WE'LL SHIP WHEN IT'S BACK IN STOCK

Album Notes

Released November, 2011, run run run is the new album from Portland’s Trick Sensei. The band’s sound veers from guitar hook-laden indie rock to psychedelic garage sprinkled with swirls of looped guitar, keyboards and theremin. Gordon, Caputo and Boyd switch off lead vocal duties and all members collaborate in songwriting. The band melds its influences to create a sound which is unique yet familiar.

From the opening drum fill of “Indian Summer” the album flows with a raw, upbeat, kinetic momentum. “Windmills” alternates between a venom-filled narrative with “Occupy Wall St.” sentiments and the familiar tendency to float, avoid, ignore and survive. Other highlights inlcude the bouncy sing-a-long psychedelica of “I’s on U,” frantic energy of “Safety in Numbers” and the last minutes of the instrumental “Babel On” that dissolve into ethereal wash giving way to the chant-led guitar pop of “Release the Dragon.”

The album was recorded over a weekend at the Type Foundry Studio by Dave Wolfe. Nearly all instrumental tracks were recorded as a live band and most vocal tracks laid down on day two. This is a marked departure from the approach of the previous two albums, during which the band recorded on and off for months in their basement studio.

Formed in the early 2000s, this is the band’s fourth full-length release and third since 2007. Band founders Gordon and Boyd began making music with Caputo in 1997, shortly after arriving in Portland (Gordon from NYC, Boyd from Idaho). Less than a year after forming the band Caputo (upon returning to Portland) and Hutzler joined the fray. The band has recently been joined by former Snails bass player Cyndy Chan who augments the sounds with a fuzzy, upbeat low end.