Waterstrider

Redwood from Oakland, California five-piece Waterstrider recalls The Mars Volta free-falling through a parallel universe, such is the Cedric Bixler-Zavala-like elasticity to Nate Salman’s vocal acrobatics. Although this isn’t merely a tale of Salman et alii, as those who were first De-Loused in the Comatorium could at times seem, but instead the unravelling of that of a lithe and agile band ready and willing to stride between styles and aural substances with whimsical relish.

Redwood thus comprises Afrobeat licks, conga trickery, monolithic prog-rock riffs and supple instrumental interludes, without ever missing a beat nor drifting out of sync. And the result, although distinctly offbeat, is in no way objectionable because of it, Salman’s Jovian vocal – a skyscraping falsetto – that which holds this resourceful, and at times revolutionary track together. “Muscle in the earthquake, moon make the branches break” he’ll inform in typically mantric, tribal fashion atop galloping percussion come its decidedly sinewy chorus, and a brutish force, Waterstrider may yet make ruinous tremors of their own with this one. - Dots and Dashes

die band lässt sich durch promoterhand herrlich beschreiben. ein gefühl, wohin diese menschen wollen, erfährt man aber auch durch die musik allein. dieses beweglich hippelige, manisch aufgeregte, das sich dennoch der kontrolle nicht entziehen kann, hat schon einen leicht hypnotischen charakter. wirkt in erster linie aber simpel mechanisch. der zwang zur mobilisation besteht unumwunden. ach ja, die beschreibung: "take the train from san francisco to oakland. walk through the parks and by the lake, the places where the turbulence of city life blurs into the serenity of redwood groves and peaceful birdsong. there you will find waterstrider." waterstrider sind nate salman, drew brown, scott brown und walker johnson. der sound hat einen typischen küstenklang und verlangt schwer nach den siebzigern, als die rhythmische aktion der melodischen weichen musste. naja, während dieses übergangs. bei waterstrider kommen beide elemente wohltemperiert zur güte. congas und toms, der fündige bass, das falsettstimmchen, das blühende gitarrenleben, herrlich! ältere aufnahmen, siehe bandcamp, stehen der aktuellen single in nichts nach. - das klienicum

California’s Waterstrider makes pastoral art rock that’s meant to be heard in a metropolis. Their math progressions and gilded harmonies are mediation between the smog of bustling urban life and the natural beauty that thrives on the peripheries. You can almost see lead singer Nate Salman, birds fluttering around his head and pollen on the bridge of his nose, belting out in the middle of a recreational park in Oakland or San Francisco. And you could hear that description on the band’s debut EP Constellation, where fidgety percussion and complex guitar progressions guided the group through compulsively listenable rock songs.

It’s fitting, then, that the west coast band’s newest single is an ode to nature: “Redwood” is an exciting progression for Waterstrider that amplifies their best qualities. Harmonies are sharper, drums pound with more urgency, and Salman’s voice is coiled with tension. As the first single from their upcoming debut album, it’s an exciting refinement for a band with a cohesive sound.

Check out “Redwood” below, and fall in love with Waterstrider before Thursday, Feb. 20 when they’ll be opening for Gardens & Villa at DC9 (enter our giveaway HERE). See ya there… - Newdust

Some random band that doesn't suck balls just sent a link to a single titled Redwood, and it's unbelievable. Seriously, the way the drums welcomed me in with the galloping I was already hooked and I hadn't even heard the vocals yet.

Imagine starting a track with Andrew Bird, with the aforementioned galloping rhythm, but then add his trademark pluckage and a guitar lick that makes one twiddle some invisible air strangs, and then what's this?

KICK ASS VOCALS?

Ah Fuckballs on a low mileage 96 Camry this song is fucking balls. - SYFFAL

"When Waterstrider released the "Constellation" single back in April, it was obvious that something special was bubbling up. Now more than three months later their debut is finally here -- and Constellation was worth waiting for. Download it on bandcamp for whatever you like.

Santa Barbara native Nate Salman heads up the Berkeley group with a set of pipes that could turn the most stale old sap into a puddle. Salman's songs are exhaustively soulful; He pushes his voice to the point of depletion. Like a young Jeff Buckley, or even fellow Cali crooner J. Irvin Dally, Salman has great command over his slick tenor. Falsetto verses pour over crisp guitar melodies that flit across proggy jungle rhythms, and Constellation manages to channel passionate, vigorous youth without sacrificing technical dexterity.

The set of songs here is irresistable. In addition to "Constellation," the EP features the pulsing "Let Them Stare" and the amorous nighttime jaunt "Midnight Moon," a sure standout. There's also a unique conclusion -- a translucent half-time reprise of the title track." - Echolocale - Echolocale

“Lead singer Nate Salman’s vocals– strong; doubled, fluttering and echoing; gliding effortlessly between registers–sounds like it emanates from some wise, omniscient woodland creature.” - LA CANVAS - LA CANVAS

"Rarely, if ever, do I see such unbridled joy at shows these days.... when was the last time you witnessed ecstatic masses losing their shit and screaming for "one more song" during the opening set of a Thursday night rock show?" - San Francisco Bay Guardian - San Francisco Bay Guardian

“Their debut EP titled Constellation is a four-song triumph for fans of indie. The eery-but-calming sounds created by their guitar picking and percussion is mesmerizing.” – Off Kilter Future Music - Off Kilter Future Music

CULTURE COLLIDE GRADE : 84
In a place between gauzy pop and blues-ridden indie, between the soul of Fyfe and the electronic wisps of Vaults arrives Oakland, California, five piece Waterstrider. In a melodic instant, the opening track’s buoyant synths transport you to a weightless place where a “White Light” illuminates the album’s way forward down a path of uplifting, infectious indie-rock. Pounding with tribal percussion and purposeful guitar plucks, “Redwood” continues the journey of glistening hooks rife with psychedelic guitar riffs, gravitated by Nate Salman’s euphoric falsetto.

