| Selected quotes from the College Criers' February 2007 review/interview with the Atomic Swindlers' lead singer April Laragy.
"It's so much hotter than what's being played on top 40 it's mind boggling."
"And while it may be true that there is nothing new in this world, the Swindlers occupy a another space where this law does not apply."
"There is a spectacle on the stage called April Laragy. She may be the alternative energy source we're looking for."
To read the review and interview click here
Selected quotes from Popmatters.com's October
review/interview with the Atomic Swindlers' lead
singer April Laragy
"Melding musical genres that include
psychedelic, garage, glam, and pop, Atomic
Swindlers have carved a niche that transcends
all of these"
"channeling Bowie’s stellar lyrics
and Lou Reed’s cool delivery"
"Atomic Swindlers have in their arsenal
three talented songwriters"
"It’s easy to talk about Atomic
Swindlers in the contexts of their image or
sexuality, but what many overlook is the songwriting
and musicianship. Though Atomic Swindlers
have planted themselves firmly in the aesthetics
of glam, Coming Out Electric is more than
the glitter and androgyny. Without the songs,
androgyny is a gimmick, glitter is passé.
Atomic Swindlers have the songs."
To read the review and interview click here
Selected quotes from Memphis's Family and
Friends Magazine - June 2006 review of the
Atomic Swindler's CD "Coming Out Electric"
"Don’t you just love a story where
the girl rescues the girl and rides off into
the sunset? And I love the music just as well.
The music is tight, on target, and produced
exceptionally well."
"Although Bowie was androgynous for so
many of his albums, lead singer April Laragy
is definitely female. And it is her femaleness
that she doesn’t
hide. In fact, Curve Magazine called
Laragy “the
new Gwen Stefani.”
To
read the full review click here
EQ Magazine, one of the world's leading recording
and audio magazines has a feature article
on the making of the Atomic Swindlers' CD "Coming
Out Electric" in its May 2006 edition.
The editor of one of the most respected recording
magazines in the world loved the Atomic Swindlers
sound so much that he asked the band to tell
its readers how they were able to record such
a beautifully sounding CD without major label
support, world class engineers, producers or
high priced studios. Two pages, 2,500 hundred
words and three full color photos later the
feature article ends with one word, "perfect".
To read
the review and interview click here
Selected quotes from LesbaiNation.com's April
review/interview with the Atomic Swindlers' lead
singer April Laragy
"The Swindlers have all the building
blocks of a superstar band with all the tasty
flavor of cult icons in the making. (Think Scissor
Sisters fronted by a female Ziggy Stardust era
Bowie - and you're only half way there.)"
"The Atomic Swindlers are fueled by extraordinarily
intelligent, evocative lyrics, graced with
one of the most expressive and versatile female
vocalists you can imagine and backed with a
cadre of amazingly talented musicians."
To read the review and interview click here
George Smith a senior critic at the Village Voice and one of the most well known and respected music critics in the world just published his Top 10 CD's of 2005 list.
The Atomic Swindlers are #1 on the list.
http://villagevoice.com/pazzandjop05/ballots.php?cid=461
Barry Walters a senior critic at the Rolling Stone and Out Magazine and also one of the most well known and respected music critics in the world just published his Top 10 CD's of 2005 list in Out.com.
The Atomic Swindlers are #2 on the list.
http://www.out.com/detail.asp?id=15510
His description of "Coming Out Electric" - "Ornate and audacious lesbian-fronted space-rock that recalls Ziggy-era David Bowie fronted by Pink Floyd? More, please."
Selected quotes from DragonFlyEye.net's review
of the Atomic Swindlers' April 8th show and the
CD Coming Out Electric
"a fully multimedia experience and
a positively rock-and-roll persona are what
make the Atomic Swindlers such a great band
to watch live."
"The band’s sound positively fills
the room, rich guitar, keyboards and effects
all immersing every corner with a wonderfully
spacey air."
"It’s no accident that this band
sounds so good live: the musicianship of this
group is top-flight."
"The hardest thing about writing this
review thus far has been getting enough time
in to write it between hours of listening to
the album."
To read
the review click here
Selected quotes from City Newspapers review
of the Atomic Swindlers' April 8th show
"And bottom line, this is just a really
fun band to watch. Sure, everybody's watching
singer April Laragy do her thing up front,
but equally mesmerizing was guitarist Chris
Yockel. Yockel braved new frontiers picking
out soundscapes full of delay and phase, even
pushing to a full feedback sustain reminiscent
of Mick Jones on London
Calling.
