The Robot Ate Me
Encyclopedia
The Robot Ate Me is an experimental
indie rock
band formed by Ryland Bouchard
in 2002 which has been through many distinct phases incorporating aspects of folk, jazz, psychedelia and avant-garde rock. Their critically acclaimed albums alternated between accessible pop and obscure musical art projects. After releasing Good World in 2006 Babysue
described the band as "one of the most unpredictable and obtuse underground bands around."
, Tegan and Sara
, Metric
, Stars and The Blackheart Procession. Skyscraper Magazine described this release Skyscraper
as "Quite possibly the year's most arresting experimental pop record, They Ate Themselves is a dizzyingly vibrant trip through death and multi-layered dissonance".
The controversial and highly experimental On Vacation
was released in 2004 in which Adam Gnade
declared "It's not even music outside the margins. Here the margins were never there, and if they were to encroach, The Robot Ate Me would probably up and croak. " Punk Planet
followed suit describing the album as "A hypnotic two-disc record that will score your twisted nightmares and fanciful dreams." Splendid
summarized "It is impossible to understand a Robot Ate Me album from a written description." The band Oh No Oh My named themselves after the song Oh No! Oh My! from On Vacation.
After the release of On Vacation in 2004 he signed with Kill Rock Stars
and toured the US heavily the next few years playing close to 600 shows in the following three years playing with countless bands including The Mae Shi
, Barr, The Fall, Hella
, Mount Eerie
, Karl Blau
, The Winks, Doveman
, I Need Sleep, The Gossip
, Oh No! Oh My!
, Okkervil River
, Emperor X
, and Drew Danburry
. His shows relied heavily on audience participation and were known for being fairly unpredictable. As part of his shows he would sometimes be dragged across the floor by attendees, wear masks, scream loudly, have the audience play the supporting instruments for his songs without rehearsal, or abruptly leave after playing one song.
The 2005 release of Carousel Waltz brought a set of minimal American folk songs. The album was lauded by Babysue
as a "strangely compelling and uplifting vision of how love affects a person. Soft and focused, these unusual tunes are simultaneously accessible and peculiar. The Robot Ate Me remains one of the most unique acts on the planet. Brimming with credible substance, Carousel Waltz is yet another killer album from an artist who just keeps getting better and better with time..."
2006 brought the avant-garde Good World which was mostly sparse clarinet lines mixed with minimal percussion and falsetto vocals by Bouchard. Pitchforkmedia asked "Has someone bludgeoned frontman Ryland Bouchard?". And Tinymixtapes declared: "Not since the glory days of punk has an album come and gone so fast and left one with more questions than answers."
In November 2011, after releasing several albums under his own name, Ryland Bouchard
announced a new album by The Robot Ate Me would be released in 2012.
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band formed by Ryland Bouchard
Ryland Bouchard
Ryland Louis Bouchard is an American vocalist and musician who has gone through many distinct phases spanning between 2002 and 2010 in which he has incorporated aspects of folk, electronica, jazz, psychedelia and avant-garde rock...
in 2002 which has been through many distinct phases incorporating aspects of folk, jazz, psychedelia and avant-garde rock. Their critically acclaimed albums alternated between accessible pop and obscure musical art projects. After releasing Good World in 2006 Babysue
Babysue
baby sue is a website and a cartoon character created by artist,author and one-man pop band LMNOP, also known as dONW7, in 1982. The character first appeared in LMNOP concert programs and magazines given out at live shows...
described the band as "one of the most unpredictable and obtuse underground bands around."
Biography
In 2002 Ryland Bouchard released, They Ate Themselves, his first record as The Robot Ate Me and played his first shows in San Diego opening for notable touring acts such as Daniel JohnstonDaniel Johnston
Daniel Dale Johnston is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and artist. Johnston was the subject of the 2006 documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston. He currently lives in Waller, Texas....
, Tegan and Sara
Tegan and Sara
Tegan and Sara are a Canadian indie band composed of identical twin sisters Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Keirsten Quin . Both Tegan and Sara play guitar and keyboard and write songs.-History:...
, Metric
Metric (band)
Metric is a Canadian indie rock and New Wave band founded in 1998 in Toronto. The band has also at various times been based in Montreal, London, New York City and Los Angeles...
, Stars and The Blackheart Procession. Skyscraper Magazine described this release Skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
as "Quite possibly the year's most arresting experimental pop record, They Ate Themselves is a dizzyingly vibrant trip through death and multi-layered dissonance".
