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RYAN STOLTE-SAWA

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New Single Review: I Still Love Gold (with audio!)

News Type: Event — Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:28 AM EDT

Presto Descanto just wants to be heard and understood like any other passerby.

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David Ellinwood started out playing viola. His mother took it away from him when he started detuning the strings and playing it in his lap like a guitar.

Five bands later, he is a one-man band performing out of Chicago under the name Presto Descanto. Using a sampler, guitar, keyboard and bass, he quotes a swath of styles that includes noise rock, glitch and shoegazer.

Presto Descanto's first full-length studio release, Promise, is set to launch at the end of this month, and this is the advance single. Clocking in at just over three minutes, "I Still Love Gold" takes notes from the Postal Service and My Bloody Valentine. It chirps and marches forward like a hopeful child who wails out at the chorus when it doesn't get its way. This song is a catchy, radio-ready example of PD's idiosyncratic sound. David writes:

"I Still Love Gold is about living down the shame of making bad decisions fueled by foolish optimism and naiveté. It is the song that best exemplifies the Presto Descanto sound."

For those of you who are curious about how one man can pull off two sets of vocals and a shoebox full of sounds, join me to celebrate Promise's record release at Ronny's Bar in Chicago on March 29th with Woolen, Jane and Her Heartstrings and Juffage. The show starts at 9PM.

Audio support for this article provided by Newsvine and Microsoft Mobile. Learn how to use audio with Newsvine here.

© Ryan Stolte-Sawa for Listen In. Some rights reserved.

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{"commentId":1588108,"authorDomain":"stolte-sawa"}
Ryan Stolte-Sawa

It's even better live.

{"commentId":1588108,"threadId":"235816","contentId":"1347531","authorDomain":"stolte-sawa"}
  • 2 votes
Reply#1 - Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:31 AM EDT
{"commentId":1588311,"authorDomain":"deatienza"}
Eric Atienza

I really like how this sounds.

{"commentId":1588311,"threadId":"235816","contentId":"1347531","authorDomain":"deatienza"}
  • 1 vote
Reply#2 - Mon Mar 17, 2008 12:18 PM EDT
{"commentId":1588374,"authorDomain":"kymlee"}
kymlee

I don't care much for his voice and the beginning of the song sounded a little amateurish. But as it progressed, the sound seemed to evolve and your description of it "marches forward like a hopeful child" is quite apropos. It has this synthesized quality that I don't particularly care for but I could see how it would be fun to dance to.

I don't hate it, it's just not my style. ;)

{"commentId":1588374,"threadId":"235816","contentId":"1347531","authorDomain":"kymlee"}
  • 2 votes
Reply#3 - Mon Mar 17, 2008 12:35 PM EDT
{"commentId":1589275,"authorDomain":"darkknightjrk"}
Jared Kardos

Not too bad, I'll have to keep an eye (or ear, rather) out on this guy.

{"commentId":1589275,"threadId":"235816","contentId":"1347531","authorDomain":"darkknightjrk"}
  • 1 vote
Reply#4 - Mon Mar 17, 2008 4:28 PM EDT
{"commentId":1590150,"authorDomain":"tang"}
Calvin Tang

Very cool.

{"commentId":1590150,"threadId":"235816","contentId":"1347531","authorDomain":"tang"}
  • 1 vote
Reply#5 - Mon Mar 17, 2008 8:36 PM EDT
{"commentId":1590775,"authorDomain":"stolte-sawa"}
Ryan Stolte-Sawa

:D Thanks, Calvin. How does it sound?

{"commentId":1590775,"threadId":"235816","contentId":"1347531","authorDomain":"stolte-sawa"}
  • 1 vote
#5.1 - Mon Mar 17, 2008 11:26 PM EDT
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{"commentId":1594027,"authorDomain":"MarxistMonkey"}
Marxist Monkey

Nice to know what David is up to. If I were producing/mixing, I would add flameout guitar. Just to up the MBV quotient. But this is quite good. Quite hopeful.

{"commentId":1594027,"threadId":"235816","contentId":"1347531","authorDomain":"MarxistMonkey"}
  • 2 votes
Reply#6 - Tue Mar 18, 2008 6:23 PM EDT
{"commentId":1649101,"authorDomain":"tamh"}
Tamh

I have listened to this a few times now and it's grown on me pretty quickly. I like!

{"commentId":1649101,"threadId":"235816","contentId":"1347531","authorDomain":"tamh"}
  • 1 vote
Reply#7 - Wed Apr 2, 2008 6:04 PM EDT
{"commentId":1649264,"authorDomain":"stolte-sawa"}
Ryan Stolte-Sawa

:D Great!

{"commentId":1649264,"threadId":"235816","contentId":"1347531","authorDomain":"stolte-sawa"}
    #7.1 - Wed Apr 2, 2008 6:56 PM EDT
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