To read
the review and interview click here
In their April 2006 issue Out Magazine says "If
you like David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust you'll
love the Atomic Swindlers. Trippy, rocking
space-age songs about lesbian sex! Front woman
April Laragy is a virtual female Bowie on this
sextet's debut, Coming Out Electric." by
Matthew Breen, Out Magazine.
Selected quotes from Nashville's Out & About
Newspaper - February 2006 review of the Atomic
Swindler's CD "Coming Out Electric"
Rating: A+ ("very rarely given by me",
F. Daniel Kent, A&E Editor and reviewer)
"where the saucy sci-fi seduction of Raquel
Welch mingles with the neon colored psychedelic
siren call of Pink Floyd, post-India Beatles,
or Ziggy Stardust era David Bowie with Debbie
Harry playing hostess. The Swindlers' greatest
talent is the ability to lure you in with the
trappings of a future world in a bygone era and
then hurl the unsuspecting listener headlong into
an "intelligently written and skillfully
performed music sounds cape with clear influences
from modern sounds like PJ Harvey, Tori Amos
and No Doubt."
To see the full review click here
Selected quotes from Indiepop Spinzone's review
of the Atomic Swindler's CD "Coming Out
Electric"
"high drama worthy of notice"
"a 9 out of 10"
To
see the full review click here
Selected
quotes from Dallas Voice's December 2005 review
of the Atomic Swindler's new CD "Coming
Out Electric"
"If and when the band records
a follow-up, the only competition they’ll
face is from themselves. A remarkable debut, “Coming
Out Electric” will be a tough album
to top."
"Though the Atomic Swindlers are
currently unsigned, the groundswell of positive
buzz should solve that pretty soon."
"Listen to Laragy’s vocals and you
can hear a young Gwen Stefani, a common observation
that’s begun to stick. The group’s
thick, guitar-driven production gives a nod to
studio noodlers like Pink Floyd and Radiohead.
And if you listen closely, you’ll find
occasional hints of Iggy Pop and Jimi Hendrix."
"Where most concept albums require an effort
to enjoy, the charm of “Coming Out Electric” is
immediate. From start to finish, the album’s
sci-fi groove is relentlessly catchy."
To see the full review click here
Selected quotes from Germany's Ox Fanzine
Magazine's, January 2006 review of the Atomic
Swindler's new CD "Coming Out Electric"
"The ATOMIC SWINDLERS are a glamtastic
combo from Rochester, NY and their "Coming
Out Electric" doesn't sound like a debut
album. They mix familiar 70s strands with a big
rock candy sound which projects far beyond much
of today's stunted fare."
To see the full review click here
Review
by Barry Walters, Senior Critic of Rolling Stone
posted on OUT.com,
October 2005
Imagine a lesbian-fronted sextet combining
David Bowie’s glamour, Barbarella’s
sci-fi camp, Pink Floyd’s sonic extravagance,
and Goldfrapp’s gauzy vocal drama, and
you’ve
begun to wrap your head around Rochester,
N.Y.’s,
unlikely but utterly sublime Atomic Swindlers.
Their self-distributed debut album luxuriates
in the alienation of early-’70s gay
aesthetics, but vocalist April Laragy puts
a girl-on-girl twist on Bowie’s androgynous
androids with lushly vibrating tracks like “Intergalactic
Lesbian Love Songs.” Best of all, these
arch retro-futurists boast art-rock chops
that fell out of fashion before the Atomic
Swindlers were even born.
Selected
quotes from Gaywired.com's September comments/interview
with the Atomic Swindlers
"Coming Out Electric is a remarkable
debut album featuring consistently rock-solid
musicianship, unique style and sound, and
superb production."
"Coming Out Electric is like nothing
you’ve
ever heard. And you’re going to want
more."
"Coming Out Electric hasn’t
left my CD player since I got my hands on it."
