Kid Icarus | |
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Origin | Dunmore, Pennsylvania, United States |
Genres | Indie rock |
Years active | 1996–present |
Labels | Summersteps Records |
Members |
Eric Schlittler Joe Marchegiani Justin Marchegiani Jeff Gilotti |
Past members | Thad Moyer Jeff Schlittler Ted Baird Cassie Rose (Kobeski) Jason Johnson Steve Guse Ken Stevens Psychatrone Rhonedakk |
Website | www.kidicarus1.bandcamp.com |
Kid Icarus is an American indie rock group based in Dunmore, Pennsylvania, born of a solo recording project by Eric Schlittler. The band has released five full-length albums: Maps of the Saints, Be My Echo, The Metal West, Imaginary Songs & Aluminum Hits and American Ghosts.
After leaving the band Suetta, Eric Schlittler began producing cassette recordings using inexpensive home equipment. [1] Calling his project Kid Icarus after the 1986 Nintendo Entertainment System video game of the same name, [2] [3] Schlittler recorded Maps of the Saints in 1998 and 1999. [4] The album contained lo-fi songs in the style of Guided by Voices, [4] as well as psychedelic tracks influenced by Roky Erickson, Scott Walker, and Syd Barrett. [5] Schlittler's next album, 2002's Be My Echo, included a mix of lo-fi rock and acoustic singer-songwriter music. [6] A remastered reissue of Maps of the Saints followed in 2003. [5] While Schlittler continued to write and record in his home studio, [2] Kid Icarus grew as a project to incorporate his friends and other musicians in northeastern Pennsylvania. [1] The Metal West, Kid Icarus's third album, was released in 2005, and marked Schlittler's first attempt at a hi-fi recording. [2] [3] The album featured contributions from guitarist Justin Marchegiani, [2] bassist Ted Baird, drummer Thad Moyer, and keyboardist Chuck Keller. [3] Spin magazine writer Lane Brown compared Schlittler's vocals to Elliott Smith, and called the band " Pavement on psychedelics." [2] Mike Schiller of PopMatters described the album's lead track, "Beekeepers on the Edge of Town", as the "most obvious choice for a possible hit." Schiller added that the song sounded somewhat like The Hives, "if [singer] Howlin’ Pelle [Almqvist] was Dronin’ Pelle." [3] Kid Icarus released a split 7-inch single with the band Das Black Milk in 2009. [7]