The Dimes

“…infuse tracks with the appropriate complexity to float atop the deceptively simple melodies and construction that lie beneath. A discovery worth many times the double nickels the band’s name implies.” --MAGNET

“The Dimes are history geeks to the core… They sort of a tap into The Decemberists' aesthetic before the fellow Portland band's prog tomfoolery.” --Under the Radar

“Hats off to one of the best/most entertaining folk-pop groups in years!” --Jack Rabid's Top 10 List, Big Takeover

“Set to lush Folk Rock harmonies that would do the Byrds proud, the unusual lyrics unravel a story every bit as gripping as a blockbuster movie.” --Tuneraker

“The record stands as a well-composed history lesson about the early Boston area, complete with songs about fires, gallows, and Clara Barton, the nurse who founded the Red Cross. There is also pedal steel; I wish there was pedal steel in my American History class.” --Portland Mercury

“Many folk singers have covered the Civil War era and written Vietnam War protest songs, but few have chosen early American History as their muse. I suppose it could be the most romantic. The record stands as a well-composed history lesson about the early Boston area.” --Raquel Nasser, The Portland Mercury

“The King Can Drink the Harbor Dry is textbook folk -- as in it'd go well with an American history textbook. It's Houghton Mifflin rock set in Boston and starring some of that city's most famous residents...the perfect disc for the history buff in your life.” --Ryan, White, Oregonian

“The songs on the new record, like its predecessor, contain not only intricate lyrics telling detailed stories of loss and love within a historical context but also feature the band's signature harmonies.” --Tara Dublin, Oregonian

“Achieving what bands such as Coldplay have set out to do in the past, these five musicians have interwoven war-time historical story-telling with their own brand of folk infused pop. Throughout the album it's easy to hear in their sound some of the band's noted influences: The Beatles, Bob Dylan, and Neil Young.” --Kendra Boren, Willamette Live

“…the band uses all kinds of sounds of the period to tremendous effect: sweeping harmonies are everywhere, supported by various rustic-sounding stringed instruments and all kinds of little bells and whistles...The Dimes’ devotion to the past is so deep-rooted and expansive that with a Wikipedia page open, it’s hard not to be pretty impressed by what they’ve accomplished.” --Marc Z Grub, Popwreckoning

“The Dimes certainly make a lasting impression with opening track 'Damrell’s Fire'...[it] contains several pleasant elements that you might expect from a modern group hailing from Portland: slick-picked acoustic guitar and clean vocals (provided by Johnny Clay), minimal but precise drumming (by Jake Rahner) and a great chorus.” --Synthesis

“…an album of finely crafted pop songs with a nice mix of Beatles, Byrds and other folksy touches.” --Your Moment of Zen

“…amazingly polished songwriting, memorable melodies, divine harmonies, top-notch instrumentation and yes, a steady dose of obscure American history with Boston as the center of it all.” --Wildy’s World

“…a nice, stress free, history lesson combined with a very nice, mellow, yet upbeat pop album…The King Can Drink The Harbour Dry, is worth a listen or four.” -- Alternapop

"All that’s really required is an appreciation for cotton-soft male vocals and lush, acoustic-folk musical frames, two elements that keep New England at an evenly pleasant, dream-like level the entire way through." -- Mixtape Maestro Blog

“[The new album] brings their historically drenched pop/rock/folk sound to all! The group bases many of their songs around places and events that have already occurred in the past - it's a great philosophy and it works well!” --Fabtastic Music

“All in all it is a lovely reminder of what a well constructed, beautifully played album should sound like - it's a record you will want to immerse yourself in and then once there, luxuriate fully. Highly recommended.” --The Mad Mackerel

“…the disc spoke to me, especially as the first tune namedrops the street I walk down every morning on my way to the train station. It’s a smooth song that fits nicely with kicking your legs up and taking off your shoes.” --The Stu Reid Experiment

“The King Can Drink The Harbor is uniquely original and features amazingly polished songwriting, memorable melodies, winsome harmonies, top-notch instrumentation and roots in American history.” --JFelton, Record Dept Music Reviews

“In anyone else’s hands, these topics might end up as boring history lessons, but as seen through the eyes — and especially ears — of The Dimes’ singer/songwriter Johnny Clay, they’re more strikingly personal vignettes than stodgy portraits. ‘I’m so glad the personal angle comes across…People used to use story and song to talk about who we are and where we’ve been — it was the way we passed on our heritage and in a way those people live forever.” --Barbara Mitchell, Oregon Music News

“The King Can Drink The Harbor Dry, it is a wonderfully warm and absorbing record that is already an office favourite, and comes to you highly recommended.” --The Mad Mackerel

“[Press release] describes the album as “a musical Cliffs Notes for an early American History class.” --Jim Beckmann, KEXP

“To say that it sounds a bit like The Beatles, is pretty much right on target. It's the type of album that is both relaxing and upbeat, but also thoughtful and intelligent.” --Trish Nguyen, Short and Sweet NYC