Posted on: January 21, 2009 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

We are thrilled to announce the details of Dream Get Together, the third long player from San Francisco’s Citay. Coming January 26th (January 25th in the UK), Dream Get Together channels everything we love about Citay into their most cohesive and sophisticated album yet. The symphonic dueling lead guitars, soaring vocals, grandiose acoustic explorations and audacious synth solos are all present, sewn together seamlessly into an epic work.

Seldom has there been a more obvious choice for an album-opener than “Careful With That Hat,” a song propelled by a deep groove and swing that practically begs the listener to stand up and air-drum wildly. The vocals soar, the lead guitars catch fire and the mammoth solo (courtesy of guitarist Josh Pollock) builds to an ecstatic explosion. This is the shot across the bow. Citay have arrived on Dream Get Together.

“Citay is like, Let’s all play the same guitar solo at once and that shit will sound like the entire universe is crashing down around you. And the best part? You’re not even mad about it”- FADER

Uncut’s John Mulvey wrote about his first impressions of the album for the magazine’s website, stating that, “Dream Get Together signals its intents very vigorously with the opening track, a fluid seven-minute jam called “Careful With That Hat” that finds the band becoming ever more ornate, baroque and charged. The detailing is very pretty, and the almost incidental snatch of song somewhere in the middle is reminiscent of Graham Nash, but it’s the ravenous, buccaneering electric solo that dominates, that identifies Citay as such an enterprisingly odd, melodic group.” Read all of Mulvey’s thoughts HERE.

Led by songwriter Ezra Feinberg, Citay has made a career out of studio exploration, recalling a time when studio excess was the norm. Producer Tim Green, of the Fucking Champs, is no stranger to sonic indulgence, and together Feinberg and Green have woven together a musical tapestry that is both heavy and sweet. In Citay, the metal leanings of Green’s band are replaced by an altogether different brand of fantasy rock. Dream Get Together has an embroidered and epic beauty that flies over the ocean while snuggling up to the ears. Joining Feinberg in Citay is drummer Warren Huegel, whose rhythmic sensibilities are best exemplified not only by his thunderous beats, but also his percussion decorations that lift the Citay sound from the ground up. Flanking Feinberg’s acoustic six string live are the electric guitars of Sean Smith and Josh Pollock. Bassist Diego Gonzalez holds it all together throughout. Feinberg shares vocal duties on Dream Get Together with Tahlia Harbour and Meryl Press, whose sweet voices play the perfect foil to the bombast.

One of many highlights of Dream Get Together is “Mirror Kisses,” a song Feinberg wrote specifically for guest vocalist Merrill Garbus (of Tune-Yards) to sing in three-part harmony with Harbour and Press of Citay. With the soaring Ebow guitars and vocal harmonies, “Mirror Kisses” is Citay at its most lush and melodic. In contrast, “Hunter” is Citay at its most excessive – a triumphant instrumental anthem that somehow bridges the gap between Klaus Schulze and The Scorpions. With a spaced-out synth solo by Josh Robinow of Howlin’ Rain, “Hunter” is a majestic ride. Dream Get Together closes with a gorgeous rendition of Galaxie 500’s “Tugboat,” in which Citay replaces the reverb-y electric guitars with clean acoustic strumming and Fripp-ed out sonics, preserving the beauty of the original while making the song their own.

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