Frank Boscoe, formerly of
Vehicle Flips and
Wimp Factor 14, recruited Rob Christiansen (
Sisterhood of Convoluted Thinkers, ex-
Eggs) and Steve Silverstein (also of the band
Christmas Decorations) in 2002 for the debut of Boscoe's new musical identity, as the vocalist of
the Gazetteers. Originally conceived as an epic with 57 songs about the 50 United States and seven U.S. territories, Boscoe, who has a doctorate in geography, narrowed the project's focus down to nine tracks and one cover song. The disc opens with "Now Let Us Flee," a whimsical track about a couple deciding to flee from the gulf coast of Florida. "Vacationland" serves as a catchy tourism commercial for the state of Maine, while "Rainbow Warriors" is a humorous commentary on the University of Hawaii's football team. "Palm Meadows" chronicles a South Carolina retirement community, while "Come Play in Aberdeen!" sounds like an attempt to lure touring indie rock bands to play in South Dakota. The disc ends with a subdued cover of
Sammy Cahn and
Jule Styne's "Poor Little Rhode Island." Like the last few
Vehicle Flips releases, the music is often minimal, favoring simple tones over convoluted ones. Boscoe favors the ukulele over guitar on some songs, while Christiansen and Silverstein serve as multi-instrumentalists, fulfilling some of the group's guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, and backing vocal duties. Jeannine Durfee and Paul Boscoe guest on background vocals. Magic Marker Records released
Territory Songs in August 2002. ~ Stephen Cramer