This is probably one of my favorite name for a band ever: Computer Vs. Banjo. Their self-titled debut album came out yesterday, June 17th. Unlike bands that fails to deliver on their names (*cough* Barenaked Ladies *cough*), Computer Vs Banjo actually employs both of these instruments, the organic banjo versus the unnatural computer. Although, reading the press material, they seem really excited to team up folk and electronic, when, in fact, folktronica have existed since the 2000's.
Anyway, Computer Vs Banjo seem to be a brand new band, but the duo are already established with existing bands in Nashville, Tennessee. Johnny Mann is the lead guitarist of Grand Torino (a funk/jazz band) and Beau Stapleton plays guitar and mandolin for Blue Merle (a rock group on a major label, Island Records).
Listening to the album, I can hear two different vocals (both Mann and Stapleton sing), one of them is somewhat distorted, as heard on the opening track, "Jubilee". The poppiest song on here is easily "Guitars Need A Sinner's Touch", while fans of The Beatles Sgt Pepper-era would really appreciate "Stone".
I felt the best song to represent the band is "Give Up On Ghosts", which predominately features the finger-plucking banjo and computer beats.
Look for the lovely cover art (by Matt Cipov) for Computer Vs. Banjo where CDs are sold or on iTunes.
PS, Yesterday was also the launch of Firefox 3.0, although it's probably more secure and faster, I would not recommend using it, as it seems copying and pasting into vox compose does not work well with version 3. I'm not exactly sure what the problem is, in the meantime, I'll still be using version 2 despite its memory hog.
Links: www.computervsbanjo.com myspace.com/computervsbanjo diagramrecords.com
| WS wrote:
Fri, Jun 20, 2008 at 3:10 AM
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[this is good] This totally gave me a flashback to a song on a 45 rpm I used to play over and over again called Winchester Cathedral (By the New Vaudeville Band). My Dad made his way through college singing and playing on a banjo he had made and he had a great version of the song which kind of sounds like the song you posted here. There are no banjos on the original as far as I know, but my father sang it with the banjo and a megaphone and I LOVED it!
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