Artist description "Telto is a serrated, atmospheric whirlpool of darkly melodic, raw songwriting...twisting many influences into a singular, pointed voice...dead serious and delirious fun at the same time.""V

Music Style atmospheric hick goth quirk-rock

Musical Influences Arthur & Dixie, bee stings

Similar Artists Patti Smith, Throwing Muses, 4AD bands, Siouxsie, Fetchin' Bones

Group Members

Instruments guitar, bass, drums, vocals

Albums bugged

Press Reviews Splendid E-zine__album review __"Telto seems to take a perverse pleasure in collecting and listing the disparate musical comparisons that arise when publications review Bugged. The comparisons vary broadly because Telto has found that all-important midpoint between label sampler variety and every-song-sounds-alike homogeneity; while Bugged can clearly be identified as Telto's work, there's no simple formula that can be applied to each song. Songwriter/vocalist/guitarist Leslie Dean is a creative dynamo, favoring unpredictable minor-key melodies and post-goth psychedelic sprawl over standard pop song progression. I'll add a few reference points for the band's trophy wall: their more rocking moments recall Fetchin' Bones, while Dean's passionately quirky vocal delivery hints not only at the mid-eighties 4AD stable, but also at the flat-out weirdness of Caterwaul (a band from the late '80s that I think I may have hallucinated). Every moment on Bugged builds toward the spectacular 'Touch,' which closes the disc with a gorgeous flood of sustained minor key angst. Dean works herself into a furious lather as the guitars peak in a cathartic explosion of sound. Even if the rest of the record fails to engage you--which I find doubtful--you'll listen to 'Tou ch' again and again._________________________________________________________ "Delusions of Adequacy__album review___"...'Over the Sink' comes on, slower, with a darkly melodic guitar line and Dean's vocals thickly textured...'Buttonholes' is even softe r, very sparse and entirely driven by Dean's voice...Like its name, 'Anesthesia' is quiet and thick, with Dean's vocals layered and chilling. This track is quite lovely, with stellar bass and perfect guitar. 'Dog Eyes' is another darkly melodic track, w ith nice acoustic guitar. And the 8-minute closer, 'Touch,'...with crisp, chilling guitar, good drumming, and Dean's vocals lofting to even new heights, especially by the end, as the music builds into a frenzied crescendo, and Dean screams as if her life is ending. Holy cow I love this song! It is so removed from the first track on the album, I think it must be a different band....The moody, darkly melodic and hauntingly lovely tracks are truly inspired and quite impressive. That's the reason why I li s ten to this album time and again..."_____________________________________________________ hEARd Magazine (Australia)__album review___"Telto have a great style that takes many forms across this album. The band play semi-punk feel songs while comfortably a dding some haunting slower tracks. One of the catchiest aggressive numbers here is the unusual '8 Ball In Your Fruit Bowl,' while the following couple of tracks, 'Over the Sink' and the beautiful 'Buttonholes' are both of the slower variety of songs, whe re vocalist Leslie Dean's voice is at its most impressive. In similar fashion, there are some other superb moments, like 'Anesthesia' and 'Blue,' which is my favourite, alongside closing number 'Touch,' a real epic number at 8 minutes or so, which ma nage s to combine the best moments of the slower tracks, with the guitar oriented feel of the more aggressive numbers"_____________________________________________________ Aiding & Abetting__album review___"Another way to look at it is that Telto works v ery h ard to not sound like anyone else. These songs lurch, stumble, roll and slip along, sometimes smoothly and sometimes not. I think that the way that works is largely instinctual. Sounds good, anyways. And just when I think I've almost got a handl e on things, Telto goes and does something different. That's pretty much priceless. As long as these folks keep trying to best themselves, I have a feeling they'll be making good music."_____________________________________________________ BAM Magazine_ _live performance review___"...During their show at Blake's they filled the place with powerful, guitar-oriented rock that was never imitative and was occasionally a bit scary in its intensity. Dean's edgy, haunting voice preternaturally drew out her apocrypha l, defiant lyrics, and her work seems to escape the vapid 'I'm-so-depressed' cleverness that many local songwriters seem unable to shake. Plus, her guitar rocks--her rhythm and lines are unusual and imaginative. Meanwhile Stock beats the precise hell ou t of his powerful kit with a fearsome grimace on his face. His drumming uncannily complements Dean's changes from major to minor and the songs' shifts in rhythm. Telto is dead serious and delirious fun at the same time..."›

Location San Francisco, CA - USA

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