Acoustic and electronic met like chocolate and peanut butter in 2002, when Talkdemonic’s tandem of Kevin O’Connor and Lisa Molinaro met to record tracks for the band’s inaugural work. The pair, who flew up onto the scene after the release of their first studio album, recently came off tours with Modest Mouse and The Flaming Lips, but they never lost the key to their style.
That key lies in the mix of synthesizer, drums, piano and viola that O’Connor and Molinaro use to create the electronic/acoustic pastiche. There’s a clear demarcation in their work between slow, almost solipsistic tracks with dreamy piano played over viola arpeggios and the hard driven panoramas of broken synthesizer and wilting drum patterns.
Their newest album, Ruins, is an evolution of the sound that made them Willamette Week’s best new band of 2005. For the first time, the duo allowed a third party to mix their tracks, and the result is a clearer, more cohesive and more professional sounding mix.
Ruins was released by Glacial Pace Recordings, the group’s third distributor, late last year. In addition to their studio albums, Talkdemonic can frequently be found on tour. They’ve done several West Coast tours in the last few years, and they’re expected to announce new showings soon for 2012.