New City, Chicago
February 2, 2005 – Tom Lynch

Local singer-songwriter Mark Federighi grabbed a band after performing solo for some time, and it paid off - gaberdine is one of those rare, quiet bands, unafraid of hovering below the radar. Fronted by a dominant cello and Federighi's baritone, the band's self-titled EP caused a somber stir on the scene, but now with "Thin Wire Transport," its first full-length, the band could be the next big thing that deserves to be the next big thing. Federighi's memorable voice, a bit David Bazan of Pedro the Lion and a bit Stephin Merritt, joined with the band's undeniable Bedhead sound, makes a strong, endless stream of unpretentious darkness without stumbling over itself. There's a lot of songs, fourteen to be exact, but none can be confused with one another, as Federighi keeps adding instrument after instrument (he plays most of them himself), including glockenspiel, toy piano, whistles, and the beloved e-bow, which could so easily be overused in lesser hands, but here sustains the songs' warmth. Most bands with this lineup would use the cello as a backup instrument -"look, they have a cello, the are sensitive and cultured!" - but gaberdine puts the strings right up front when it counts, and the buildups are damagingly executed in a good way.