The controversial and highly experimental On Vacation
On Vacation
On Vacation was The Robot Ate Me's third album, released in 2004 by the band's frontman, Ryland Bouchard's label Swim Slowly Records, then reissued in 2005 by 5 Rue Christine...
was released in 2004 in which Adam Gnade
Adam Gnade
Adam Gnade is a San Diego, California-born American musician and author currently living on a farm in rural Kansas. In his bio he defines his music as "talking-songs", which he describes as mixing the spoken vocals of talking blues songs with country music, Appalachian folk, noise, psychedelic...
declared "It's not even music outside the margins. Here the margins were never there, and if they were to encroach, The Robot Ate Me would probably up and croak. " Punk Planet
Punk Planet
Punk Planet was a 16,000 print run punk zine, based in Chicago, Illinois, that focused most of its energy on looking at punk subculture rather than punk as simply another genre of music to which teenagers listen. In addition to covering music, Punk Planet also covered visual arts and a wide...
followed suit describing the album as "A hypnotic two-disc record that will score your twisted nightmares and fanciful dreams." Splendid
Splendid
Splendid was a musical duo featuring Angie Hart and Jesse Tobias, who at the time were also husband and wife.-History:The duo met in Canada, August 1996, when Australian band Frente!, fronted by Hart, arrived to play over two weeks of support dates for Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill tour,...
summarized "It is impossible to understand a Robot Ate Me album from a written description." The band Oh No Oh My named themselves after the song Oh No! Oh My! from On Vacation.
After the release of On Vacation in 2004 he signed with Kill Rock Stars
Kill Rock Stars
Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and based in both Olympia, Washington and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, making it difficult to pigeonhole as having any one artistic mission...
and toured the US heavily the next few years playing close to 600 shows in the following three years playing with countless bands including The Mae Shi
The Mae Shi
The Mae Shi are an experimental punk band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 2002.-History:The band was formed by Tim Byron and Ezra Buchla, who had known each other for years, having spent time growing up in the Los Angeles suburb of Claremont together—Jeff Byron and Buchla were classmates at...
, Barr, The Fall, Hella
Hella (band)
Hella is an American band from Sacramento, California. They play a technical blend of math rock, noise rock, and experimental rock. The primary members of the band are Spencer Seim on electric guitar and Zach Hill on drums...
, Mount Eerie
Mount Eerie
Mount Eerie is an Anacortes, Washington-based band fronted by Phil Elverum. Elverum is the principal member of the band, but he has collaborated with many other musicians on his records.-History:...
, Karl Blau
Karl Blau
Karl Blau is an indie rock and folk musician based in Anacortes, Washington, and member of the Knw-Yr-Own/K Records collective. His music is eclectic, incorporating elements of folk, dub, R&B, bossa nova, grunge, hip hop, drone, and worldbeat....
, The Winks, Doveman
Doveman
Doveman is a band founded by Thomas Bartlett. Originally from Vermont, Bartlett studied piano in London with Maria Curcio before moving to New York City to attend Columbia University. He attended Columbia for one year, when he left to focus on his studies of classical music. After leaving Columbia,...
, I Need Sleep, The Gossip
The Gossip
Gossip is a three-piece American indie rock band formed in 1999. The band consists of singer Beth Ditto, guitarist Brace Paine and drummer Hannah Blilie. After releasing several recordings, the band broke through with their 2006 studio album, Standing in the Way of Control . A follow-up, Music for...
, Oh No! Oh My!
Oh No! Oh My!
-Biography:Oh No Oh My consists of multi-instrumentalists Daniel Hoxmeier, Joel Calvin, Greg Barkley, and Tim Regan. The members of Oh No Oh My started playing music when they were fourteen years old, and all of them play at least three different instruments...
, Okkervil River
Okkervil River
Okkervil River is an indie rock band from Austin, Texas. Formed in 1998, the band takes its name from a short story by Russian author Tatyana Tolstaya. They self-released their first album, Stars Too Small to Use, which led them to the South by Southwest music festival. After recording their first...
, Emperor X
Emperor X
Emperor X is a pop/noise/folk music project headed by American musician C. R. Matheny. The project often performs and records with little more than Matheny on an acoustic guitar and a dynamic microphone, but sometimes also employs large groups of musicians on percussion instruments, various...
, and Drew Danburry
Drew Danburry
Drew Danburry is a singer-songwriter who has toured independently and released records since 2002. He currently owns and runs a barber shop in Provo, Utah.-Beginnings :...
. His shows relied heavily on audience participation and were known for being fairly unpredictable. As part of his shows he would sometimes be dragged across the floor by attendees, wear masks, scream loudly, have the audience play the supporting instruments for his songs without rehearsal, or abruptly leave after playing one song.
