PINBACK
Pinback formed in 1998 in San Diego, California; the key players, Rob Crow and Armistead Burwell Smith, were both in other prominent local bands at the time. The ever-prolific Crow had played in Heavy Vegetable, Thingy, Optiganally Yours and the hugely underrated Physics (several of which had gone on hiatus or were more open-ended projects than bands), and Smith was on break with 3 Mile Pilot (while band mate Pall Jenkins concentrated on the Black Heart Procession). The duo recorded their first eponymous album, released in 1999 by Ace Fu, also known as This is a Pinback CD.

In 2000, Pinback released the "Some Voices" EP (Tree Records, reissued in 2002 by Absolutely Kosher). Critics claimed the band was entering "uncharted territory," and praised Pinback for their originality. With the subsequent release of Blue Screen Life in 2001 on Ace Fu Records, the indie- rock world was in agreement that Pinback had transcended genre placement: a rare honor with the modern music vocabulary consisting of words like twee, emo, and anything ending in -core.

 

 

The band followed the release of Blue Screen Life with a number of sold-out tours. This summer, Pinback will release an EP, Offcell, on Touch and Go records (Absolutely Kosher in the U.S.). The record is a 30-minute opus with a richer, more harmonious sound, recorded in Smith's new studio. Smith and collaborator Crow have both been very busy recording solo albums (Smith's is due out on Ace Fu in 2004 while Crow's, titled My Room Is A Mess, will be released the same day as Offcell) and working on the full- length due out in 2004 on Touch and Go Records.

With the new sonic intensity, the progression of Pinback's sound on Offcell marks a high watermark in their career. They are on tour now, sharing their juxtaposition of gentle melodies and catchy hooks with audiences across the country.

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