Press

“As dreamlike and hooky as ever and bursting with what seems like a lifetime’s worth of conflicting emotion, Charmparticles’ lucid and chord-heavy presence continues to surprise. Riding on last year’s triumphantly simplistic and densely layered Alive in the Hot Spell, the group continues to build on a formula that should have died with Billy Corgan’s credibility. Instead, the riffs keep building—along with Charmparticles’ foothold as a Portland mainstay—from one soaring crescendo to the next.”
-AP KRYZA, Willamette Week (March 5th, 2008)

“Some rockers pepper the twelve-song release, too. Back-to-back tracks “Ablation Cascade,” “The Quiet View,” and “Get Your Complex On” pep up the middle half of Alive, taking Charmparticles into heavier territory. In fact, on “Complex,” Rooney and company sound downright angry. But then we’re back to what Charmparticles do best. The first notes of “Kohii” wash over the speakers in a sorrowful, gloomy, beautiful cascade, as Rooney’s soprano overlays the thundering drums and the heart-ripping riffs. By the conclusion, when a chorale of backing vocals and chimes join her, I’ve forgotten that I was ever thinking this record would let me down.”
- stella Three Imaginary Girls (August 6th, 2007) Read the Complete Review

“It's hard to believe that a local band as beloved as Charmparticles hasn't yet released a full-length album. That's about to change with the release of Alive in the Hot Spell on June 29. They've been a power trio for over a year now, and these new tracks breathe a bit more, feeling less wall-of-sound, more expressive, and more diverse. For a long time, Charmparticles has been the band that you convince your friends to see and then say, “I told you they were great!” This is the sound of a band that has calculated their next move, and we're lucky to hear it, one show at a time.”
-JW, Portland Mercury (June 16th, 2007)

“Portland-based quartet Charmparticles is one of the few bands looking to recreate the rock energy of early 90s shoegaze... from Sarah FitzGerald’s string of bright ninth strums [to] drummer Nathanael Merrill’s last-second two-beat recoil.”
-Nick Sylvester, Pitchfork Media (September 10, 2004)

“Charmparticles, though owing some measurable debt to Brit pop/pop-rock bands and shoegazers, seem to approach things a bit differently, crafting songs that ditch clichéd pop formulas and instead choose to sway to and fro with crashing tides of layered sound.”
-Justin Vellucci, Delusions of Adequacy (November 8, 2004)

“The watery guitar work... is perfectly swirly, perfectly spine-tingly. Simply stated, “Sit Down For Staying” is a dreamy masterpiece.”
-Stella, Three Imaginary Girls (December, 2004)

“Pamela’s voice? Silvery and heartbreaking, leaving you lingering with a sweet but vague memory, like falling in love in a dream.”
-Seth Halden, Music Liberation Project (August/September 2004)

“[Charmparticles] cover a plethora of radiant colors and moody melodic textures, through the feel of ethereal bass lines, rampant splish-splash percussion and atmospheric vocals. From track to track, this record is lush and sophisticated, full of elegance, wit and romantic power, a blast of deeply emotional and resonant music.”
-Shawn M. Haney, Copper Press (October, 2004)

“[The songs on Sit Down for Staying] do have a bit of the meander in them, but they fuzz out nicely, and when the clouds of distortion descend, the thunder and lightning is impressive. Most importantly, the studio processing aids, rather than detracts from, the songs themselves. Exceedingly crafted, but I think that’s almost a must with this stuff. You use the distortion and other studio work to help blend in a spontaneous feel. As was done here. Most impressive.”
-Jon Worley, Aiding and Abetting #258

“While squarely within the shoegaze tradition of waves, whoosh and whirl, their sound also is marked by a pop sensibility not commonly seen among their contemporaries.”
-Corey DuBrowa, The Oregonian (August 20, 2004)

“Charmparticles create grand tension between a luminous instrumental whirlpool and Rooney’s plaintive vocal — and then, poof! The song is over in a twinkling. ...And it leaves one eager for a second helping.”
-John Chandler, Portland Tribune (August 20, 2004)

“Charmparticles don’t want you to look at your shoes. Though it may seem the appropriate thing to do, they’d prefer you gaze towards the stars as they attempt to leave earth and travel through the galaxy in a mysterious vehicle constructed out of distortion pedals, space age synthesizers... Their intergalactic vehicle is powered by particles of charm. However, in the unlikely scenario that their charm supplies run low, they also have a backup tank of reverb to blast them to into space.”
-Kip Berman, Portland Mercury (November 26, 2003)