Album Notes

San Francisco electro-pop duo Anagram has released their upcoming album “The Lights Went Up” on Scenery Records through Revolver Distribution in August of 2006. A music video for the single “Shelter Street” from the album, directed by Shane Conrad, was released in February, 2006.

“The Lights Went Up” will be the much-anticipated sophomore album for Anagram, whose debut release, “Songs From Far Away”, received critical acclaim after its release in 2005. Anagram songs have been featured in several feature films, including the upcoming “Speed and Angels,” Sundance award winner “Dopamine,” and Columbia Tri-Star release “Big Girls Don’t Cry.” Anagram tracks have also been featured on episodes of NPR’s “This American Life,” and a weekly television series in Sweden on SVT.

The album made its way to the top ten list of college radio stations across the country, and was featured on San Francisco’s Live 105 radio show “Sound Check.” Here’s what they’re saying about Anagram’s “Songs From Far Away”:

A passionate, gritty, almost visual kind of music that does not come up short on balls.
---Impact Press

Few in recent memory have developed this style with as much ease and substance… a glorious blend of The Cure and The Organ.
---Popmatters

A listening experience worthy of your attention.
---Zero Magazine

Truly a magic duo, they offer ethereal arrangements and indie pop for us to salivate over. Amazing.
---editor's pick, Smother.net

A refreshing, ephemeral electro / indie pop record, perfectly suited to today’s musical tastes and current thirst for what lies in the haze between electronic and rock.
---Brett Thompson, Muses Muse, UK

This album exhibits anagram's ability to create well crafted electronic rock soaked in art.
---Distortion Magazine

The endearing calmness of Death Cab for Cutie is obvious, but musically this is more interesting, and Anagram come off as a far more expressive and creative band.
---Skratch Magazine

Biography
Famous duos have always left their mark in music and we owe a lot to the ideas that spring forth from these unions. Jessica Congdon and Eric Holland are no exception, but this duo also has a passion for visuals.

“I was scoring a movie that Jessica was working on, and we realized we had a lot in common," says Eric. Once you hear the music of "Songs from Far Away," visuals certainly spring to mind. From "Behavior" to “Jack Rabbit," images float through the ether. With regards to their influences, one can hear traces of Mazzy Star, New Order, Ladytron and even Radiohead, but their uniqueness remains intact.

Anagram is neither Eric nor Jessica's first venture into music. Jessica was a member of Smitten and Vervein. Eric was a founder of the experimental art-rock band, Milk Cult, which released 5 albums (Basura!/0 to 1 Records) and toured Europe and Japan. More recently, Anagram has enjoyed success in soundtracks. Films include "Big Girls Don't Cry" (Columbia/Tristar), "Dopamine," an award-winning film at Sundance, and “Speed and Angels.”

In the end, it seems that the acts that end up making a difference are those that combine their talents and think as one. With Anagram's genuine talent, it seems that success is just a heartbeat away.