Artist description Music to sing you to sleep on hot summer nights when the house just won't cool down. The soundtrack to your childhood public swimming pool. Music to bring back memories you never even knew you lost...

Music Style Acoustic and Electric Indie Pop

Musical Influences Melody, Harmony, and Sonic Pictures

Similar Artists The Flaming Lips, Built to Spill, The Beatles, Weezer, The Beach Boys, Fountains of Wayne

Artist History Started in 1996 as a side project to the band Matchbook Shannon. The Laces (which is really just Doug Kabourek) has released 3 records.

Group Members Studio: Douglas William Live: Doug, Jackie, Mike

Instruments Guitars, Piano, Sampler, Keyboards, Drums/Percussion, Bells, Voice, Tannerin, Stylophone, etc.

Albums Forever for Now (1999) Thank You and Goodbye (1998) Self Titled (1997)

Press Reviews Take a song like "Carli" off this completely unintimidating, DIY emo-core album by Iowa City genius Doug Kabourek. Yes, the sound quality is muddy and the signal is weak, but listen closely and what emerges from the muck just happens to be a shiny little pop diamond. Sentimental, you bet: "Hey there, Carli/I'd like to say that I believe/That when we die we get a life/Where audio replaces sight/And rock shows happen every night." Delivered with all the unconventional power of the kittens on the album jacket. Emo-core? How 'bout cuddle-core? Just check out the song titles: "Lament of the Lonely Pet," "Reality for Nice Guys Everywhere," the stunningly understated "Summer Song (all I need is you)" and the soothing-sweet "It's Bedtime Where She Is Now." His sound is somewhere between the good Ben Lee folk-pop and a laidback-new wave Beck delivered by one of the Sifl & Ollie sock puppets. Kabourek may in fact be Iowa's Beck, but he doesn't take the the same chances. Maybe because he's too busy embroidering his heart on his sleeve. On "Lament…" Kabourek breaks it down simply by repeating over and over, "I miss you so much" in his sweetie-boy voice, on a track that highlights a fuzz guitar over acoustic and bells. When he tries to rock, like on "The King Suite 298," Kabourek is merely pumping up a grave folk-pop, that again, will remind you of Ben Lee's first solo outing. Funny thing... under the homemade boom-box production, lie gems in the rough. Imagine what they'd sound like if they were recorded in a studio instead of a bedroom. Where Omaha's emo-boy Bright Eyes adds angst and ugliness to the mix, Kabourek keeps it on an open-chord, unobstructed freshness. Methinks that if the emo kids huddled in dark web-circles on the Internet ever discover this little gem, they'll have another sweater-wearing hero to hoist on their slouched shoulders.

Location Omaha, NE - USA

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