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SYNTHAR

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SYNTHAR - Small Coastal Towns from Sarah Heng Hartse on Vimeo.


SYNTHAR is a magic internet band making REAL MUSIC on computers. We have made one record called EVENINGS AND WEEKENDS which you can buy or get from NoiseTrade.com (look to the right of this.)

SYNTHAR is the unofficial band of NPR'S SCIENCE FRIDAY.


PEOPLE WHO LIKE MUSIC LIKE EVENINGS AND WEEKENDS.

SYNTHAR combines "a late 70's new wave sound with a more modern style that is something like Devo meets Radiohead. I'm not kidding. Evenings and Weekends packs a powerful one-two punch with creative recordings and some incredibly hooky songs."
- Obvious Pop

SYNTHAR has "somehow managed to achieve the perfect balance of synth sounds."
- Tintinnabulant

"SYNTHAR reveals itself to be quite an interesting and listenable confluence of talents. Because of its synthesizer and drum machine instrumentation, “Evenings and Weekends” presents a musical framework often reminiscent of the new wave music of the late ’70s and early ’80s. The album contains solid, melodic vocals that add a unique alt-country quality to the work. In a way, SYNTHAR is taking synth-pop into singer-song writer territory....

The album’s appeal had me asking myself, “What exactly does this sound like?” The best analogies I could muster are that SYNTHAR sounds like Bob Moog meets Bob Schneider sometimes, and Brian Eno meets Brian Wilson other times. They’re Ween meets Weezer with an urban melancholy. The tracks on “Evenings and Weekends” are mostly memorable, and the subject matter is more serious than what you might expect, even bleak at times. It’s austere in a very compelling way...."
- Jackson Free Press

"There's a certain style of indie-electro-pop (or whatever you want to call it) that, since there are so few bands with this specific sound, are always compared to The Postal Service. Synthar's debut abum, “Evenings and Weekends,” has finally bent the genre so that future bands of this ilk ought to be compared to them. Sincere lyrics that don't take themselves too seriously combine with perfect pop hooks and melodies over catchy beats to form one of the most hummable albums of the year."
- Eureka Times-Standard

"The songs are all at once Genesis and Boards of Canada, as glacial and growling as Bedhead at moments and as cheery and dance-inspiring as Say Hi, or Architecture in Helsinki on synthroids.

I really can't recommend this record enough, please, I beg of you just pick it up. It's rare that you find a record from a band this unknown that is this special. Get in on the ground floor for once, people. Synthar may very well be the most essential band you've not heard of."
- Hard to Find a Friend

"Silky smooth. Those were the words that came to mind when listening to Synthar's new album, 'Evenings And Weekends'. A digital composition, including contributions from musicians all around the world, this album is more of a composition than a series of separate tracks. There are a few wonderful moments, such as on'047 'and' The Robots Among Us'-where a track-to-track transmission occurs, without any indication. The latter song is blessed with a brilliant, choppy guitar riff and some old-school synths. My other recommendations would be 'Beating Drum', rumbling bass-scape, and 'Hurricanes', which probably walks away as the best track on this album. For a debut, this is impressive stuff, and if true, it's a travesty that they are still unsigned."
- The Cold Cut

"This album doesn’t focus on being overly polished but over the past 2 weeks it’s functioned like an old sweater that I put on for cold rainy days, warm and comfortable. Each track melds into the next nicely my personal favorite is how “047? launches right into “The Robots are Among Us” mixing equal parts Flash Gordon and Ladytron. From front to back the vocals land somewhere between Willem Hartong (Breaking Laces) and Jimmy Tamborello (Dntel).
Stand out tracks are Hurricanes, which has to be the gem of the album, leads form the gate as explosive and then as the vocals begin the mood backs off like a brooding 1990’s Depeche Mode track. Also notable tracks are “Beating Drum” and “New City” that feature hypnotic drones of sound that culminate in a great downtempo album."
- Dan Portnoy, The Drop

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About

Members:

Johnny Bertram
Andrew Best
Matt Basinger
Honorable Mention: Joel Hartse

Influences:

developing countries, technological advances, small coastal towns, leaving home, e-mail, love, friends and family, science, fridays, pawn shops, casios, nintendo

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