To
read all the comments and the interview click
here
Selected
quotes from The Village Voice's review
of the Atomic Swindler's new CD "Coming
Out Electric"
"the very best in a fine bunch, Coming
Out Electric by Atomic Swindlers"
"Guitar rave-ups stud lush pop tunes sung
by April Laragy"
"It's hard to tell if Atomic Swindlers
are really doing a rock opera about spacebiker
lesbian stargirls in love, or just writing good
hooks and hanging them on exotic thigh-rubbing
imagery to get attention."
"so think of it as a high point in orchestral
rock melody"
To
see the full review click here
Selected quotes from Altar Magazine's Winter
2006 review of the Atomic Swindler's new CD "Coming
Out Electric"
"Their dream-like, hypnotic melodies topped
with April Laragy’s vocals over original
lyrics make this like nothing I’ve
heard before. "
"The Atomic Swindlers bring it all to
the table with Coming Out Electric."
To see the full review click here
Selected quotes from GayWebMonkey Magazine's
comments/interview with April and Gary of the
Atomic Swindlers
"the sexy groove of the Swindlers is starting
to swell into a fabulous roar"
"Fueled by front woman April Laragy’s
out of this world vocals, the Swindlers are
on their way to making a Big Bang in the music
galaxy."
To read all the comments and the interview click
here
LesbiaNation.com's August
, "Women We
Love LesbiaNation's Top 10" says about April:
"April Laragy may be a relative
newcomer to the public scene, but she’s
already being touted as the new Gwen Stefani by Curve
Magazine."
"Laragy, frontwoman for the Atomic Swindlers,
is as hot as they come."
"She may well be the hottest space guntoting
girl-rescuer in the galaxy!"
Selected
quotes from Curve Magazine's review of the Atomic
Swindler's new CD "Coming Out Electric"
"We'd never want to replace her but one chick
is deserving of our Gwen-size adoration" (The
Atomic Swindler's April Laragy)
"Laragy at times seems to be subverting Stefani's
sound with a slightly less ska-influenced,
more introspective voice of her own. And that's a good
thing."
""Chicks like Laragy and Stefani open
up new channels for women who don't fit mainstream
culture's old ideas about what's girlie and
what's not."
To
see the full review click here
Review from ImprudentMarriage.com, August 2005
Sci-fi
glam rock, all glittery and straight from the
stars -- the Atomic Swindlers know how to write
a gorgeous story of a song, and perform the
hell out of it. Float(My Electric Stargirl) is
a lush pop extravaganza, the mix of lead singer
April Laragy's cosmic voice and the almost hypnotic
melody becoming pure intoxication. If you truly
want your head blown, check out the song's stunning
animated video. It's Blade Runner + Cherry 2000
+ Samurai Jack + all things cool.
Selected Quotes from the Gannett's Democrat and
Chronicle's August 19th feature article on the
Atomic Swindlers
"This sci-fi, lesbian rock movement really
has legs to it."
"The Atomic Swindlers, the Rochester glam-rock
outfit fronted by platinum-blond, 23rdcentury
diva April Laragy, is exploding on lesbian-oriented
Web sites and publications."
"maybe the royalty checks will start rolling
in after these reviews make the rounds"
To see the full article click here
Selected
quotes from GayWired.com and LesbiaNATION.com's
July 2005 review of the Atomic Swindler's new
CD "Coming Out Electric"*
"The Rochester, NY based Atomic Swindlers
are an out of this world phenomenon with a
cosmic groove, a hip spacey sound, celestial
lyrics, and a hot front woman oozing sex"
"Atomic Swindlers will make you think
of the Beatles while sounding terribly modern
even as they pull in influences such as Iggy
Pop, Blondie, Joan Jett and vocally, some early
Stefani."
"Think David Bowie in his Ziggy Stardust
period. Time-traveling to the days when bands
told stories with their music."
To
see the full review click here
Selected
quotes from SciFi.com's May 2005 review of the
Atomic Swindler's new CD "Coming Out Electric"
"The debut release from Rochester's Atomic
Swindlers sounds like a cross between Gwen Stefani
and David Bowie."
"It's probably no exaggeration to say
that almost any of the songs on this CD could
be a hit with proper airplay and marketing
push."
"their self-released first CD, displays
impressive songwriting ability"
"Laragy has a voice that ranges from wistful
to sensuous—it's always very smooth,
without any rough edges."
"Every song here has been carefully constructed
and gives testimony to the time put into the
writing and the arranging."
To see the full review click here
City
Newspaper - Selected Quotes
from the review of the Atomic Swindler's new
CD, "Coming
Out Electric."
