The Hippodrome

Fraulein Download

The Pale Young Gentlemen cite classical music and champagne as their biggest influences. In actuality, the orch-pop quintet from Madison, Wisconsin churns out an infectious stream of malady considerably more befitting of a smoke-filled, turn-of-the-century booze can, complete with heavy red curtains and bowler hats galore. Upbeat, jaunty piano and cello arrangements complimented by appropriately affected vocals make for a theatrical and pleasantly gritty sound. When lead singer, song-writer, and keyboardist Mike Reisenauer commands “let’s tear the lid off this thing” on the debonair track “Clap Your Hands,” you’re compelled to do just that.

PYG humbly formed in late 2004, when Matt Reisenauer finally sat down and banged on a phone book and a cribbage board while Brett Randall was playing along on guitar. “We played our first show a year later as a three-piece and continued to gain members,” says Reisenauer. With the line-up solidified at five members, the band boasts sophisticated arrangements for a group of musicians who, Reisenauer mentions, are “largely self-taught.” Thanks in large part to fastidious production and a dose of cellist Liz Weamer’s classical chops, the band’s lack of classical training remains elusive.

In the spring of 2007, the Pale Young Gentlemen released their self-titled debut album and made quite a splash in the Madison scene, recently opening for indie pop giants like The Clientele and Beach House. Reisenauer is currently working on the band’s follow-up record, the songs on which, he reveals, are “all guitar based – no piano on the next one. We are rehearsing with a string quartet now… but I shouldn’t say anymore… everything could change, and probably will.”