Chairs In the Arno

Band members Jeff Excell, Jeff Knight, and Ryan Fly tossed their plastic chairs into the Arno river in a fit of drunken exuberance while studying abroad in Italy. While celebrating their noble deed, they came up with a name for their band: Chairs In the Arno. Definitely a Kodak moment. After returning to their homeland, the trio recruited Becca Hsu to share vocal duties as well as tickling the keys of a moog synthesizer. In this final form, the band put together their debut album, titled File Folder, which came out in October.

Although short (eight tracks and only twenty-seven minutes long), the album is a lot of fun. It's clear the foursome approached the project with a lot of energy. The primary palette of sounds here is unabashedly electronic from beginning to end. It really reminds me of another album I enjoyed earlier this year: Au Revoir Simone's The Bird of Music, although with male and female vocals adding a human element to all the bleeps, bloops, and synth-sounds that energetically flit by. Consider it youthful digitized quirkiness to brighten up your day!


Chairs In the Arno - I Never Loved You Anyways : File Folder

Chairs In the Arno - Suit Pressed : File Folder

Visit their website, their label Mushpot Records, and become their friend on MySpace.

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Au Revoir Simone - A Violent Yet Flammable World : Live at the 9:30 Club 4-30-07 (Studio version on The Bird of Music