The 2005 release of Carousel Waltz brought a set of minimal American folk songs. The album was lauded by Babysue
Babysue
baby sue is a website and a cartoon character created by artist,author and one-man pop band LMNOP, also known as dONW7, in 1982. The character first appeared in LMNOP concert programs and magazines given out at live shows...
as a "strangely compelling and uplifting vision of how love affects a person. Soft and focused, these unusual tunes are simultaneously accessible and peculiar. The Robot Ate Me remains one of the most unique acts on the planet. Brimming with credible substance, Carousel Waltz is yet another killer album from an artist who just keeps getting better and better with time..."
2006 brought the avant-garde Good World which was mostly sparse clarinet lines mixed with minimal percussion and falsetto vocals by Bouchard. Pitchforkmedia asked "Has someone bludgeoned frontman Ryland Bouchard?". And Tinymixtapes declared: "Not since the glory days of punk has an album come and gone so fast and left one with more questions than answers."
In November 2011, after releasing several albums under his own name, Ryland Bouchard
Ryland Bouchard
Ryland Louis Bouchard is an American vocalist and musician who has gone through many distinct phases spanning between 2002 and 2010 in which he has incorporated aspects of folk, electronica, jazz, psychedelia and avant-garde rock...
announced a new album by The Robot Ate Me would be released in 2012.
Albums
- They Ate Themselves (Swim Slowly, 2002)
- Live at the CBC (Swim Slowly, 2003)
- On VacationOn VacationOn Vacation was The Robot Ate Me's third album, released in 2004 by the band's frontman, Ryland Bouchard's label Swim Slowly Records, then reissued in 2005 by 5 Rue Christine...
(Swim Slowly, 2004) - On VacationOn VacationOn Vacation was The Robot Ate Me's third album, released in 2004 by the band's frontman, Ryland Bouchard's label Swim Slowly Records, then reissued in 2005 by 5 Rue Christine...
(5 Rue Christine5 Rue Christine5 Rue Christine is a semi-defunct Olympia, Washington based independent record label, formed as a spin-off from the Kill Rock Stars label in 1997...
, 2005, Reissue) - Carousel Waltz (5 Rue Christine5 Rue Christine5 Rue Christine is a semi-defunct Olympia, Washington based independent record label, formed as a spin-off from the Kill Rock Stars label in 1997...
, 2005) - Good World (5 Rue Christine5 Rue Christine5 Rue Christine is a semi-defunct Olympia, Washington based independent record label, formed as a spin-off from the Kill Rock Stars label in 1997...
, 2006) - Seeds (Swim Slowly, 2008) as Ryland BouchardRyland BouchardRyland Louis Bouchard is an American vocalist and musician who has gone through many distinct phases spanning between 2002 and 2010 in which he has incorporated aspects of folk, electronica, jazz, psychedelia and avant-garde rock...
. - Cowbirds and Cuckoos (Swim Slowly, 2009) as Ryland BouchardRyland BouchardRyland Louis Bouchard is an American vocalist and musician who has gone through many distinct phases spanning between 2002 and 2010 in which he has incorporated aspects of folk, electronica, jazz, psychedelia and avant-garde rock...
. - Better This Than Nothing EP (Swim Slowly, 2010) as Ryland BouchardRyland BouchardRyland Louis Bouchard is an American vocalist and musician who has gone through many distinct phases spanning between 2002 and 2010 in which he has incorporated aspects of folk, electronica, jazz, psychedelia and avant-garde rock...
.
Compilation Appearances
- Translation. Music. 3 Substandard (2003) - "Plane"
- Yeti 3, Yeti (2005) - "We Were Humans"
- Sur La Mer Samp Le Mer, 5RC / Kill Rock Stars (2006) - "Lynching Luncheon"
- Winter Holiday Album, 5RC / Kill Rock Stars (2006) - "Wonderland"
Past members and contributors
- David Greenberg (drums)
- Are-Jay Hoffman (bass/violin)
- William Haworth (drums, horns, synthesizers)
- Alan Lechusza (woodwinds and orchestral arrangements on Carousel Waltz)
- Edan Rosenberg (helped write lyrics for Carousel Waltz)
- Daniel Gibson (completed the artwork for all the albums)
External links
- The Robot Ate Me at Kill Rock StarsKill Rock StarsKill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and based in both Olympia, Washington and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, making it difficult to pigeonhole as having any one artistic mission...
- [ The Robot Ate Me] at Allmusic
- Swim Slowly Records - Label owned by Bouchard