Bridges and Powerlines is a

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

indie pop Indie pop (also typeset as indie-pop or indiepop) is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and sub ...

band. Their style is influenced by

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

and

indie-rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produce ...

. The band has cited indie forefathers

the Zombies The Zombies are an English rock band formed in the early 1960s in St Albans and led by keyboardist and vocalist Rod Argent and vocalist Colin Blunstone. The group had a British and American hit in 1964 with "She's Not There". In the US, two fu ...

, Guided by Voices and the Elephant 6 Collective as influences, and has coined the phrase ‘optimist fuzz pop’ to describe their music. The band has stated that their common love is the pursuit of intricately arranged three-minute pop songs.

Biography

The band formed in the summer of 2005 under the name Sunspots but underwent an early name-change for legal reasons. Original members included Andrew Wood, Keith Sigel, Peter Mucek and Jon Crockett. Their self-titled debut EP was released on their label CityBird records in September 2006 and received praise from a variety of sources, earning the tag "band to watch." The success of their EP attracted producer

Chris Zane Chris Zane is an American music producer, engineer and mixer based in London. He's worked with an array of artists such as Jack Antonoff, Passion Pit, St. Lucia, Holy Ghost!, and Friendly Fires. Discography 2017 * Chloe Howl - "Magnetic" ( s ...

, known for his work with Passion Pit,

The Walkmen The Walkmen is an American indie rock band. Active from 2000 to 2013, they are known as part of the 2000s-era post-punk revival in New York City, particularly for their critically acclaimed single "The Rat (song), The Rat." The band is made up o ...

and White Rabbits, and the band spent much of 2007 writing and recording. The band released their debut LP ''Ghost Types'' in April 2008, drawing numerous favorable mentions from outlets such as Paste Magazine, PopMatters, Yahoo Music and Pitchfork. These records were followed by numerous tours including annual appearances at South by Southwest and CMJ. Jon Crockett departed from the band in 2008 for personal reasons, and David Boyd joined as the new guitarist. In 2011, they released their follow-up album, ''Eve'', which the band stated was a representation of the culmination of their thoughts on life prior to September 11, 2001. With producer Kieran Kelley, best known for his work on the

Sufjan Stevens Sufjan Stevens ( ; born July 1, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has released nine solo studio albums and multiple collaborative albums with other artists. Stevens has received Grammy and Academy Award nomi ...

record

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, the band spent three months in the studio creating the album. Critics praised their efforts, with Popmatters calling Eve “a big winner” and RSLblog proclaiming it “ridiculously addictive” After ''Eve'', Peter Mucek and the band parted ways on amicable terms, and Mason Ingram, who played percussion on the record, joined as the new drummer. Over the next two years the band's live shows continued to draw acclaim, with The New Yorker calling Bridges and Powerlines "an appealing indie quartet." The band ventured into the studio in late 2012 to begin recording again. The new EP, titled ''Better'', was once again produced by Kieran Kelly, features guest appearances by members of

Bon Iver Bon Iver ( ) is an American indie folk band founded in 2006 by singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. Vernon released Bon Iver's debut album, ''For Emma, Forever Ago,'' independently in July 2007. The majority of the album was recorded while Vernon ...

and was mixed by

Adam Lasus Adam Lasus (born September 2, 1968 in Mount Kisco, New York, United States) is an American record producer, recording engineer and musician. Career Lasus credits include albums by Yo La Tengo, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Lilys, Helium, Juliana Hat ...

, known for his work with

Yo La Tengo Yo La Tengo (YLT; Spanish for "I have her") is an American indie rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan (guitars, piano, vocals), Georgia Hubley (drums, piano, vocals), and James McNew ...

and

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (sometimes abbreviated to CYHSY) is the musical project of American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Alec Ounsworth, active since the early 2000s in and out of Philadelphia. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah have rel ...

. The band has stated that the EP draws on the frenetic, often dissonant indie rock that has always inspired them and features a return to the nervous energy that defined their earliest releases. The EP was released in March 2013. The band's most recent album, ''National Fantasy'', was self-released and came out in October 2016.

Discography

EPs

* ''Bridges and Powerlines'' (2006, CityBird Records) * ''Better'' (2013, Daisy Pistol Records)

Studio albums

* ''Ghost Types'' (2008, CityBird Records) * ''Eve'' (2011, Stunning Models on Display Records) * ''National Fantasy'' (2016, Self-released)

Singles

* "Carmen" (2006, CityBird Records) * "Uncalibrated" (2008, CityBird Records) * "Middle Child" (2008, CityBird Records) * "The Thieves, they are Everywhere" (2008, CityBird Records) * "Mirabell" (2011, Stunning Models on Display) * "I Remember a Blue Sky" (2011, Stunning Models on Display) * "The Jameson" (2011, Stunning Models on Display)

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bridges And Powerlines Indie rock musical groups from New York (state) Musical groups from Brooklyn

Biography

Discography

EPs

Studio albums

Singles

External links

Sources