Giraffes? Giraffes!

Giraffes? Giraffes! (often abbreviated as G? G!) are an instrumental math rock band formed in 2001 in Massachusetts by guitarist/drummer Kenneth Topham and guitarist Joseph Andreoli. Along with math rock, the band's music frequently touches on post-rock, progressive rock and experimental rock.

Giraffes? Giraffes!
OriginMassachusetts, New England, United States
GenresMath rock, progressive rock, post-rock, experimental rock
Years active2001–present
LabelsIndependent
WebsiteOfficial website
MembersKen Topham
Joseph Andreoli

History

Ken Topham and Joseph Andreoli both grew up in Western Massachusetts and met at Keene State college in 2001. Topham studied Music Composition and Music History and Andreoli studied English. They met through mutual friends and connections in Keene's music scene. Some of their first practices and brain storming sessions were held in Topham's studio apartment on Court Street in Keene. Their first show together was at the Owl's Nest Cafe at Keene State College under the name "A Heart Breaking Work of Staggering Genius" taken from a Dave Eggers book.

In 2004, the pair moved to Santa Cruz, California. Shortly after arriving on the west coast Topham and Andreoli committed to working together under the name Giraffes? Giraffes!, also taken from an Eggers book.[1] Moving around the country exposed the duo to several "musical communities," which Andreoli described as "totally weird to join, and then (the band would) leave them and start again somewhere else."[2]

The group's first album SUPERBASS!!!! (Black Death Greatest Hits Vol. 1) (2005) was recorded in a warehouse in Santa Cruz, California and was recorded mostly live, as with the rest of the band's output. "We try to record as much as possible live with minimal overdubs," says Topham. "But for the sake of time and frustration, we do some overdubs." Andreoli added "especially with looping. In a recording situation where you’re working with loops one little fuck up a loop 8 minutes in on a ten minute piece it’s just devastating," concluding that the band tries to only record material that they can play live.[1]

After the release of SUPERBASS!!!!, the duo began playing regularly in venues in Santa Cruz, San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland. They began writing their second studio album and in 2007, More Skin With Milk-Mouth was recorded in Topham's apartment in Santa Cruz.[1] The following year, they successfully booked and played their first west coast tour, and a few months later, toured much of the east coast.

In 2009, the duo returned to New England and recorded Pink Magick in 2011. In 2013 they recorded a split EP 10" with Goddard. In February 2015 the band released a 7" titled Spazz Master. The band's most recent release their 4th studio album: Memory Lame, released 27 April 2018.

Discography

Albums

SUPERBASS!!!! (Black Death Greatest Hits Vol. 1) (2005)

Giraffes? Giraffes! released their first album on December 9, 2005. The album was recorded and mixed by Topham and Christopher "Chet!" Snow.

SUPERBASS!!!! (Black Death Greatest Hits Vol. 1)
No.TitleLength
1."Fucking Ants Man! Where They Coming From? (Let's Hang The Carroll Footnoteitsists)"4:08
2."Ko-ink-e-dink? I Think Not!"5:10
3."...And Then She Look'd Down And Saw Miniature Houses And Miniature People And Inside The Miniature People Were Miniature Hearts Pumping Blood Through Miniature Veins (Her Mouth Was Watery And Wet)"7:06
4."It's Easy-eeeee To Be Full Of Shit And Look Good In Black"5:34
5."TOMHANKS'S'ES(EM)ANTICS'ES'S"3:34
6."I Dreamdpt I Had A Little Death But I Camed For The Big Sleep"4:03
7."She Looked Up From Examining The Freckles On Her Arm And Shouted, 'Jesus! I'm Fucking God-Damn Tired Of All This Make-Up Sex!' And He Just Stared Off"4:19

More Skin With Milk-Mouth (2007)

Giraffes? Giraffes! released their second album on December 8, 2007. The album was recorded at Beef Studio by Topham and David Provost, mixed by Topham and Andreoli, and mastered by Dan Rathbun.

More Skin With Milk-Mouth
No.TitleLength
1."When The Catholic Girls Go Camping, The Nicotine Vampires Rule Supreme."3:52
2."I Am S/H(im)e[r] As You Am S/H(im)e[r] As You Are Me And We Am I And I Are All Our Together: Our Collective Consciousness' Psychogenic Fugue"9:39
3."The Ghost Of EPPEEPEE's Ghost"1:58
4."Emilie Sagée's Secret"3:33
5."A Quick One, While She's Away"9:21

Pink Magick (2011)

Giraffes? Giraffes! released their third album on September 21, 2011. The album was recorded by Topham and mixed by Andreoli and Topham at Beef Studio, and mastered by Harris Newman.

