are we not horses

"When I was in Austin, Texas, I heard about this band called Rock Plaza Central. I don't know if you've heard of them, but they're fucking awesome. That would be my recommendation for a band that probably no one has heard of that I find to be amazing."

- Jonah Hill of Superbad in Alternative Press

"Four stars (and then stuff we don't understand in German). "

- Rolling Stone, Germany, July 2007

"Uniquely intoxicating. Four stars."

- The Independent, UK, July 2007

"A thing of surprisingly instant beauty."

- Word, UK, July 2007

"Nothing short of brilliant... 12 tracks of sonic bliss... a record most bands can only dream of creating."

- Sarah Moore, Glide, April 2007

"An endearingly different sort of buzz band... Inspired by an elaborate conceit and sustained with evocative lyrics and powerful instrumentation, Are We Not Horses? is an outstanding fusion of alt-country earnestness and indie rock absurdity. Without any trace of flaunt or deliberateness, this homespun epic proves as casual in tone as it is ambitious in scope... sure to have tears welling and fists aloft in raucous salute. 8/10."

- Josh Berquist, PopMatters, April 2007

:As concept albums go this is, quite possibly, one of the best I’ve heard."

-Rich Hughes, The Line of Best Fit, UK, March 2007

"Buy/borrow/steal the album, see for yourself. Indeed, at the risk of sounding like the NME, this could be the best thing you hear all year."

-Robert Pain, Fat Controller Magazine, UK, Dec 2006

"Because the music is so surefooted and evocative-- and Eaton's potentially alienating horse motif is handled with empathy and imagination-- Are We Not Horses? remains accessible, supremely affecting, and unique. 8.4/10"

- Stephen Deusner, Pitchfork, November 2006

"Rock Plaza Central have quietly written a masterpiece... a stunning and unexpected gem."

- Vish Khanna, Exclaim, Nov 2006

"They could be from another planet... This record really is a massive achievement - it could have all gone so horribly wrong; a seemingly outlandish premise, antiquated argot and a plethora of musical styles, but it all hangs together brilliantly with moments of orchestrated chaos and passages of quiet beauty. 8/10."

- David Cowling, Americana UK, Nov 2006

"Rock Plaza Central will inspire endless Neutral Milk Hotel comparisons, due to Chris Eaton's venue-filling caterwaul and the band's liberal use of brass. The band sounds like a church pick-up group, fingering their way through an excited offertory, gaining more momentum as they add instruments. Eaton's endearingly off-note vocals career heavenward as he hits those la-da-da-da's between the choruses, rushing to a moment of honest indie transcendence that loses only a little of its power when removed from the context of the album (where its quick build doesn't sound so rushed). The song unravels over several more minutes from there, as the horns dash out a morse-code melody, led by a fervent gospel tambourine and a lovely violin caught in the eddies of a river baptism. It builds dizzingly and winds down beautifully-- truly something to be joyful about. "

-Stephen Deusner, Pitchfork, October 2006 (track review of "My Children, Be Joyful")

"...if it doesn't elevate him to the ranks of the city's more celebrated songwriters, then it'll be an oddly fitting fate for a musician who embraces his underdog status like it was a religion. Steeped in the archaic vernaculars of Will Oldham and Neutral Milk Hotel, with an urgency that demands action in the here and now... a tornado of violins, horns and whisky..."

- Stuart Berman, Eye Magazine, September 2006

"There is a grandeur, a timeless beauty to the songs of Toronto's Rock Plaza Central. And while the swelling collective of multi-instrumentalists has in recent years gone to the rule from the exception, Rock Plaza Central's since appreciation for music and themes gone by add a depth to their melancholy that is all too rare."

- Allan Wigney, Ottawa Sun, September 2006

the world was hell to us

"Destined to become an underground Can-rock classic."
- Dave Clark (Woodchoppers Association, Mountainside Band and original drummer for the Rheostatics.)

