What the press, music critics and random dudes think of Charles the Osprey…
Todd Krab (US Beat / The Krabs) on us sucking
“This is like one bad, REALLY Long Van Halen guitar solo. Plus drum solo. The Ramones perfected the art of excluding guitar solos from their songs, Charles the Osprey has perfected the art of excluding songs from their guitar solos.”
Facebook comments on a video of us playing Mulligans – April 8, 2011
John Sinkevics (Grand Rapids Press) on the 2010 album “Consider”:
“On its Friction Records release, Charles the Osprey pumps out two-man instrumental rock that’s mesmerizing, dizzying, metallic, mind-blowing. With the cleverly titled “Scimitar Children and their Rugs,” “The Frontal Lobe A-Go-Go” and others, Derek Lancioni and Rafael Ohli take another step forward in the two-man movement.”
From his blog, “Sound Check” – May 30, 2010
Dan England (Unbored.com) on style:
“Looking at other two-piece instrumental acts, Hella, for example, or perhaps even El Ten Eleven, I haven’t really seen this level of variety before, at least in terms of crossing genres. Normally I would be wary of a mishmash of styles such as this, but musical ability seems to allow the band to reign it in and make it work, sounding impressive in their capable hands.”
From his column “For the Record” on Unbored.com – August 18, 2010
Jenna Cosgrove (The Punk Site) on being a 2-piece:
“They interact with each other in a way that I doubt could have been achieved if the music were filled with other instruments. It is a mature, sophisticated sound that is technically accomplished while also being willing to explore new, undiscovered corners of the musical badlands.”
From her review at ThePunkSite.com – August 20, 2010
Adam Newton (Dryvetyme Onlyne) on composition:
“In the end, Charles The Osprey is definitely more than two guys geeking out over the intricacies of music theory in rock music; this is an in-sync twosome making some super rock music.”
From his review at Dryvetyme Onlyne – August 26, 2010
Mark Allen (Alter the Press!) on genre:
“Quality playing, intricate riffs and ingenious time signatures are what make this genre work, and they’ve gone and hit the nail on the head.”
From his review at Alter the Press! – September, 2010
Matthew Tsai (Absolute Punk) on musicianship:
“It’s just all cutting edge instrumental, all the time. That makes for a fascinating listen, but not because you haven’t heard such a sound done before. You probably have, just never with quite the amount of precision or abnormality as it’s done here. A word to all the fans of the avant-garde out there: Charles the Osprey could be your new favorite band.”
From his review at AbsolutePunk.net – September 17, 2010
Sam Gordon (Reviewsic) on the music in general:
“Charles the Osprey is a band that will blow you away, befuddle you, then leave you feeling oddly elated despite the fact that you don’t totally understand that the hell you just heard.”
From his review & interview at Reviewsic.com – September 26, 2010
Tom Haugen (go211.com) on the 2010 album “Consider”
“Definitely an anomaly in the world of indie rock, Charles The Osprey wield meticulous rhythms that are constantly shifting directions, though they also manage to find a solid groove that keeps the listener captivated, waiting for the next pattern to unfold within the tracks, wondering what lies ahead.”
“…bypasses all preconceived ideas of how music should sound.”
From his blog on go211.com – July 27, 2010
The Ripple Effect on the 2010 Album “Consider”
“If you like progressive music and don’t’ mind a thrill ride when it comes to individual musical performances, then Charles The Osprey is not going to let you down on the first listen . . . or a one thousandth listen. “
The Ripple Effect – August 2, 2010
Matt Poole (The Rapidian) on performance
“The range of sounds Ohli achieves — from strummed upbeat rhythms to percussively tapped strings to some method of making his guitar sound like a keyboard — keep things fresh while Lancioni’s deep bag of drum patterns keeps things moving and my head nodding.”
From his review in The Rapidian – June 25, 2010
M. William Rice (critic) on the 2010 album “Consider”
“Charles the Osprey – Consider: The body of Hella, the brain of the Fucking Champs and the boner of Don Caballero. Get it.”
From his Twitter account – July 12, 2010
Jon Worley (Aiding & Abetting) on Gimmicks:
“I like it because these songs work. Ohli and Lancioni have an impeccable partnership, and they have an amazing feel for how to build songs. There’s no gimmick here. No matter how limited the instrumentation may be, this stuff sounds great.”
From the A&A Music Blog – September 1, 2010
Random patron of Founders on our 2007 performance:
“Band #1 – Thanks for playing tonight. I really enjoyed your obvious lack
of musical talent. It also really helps to play your bad music really, really loud. Give me a call sometime. Megan 891-8159″
From a note written on the back of an advertisement for The Limited – November 29, 2007