The Beige - An atmospheric pop-jazz quintet.

THE BEIGE'S EL ÁNGEL EXTERMINADOR: Some Early Reviews and FAQs

"Incredibly atmospheric fare from this Vancouver quintet that employs eclectic instrumentation...lyrics are pure poetry that bend and shape to fit the angular rhythms. A truly original sound. 4/5" -- Greg Potter, TV Week

"CD of the Week: moody, atmospheric, orchestral and, well, depressing. But it's also swinging, marching and altogether a joy to listen to. Songwriter Rick Maddocks knows how to craft a tasty dirge." -- Vancouver Province

"A spooky dust storm of Latin-tinged drinking songs, work songs, love songs and death songs that would fit nicely on the record shelf alongside Calexico and Howe Gelb. There are plenty of inspired moments fuelling The Beige music machine." --Michael Kissinger, Vancouver Courier

"El Ángel Exterminador is a CD I could listen to all day long...If you are looking for some original music that's anything but boring, with intense imagery, theatric or cinematic compositional style, and a wide range of elements, this album will not disappoint (5/5)" -- Nathan Stafford, The Skinny Magazine

Why El Ángel Exterminador?
The "title track" on the album is "The Exterminating Angel", a spacious, surreal ballad. It was partly inspired by Luis Buñuel's classic film of the same name which, in the original Spanish, is called El Ángel Exterminador. The Spanish title embodies a sense of mystery and quiet menace that reflects the music on this album. Besides, Exterminador is such a cool word.

Who the hell is The Beige?
Andrew Arida: piano, accordion, organ; Geoff Gilliard: drums; Mark Haney: double bass; Rick Maddocks: vocals, guitars, keyboards, percussion, miscellany; Jon Wood: guitars, lap steel, dobro, miscellany

What the hell is The Beige?
The Beige is not a rock act; it's a five-headed hybrid of atmospheric roots and jazz, with dashes of loops and field recordings for good measure. The Beige rose from the ashes of the alt-country outfit Palace Flophouse in 2001, when Rick Maddocks asked the other original members to help him work on a series of songs that would ultimately make up the debut album 01. Their ranks were soon boosted by double-bass player Mark Haney, whose performing background included stints with mariachi bands and the Vancouver Symphony. A jazzy, more open interpretation of the Beige's roots-based music began to take shape around the other key ingredients: Maddocks's cinematic compositions and wide-ranging voice, Jon Woods's lush treatment of stringed instruments, Geoff Gilliard's restrained drumming and Andrew Arida's luxuriously retro-sounding keyboards. As Toronto's This Magazine says, "It's apparent that this Vancouver quintet is no gang of inexperienced players."

But why The Beige?
While the band was developing its musical identity, it would change its name for each show. The bandmates eventually decided they needed a name that lasted more than a week, since people perhaps wanted to know who the hell these musicians were. "We need something neutral," someone said. Someone else shot back, "The Beige," and they all laughed. Although the name started as a joke, a couple of the bandmates have since tried to take credit for it. Lazier souls might look at the name "The Beige" and draw the easy preconception about its sound but, as The Georgia Straight says, "The Beige is anything but bland." The more you listen, the more colours you'll hear. Also, astronomers have found that the colour of the universe is beige.

What kind of songs are on El Ángel Exterminador?

  • Road: A spiky, jazzy celebration of the apocalypse. Written before the Cormac McCarthy novel appeared!
  • I Got a Job in the Belly of the Beast: A working man's ballad from hell. What else?
  • King George: A funky conflation of the Bush years, floating slums and trains to Surrey.
  • The Exterminating Angel: A surrealist ballad. Love in the asylum, with viola and dancing bear.
  • Ponce De León: One conquistador, one fountain of youth, around and around...instrumentally.
  • Different Roads (Fall and Rise): The purest reflection of The Beige's layered live sound? A title with brackets.
  • Underground is Waiting: Repetition and release, with relentless funk and stylophone.
  • Este País: A drinking song sung by a village of ghosts somewhere in Central America?
  • Fin: An improvisation at a construction site in eternity, with a surprising, bittersweet filling.