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waterloo
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out of the woods
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Out of the Woods is the third release from Saint Louis’ Waterloo. This new collection of melodic, passionate songs makes it clear that Waterloo is after something big, chasing down whatever it is that threads together Badfinger, ELO, Radiohead, ad REM, and whatever it is that makes the American Midwest such a beautiful but ultimately melancholy place. Written, recorded, and mixed by Mark Ray, Out of the Woods is a response to loss - both personal and universal - fueled with a burning deisre for hope resotred.
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in the light of day
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In The Light of Day marks Waterloo's return since their 2001 critically acclaimed debut, "Going to the Sun." The record features a number of guest appearances by friends, Matt Pence, Scott Danborn, Will Johnson of Centro-matic, as well as Howard Draper (Little Grizzly), and Joe Cripps. Lead by multi-instrumentalist, producer, artist, and songwriter, Mark Ray, Waterloo creates a lush soundscape filled with breathtaking arrangements that center around melodies that drive and swoon. Waterloo's line up is complete with John Baldus (drums), Chris Grabau (guitar, keyboards), and Dave Melson (bass). Already with a growing cult following, "In the Light of Day" is sure to reveal Waterloo to a much larger audience.
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band biography
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waterloo is john baldus (drums, percussion), chris grabau (guitar, keyboards), dave melson (bass), mark ray (guitar, piano, vocals). started over a few beers at the old way out club on cherokee street in south-city saint louis, waterloo was born of a common desire to fuse the melodicism and emotional reach of british guitar rock with the pastoral atmosphere of the midwest. the songs are written by mark ray and arranged by the whole band, each member making distinctive contributions to the cumulative sound. having released their first effort to critical acclaim in 2001, waterloo have spent the last two years playing the rare live show in saint louis and chicago (with pernice brothers, dolly varden, among others) and devoting most of their time to writing, arranging, recording and experimenting for their second record, to be released in march of 2004.
Combining the atmospheric spaces of their first record, Going To The Sun, with the more muscular energy of their recent live shows, In The Light Of Day features Waterloo's trademark pastoral rock arrangements, glimmering guitar textures and lulling grooves. Complimented by the lovely yellowing photographs and collage work on the cover, along with guest appearances by Will Johnson and Scott Danbom of Centro-Matic and South San Gabriel, this release reflects the collaborative efforts of the Undertow collective. The basic tracks were recorded by engineer/producer Eli Shaw (Will Kimbrough, The Shazam) and subsequent tracks were produced and recorded by Matt Pence of Centro-Matic.
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reviews
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* * * * (4/5 stars) Somewhere, there is an alternate universe where in the early '90s a band called Pavement got together and created several albums of carefully arranged, well-produced pop songs that combined a slight experimental edge with a knack for catchy melodies and thoughtful lyrics. In the meantime, there's Waterloo. This loosely affiliated collective centered around singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Mark Ray really does sound like Pavement might have if they'd had much interest in traditional songcraft and production: there's a quirky, lo-fi edge to their second album, In the Light of Day, and Ray has a similarly deadpan affect to his vocals as Stephen Malkmus, but these details are placed in service to some genuinely pretty songs. The folk-inflected "All That You Know" mixes diffident vocals and hazy, diffuse arrangements to an unexpectedly lovely English-style fiddle tune, and "Space Age Toys" weds the spaciness of prime Flaming Lips to a melody that could have graced a prime, mid-period R.E.M. album. There's not a duff track in the bunch, and Ray mixes and matches his influences so cleverly that by album's end In the Light of Day sounds appealingly fresh and unique.
— Stewart Mason, All Music Guide
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