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World's Fair Presents: The Czars
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Goodbye, the latest LP from the Czars marks not only a farewell to lost loves and tough times, but a new beginning for the Colorado-based quartet. Via their singing with Cocteau Twins', Simon Raymonde's Bella Union label and the World's Fair Label Group, audiences across North America now have an opportunity to enter the Czars' world of heartbreaking ballads, soulful electronica and lush rock and roll soundscapes--or, to put it another way--hear what all the buzz has been about.

As one would expect from a band best known for their achingly beautiful symphonies and melancholic lyrics, the story of the Czars is one that is not without its share of heartbreak, sadness and plain old bad luck. But, like their music--the end result is one that suggests a bright future rather than a bitter past.

The Czars started in May 1994 when vocalist John Grant and bassist Chris Pearson met at Rock Island, a club in Denver's lower district. While their meeting was a chance encounter, Grant and Pearson's mutual appreciation for artists as diverse as Kraftwerk, Patsy Cline, Tom Waits and Nina Simone and their shared desire to make "real music" made for a natural (some say "ordained") musical pairing.

After recruiting a few more members and refining their sound for nearly a year, Grant, Pearson and the rest of the Czars headed into the studio with local music icon Bob Ferbrache in 1995 to record their debut album Moodswing. Ferbache would again man the boards for their 1997 follow up "La Brea Tar Pits Of Routine". Both albums were self-released by the band on their Velveteen Records label. On somewhat of a whim, Tthe latter was sent to Cocteau Twins'the Bella Union label in London to the attention of Simon Raymonde, who offered the band a four album deal immediately after hearing it. And Wwith that, The Czars became the first American band to sign with Bella Union and a string of opening slots for high-profile groups like Low, the Dirty Three, and Ween, as well as critical praise from the UK music press, soon followed.

Riding high from their successes overseas, the Czars returned to the studio in 1999 to record Before...But Longer, an sprawling album of swirling guitar rock spiked with flourishes of shoegaze and country. Unfortunately, the Raymonde-produced album lay dormant for over a year while the band searched for a US label. With no takers, Bella Union finally released it in the UK in 2000. As a consolation prize of sorts, the band were named "Best Rock Band" by the Denver alt-weekly Westword, but had no domestically-available album to show for it. In a similar twist of misfortune, the Czars' brilliant 2000 soundtrack EP to the independent film I'd Rather Be...Gone on the tiny Toronto label Absalom Recordings was released as limited-edition 3-inch CD, making it more of a collector's item than a widely-available addition to their catalogue.

Things took a turn for the better when the band completed their next album The Ugly People Vs The Beautiful People in 2002. For one, it was actually released, which made it's winning of Westword's Album Of The Year all the more sweeter. Accolades from the UK press soon followed and rave reviews appeared in influential publications such as Mojo, Q and NME.

2003 saw The Czars embark on sold out European tours with David Gray, 16 Horsepower, and The Flaming Lips. By November of that year, the band was itching to begin work on a new album and locked themselves in their Denver studio for six months to record what would be their most ambitious album to date, Goodbye.

Following Goodbye's UK release on Bella Union in 2004, the album cemented the group's status as a critical favorite (see a pattern here?) and outranked works by the Shins, Morrissey and Bjork on Mojo Magazine's Top 50 list for 2004.

With Bella Union's joining of the World's Fair Label group, The Czars will finally have an avenue by which to enchant North American listeners with the fruits of their undeniable talents.

At its core, Goodbye is centered around the themes of loss, regret and, ultimately, change.

But more concretely, it's an album of incredible songs made heavenly through rich production, masterful musicianship and, of course, John Grant's beautiful baritone vocals. Over its twelve tracks, twisted lyrical ballads are merged with classical piano flourishes, lush layers of guitars and haunting electronics to create worlds of sound inhabited by the ghosts of Nina Simone, Miles Daves, Kraftwerk and Patsy Cline (to name a few).

Goodbye is destined to become a topic of conversation amongst US fans, but while the John Grant and the Czars are more than happy to get people talking, they'd much rather they listen. And with that, we'd like for you to say hello to Goodbye..

Press Quotes

"a richly layered quilt of baroque pop, luxuriantly embroidered by the vivid vocalisms of John Grant... 'Goodbye' is as unflinching as anything by Randy Newman and as heart-ripping as primetime Go-Betweens."
Uncut - 4 Stars **** (lead review)

"Consistently inventive, profoundly moving, and never less than gorgeous, Goodbye is staggering. It's high time it's creators stopped being Denver's best-kept secret."
The Guardian - 5 Stars *****

"subtly accomplished and distinctly individual... shot through with the dark bluesy balladry of Nick Cave and Tom Waits, the lush production values of 1970s Pink Floyd, and even gentle electronica beats. A brilliant example of what you can find if you look beyond current hype."
The Telegraph

"songs to break your heart and make you feel great about it... If Harry Nilsson was produced by Brian Eno it might sound almost as heavenly as this."
MOJO - 4 Stars ****

"Long distinguished by John Grant's superlative baritone... their third album reeks of wistful, melancholic class... as meticulous and complete-sounding as the best works by Mercury Rev or The Flaming Lips"
Q - 4 Stars ****

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