Swizzle-stick review of The Revolt Against Tired Noises, November, 2002
"The fond memory of times past is not necessarily a bad thing to linger on. Sometimes, to move forward, one has to examine the past and the positive qualities it had to offer to boldly move into the future. By harking back to a sound made popular more than a decade ago, San Francisco natives Stratford 4 are poised to lead a new wave of rock and roll to the next evolutionary step.
With their JetSet Records debut, ‘The Revolt Against Tired Noises’, the band’s influences, at times, seem emblazoned on their sleeves. Critics will bark the names of the bands out as if influence were a crime: My Bloody Valentine! Ride! Slowdive! In doing this, however, they may miss that this is not a blatant copy of the so-called “shoe gazer” movement of late ‘80’s, early ‘90’s Britain. It is instead a reinvention of those sounds. While it is familiar on some level, it is also striking for its confidence and control. " (Brett Hickman)

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SF Bay Guardian review of This Could Be Heaven, May, 2001
"If only Sassy magazine were still around. We could put the Stratford 4 on Cute Band Alert. They have all the qualities discerning Sassy staffers looked for in a band, including a singer with a noggin full of romantic verse like "Could I walk you home or go for a swim in those brown eyes / There's something about the way your mouth says 'mesmerize.' " With lines like that, he could easily steal your girlfriend, or maybe even seduce both of you." (Deborah Giattina)

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Splendid E-zine review of This Could Be Heaven, 24 July, 2000
"This foursome synthesizes a crisp, dogged pop sound with lazy, drawling guitars and soaring effects that playfully prod and twist your notions of divided musical genres into a new realm. Think of how much rock 'n' roll you've toiled over during your life, then prepare for this refreshing surprise, which borrows from familiar genres to make a sparkling explosion of beautiful brilliance, teasing you until the end of the EP. (AM)

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Vendetta Magazine review of This Could Be Heaven, Summer, 2000
"On this killer four-song EP, San Francisco's Stratford 4 creates some delectable space pop sounds... the excellent opening number, "Hydroplane" does indeed contain some 'soaring' guitars, but things become mellower after that. The second track, "Autopilot," has a laidback, blissful feel with some great contrasting male/female vocals, while the EP's standout, "Window Open," visits Spacemen 3/Spiritualized terrain with its lazy, druggy vibe and vocalist Chris' stong melody (somewhat reminiscent of "Medication"). The closing number, "Drive Asleep," continues in the same vein as "Window Open" though the guitar sound has a little more bite, at times building into a pretty spectacular sea of psychedelic sound. Someone sign this band soon!"

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DIW Magazine Review of The Revolt Against Tired Noises, Summer, 2000
"When I want punky smarts, I have often leaned upon the old and reliable Mekons. I hear poppish, punky smarts on The Revolt Against Tired Noises EP, and solace can rather easlily be found here. In fact, the sense is that the four folks that make up The Stratford 4 may have (once of twice) sunk their veritible alternative teeth into a Mekes disc or two. The best evidence that I'm on the mark with The Mekons reference comes along during the breezy warmth of "Autopilot." Though The Stratford 4 are more delicate and poppy than The Mekons, the subtly intense vocals here remind me of Tom Greenhalgh. The Stratford 4 forge a wonderful and challenging listening experience from a sonic meterorite that has generally been washed down to a dull and weathered stone." (Kurt Hernon)

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LIVE

The TripWire review of our Love & Distortion record release party
04.07.03 Live - Stratford 4 "Rain" Triumphant In San Francisco

"Inclement weather may have been in full force Thursday night in San Francisco, but it was the record release party at popscene for local noise-poppers Stratford 4 and their fans weren't going to let a veritable typhoon keep them away. The downpour was about the only damper on the night, as the San Franciscan quartet played a flawless 35-minute set, unleashing six new tracks from their sophomore release, Love & Distortion, out this week on Jetset. It was the perfect taster for the album and one that left the crowd satiated, but fiending for the something more that only the entire album will provide.

