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"—a neoclassical kind of dance punk in which the lyrics are clear and the production is clean, energizing and free...some of the more admirably interesting practitioners of this kind of pop music" (David Cotner, LA Weekly)

"Thailand...serve up a compelling new-wave/post-punk cocktail." (Kevin Bronson, Los Angeles Times)

"—the band's glittery midtempo rockers are underscored by driving beats and street-savvy vocals brimming with Cali cool." (Flavorpill)

"Thailand approach their music with a scientific perspective that evokes the cerebral rock of their influences Wire and Brian Eno while still keeping their songs short and catchy." (Falling James, LA Weekly)

This neoclassical pop band is a long way from Bangkok, but their mix of galloping rhythms with swelling, energetic vocals is definitely a trip. (NYLON Magazine)

"I admire a band that succeeds in proving that sometimes songcraft is about subtraction. [Thailand's] set at Pehrspace was chilling, heartwarming, stimulating, and numbing. One of the most overlooked bands in town, I tell you." (Classical Geek Theatre)

"Every one of their songs has burrowed its way into my subconscious and I believe their songwriting is some of the best in town. There isn't a bad melody or bad lyric in their whole repertoire." (Feed Your Head)


The Remote Controller... reviews

 Performer Magazine
As a follow-up to 2007's Motorcade, the band's full-length debut, [The Remote Controller Absorbs the Place] ups the ante for synth-based pop by evoking emotionally resonant melodies and intelligent, politically adept lyrics that rival the best of folk classics.

Classical Geek Theatre
On "Favorite Sun," the first track of Thailand's new EP The Remote Controller Absorbs the Place, Thailand lays out the perfect introduction for their sound: structure and passion in a deadlocked duel, pushing on each other, back and forth. Both sides come back from near defeat at one point or another, and neither one wins in the end, an end that comes about four or five songs too soon.

Berkeley Place
Marc Linquist is, frankly, one of the best indie rock (new new wave) songwriters performing today. He's a fantastic abstract lyricist....He writes powerful music as well, and his bandmates Jonah Flicker (on guitars) and Staci Roark (synths, vocals) are perfect by his side, all of them playing together, incredibly tight. The band manages to be lucid and soaring without being shoegazy, and their debut album, Motorcade, was my pick for the third best indie album of 2007.

Feed Your Head
[Thailand's] catchy, clean, post-punk indie-rock sound is contrasted with some really thoughtful lyric writing....I was especially impressed with the song "Heartland Failure" (gotta love the title) which isn't so much a protest song (is that a dirty word...tooooo sixties?) as a current events song, where the anger is replaced by a certain objectivity....It illustrates so well how painful it is to be angry at your country.

Rock Sellout
What I've always loved about this band is that every release sounds like they spent a month with my record collection before heading into the studio. The key ingredients are included in the recipe, but the dish merely reminds...it doesn't bore the senses. Wire, Bowie, Roxy Music, The Fall, you get the picture. Marc Linquist also has a way with words that makes you feel a little smarter after experiencing what he shares.

Bows+Arrows


Motorcade reviews

Berkeley Place Top 10 Indie Debut Albums of 2007
The Happy Hollows' Top 10 of 2007

"The combination of lucid songwriting, metronomic krautrock rhythms, spiked guitars, and industrial synth washes give the impression that this is music with a soul that’s buried deep within the workings of automatons." (Richard Stokoe, Losing Today)

Rock Insider
I've found that even though I am miles away from home I can't stop listening to Thailand....It wasn't until the band sent me their album in the mail this past week that I was able to really get a feel for the amazing upbeat synth infused pop tunes....This pop masterpiece was self-recorded in an Echo Park bedroom/rehearsal studio and mastered by Dave Cooley (Silversun Pickups, JDilla, Long Distance Runner). Motorcade is a truly wonderful and just plain fun record. "This Officer's Life" could easily be a KROQ classic within a matter of weeks.

Muzzle of Bees
It's easy to get caught up in hyperbole with a band that blows you away after only a couple of listens, but this album is a supreme pleasure.

Shameless Complacency
Motorcade is essentially 13 tracks of grade-A synth-pop....I highly recommend you pick up this album; if Thailand can make an album this good with such little resources, I can't imagine what they could do when fully equipped.

Berkeley Place
This is music that is uncategorizable, jumping from hard n' heavy riffs to electronica, featuring both female and male vocal tracks, going from Wire-type punk, through Human League synth-driven pop, and ending at late '80s-early '90s britpop....I guess overall they'd be called either synthpop or indie electronica, but who the heck cares. This is a fantastic album. There's so many cuts that could and should easily become blogosphere and college-radio hits.

Mars Needs Guitars
Motorcade is Thailand's debut release and it is a gem. Every song bubbles with synth pop goodness, clever lyrics and Linquist's vocals call to mind Malkmus or even at times Bowie.

Obscure Sound
Synth-pop, rock, punk, and even blues are present styles, clumping Thailand into an enjoyably limited category of artists who have the capacity to involve several genres without the range causing a substantial clutter....Linquist and Roark seem content and at home in their own stylistic world of synths and guitars. They should, too, as Motorcade is a remarkably enjoyable album; one of the most fulfilling debuts of the year.

All That She Surveys
—their December release Motorcade is a strong debut....none of it is music to be listened to sitting down, or in sweatpants, in any case: it demands glitter somewhere.

TSURURADIO
Got a wonderful new obsession in the mail the other day, Motorcade by Thailand. Flooding my ears with infectious bass lines and synth, this album's been on repeat for the past day.

Passion of the Weiss
—Thailand balance their polished 80s sound with bursts of Punk Rock energy, at times reminiscent of the Buzzcocks or The Thermals. The set was short, sweet and incredibly catchy. With their debut LP, Motorcade recently completed, it probably won't be long before the labels come hunting.

Future Sounds
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