"...pure self-expression...mesmerising...comes from the Mary Margaret O'Hara/Bob Wiseman/Jane Siberry school of spontaneity...conjures up the period of Canadian rock when there seemed to be no boundaries. We may have come far musically, but when a record this ambitious comes along, it's a pointed reminder of how stagnant things have remained."
- Jason Schneider, Exclaim Magazine, March 2004

"...almost comparable to the awesome eccentricities of Oldham...Eaton and company shake things up, let the juices flow, and create a body of work that is not only endearing and quirky, but passionate and pure."
- Rob Heater, Sponic Magazine, Boston, USA, March 2004

"It's difficult to adequately explain why RPC's songwriting is so fascinating and endearing. However, as with a lot of the most sublime art, logic, detailed analyses and tales of why something moves you are overrated. It's time you experienced your own conversion at Rock Plaza Central."
- Dave Madden, Splendid Magazine, Saly Lake City, Utah, May 2005

"This record proves that sometimes those that don’t shout make the most noise... The menace mounts with ‘Mount Up and Ride’: ‘take my eyes and take my fingers’ he sings as the instruments pile up on one another in a desperate urge to start the dismembering... [and ends] sounding like the pastoral post-rock of Pullman or Loftus, all chiming interlocking patterns of strumming. An excellent example of how talented and misanthropic people can share their worldview with you - definitely worth seeking out."
- David Cowling, www.americana-uk.com, Liverpool, UK, April 2004

"Eaton may speak of hell in the past tense, but he still sounds haunted and scarred, his delicate quaver assuming sinister tics as if suddenly entranced by a traumatic memory; in his more unhinged moments, Eaton sounds not unlike Gord Downie with a severe case of cabin fever. But the dark turns only make his more luminous moments shine all the more triumphantly, none more so than "The Things That Bind You," an anthemic Palace Brothers-style shanty that, if not quite the stuff of stadiums and cigarette lighters, would go down great with in a town hall full of drunks waving their oil lamps."
- Stuart Berman, the eye weekly, Toronto, Dec. 2003

"This fourth release from Toronto musician and author Chris Eaton is definitely worth a listen. A unique mix of endearing country weirdness; quirky, off-kilter reminiscences of love and excellent capturing from the ear of Andy Magoffin. There’s a genuineness here that’s missing from a lot of CDs these days. Fiery jump-ups are laid down in a really interesting way alongside rural introspective pieces (including a truly inspired Jane Siberry cover). There’s something that reminds me of Walker Evans’s Depression-era photos in all this. A haunting undertone exists with a bit of a southern gothic, fire and brimstone revival feel. These little stories seem to be done by a drunken country orchestra, as if part of a stage play in a run-down tar-paper shack. I’d definitely buy tickets for that show and they’d probably be printed on ancient parchment with blood and sweat."
- Steven Venn, Wavelength Magazine, Toronto, Feb. 2004

"At times soft and pretty, at others more brutal (you know, like shouting at demons, personal or otherwise). At times recalling Michal Gira's work with Angels of Light and at others sounding a bit like the Mountain Goats. At times evoking a tear and at others gentle smile and a toe tap. To me the benchmark for this sound is Palace Music/Brothers and Rock Plaza Central definitely does that tradition proud."
- Marc Hensley, radio indie rock, Philadelphia, Jan. 2004

quantum butterass

"I was happily surprised to hear Rock Plaza Central for the first time. The songs are acousticly driven pop-rockers with liberal use of dynamics; instrumentation includes cello, piano, and banjo to complement the foundation of bass/drums/guitar; and the lyrics are stories unto themselves, complementing the creative and interesting songs... They've managed to make one of the most enjoyable records of the year."
- Brian Wieser, Discorder Magazine, CITR, Vancouver

"There's a real dearth of new bands right now who can actually play really well. I'll bet that'll be the next trend. People will again want to hear stuff that's a bit more complicated, and it sounds like [RPC] is capable of playing and writing that stuff."
- Jeff Weaver, CBC Radio, Fredericton

"The best indie album I've heard in a while... Eaton's lyrics are of a rare quality... with a vocal style as unique as David Byrne."
- Hev, Airtight Magazine, CJSR radio, Edmonton