As the two-boy, two-girl outfit worked through their new material, the crowd continued to mass, soaking in the white-noise wash and underlying groove of tracks including "The Simple Things Are Taking Over," "She Married The Birds," and "The Story Is Over." Wearing their influences on their sleeves, but reassembling them into something fresh and far from derivative, aspects of My Bloody Valentine, The Verve The Stone Roses and Jesus and Mary Chain are combined to form a cohesive new sound, full of mind-blowing guitar blasts over a booty-shaking backbone. The all-femme rhythm section of drummer Andrea Caturegli and bassist Sheetal Singh kept the grooves tight, while dueling guitarists Chris Streng and Jake Hosek bathed the room in effect pedal-laden bliss. As the skyscraping epic "Telephone" wound its way to a close, the crowd erupted and the band exited the stage with the warm glow that can only be gained by wowing the homefolks with brand-new jams that went over like old favorites. San Francisco has been dominated; can the rest of the US be far behind? Find out for yourself on their upcoming national tour with Pedro The Lion".

- Reported by Jeremy P. Goldstein
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The Village Voice preview of Jetset's CMJ showcase, October, 2001
"Two of Jetset Records' better acts tonight: The Stratford 4 are no strangers to melancholy, but their songs are a bit more hopeful- they sound less like Elliott Smith and more like Spiritualized, Pavement, and Her space Holiday all mixed together."
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Time Out New York preview of Jetset's CMJ showcase, October, 2001
"The Stratford 4's recent The Revolt Against Tired Noises (Jetset) is awash in dreamy, My Bloody Valentine-inspired guitar parts and affected vocals. The coed band has a knack for burying some nice pop melodies in its dreamy mix."
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MISCELLANEOUS

Epitonic review, October, 2000
"The Stratford 4... specializes in an intoxicating variety of deep, dreamy blissful rock that takes its cues from a number of musical sources, most of them English. Their swirling, seductive guitar-rock style sounds deeply influenced by the brilliant, criminally forgotten late '70s U.K. pop-punk band The Only Ones (remembered only for their one hit, "Another Girl Another Planet"). Indeed, those familiar with The Only Ones will probably find Stratford 4 singer Chris's voice a near-dead ringer for that of The Only Ones' rakish frontman Peter Perrett. But the group melds that New Wave pop-punk style with the spaced-out drones and feedback squalls of more recent U.K. pop groups like Ride, Spacemen 3, and Spiritualized. (Jesse Ashlock)

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SF Weekly "Night & Day" piece, January, 2001
"Local mod quad The Stratford 4 creates the kind of minor-key, post-psychedelic pop that's ideal both for blurry nights at the bar and for the unfortunate morning after. The band's music is kind of soothing, even pleasant, but it's got regenerative power. Loose and drone-y atmospheric wanderings coalesce into blistering, urgent feedback sessions, while a lonesome acoustic guitar continues to strum. Surnameless singer Chris' voice is a paragon of hipster disaffection, and is sometimes bolstered by drummer Andrea's soothing vocal strains. With a sound that borrows from bands like the Church, Spiritualized, and perhaps Yo La Tengo at its least esoteric, the Stratford 4 crafts a dense, multilayered groove that hits outter space on every song and still makes it home within five minutes. (Todd Dayton)

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Editor's pick from Listen.com, 14 April 2000
"This impeccable amalgamation of clean, clanking Indie Rock and droning, Feelies-ish Post-Punk introduces itself cordially enough -- clean guitars and an honest Bossa Nova beats traveling alongside one another as coolly sung, indecipherable vocals glide effortlessly on top. But patience reveals a darker, more intriguing objective: richly distorted, blissful guitars begin to swoop impatiently, alluding to an eminent barrage as a shaker's steady pulse becomes a beacon in the swelling, sonic waves. Vocals jettison just before choruses hit, leaving a moment of foreboding silence before magnificently cathartic displays of frantically strummed, jet-engine-flanged guitar and agitated, steady bashing. The Stratford 4 create crafty bliss perfect for those who dream in equal parts Technicolor and nostalgia." (Kelly B.)

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Stylus Magazine interview
"Stratford 4 are a band that represent a beacon to those that are fed up with the Bizkit/Eminem/Britney brigade that have assaulted ears for far too long now. Critics have been dismissive in comparing the band's sound to the "shoe gazer" movement, which originated in England. Though the band may not be reinventing the swirling mélange of sound typical of that early-1990s scene, that doesn't mean that it is not indeed fresh. From taking what was best of that time; the trippy guitar, whispery vocals and ambient soundscapes; the band's JetSet Records debut, The Revolt Against Tired Noises is something unique for today's modern-rock fan.

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