mines a sadder, country-tinged vein of the same sun-dappled genre--complete with Fruit Bat hooks and Beach Boy harmonies. For warm summer sounds, there's no better bill around. - Noah Bailey

Austin Chronicle (Live Preview)
http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Guides/Bands?oid=195699
RECOMMENDED (08/04/06 @ Flamingo Cantina)
When was the last time you pulled out your flower-print polyester button-up? A local bill high on life and down with depression culminates with this C-Side Records showcase, featuring Austin sevenpiece the Channel and their latest double LP, Tales From the Two Hill Heart/Sibylline Machine. The Channel’s alter ego, Golden Bear, warms up with their new eponymous debut, chock-full of guest appearances (Lloyd Maines, Jason Morales, Black Angels, Voxtrot) and summer grooves. Driftin’ Luke & His Many Personalities open. Easy, breezy, and beautiful. - Darcie Stevens

30music.com
http://30music.com/rev.php?rev=1615
Luther Hermanson

It’s pretty ambitious to release two albums in the same package, and more to do so as a relatively unknown band. The Channel isn’t Outkast, after all. But here it is, a charming little jewel case with two discs inside: Tales from the Two-Hill Heart and The Sibylline Machine. And it’s time to dedicate a good chunk of time to—who are they?—oh yeah, The Channel. The Channel, a half dozen or more musicians, a good portion of whom are songwriters. The Channel, on their third (or third and fourth, maybe) album. Er, albums.

For what it’s worth, the opener of Tales from the Two-Hill Heart, “Up on the Hill,” makes a person want to keep going. Voice after voice joins an acoustic guitar and piano (not-quite tuned, by the way, and very charming) in beautiful, fugal entries. A xylophone enters, vocal lines turn to more standard, harmonized verses. It’s a gorgeous opener. Keep going.

Most of what follows from this septet sounds as if it would have been perfectly placed alongside Beulah, Great Lakes and even early (that is, pre-The Gay Parade) Of Montreal in the Elephant 6 catalogue, with more than just a little bit of Beachwood Sparks’ twang for good measure. There are dreamy, wistful pop songs galore, each one comfortable, familiar, a direct (if third- or fourth-generation) descendent from the Zombies’ and Gram Parsons’ bloodlines.

There are nice arranging touches across the albums. Organs, pianos, banjos, bells, slide guitars and bits of fuzz tone backing harmony vocals, all of them adding welcome texture to the relatively straight-ahead country-folk pop songs. The songs are consistently stronger on the first disc, Tales from the Two-Hill Heart, especially on the first half of that album. There’s a more prominent country feel there, as opposed to more noticeable psychedelic flourishes on The Sibylline Machine. And if the former slightly more direct, it’s also more confident and effective. The refrain of “The Daring Eye” is a perfect example, lacking anything to shock a listener, yet full of well-placed ideas: the background vocals, not simply harmonies but calling in descant from the lead; the tasteful pedal steel guitar; a chord progression that helps the group build and release tension.

There is more music here than is necessary. The discs feel more like a box set of sessions than a final product, and the Channel might have done well to edit themselves (or have someone else do it). A single album would have been preferable, and in fact, an EP of just the first five songs (“Up on the Hill,” “Wages of Death,” “Olden Days,” The Deserter” and “The Daring Eye”) would not only be better than this double-disc set, but would be one of the strongest short collections of songs out this year.

Instead, the words “listenable,” “nice” and “pleasant” keep coming to mind when considering these albums, but rarely if ever do “memorable” or “great.” Immediately familiar does not equal immediately memorable, after all, and there’s too much of it to be absorbed at once. But the Channel does grow on you, especially the strong material on the first half of Tales from the Two-Hill Heart. It is pretty good stuff, if not all entirely successful.

Urban Pollution
http://www.urbanpollution.com/Music/The_Channel/Tales_from_Two_Hill_Heart_and_Sibylline_Machine/
To get to The Channel, it’s best to start with The Arthurs. The latter were an early 2000’s pop band, built by Weezer and rounded out with the markings of Elephant Six bands from Of Montreal to Neutral Milk Hotel. Together they put out an early collection of recordings called Bed Songs, then polished up and released Walking in the Sunlight on Dirigible records.

A few years later and The Arthurs were no more, leaving members Brent Pennington, Jamie Reeves, and Andy McAllister completely bandless. Fortunately, Brent had long before been making music with his brother Colby, and the two projects naturally gravitated toward one another. Sister Heather Pennington, mutli-instrumentalist Chris Gregory, and the contributor Tom Marshall were eventually added to the fray.

The Channel released their debut Tones are Falling in 2003 on C-Side records. It was a quirky collection of sideways pop that would surely, if he had heard it, leave the face of Olivia Tremor Control’s Bill Doss with a knowing smile. The Channel skirted the sophomore slump with Personalized, an album of bright production and even brighter sounds, replacing their intimate lo-fi pop with shiny, Byrds-y country rock.

As these things go, The Channel had something special, but the group’s members ended up drifting; guitarist Jamie Reaves went missing, and drummer Andy McAllister and Heather Pennington moved to Kentucky. In the interim, Reaves and Colby Pennington worked on material separately, fusing them together finally to record their newest double album, Tales from Two Hill Heart/Sibylline Machine.

