peter dean (electric piano, synthesizers, vocals),
jennifer fox (drums, glockenspiel, vocals),
andrew stern (bass, vocals)
Influences
we've played with M83, Fleet Foxes, Stereo Total, Helio Sequence, Octopus Project, Gil Mantera's Party Dream, Menomena, Night Night, The Lovemakers, the one and only Tom Heinl and many, many more.
“The syncopated rhythms and interlocking melodies on Fast Computers' first album, Heart Geometry, fit tightly together as though perfectly measured... powerful, haunting and stark, but it also seems organic and natural...one of the year's most satisfying releases.”
-NPR
"Despite the technology-inspired band name and song titles... cold and calculating just isn't Fast Computers' speed... piano based love songs with a synth-pop sheen... at its bubbly best."
- Magnet
"Wonderful, tinny slice of electro pop heaven. Imagine if the Postal Service met up with Human League..."
-Hustler
"The best indie synth band in Portland!"
- The Oregonian
"One of this year's best local releases is Heart Geometry, the debut long-player from Fast Computers. It only takes one song, the fascinating opener 'Sweden Hasn't Changed, You Have,' to see that this trio is not messing around. Balancing human warmth with icicle-cold keyboards is a tricky act, and Fast Computers pull it off with the greatest of ease... Heart Geometry props itself up not with the easy nostalgia of quaint new-wave revivalists, but instead by delicately spacing each song with tempered vocals and open-ended instrumentation. The result is an absolutely gorgeous record..."
-Portland Mercury
“Heart Geometry, the new release from the band Fast Computers, strikes me the
way Postal Service records do.. it all boils down to how well the listener can engage with romantic, lost-soul lyrics backed by the dramatic
keyboards that swell at just the right points.”
-Delusions of Adequacy
"A+ material all the way... absolutely monumental."
-Exoduster
"Shimmering with tight analog beeps and blips and laced with morose vocals, this band plays like Jarvis Cocker and the Fembots."
-Absolute Punk
“The major-key and cheerful sound of the music contrasts with oft-times wistful lyrics, and the use of classic electronic instruments in a fresh way creates a nuanced balance between retro influences and current sensibilities... The band’s range of mood and tempo is as wide as their pool of urbane sonic references.”
-Performer Magazine
“This is Morrissey meets Queen, with synthesizers, xylophone, and piano. Sounds dizzying, I know. And it is, but in a good way.”
-Beautiful/Decay
"Beautifully dreamy indie pop, with an emphasis on beeps and blips and a subtly catchy songwriting prowess. Sure we could be talking about The Listening or Client or Maps or, heck, we might even be talking about Belle & Sebastian, but we aren't. We are talking about Fast Computers..."
-Infuze Magazine
"The album leaves you winded, and breathless, as if you too have been traveling up the west coast, experiencing the highs and lows of love, the pressures of outsides forces, and the awe-inspiring sights and sounds one finds in the geometric patterns in everyday life."
-30music.com
“Heart Geometry is a must have purchase for 2007.”
-Northwest Noise
"A breezy blend of electronic twinkles and guitar strums, carefree piano and swooning strings... make you want to dance all night long"
-Impose Magazine
"Blending vintage synthesizers with bouncy piano, percussion with drum loops, and electro with orchestral, Fast Computers have created a sound that is futuristic and retro, boundless and refreshing. Heart Geometry is a cool drink of water on a scalding hot day."
-FensePost.com
"Fast Computers make great synth pop with what appears to be effortless zeal."
-Side One Track One
"When robots listen to music, I'll bet they like the tunes of Fast Computers. And when robots are in love, the ultimate date CD must be Fast Computers' Heart Geometry."
-Auburn Journal
"I'm sure it won't take long for this pop electronica to take hold of your ears."
-Skyline Press
“[Fast Computers] get right what far more successful '80s-flavored bands get so
terribly wrong-this is understated, unrefined, and still fully capable of leaving an impact.”
-Out There Monthly
“Fast Computers could very well be able to sneak into the space between a Fischerspooner and a Radiohead”
-Neufutur
"...adding flourishes of instrumental color to compositions that owe equal debt to previous Portland acts such as Quasi and more recognizable dance-pop forebears such as New Order and Soft Cell."
-The Oregonian
"...a crisp, melodically pleasing album that swells from start to finish with an almost narrative flow while providing lyrical, compositional and emotional highlights in between."
-Eugene Weekly
"...surface contradictions - synthesizers with violin and cello, the digital ice cubes plunked into a glass of analog bourbon - parallel the message the band wants to get across with its songs."
-Register-Guard
I know, right! You look like a suave 70's night club singer. I think it's the gold microphone, myself, but it could also be the expression on your face. Or maybe Marissa's. Whatever the reason, it's awesome.
Dear FC, You once again shined a bright light into the cavernous world that is known as The Silver Fox. We love you all and hope you're having a great rest of your tour (but really, we know you're all crying into your pillows at night missing us.
Does that mean I can refer to you as my bitches in conversation? Sounds pretty cool, no? Speaking of things that sound pretty cool, you guys rocked last night. It had been too long since we'd seen you live and both Marissa and I needed to jam out to "Magic." WOO!