"The
new album by the Atomic Swindlers is an
absolute knockout."
"Takes up where Bowie
left off with Ziggy Stardust."
"There's not a weak link
to be found. The songwriting is simply superb."
"Contains beautiful echoes
of John Lennon, with equal shares of the
psychedelic and the poetic."
"wild, gender-bending"
"slashing guitars"
"Each song is lovingly
built, texture upon texture, constructing a
world of
sound with far-off voices and atmospheric
effects."
"Pop this disc in the
CD player and you'll wonder where it came form.
Is it the soundtrack for the latest Barbarella
movie? Did David Bowie put his dress back on
and re-emerge in a female incarnation?"
"Coming Out Electric
sounds nothing like the mainstream recordings
of today.
It's a throwback to a bygone era when the music industry cherished poetic
lyrics and albums that were works of art."
"If the Atomic Swindlers'
sound is lush, it's because there's no skimping
on
talent."
"Joel Trussell's animated video of "Float," is
perfectly executed in a retro
kinky moderne style."
To see the full review click here
Selected quotes from Nuketown/Music & Audio's
May 2005 review of the Atomic Swindler's new CD "Coming
Out Electric"
"occasional surveys of the FM spectrum
have revealed that commerical radio remains
a vast wasteland. Fortunately though, I have
come across I have come across one band that
gives me hope for our musical present: the Atomic
Swindlers."
"The entire album is like this -- great imagery,
amusing science fiction references, and just an
all around fun sound. There's what word again -– fun.
It's what I've found so lacking on the radio
nowadays, and it can be found here in spades."
"Lead singer April Laragy handles all
these transitions between styles well, going
from sleepy seducative ballads to blood-stirring
rock tracks with ease."
To see the full review click here
Selected quotes from Spike Magazine's April
2005 review of the Atomic Swindler's new CD "Coming
Out Electric"
"Here they've produced a great debut
album that unashamedly wears its influences
on its sleeve but shapes them for
the most part into something new. This is
indeed a great rock'n'roll swindle."
"the sublimely named Atomic Swindlers
are ready to catapult you into another world
far, far away
from the soulless confines of corporate pop."
"summon up the exuberance of glam-era
Bowie topped off with Ms Leragy's self-assured
Blondie meets Ziggy vocals,
you get the idea."
"the ghosts of Ziggy and Aladdin Sane
flit from track to track on Coming Out Electric"
To see the full review click here
Selected quotes from Slacker's Sci-Fi Source
May 2005 review of the Atomic Swindler's new CD "Coming
Out Electric"
"There’s no swindle here just good
music. We travel back in time to a period
when bands and their music told a story like
the Beatles and Ziggy Stardust."
"Take Atomic Swindlers CD, Coming Out Electric
out for a spin or two you’ll find yourself
listening to it all the time."
To see the full review click here
Selected quotes from Delusions of Adequacy's
May 2005 review of the Atomic Swindler's new CD "Coming
Out Electric"
"Laragy’s sex appeal oozes out
of her vocals"
"There’s a load of talent on /Coming
Out Electric/, and Laragy has the look and
sound that the band needs."
To see the full review click here
Selected quotes from Romance Reviews Today,
May 2005 review of the Atomic Swindler's new
CD "Coming Out Electric"
"a sound, from an era when music was not
created by committee, but by artists."
"Visions of Barbarella and David Bowie
come to mind. Lead vocalist April Laragy has
a lush, sexy, rather smoky voice, amply supported
by atmospheric, otherworldly music that listeners
will appreciate."
To see the full review click here
SELLOUT Music Magazine in their March 2005 review
compares the Atomic Swindlers new CD "Coming
Out Electric" to Bowie, the Pixies and No
Doubt and says the Atomic Swindlers are on "the
cutting edge." To
see the full review click here.
SFRevu in their March 2005 review call the Atomic
Swindler's new CD "a boisterous mix
of Beatles/punk/bubblegum/Joan Jett/Barbarella/Ziggy
Stardust...and whatever else they feel like doing." And
they declare that, "lead singer April Laragy
is as hot as a white dwarf star." To
see the full review click here.
The Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester's
Gannett Newspaper put a picture of April Laragy
on the front page of section A and on the front
page of their entertainment section ran the
headline: "Debut
is a Sonic Boom." Chief staff music
critic Jeff Spevak called the music "grand
Beatles pop as told by Barbarella" and
noted echoes of David Bowie and the Spiders
from Mars. To
see the full review click here.
Gannett's Rochester Insider
Weekly Magazine,
January 21, 2005 "Selected Quotes from Tim
Karan's interview of the Atomic Swindler's lead
singer April Laragy,
I had too many appointments to meet with her
in person, so I called her instead. She made
me regret the decision. "I was planning on doing
an all-nude interview,” Laragy revealed. “Nothing
but baby oil and a smile." If only I had
known, perhaps I would've shifted my schedule — blown
off a meeting, called in sick, stolen a bike
from a nun.
Laragy herself becomes a leather-clad star
girl of sorts — like a flight attendant aboard
Major Tom's ship in Bowie's “Space Oddity.”
To see the full review click here
Empty Closet Newspaper - November, 2004
"Selected
Quotes from the review of the Atomic Swindler's
new CD, "Coming Out Electric."
"lead vocalist April Laragy backward
channels Gwen Stefani while taking a drink
from the truth serum of PJ Harvey. The Seduction
of Bowie the bad boy in Iggy Pop wrapped in
the Lips of Wayne Coyne. Heavenly."
"Laragy’s vocals trip effortlessly
over intricate musical arrangements that compliment
her straightforward, sexually-charged delivery."
"The morning after my date with the Atomic
Swindlers, I was in a state of euphoria. The
eyeliner was smudged, the spandex was stained,
and I was still humming tunes from the CD."
To
see the full review click here
City Newspaper - January 19, 2005
"Saturday night *The Atomic Swindlers*, rocked
the Bug Jar. The Swindlers' sound continues to
grow on me in its glam rock otherworldliness.
Singer April Laragy, oblivious to my Bukowski
leanings, glowered and glowed while strutting
the stage in a short, short, sparkly dress."
Frank DeBlase of
City Newspaper says:
"This band's sound is just big and beautiful
melodic rock. It's downright epic with Gun Club-ish,
Bunnymen-esque (hey, who besides me loves Will
Sergeant?) texturing and Bowie cool. The music's
lust groove and powerfully sexual dynamic is amplified
lyrically and visually with lead vocalist April
Laragy giving plenty of come-hither-then-scram
gazes, while flexing her silky throat muscles
in a mini-skirt so short, it could be a belt."
Michelle Picardo of Freetime magazine says:
"One of our area's favorite female performers,
April Laragy is back with her ace band, The Atomic
Swindlers, and a new concept album, Coming Out
Electric. Kind of in the vein of Bowie's Ziggy
Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, the Swindlers'
create spacey, futuristic songs that cover the
life of a "23rd century sensual heroine." The
band is especially explosive on punkish stand-outs
like "Space Bandit" and "Sex66," with
Laragy's charismatic vocal presence leading the
storyline with full-on passion.
"The
Atomic Swindlers are original cool." -
City Newspaper
April
Laragy, the Atomic Swindler's lead singer has
garnered these rave reviews from Gannett's
Democrat and Chronicle, Rochester's City Newspaper
and the Syracuse New Times: "as hot as a railroad
track penny", "awesome", "manic
energy", "a great lead singer and front
person", "bracing", "serious
talent" "vision and tools in spades", "a
voice that is a unique blend of David
Byrne and Joan Armatrading", "a mix of
Janis Joplin and Patsy Cline", "Bowie
meets Blondie", "her
vocals are playful knowing and bursting
with vitality, a combination that makes
them almost unbearably sexy",
etc...
City Newspaper
"Space cowgirl and Rochester rock 'n' roll
troublemaker April Laragy's voice is rich, pliable,and
resonantly haunting. She vacillates effortlessly
from coquettish girl-next-door to extraterrestrial
dominatrix with bursts of passion and excitement
in between. The band, with a newly added
keyboardist, exhibits a tight-as-Bowie sound with
one foot still in the glam-rock grave. And if
you can take your eyes off Laragy for more than
a couple of seconds, the rest of the band is equally
sexy and menacing. The Atomic Swindlers are original
cool."
--- Frank De Blase
Freetime Magazine
"Prime new wave for the new millenium,
kind of Bowie meets Blondie...." - Michelle
Picardo
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