Pink Magick
No.TitleLength
1."Es And Em And Em And Ems"0:59
2."Scorpion Bowls At The Hong Kong"5:48
3."Totally Boneless!!!"2:34
4."Werewolf Grandma With Knives (Part One: The Changeling)"2:24
5."Werewolf Grandma With Knives (Part Two: Don't Die)"3:45
6."Koscinski's Requiem For A Golden Chariot"4:24
7."Curse Of The Tooth Nightmare"4:49
8."Transparent Man/Invisible Woman (80,000,000 Years Alone)"3:18
9."DRGNFKR"7:29

Memory Lame (2018)

Giraffes? Giraffes! released their fourth album on April 27, 2018 via Topshelf Records.

Memory Lame
No.TitleLength
1."Heretical Doses"8:36
2."Hug of Death"6:48
3."The Teenagers in the Woods Burning Things Lying Around"8:52
4."Knife Eyes '04 Jailbreak"5:13
5."Putzing Around the Underworld AKA the Loser's Journey"7:36
6."At the Turf Field Behind My Parents' House"4:34

EPs

10" (2013)

Giraffes? Giraffes! released a split 10" EP with Goddard on April 30, 2013. Giraffes? Giraffes! material was recorded and mixed by Jason Karby, Andreoli, and Topham at Boiler Room Recordings in Worcester, MA. Goddard's material was recorded by Goddard at Electrical Audio in Chicago, IL.

10"
No.TitleArtistLength
1."In The Middle Of The Night Someone Tore Off The Ceiling And Sucked Me Into The Sky / Before My Eyes Began To Boil I Saw Billions Of Tiny Webs Connecting Everything"Giraffes? Giraffes!10:02
2."Midwest 95"Goddard5:01
3."Thrushes"Goddard5:24

Spazz Master 7" (2015)

Giraffes? Giraffes! released a 7" EP on February 3, 2015. The EP was recorded and mixed by Jason Karby at Boiler Room Recordings, and mastered by Chris Goosman at Baseline Audio Labs.

Spazz Master 7"
No.TitleLength
1."SugaaaaaSpazzazazz"4:03
2."Swallowing Light And Sweating Diamonds (Masters Of The Fucking Universe)"4:27

Rite of Summer (2020)

Giraffes? Giraffes! released an EP on May 20, 2020. The EP was Engineered and Mixed by Justin Pizzoferrato at Sonelab / March-April 2020, and mastered by Carl Saff at Saff Mastering.

Rite of Summer
No.TitleLength
1."Rite of Summer"15:07

Live

Live In Toronto (2010)

Giraffes? Giraffes! released their first live album on August 30, 2010. The album was recorded live on August 15, 2010, by Cameron Harding at Rancho Relaxo in Toronto, Canada. It features songs from their first two albums, as well as songs from their yet to be released third album.

Live In Toronto
No.TitleLength
1."Intro"0:35
2."When The Catholic Girls Go Camping, The Nicotine Vampires Rule Supreme."4:27
3."Fucking Ants Man! Where They Coming From? (Let's Hang The Carroll Footnoteitsists)"5:06
4."I Am S/H(im)e[r] As You Am S/H(im)e[r] As You Are Me And We Am I And I Are All Our Together: Our Collective Consciousness' Psychogenic Fugue"12:12
5."Werewolf Grandma With Knives"4:26
6."Scorpion Bowls At The Hong Kong"8:33
7."It's Easy-eeeee To Be Full Of Shit And Look Good In Black"8:32
8."DRGNFKR"9:29

Members
  • Ken Topham - drums, percussion, glockenspiel, bells, pots and pans, keyboard, minimal vocals[3]
  • Joseph Andreoli - guitar, loops, effects, minimal vocals[3]

References
  1. "Interview with Giraffes? Giraffes!" (Interview). Ithica Underground. August 17, 2010. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
  2. "INTERVIEW: GIRAFFES? GIRAFFES!". Robot Messiah Blog. December 2, 2010. Archived from the original (Interview) on June 16, 2013. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
  3. "SUPERBASS!!!! (BLACK DEATH GREATEST HITS VOL. 1)" (Review). Prog Archives. Retrieved May 22, 2013.
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