The greatest surprise comes on “Just A Taste.” With its water-logged synths and euphoric symbols, Waterstrider creates a sonic expanse before flooding the gates with soothing, acid-washed beats that feel fated to soundtrack a scene straight out of Julie Taymor’s Across The Universe. It’s a moment of complete calm and perhaps an obvious way to savor that moment in love, and in the album, of revelation and resolution as everything is “turning around.” The album’s title track, taut with sharp and hastened melody and urgently delivered, instigate the greatest breath of pop on the album with a sublimely. addictive hook. By the album’s culmination on “Black Blood,” Waterstrider has reached an idyllic middle ground where the expanse of nature seamlessly flows into full-bodied electronics resulting in a gratifying outpour of emotion where you’ll find all the answers.

Standout tracks: "White Light"; "Redwood"; "Just a Taste" - Culture Collide

Those of you who enjoy a bright, glistening blend of indie-alternative will find Waterstrider‘s debut album to be an absolute must-have. The five-piece out of Oakland, California, has been making music for a few years now (lead vocalist Nate Salman has been working on a few other projects on top of this one), but now it’s Waterstrider’s time to take the limelight with their brilliantly formulated first-ever album, Nowhere Now.

The group finds its sound within delicately layered guitar plucks, jungle-like percussion, light soundscapes, and Salman’s incredibly versatile vocals, and for an excellent taste of that all, be sure to take a listen to upbeat effort “New Sun”, which possesses all of their essentials as well as an addictive chorus to boot. We also hear a slower, softer side of their sound in “Passing Ships”, a track soaked more in emotive strings and melancholic nostalgia, but equally as impressive as the last.

You can download Waterstrider’s exceptional debut project, Nowhere Now, on iTunes or Bandcamp (the latter option includes a bonus track, “Give Me My Name”), and if you’re in San Francisco on April 30, you can purchase tickets HERE to see them live. - Hilly Dilly

Listening to the Oakland indie-rock five-piece Waterstrider is like taking a bite of a really fancy donut: you sink your teeth into the guitar hooks and thumping drums, then the detailed melodies and the studio tricks catch your ear, like organic pumpkin abstract or hibiscus sprinkles or whatever else people put on fancy donuts — drawing a bold line between Waterstrider and the legions of Afro-pop wannabees haunting your Vampire Weekend Pandora station.

“Nowhere Now,” the just-released new single from the album of the same name, is no exception. The song kicks off with galloping congas, and picks up steam with the addition of a muted guitar riff and a bass line that wallops like a Krispy Kreme to the gut. The song’s visceral punch is balanced by Nate Salman’s falsetto, alternately delicate and thunderous as he leads the band to the song’s climax and final proclamation: “In the hurricane of love and hate / I still remain.”

Waterstrider formed on the Berkeley campus a few years ago and quickly released the Constellation EP. Their forthcoming debut LP, Nowhere Now, out April 6, takes Constellation’s Afro-pop vibe and pushes it in every direction, embracing R&B, rock and roll and Thom Yorke’s operatic vocals along the way.

Listen to Waterstrider’s Nate Salman explain the many nuances of “Nowhere Now” in the interview above, and check out the track in its entirety, below. - KQED

Up next was Waterstrider. If you recall, I wrote about Waterstrider a few weeks ago to recognize their contribution to the first OIM Records compilation. They released their debut album, Nowhere Now, back in ­­­­March and it’s a work of art. This album gives me the very same goosebumps that I got the first time I heard In Rainbows. Radiohead pioneered the sound that I can only describe as magnetic improvisation, where the instrumentation pulls unexpected melodies together to create a wonderfully cohesive piece of music; Waterstrider has clearly mastered that, too.

I don’t want to beat this Radiohead comparison to death, but those vocals are so Thom. On the album, Nate Salman’s voice can reach impressive heights and the timing of the lines can be as arrhythmic as “15 Step.” “Passing Ships” also has a lyrical touch that I noticed first in Sufjan Stevens’s “I Want to Be Well”; the refrain is written out as “Home in your love/I am,” but as Salman sings, the line folds in on itself and creates new meaning. (Similarly, the title line from “I Want to Be Well” gets a different emphasis each time Sufjan says it- “…I want to be, well I want to be well, I want to be, well…”)

You probably can tell that I’m setting this up to pay endless compliments to Waterstrider’s live performance as well. I was not expecting live bongos, but in hindsight I’m glad they didn’t overlay their live percussion with a pre-recorded drum machine. They played a tight set, so tight that it felt even shorter than Harriet Brown’s. - THE MUSIC COURT