The first disc is a Pennington affair, and Tales from Two Hill Heart is a good indication of what the brothers are capable. Starting with a breezy, mostly a cappella piece called “Up on the Hill,” the band steak their claim to Beach Boys pop territory before giving way to the side-stepping folk that dominates both records. “Wages of Death” is a bouncy opener with surprisingly downtrodden lyrics, and tracks like “The Man I Don’t Remember” and “Olden Days” ply this same clever, workable formula of full-band folk complimented by silky synths and McAllister’s hard-hitting drums. Reaves’ second disc contribution Sibylline Machine curves similarly to the Pennington’s record, keeping things a little more jumpy with the energetic, quiet-becomes-loud intro “Deep Silent Seas.” Reaves’ songs are shockingly concise – four in a row are under two minutes.

The zips of synthesizer and guitar crunch are at times uniform, and as such, it’s the more unusual tracks that are this double-album’s standouts. “The Deserter” is an introspective ballad using a soldier going AWOL as a metaphor for a relationship. Colby Pennington is an agile lyricist, deftly spinning lines like “Girl you can take my place on that plane and you can wave that Spanish flag / And I'll go back to the states dressed in my army rags" with emotive conviction. Reaves’ “Besides/Ohio” is another standout, blending a stomping beat with tasty keyboard dissonance.

The new record dabbles in controlled noise, a production style that keeps even the most raucous feedback and sweet synth lines just beneath the surface. This can be occasionally frustrating, as the instrumentation itself begs for more expansion. Fans of The Channel may find themselves wistfully thinking back to the full-on, barely reined in explosions of pop and country of Personalized’s “Inhibition” and “Follow You,” respectively. Heather Pennington’s vocals, which dominate the former, are also missed, though they do occasionally sprout up on tracks like “Up on the Hill.”

Though composed separately, Tales from Two Hill Heart/Sibylline Machine was recorded in tandem and is pretty damn cohesive, considering the geographical upheaval occurring in band’s line-up at the time. With Heather Pennington, McAllister, and Reaves all back to contribute, The Channel are a family again, and hopefully the future will see a great deal from the band that brought us the sparkle and pop sheen of Personalized, and the maturity and song craft of Tales from Two Hill Heart/Sibylline Machine. – Adam Schragin

Orlando Weekly
http://www.orlandoweekly.com/music/review.asp?rid=11695
It takes an audacious band (and label) to approach the business model of releasing a double album. With love for psych-pop new and old, the Channel took bigger creative risks than those relegated to the financial realm on Tales From the Two Hill Heart/Sibylline Machine. The introspective, Western-tinged Tales are those of member Colby Pennington, who pulls liberally from ’60s acts and the folky silliness of early Of Montreal. In lush vocal tracks and acoustic guitar, Pennington’s “Up on the Hill” owes much to the Bee Gees’ Odessa, while “Olden Days” could sub for the Byrds’ “Mr. Spaceman,” sharing its raucous country licks and novelty lyrics. The Channel’s Jamie Reaves matches Pennington’s tastes on the album’s second half, mixing choppy structures and more organ psychedelia (“Sibylline Machine”) with abstract lyrics and heavenly vocal harmonies. Releases like these are often threatened by oversaturation or scarce studio trickery; the Channel’s twofer is no such animal. – Dominic Umile

The Aquarian
A double album from the measured folk-psychedelic The Channel, Tales From The Two-Hill Heart/Sibylline Machine is chopped up just that way—the first side is more straight folk, the second, psychedelic. Both are very relaxed listens and are obviously from the same session, but the difference is noticeable and intentional. As expected, Heart/Machine allows for a parceled examination of the differences within their style. On a whole, the second disc is a more robust and dynamic listen, with fuller orchestration, but there is much to love on the folkier side of the set (“Olden Days”).However, Sibylline Machine is more idiosyncratic with its droning, constant organ work and tends to rise above with tracks like “Sneaks Or Skates?” and the title track. It’s always difficult to make a good case for a double album and The Channel, while admirably balancing the two halves of themselves across this broad palette, would likely have done themselves better by releasing one disc and then a separate collection. Still, a homebrewed psychedelic/folk fan could do far worse than this set. – Patrick Slevin
In A Word: Varied
Grade: B+

Down by the C-Side - Austin Chronicle (Live Review)
http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/column?oid=oid%3A394206

Once upon a time, music was about expression, an escape from life while expounding upon it. The last decade has seen that drop by the wayside in favor of image, but last weekend's C-Side Showcase at Flamingo Cantina went back to the old-school. Founded in 2002 by Matt Pittman and Austin band the Channel, Round Rock's C-Side Records sponsored a show Friday that did just that. Chris "Grizzle" Gregory and his troupe of nonchalants in fellow C-Siders Golden Bear became invigorating with the addition of the Royal Forest Horns. All dewy-faced and bright-eyed, the band bounced through organic pop songs off their eponymous debut, leaving only one question: Where did these guys come from?
"[Golden Bear and the Channel] have both been around for five years or so," Pittman replies. "They're truly unique and wonderful people, who are putting their heart into their music." That sentiment blasted contagious in "Ten Thousand Orchestras," as a room full of friends and strangers beat the air in unison. Half of Golden Bear, plus a few friends, went on last as the country-tinged Channel, a bit more discombobulated than the Bear but with no pretension or formula. Their new double LP, Tales From the Two Hill Heart/Sibylline Machine – the fourth for C-Side – is an exercise in theory, genres overlapping fragile, eclectic sounds.
"I wish I had the money to properly promote and market these records," Pittman says. "Realistically, I just hope that we make enough of a wave that some more-established indie label will decide to give our artists a pleasant home on their roster. It would be bittersweet for me, kind of like watching your kids leave home, but I'd be very happy for the bands. They deserve something better."